UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundMastitis in dairy cattle results from infection of mammary tissue by a range of micro-organisms but principally coliform bacteria and Gram positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Interkingdom signaling is established in the gastrointestinal tract in that human hormones trigger responses in bacteria; here, we show that the corollary is true, that a specific bacterial signal,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Unless relaxation of the stringent response is achieved, all nongrowing bacteria rapidly develop resistance to autolysis induced by a variety of agents, including all classes of cell wall synthesis...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Plumbagin is found in many herbal plants and inhibits the growth of various bacteria. Escherichia coli strains are relatively resistant to this drug. The mechanism of resistance is...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Bacteria and fungi are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. The diversity and abundance of airborne microbes may be strongly influenced by atmospheric conditions or even influence atmospheric conditions themselves...Full Text Available

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Science.gov (United States)

Non-thermal (low-temperature) physical plasma is under intensive study as an alternative approach to control superficial wound and skin infections when the effectiveness of chemical agents is weak due to natural pathogen or biofilm resistance. The purpose of this study was to test the individual susceptibility of pathogenic bacteria to non-thermal argon plasma and to measure the effectiveness of plasma treatments against bacteria in biofilms and on wound surfaces. Overall, Gram-negative bacteria were more susceptible to plasma treatment than Gram-positive bacteria. For the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cenocepacia and Escherichia coli, there were no survivors among the initial 10(5) c.f.u. after a 5 min plasma treatment. The susceptibility of Gram-positive bacteria was species- and strain-specific. Streptococcus pyogenes was the ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

An enterotoxin D (SED)-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus was used to infect one mammary gland of each of 17 lactating dairy cows. All glands became infected and shed bacteria...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Beside yeasts, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most abundant microbes in must during vinification. Whereas Oenococcos oeni is commercially used as a starter culture for the biological acid reduction in wines, other species are responsible for different types of wine spoilage. Members of the genera Pediococcus, Weissella, Leuconostoc, and Lactobacillus are producers of exopolysaccharide slimes, biogenic amines, acetic acid, and other off-flavors. In order to control microbial growth, different procedures such as heating of must and addition of sulfite or lysozyme from egg white are generally applied. Yet, because of health risks, the application of sulfite should be reduced and lysozyme is not effective against all LAB. In this study, we describe exoenzymes from a Streptomyces sp. strain...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pit lakes form when open-pit mining operations are discontinued and dewatering ceases. The increase in open-pit metal mining since the 1970s will lead to the formation of numerous pit lakes over the next 50 years. Many of these lakes will develop acid sulfate conditions with high levels of dissolved metals. Approaches to remediation of these conditions that have been recommended include the addition of lime or other alkaline materials and the stimulation of sulfate-reducing bacteria. However, prevention rather than remediation is probably the preferable approach. Measures to prevent oxidation of mining waste and wall rocks, including measures to fill pits quickly with water, to inhibit the activity of acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, and to promote anoxic conditions at the lake bottoms may minimize the formation of acids and dissolved metals. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chemoheterotrophic thermophilic bacteria were used to achieve enhanced hydrocarbon degradation during slurry-phase treatment of oily waste sludges from petroleum refinery operations. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial cultures were examined under thermophilic conditions to assess the effects of mode of metabolism on the potential for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation. The study determined that both aerobic and anaerobic thermophilic bacteria are capable of growth on petroleum hydrocarbons. Thermophilic methanogenesis is feasible during the degradation of hydrocarbons when a strict anaerobic condition is achieved in a slurry bioreactor. Aerobic thermophilic bacteria achieved the largest apparent reduction in chemical oxygen demand, freon extractable oil, total and volatile solid,s and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) when treating oily waste sludges. The observed shift with time in the molecular ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

During secondary oil recovery, water is injected into the formation to sweep out the residual oil. The injected water, however, follows the path of least resistance through the high-permeability zones, leaving oil in the low-permeability zones. Selective plugging of these their zones would divert the waterflood to the residual oil and thus increase the life of the well. Bacteria have been suggested as an alternative plugging agent to the current method of polymer injection. Starved bacteria can penetrate deeply into rock formations where they attach to the rock surfaces, and given the right nutrients can grow and produce exo-polymer, reducing the permeability of these zones. The application of microbial enhanced oil recovery has only been applied to shallow, cool, onshore fields to date. This study has focused on the ability of bacteria to enhance oil recovery offshore in the North Sea, where the environment can be ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acanthamoeba castellanii is a free-living amoeba found in soil, freshwater, and marine environments and an important predator of bacteria. Acanthamoeba castellanii is also an opportunistic pathogen of clinical interest, responsible for several distinct diseases in humans. In order to provide a genomic platform for the study of this ubiquitous and important protist, we generated a sequence survey of approximately 0.5 x coverage of the genome. The data predict that A. castellanii exhibits a greater biosynthetic capacity than the free-living Dictyostelium discoideum and the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, providing an explanation for the ability of A. castellanii to inhabit adversity of environments. Alginate lyase may provide access to bacteria within biofilms by breaking down the biofilm matrix, and polyhydroxybutyrate depolymerase may facilitate utilization of the bacterial storage compound polyhydroxybutyrate as a food ...

Science.gov (United States)

The ability of Yersinia pestis to forestall the mammalian innate immune response is a fundamental aspect of plague pathogenesis. In this study, we examined the effect of Ail, a 17-kDa outer membrane protein that protects Y. pestis against complement-mediated lysis, on bubonic plague pathogenesis in mice and rats. The Y. pestis ail mutant was attenuated for virulence in both rodent models. The attenuation was greater in rats than in mice, which correlates with the ability of normal rat serum, but not mouse serum, to kill ail-negative Y. pestis in vitro. Intradermal infection with the ail mutant resulted in an atypical, subacute form of bubonic plague associated with extensive recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN or neutrophils) to the site of infection in the draining lymph node and the formation of large purulent abscesses that contained the bacteria. Systemic spread and mortality were greatly attenuated, however, and a productive ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Acidification is one of the most common and serious problems inducing process failure in anaerobic digesters. The production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) mainly triggers acidic shock. However, little is known about the bacteria involved in the processes of acidogenic metabolism, such as fermentation and reductive acetogenesis. Here, the metabolic responses of a methanogenic community to the acidification and resulting process deterioration were investigated using transcriptional profiling of both the 16S rRNA and formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase (FTHFS) genes. The 16S rRNA-based analyses demonstrated that the dynamic shift of bacterial populations was closely correlated with reactor performance, especially with VFA accumulation levels. The pH drop accompanied by an increase in VFAs stim...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Seven villages in southeastern Kenya surround Mt. Kasigau and depend on the mountain's cloud forest for their water supply. Five of these villages have regularly experienced water shortages, and all village water supplies were contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria. There is a need to economically find new sources of fresh ground water. Remote sensing offers a relatively quick and cost-effective way of identifying areas with high potential for ground water development. This study used spectral properties of features on Landsat remote sensing imagery to map linear features, soil types, surface moisture, and vegetation. Linear features represented geologic or geomorphologic features indicating either shallow ground water or areas of increased subsurface hydraulic conductivity. Regarding...

Science.gov (United States)

The giant alga Chara corallina generates action potentials (APs) in response to mechanical stimulation, injury, or direct electrical stimulation. Students examine the waveform characteristics of these APs using standard intracellular recording techniques. Intracellular recording is easier than with neurons because of the large size of the Chara cell. Students observe very negative resting potentials (up to -250 mV), large AP amplitudes with depolarizing peaks approaching 0 mV, AP durations of seconds, and refractory periods up to several minutes. Students calculate Nernst potentials for the ions distributed across the Chara cell membrane to hypothesize the ions responsible for the resting potential and for the depolarizing phase of the AP. These calculations suggest that K+ is responsible for the resting potential and ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Three nucleic acid probes, two for autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria of the beta subdivision of the class Proteobacteria and one for alpha subdivision nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, were developed...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The antibacterial activities of different nitroheterocyclic compounds were assessed by an agar dilution method against aerobic, microaerophilic, and anaerobic bacteria. Nitronaphthofurans inhibited...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Several old and new observations suggest the existence in Crohn's disease of a phagocytic disorder of macrophages related to impaired bactericidal activity of host cells or to the presence of invasive bacteria that have developed strategies to counteract macrophage killing. It was recently reported that disordered macrophage cytokine secretion underlies impaired acute inflammation and bacterial clearance in Crohn's disease. Secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by CD macrophages was impaired in response to E. coli or specific Toll-like receptor agonists. In addition, major advances in the etiology of Crohn's disease came from the existence of polymorphism in NOD2 and autophagy-related susceptibility genes (ATG16L1 and IRGM) in patients and from the identification of the presence of adhere...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We compared an idealised mathematical model of the lower part of the pelagic food web to experimental data from a mesocosm experiment in which the supplies of mineral nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous), bioavailable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC, as glucose), and silicate were manipulated. The central hypothesis of the experiment was that bacterial consumption of BDOC depends on whether the growth rate of heterotrophic bacteria is limited by organic-C or by mineral nutrients. In previous work, this hypothesis was examined qualitatively using a conceptual food web model. Here we explore the extent to which a ?simplest possible?? mathematical version of this conceptual model can reproduce the observed dynamics. The model combines algal?bacterial competition for mineral nutrients (phosphor...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The Na+-driven bacterial flagellar motor is a molecular machine powered by an electrochemical potential gradient of sodium ions across the cytoplasmic membrane. The marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus has a single polar flagellum that enables it to swim in liquid. The flagellar motor contains a basal body and a stator complexes, which are composed of several proteins. PomA, PomB, MotX, and MotY are thought to be essential components of the stator that are required to generate the torque of the rotation. Several mutations have been investigated to understand the characteristics and function of the ion channel in the stator and the mechanism of its assembly around the rotor to complete the motor. In this review, we summarize recent results of the Na+-driven motor in the polar flagellum of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The earthworm gut provides ideal in situ conditions for ingested heterotrophic soil bacteria capable of anaerobiosis. High amounts of mucus- and plant-derived saccharides such as glucose are abundant in the earthworm alimentary canal, and high concentrations of molecular hydrogen (H2) and organic acids in the alimentary canal are indicative of ongoing fermentations. Thus, the central objective of this study was to resolve potential links between fermentations and active fermenters in gut content of the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-based stable isotope probing, with [13C]glucose as a model substrate. Glucose consumption in anoxic gut content microcosms was rapid and yielded soluble organic compounds (acetate, butyrate, formate, lactate, propionate, succi...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The work reported here encompasses analyses of specific potential spill scenarios for oil exploration activity planned offshore of Namibia. The analyses are carried out with the SINTEF Oil Spill Contingency and Response (OSCAR) 3-dimensional model systems. A spill scenario using 150 m{sup 3} of marine diesel demonstrates the rapidity with which such a spill will dissipate naturally, even in light winds. Vertical and horizontal mixing bring subsurface hydrocarbon concentrations to background levels within a few days. A hypothetical 10 day blowout scenario releasing 11,000 bbl per day of light crude oil is investigated in terms of the potential for delivering oil to selected bird and marine mammal areas along the Namibian coast. Worst case scenarios are selected to investigate the potential mitigating effects of planned oil spill response actions. Mechanical recovery significantly ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The two-compartment radioassay for microbial kinetics based on continuous measurement of the {sup 14}CO{sub 2} released by bacterial metabolism of 14C-labeled substrate offers a valuable approach to testing the potency of antimicrobial drugs. By using a previously validated radioassay with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, a group of protein synthesis inhibitors was evaluated for their effect on microbial growth kinetics. All tested drugs induced changes in both the slopes and intercepts of the growth curves. An exponential growth model was applied to quantify the drug effect on the processes of bacterial {sup 14}CO{sub 2} liberation and cell generation. The response was measured in terms of a generation rate constant. A linear dependence of the generation rate constant on the dose of spectinomycin was observed with Escherichia coli. Sigmoidal-shaped curves were found in the assays of chloramphenicol and tetracycline. The implications ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Pituitary Fshb concentrations increase markedly and selectively beginning on Postnatal Day 20 in the male rat. To evaluate the factors potentially responsible for this rise...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundResponse shift theory suggests that improvements in health lead patients to change their internal standards and re-assess former health states as worse than initially rated...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The study of blocking factors requires in vitro assay of cell mediated immunity that parallels the in vivo response. By microcytotoxicity testing, progressor and immune peripheral blood lymphocytes...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The goal of this study was to determine if the exaggerated morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) response seen in adult rats after preweanling methylphenidate exposure is unique...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is a model environmental organism that possesses diverse respiratory capacities, including the ability to reduce soluble Cr(VI) to sparingly soluble, less toxic Cr(III). Effective bioremediation of Cr-contaminated sites requires knowledge of the molecular mechanisms and regulation of heavy metal resistance and biotransformation by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria. Towards this goal, our ERSP-funded work is focused on the identification and functional analysis of genes/proteins comprising the response pathways for chromate detoxification and/or reduction. Previous transcriptomic profiling and whole-cell proteomic analyses implicated the involvement of a functionally undefined DNA-binding response regulator (SO2426) and a putative azoreductase (SO3585) in the chromate stress response of MR-1. Here we describe a detailed functional analysis of SO2426 and SO3585 in order to ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Background: Recent studies have developed a murine model of IgE-mediated food allergy based on oral coadministration of antigen and cholera toxin (CT) to establish a maximal response for studying immunopathogenic mechanisms and immunotherapeutic strategies. However, for studying subtle immunomodulating factors or factors effective during response initiation, this maximal response-based model is less suitable due to a lack of sensitivity. Therefore, in attempts to identify essential parameters to fine-tune the immune response towards a submaximal level, potentially more sensitive, we were interested in characterizing the individual effects of the parameters in the CT-based model: CT dose, antigen type and dose, and number of immunizations. Methods: BALB/c mice were orally sensitized weekly for 3 or 7 weeks with graded doses of CT and various food antigens (soy-trypsin inhibitor, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) is required by Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 regulations to develop a conceptual understanding of potential contaminant releases from the Hanford Site based on an evaluation of existing data and known historical practices. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one environmental contaminant potentially released through leaks, spills, or disposal. This document presents a summary of selected relevant existing information, including environmental studies and Hanford Site analytical data.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Rationale Hypothalamic?pituitary?adrenal axis dysregulation predicts poor clinical and biochemical response to antidepressants. Antiglucocorticoids have therapeutic benefits but most have a troublesome adverse event profile. Aspects of neuropsychological performance, notably working memory, are susceptible to corticosteroid modulation and are impaired in depression. Aspirin has been shown to attenuate the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol response to physiological challenge suggesting its potential to act as an augmenting agent in depression. Objectives To examine the effect of sub-acute (300?mg daily for 7?days) aspirin pre-treatment on the cortisol awakening response and the effect of acute (600?mg) and sub-acute aspirin on the neuroendocrine and neuropsychological response...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Pfister, Robert M. (Lamont Geological Observatory, Palisades, N.Y.), and Paul R. Burkholder. Numerical taxonomy of some bacteria isolated from Antarctic and tropical seawaters. J....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Bacterial processes in soil, including biodegradation, require contact between bacteria and substrates. Knowledge of the three-dimensional spatial distribution of bacteria at the microscale is necessary...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Two gram-negative, motile bacteria isolated from deep subsurface sediments mineralized the nitrogen-containing polyaromatic hydrocarbon quinoline under aerobic conditions and transformed quinoline to...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Species of bacteria associated with Stylophora pistillata were determined by analyses of 16S ribosomal genes. Coral samples were taken from two distinct sites at Kenting, in the far...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Hydrolytic exoenzymes as indicators of metabolically active bacteria were investigated in four consecutive sapropel layers collected from bathyal sediments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. For comparison,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Thermophilic propionate-oxidizing, proton-reducing bacteria were enriched from the granular methanogenic sludge of a bench-scale upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor operated at 55°C with a mixture...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundBacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition that is associated with preterm birth and acquisition of complex communities of vaginal bacteria that include several fastidious...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The antibiotic resistance patterns of gram-negative fecal bacteria from pigs in three herds with different histories of antibiotic exposure were examined. In general, smaller proportions of antibiotic-resistant...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Measuring gene expression using microarrays is relevant to many areas of biology and medicine, such as follow up of developmental stages and diseases onset, and treatment study. Since there can be tens of thousands of distinct probes on an array, each micro array experiment can accomplish the equivalent number of genetic tests in parallel. Arrays have therefore dramatically accelerated many types of investigations. For example, microarrays can be used to identify stress response genes by comparing gene expression in challenged versus normal cells. In the Molecular and Cellular Biology lab (MCB), the micro array experiments are performed within the Genomic Platform, fully equipped to analyse either the behaviour of bacteria during long space flight, the effect of low dose ionising radiation on the developing organism in mice, or the human individual radiation sensitivity. For the low dose effect, two main stages of development are of interest; ...

Science.gov (United States)

The uptake and incorporation of (/sup 3/H)adenine as a measure of total microbial (bacteria and unicellular algae) nucleic acid synthesis depends on the validity of several assumptions. A unique characteristic of the (/sup 3/H)adenine method is the ability to measure the specific radioactivity (nCi pmol/sup -1/) of the immediate precursor pool of the adenine incorporated into nucleic acids. This measurement permits correction for isotope dilution when the added radiotracer mixes with exogenous pools of structurally related compounds before uptake and with endogenous pools after transport into the cells. The immediate precursors to (/sup 3/H)adenine incorporation into cellular RNA and DNA are ATP and dATP. Since the intracellular dATP pool is in isotopic equilibrium with the ATP pool, one can determine the specific radioactivity of both precursor pools by measuring that of the intracellular ATP pool. If the specific activity of the precursor pool is not measured, ...

Science.gov (United States)

The strategies employed by oral streptococci to resist the inimical influences of acidification reflect the diverse and dynamic niches of the human mouth. All of the oral streptococci are capable of rapid degradation of sugar to acidic end-products. As a result, the pH value of their immediate environment can plummet to levels where glycolysis and growth cease. At this point, the approaches for survival in acid separate the organisms. Streptococcus mutans, for example, relies on its F-ATPase, to protect itself from acidification by pumping protons out of the cells. S. salivarius responds by degrading urea to ammonia and S. sanguis produces ammonia by arginolysis. The mechanisms by which these organisms regulate their particular escape route are now being explored experimentally. The picture that emerges is that the acid-adaptive regulatory mechanisms of the oral streptococci differ markedly from those employed by Gram-negative bacteria. What remains to be ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The presence of soluble sulfide in produced water results in problems for the petroleum industry due to its toxicity, odor, corrosive nature, and potential for wellbore plugging. Sulfide oxidation by indigenous nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) present in brine collected from wells at the Coleville Unit (CVU) in Saskatchewan, Canada, was investigated. Sulfide oxidation took place readily when nitrate and phosphate were added to brine enrichment cultures, resulting in a decrease in sulfide levels of 99-165 ppm to nondetectable levels (< 3.3 ppm). Produced water collected from a number of producing wells was screened to determine the time required for complete sulfide oxidation, in order to select candidate wells for treatment. Three wells were chosen, based on sulfide removal in 48 hours or less. These wells were treated down the backside of the annulus with a solution containing 10 mM KNO{sub 3} and 100 {mu}M NaH{sub 2}PO{sub 4}. Following a ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Udgivelsesdato: 2002-Aug

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We previously showed that very thin filamentous bacteria affiliated with the division green non-sulfur bacteria were abundant in the outermost layer of thermophilic methanogenic sludge granules fed...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Abstract: Snake venom contains a number of small proteins,enzymes and other components,which displays a broad spectrum of biological activities. With the ability of specifically binding on acetylcholine acceptor, alpha-bungarotoxins are not only useful molecular probes in investigating the mechanism of neural signal transmission, but also potential pharmic preparations for neural disease treatment. In current research,cDNAs of Bungarus multicinutus venom gland were synthesized using SMART cDNA amplification kit and then, alpha-bungarotoxin genes were cloned and sequenced. Total of 20 clones were sequenced representing 14 isotoxin mRNAs of alpha-bungarotoxins. Among those clones, a novel isotoxin gene was subcloned into two expression plasmids, alpha-BgTX/pQE30a and alpha-BgTX/pGEX-4T-1, and transformed into E. coli. After inducing with IPTG, fused protein of GST-alpha-BgTX was successfully expressed at level of 30% gross proteins of bacteria. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Production of hydrogen sulfide in produced waters due to the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is a potentially serious problem. The hydrogen sulfide is not only a safety and environmental concern, it also contributes to corrosion, solids formation, a reduction in produced oil and gas values, and limitations on water discharge. Waters produced from seawater-flooded reservoirs typically contain all of the nutrients required to support SRB metabolism. Surface processing facilities provide a favorable environment in which SRB flourish, converting water-borne nutrients into biomass and H{sub 2}S. This paper will present results from a field trial in which a new technology for the biochemical control of SRB metabolism was successfully applied. A slip stream of water downstream of separators on a produced water handling facility was routed through a bioreactor in a side-steam device where microbial growth was allowed to develop fully. This ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The passive films formed on iron metal, alloys or stainless steel are extremely thin oxides or hydroxides and possess the properties of high chemical stability in the environment. These films show characteristics interested both electrical as well as electrochemical point of view due to the thin thickness of the films. Auger Electron Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy and so on which are the conventional electrochemical measurement methods or the surface analysis methods are used for the analysis and evaluation of these films, however, at present, the application of research technique focusing the superconductor characteristics of the films are tried. Although, the potential modulation reflection spectroscopy method has merits like possibility of in-situ measurement, high precision, possibility of stable analysis even for extremely thin film and so forth, it has also demerits like difficulty to response the ...

Science.gov (United States)

In this paper, model analysis into the time-dependent transmembrane potential at the outer cell membrane is presented, for applied high-intensity electric pulses having durations in the nanosecond range or smaller. It is argued that the frequency-dependent dielectric response of cell membranes could be used to advantage for stronger bioeffects by employing shorter pulses. Our model calculations predict faster transmembrane voltages and larger electroporation densities for a given external energy with pulse durations in the subnanosecond regime. This temporal regime would be used, for example, in the electrotherapy of mixed cell ensembles having different dielectric response properties. PMID:21937300

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BC Hydro has been assessing and upgrading its facilities and implementing response alternatives to potential damage resulting from a major earthquake. This paper reviews the utility`s seismic evaluation of its overhead transmission system, focusing on the Lower Mainland area where most of the tall critical river-crossing towers are located. The paper gives an overview of the geologic environment of the Lower Mainland and outlines the criteria used for assessing existing structures for their ability to withstand design seismic loads. It then describes the investigation and analysis methods used in the assessment, including geotechnical field tests, ground response analysis, determination of soil liquefaction potential, and dynamic analysis of structures and piles. Options for seismic upgrades are discussed and illustrated by the case of the Pitt River crossing, where tower foundations were reinforced ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of the elderly accounting for the vast majority of dementia. Recently, many studies have implicated the role of inflammatory response, especially neuroinflammatory response in the development and progression of AD. However, the underlying mechanism of how inflammatory response induces AD is unknown. Kynurenine pathway is a major route of the amino acid tryptophan catabolism, resulting in the production of nicotine adenine dinucleotide and other neuroactive intermediates: quinolinic acid (QA) and kynurenic acid (KA). QA exerts different toxic effects, including over-activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and excitotoxicity, synaptic dysfunction and neuronal death. On the other hand, KA is identified as the only...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The biomedical and ecological interest for the microwave impact on the Earth biosphere is continuously increased since the industrial, military and communication activities strongly contribute to the electromagnetic stress of living bodies. In the next the authors present some of the main results obtained regarding the microwave exposure of various types of biological material: bacteria, fungi, young plant seedlings, dry seeds, animal tissues. The electromagnetic exposure was carried out in open space in well controlled environmental conditions by using 10.75 GHz/1 m W cm{sup -2} microwaves. Biochemical assays and cytogenetic tests have been carried out to reveal the changes induced post irradiation. The response of some pathogen bacteria, have been emphasized by means of turbidimetric measurements - the stimulatory effect being noticed at the level of the microbial population density (the stimulation of the human body ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The development of modern techniques for the cooling and the manipulation of atoms in recent years, and the possibility to create Bose-Einstein condensates and degenerate Fermi gases and to load them into regular optical lattices or disordered optical potentials, has evoked new interest for the disorder-induced localization of ultra-cold atoms. This work studies the transport properties of matter waves in disordered optical potentials, which are also known as speckle potentials. The effect of correlated disorder on localization is first studied numerically in the framework of the Anderson model. The relevant transport parameters in the configuration average over many different realizations of the speckle potential are then determined analytically, using self-consistent diagrammatic perturbation techniques. This allows to make predictions for a possible experimental observation of coherent transport ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Triphenylmethylphosphonium (TPMP+) partitions into the mitochondrial and cytosolic compartments in the rat white adipocyte in a potential-dependent fashion. The relationship between (/sup 3/H)TPMP+ distribution, intracellular cAMP generation and lipolysis in response to hormones and cAMP-mimetic compounds was examined. Half-maximal (/sup 3/H)TPMP+ efflux and glycerol release were produced by 15 and 9 nM adrenocorticotropin, 170 and 110 nM 1-epinephrine, 70 and 27 microM isobutylmethylxanthine and 800 and 750 microM dibutyryl cAMP, respectively. Hormone-stimulated cAMP generation was also correlated with (/sup 3/H)TPMP+ efflux and lipolysis in terms of concentration dependency. In kinetic experiments, glycerol release and (/sup 3/H)TPMP+ efflux in response to adrenocorticotropin or cholera toxin proceeded over a similar time course, whereas an earlier rise in cAMP generation was detected. The depolarizing effect of lipolytic ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It is maintained that special features of FFTF make it an ideal system to test sodium boiling detection techniques by acoustic/neutronic methods and to test the response of acoustic/neutronic sensors to vibrations. It is shown that accumulated research results indicate that such tests in FFTF are feasible, predictable, promising and safe. (author).

Science.gov (United States)

Antiquitin (ATQ) deficiency is the main cause of pyridoxine dependent epilepsy characterized by early onset epileptic encephalopathy responsive to large dosages of pyridoxine. Despite seizure control most patients have intellectual disability. Folinic acid responsive seizures (FARS) are genetically identical to ATQ deficiency. ATQ functions as an aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH7A1) in the lysine degradation pathway. Its deficiency results in accumulation of ?-aminoadipic semialdehyde (AASA), piperideine-6-carboxylate (P6C) and pipecolic acid, which serve as diagnostic markers in urine, plasma, and CSF. To interrupt seizures a dose of 100mg of pyridoxine-HCl is given intravenously, or orally/enterally with 30mg/kg/day. First administration may result in respiratory arrest in responders, and thus treatment should be performed with support of respiratory management. To make sure that late and masked response is not missed, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The growth power-time curves of a strain of petroleum bacteria, B-2, in various kinds of cultures containing different kinds of carbon sources, glucose, n-tetradecane, n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, and different kinds of microemulsions have been determined by using a 2277 Thermal Activity Monitor. The curves showed a single peak for cultures containing a single carbon source, glucose, and two peaks for cultures containing two kinds of carbon sources, glucose and one of the n-alkanes. The first peak indicated that bacteria grew by consuming glucose and the second peak indicated that bacteria grew by consuming n-alkane. The curves were complex when the bacterium grows in a microemulsion culture. According to a kinetic equation of bacterial growth under limited conditions, the rate constants of bacterial growth were obtained. The results showed that the microemulsion culture was more appropriate to ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

There is an urgent need in aquaculture to develop microbial control strategies, since disease outbreaks are recognized as important constraints to aquaculture production and trade and since the development...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Techniques for culturing, harvesting, and testing bacteria to evaluate bactericidal chemicals for swimming pools are described. Concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 mg of the chlorine stabilizer cyanuric...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Eukaryotes may influence pollutant degradation processes in groundwater ecosystems by activities such as predation on bacteria and recycling of nutrients. Culture-independent community profiling and...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Numerous bacteria from a salt-marsh environment are capable of degrading malathion, an organophosphate insecticide, when supplied with additional nutrients as energy and carbon sources. Seven isolates...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The potential for detoxification and deodorization of sulfide-laden water (sour water) by microbial treatment was evaluated at a petroleum production site under field conditions. A sulfide-tolerant strain of the chemautotroph and facultative anaerobe, Thiobacillus denitrificans, was introduced into an oil-skimming pit of the Amoco Production Company LACT 10 Unit of the Salt Creek Field, Wyoming. Field-produced water enters this pit from the oil/water separation treatment train at an average flowrate of 5,000 bbl/D (795 m{sup 3}/D) with a potential maximum of 98,000 bbl/D (15,580 m{sup 3}/D). Water conditions at the pit inlet are 4,800 mg/l TDS, 100 mg/l sulfide, pH 7.8, and 107{degrees}F. To this water an aqueous solution of ammonium nitrate and diphosphorous pentoxide was added to provide required nutrients for the bacteria. The first 20% of the pit was aerated to a maximum depth of 5 ft (1.5 m) to facilitate the aerobic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report discusses the activities of two major groups of forest soil microorganisms, the bacteria and the fungi. Special attention is paid to their participation in the decay of major forest litter substrates, including leaves, branches and roots. The influence of bacteria and fungi in symbiotic associations with woody plant roots upon the cycles of carbon and nitrogen is described. The impacts of certain forest mamagement alternatives are assessed in terms of the creation of elimination of suitable environments for the activity of soil microorganisms. A bibliography is included. 507 refs., 1 tab.

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionThe importance of inorganic nitrate for the nutrition and growth of marine and freshwater autotrophic phytoplankton has long been recognised, in particularly because of the 'blooms' formed in nitrate and phosphate polluted water and their possible roles as carbon dioxide sinks. By contrast, the utilisation of nitrate by heterotrophic bacteria has historically received less attention. Up until now, the primary role of heterotrophic bacteria has classically been considered to be the decomposition [continued...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reported on a study in which designs for Chinese and Indian fixed-dome anaerobic digesters were modified in an effort to produce smaller and more affordable digesters. While these types of systems are common in tropical regions of developing countries, they have not been used in colder climates because of the low biogas yield during the winter months. Although there is evidence that sufficient biogas production can be maintained in colder temperatures through design and operational changes, there is a lack of knowledge about the seasonal changes in the composition of the microbial communities in ambient temperature digesters. More knowledge is needed to design and operate systems for maximum biogas yield in temperate climates. The purpose of this study was to cultivate a microbial community that maximizes biogas production at psychrophilic temperatures. The study was conducted on a 300 gallon experimental anaerobic digester on the campus of Ohio State University. ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Survival and growth of terrestrial plants is negatively affected by complete submergence. This is mainly the result of hampered gas exchange between plants and their environment, since gas diffusion is severely reduced in water compared with air, resulting in O2 deficits which limit aerobic respiration. The continuation of photosynthesis could probably alleviate submergence-stress in terrestrial plants, but its potential under water will be limited as the availability of CO2 is hampered. Several submerged terrestrial plant species, however, express plastic responses of the shoot which may reduce gas diffusion resistance and enhance benefits from underwater photosynthesis. In particular, the plasticity of the flooding-tolerant terrestrial species Rumex palustris turned out to be remarkable,...

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Phillips Petroleum Company recently completed a microbial selective plugging (MSP) pilot at the North Burbank Unit (NBU), Shidler, Oklahoma. Nutrients were selected for the pilot that could stimulate indigenous microflora in the reservoir brine to grow and produce exopolymer. It was found that soluble corn starch polymers (e.g., maltodextrins) stimulated the indigenous bacteria to produce exopolymer, whereas simple sugars (e.g., glucose and sucrose), as well as complex media (e.g., molasses and Nutrient Broth), did not. Injection of maltodextrin into rock cores in the presence of indigenous NBU bacteria resulted in stable permeability reductions (> 90%) across the entire length, while injection of glucose resulted only in face plugging. In addition, it was found that organic phosphate esters (OPE) served as a preferable source of phosphorus for the indigenous bacteria, since orthophosphates and condensed phosphates ...

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The probability of damage and the potential resulting hazards are analyzed for a representative rail shipping container for three severe rail accident scenarios. The scenarios are: (1) the rupture of closure bolts and resulting opening of closure lid due to a severe impact, (2) the puncture of container by an impacting rail-car coupler, and (3) the yielding of container due to side impact on a rigid uneven surface. The analysis results indicate that scenario 2 is a physically unreasonable event while the probabilities of a significant loss of containment in scenarios 1 and 3 are extremely small. Before assessing the potential risk for the last two scenarios, the uncertainties in predicting complex phenomena for rare, high- consequence hazards needs to be addressed using a rigorous methodology.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The clinical use of "1"8F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography in monitoring anticancer treatment is expanding. At the same time a number of radiotracers aiming to image different aspects of tumour biology such as proliferation and apoptosis are being developed. However, the factors determining changes of radiotracer uptake parameters in response to treatment are not well understood. In many cases, cellularity may be the primary determinant of changes of FDG uptake and may confound the interpretation of metabolic changes. Early imaging assessments have in some cases showed transient increases of uptake parameters, commonly termed 'flares', which are likely to be unaffected by cellularity and directly reflect pharmacodynamics at a cellular level. In this review a number of settings where molecular imaging 'flares' have been described are discussed. Such changes may often be clinically informative and warrant careful study as ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Forest gap models have been used widely in the study of forest dynamics, including predicting long-term succession patterns and assessing the potential impacts of climate change on forest structure and composition. However, little effort is devoted to predict forest dynamics in the high elevation areas, although they have the sensitive response to global climate change. In the present study, based on a modified height-diameter function, we developed a new version (FAREAST-GFSM) of the forest patch model, FAREAST for simulating the changes of subalpine forests. The observed data from the Gongga Mt. Alpine Station were also used to test model precision. With the improved performance of FAREAST-GFSM, we explored the impact of three warming scenarios on subalpine forest on the eastern Tibetan ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sulfur pollution can lead to serious problems in freshwater wetlands, including phosphorus eutrophication and sulfide toxicity. We tested the effects of anaerobic iron-rich groundwater discharge in fens, simulated by iron injection, on two characteristic species (Juncus effusus and Caltha palustris) in a sulfidic environment. Biomass production of C. palustris roots showed an optimum response to the combined addition of iron and sulfide, with highest values at intermediate concentrations of both substances. Iron deficiency apparently occurred at low iron concentrations, while at high iron concentrations, growth was decreased. For J. effusus, in contrast, no toxic effects were found of both iron and sulfide. This could be explained by larger radial oxygen loss (ROL) of J. effusus and could not be explained by differences in phosphorous concentrations. The results of our experiments confirm that iron-rich groundwater discharge has the potential ...

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Current projections of the response of the biosphere to global climatic change indicate as much as 50% to 90% spatial displacement of extratropical biomes. The mechanism of spatial shift could be dominated by either (1) competitive displacement of northern biomes by southern biomes, or (2) drought-induced dieback of areas susceptible to change. The current suite of global biosphere models cannot distinguish between these two processes, thus determining the need for a mechanistically based biome model. The model is in an early stage of development and will require several enhancements, including explicit simulation of potential evapotranspiration, extension to boreal and tropical biomes, a shift from steady-state to transient dynamics, and validation on other continents.

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Although the majority of men presenting with non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) are cured, late relapse (occurring more than 2 years after obtaining a complete response to treatment) is increasingly recognized. The typical patterns of disease spread have been well-documented, but the findings at late relapse are more variable and less well-described. We discuss the phenomenon of late relapse, the characteristics of teratoma differentiated (TD), and the issue of long-term imaging surveillance of patients with NSGCT. The potential sites of late relapse of NSGCT and the associated spectrum of imaging appearances are illustrated.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Economic depreciation of similar cost recovery schemes delay cash return of investment. Such delay may require new types of securities. Due to uncertainty of regulatory action and technology over the prolonged recovery life of the projects, investors may require a higher return, thereby raising the cost of capital. Utility managements might eschew long lived investment, too, even if cost effective to the consumer. Alternatives exist that would approximate the price signals of economic depreciation without discouraging investment. The importance of upfront returns to the investment process should not be minimized. 2 figs., 3 refs. (AV)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Uranium has varying degrees of oxidation (+4 and +6) and is responsive to changes in the redox potential of the environment. It is deposited at the reduction barrier with the participation of biota and at the sorption barrier under oxidative conditions. Iron (hydr)oxides are the strongest sorbents of uranium. Uranium, being an element of medium biological absorption, can accumulate (relative to thorium) in the humus horizons of some soils. The high content of uranium in uncontaminated soils is most frequently inherited from the parent rocks in the regions of positive U anomalies: in the soils developed on oil shales and in the marginal zone of bogs at the reduction barrier. The development of nuclear and coal-fired power engineering resulted in the environmental contamination with uranium....

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This research focuses on the development and application of high order statistical analyses applied to measurements performed with subcritical fissile systems driven by an introduced neutron source. The signatures presented are derived from counting statistics of the introduced source and radiation detectors that observe the response of the fissile system. It is demonstrated that successively higher order counting statistics possess progressively higher sensitivity to reactivity. Consequently, these signatures are more sensitive to changes in the composition, fissile mass, and configuration of the fissile assembly. Furthermore, it is shown that these techniques are capable of distinguishing the response of the fissile system to the introduced source from its response to any internal or inherent sources. This ability combined with the enhanced sensitivity of higher order signatures indicates that these techniques will be of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1. Cyanide degradation: Of the cyanide- and thiocyanate-degrading bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia and Pseudomonas spec. were the most effective. 2. Biosorption: Of the isolates suited for biosorption of heavy metals, 597-A (non-identifiable) and 597-A2 (Aspergillus fumigatis) had the biggest potential. The sorption capacity of the fungi for metals varied with the C source used for their growth: apple juice > molasses > glucose. The fungi are not cyanide-sensitive and can even degrade cyanide. Living biomass had better metal sorption efficiencies than dead mycelium. The biosorption rates in waste water were usually higher than in broth. Depending on the metal composition and concentrations and on the exposure time and volume of the mycelia, up to 85 % of the initial concentration was removed from the liquid phase. The capacity of different biomasses for the sorption of metal mixtures was between 65 and 80 mg/g of dry matter ...

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Mobility reduction induced by the growth and metabolism of bacteria in high-permeability layers of heterogeneous reservoirs is an economically attractive technique to improve sweep efficiency. This paper describes an experimental study conducted in sandpacks using an injected bacterium to investigate the strength and stability of microbial plugs in porous media. Successful convective transport of bacteria is important for achieving sufficient initial bacteria distribution. The chemotactic and diffusive fluxes are probably not significant even under static conditions. Mobility reduction depends upon the initial cell concentrations and increase in cell mass. For single or multiple static or dynamic growth techniques, permeability reduction was approximately 70% of the original permeability. The stability of these microbial plugs to increases in pressure gradient and changes in cell physiology in a nutrient-depleted ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Bioluminescent bacteria have been used for many years for biotoxicological analysis. One of the main concerns with this microorganism is the low experimental repeatability when subjected to external factors. The aim of the present study was to obtain accurate, sensitive, and repeatable measurements with stable signals (during the detection and over days) for application in a water-analysis device for the detection of pollutants. Growth conditions were tested and optimized. An optimal freeze-drying procedure for the constitutive bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri and Photobacterium phosphoreum was developed. The luminescence stability after rehydration was also investigated. Freeze drying was found to be a critical process in survival and signal stability of luminescent bacter...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Studies were carried out on the decolorization of textile azo dyes by newly isolated halophilic and halotolerant bacteria. Among the 27 strains of halophilic and halotolerant bacteria isolated from effluents of textile industries, three showed remarkable ability in decolorizing the widely utilized azo dyes. Phenotypic characterization and phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequence comparisons indicate that these strains belonged to the genus Halomonas. The three strains were able to decolorize azo dyes in a wide range of NaCl concentration (up to 20%w/v), temperature (25-40degreeC), and pH (5-11) after 4 days of incubation in static culture. They could decolorize the mixture of dyes as well as pure dyes. These strains also readily grew in and decolorized the high concentrations of dy...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High quality "3"1P MR spectra (signal to noise ratio (S/N) approximately 18, 15 min acquisition for each spectrum) were consistently obtained with surface coils over a period of 6-week RT. Both transient and steady state alterations in metabolites in response to RT were found in this case. The transient changes occurred during the first 3 hr immediately after the 3rd fractionated RT, these changes include the transient elevation of the PCr resonance, a decrease in PDE and an increase in intracellular pH. The monitoring showed that the metabolites approached steady state approximately 2 hr after the fractionated radiation intervention, suggesting that in vivo MRS can be useful for studying the dynamics of tumor response to RT such as repair of potential lethal damage, growth delay, and reoxygenation etc. The steady-state MR spectra showed the net response to each intervention and can clinically be useful ...

Science.gov (United States)

... SCREENING GUN BARREL COATING'S RESPONSE ... SCREENING GUN BARREL COATINGS' RESPONSE TO COMBUSTION GASES ...

Science.gov (United States)

USGS - science for a changing world USGS Home Contact USGS Search USGS USGS Water-Quality Information * Home * Data * Methods * Labs * Publications * Topics * Programs * Contact Us...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Strong inhibitory effects of the anionic surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) on four strains of autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are reported. Two Nitrosospira...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Many bacteria, both gram positive and gram negative, extrude in an energy-dependent manner the fluorescent pH indicator 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5[and -6]-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) (D. Molenaar,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The RNA-binding protein Hfq is recognized as an important regulatory factor in a variety of cellular processes, including stress resistance and pathogenesis. Hfq has been shown in several bacteria to...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A facile synthetic protocol for the production of neomycin B derivatives with various modifications at the 5″ position has been developed. Structural activity relationship (SAR) against...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In recent years, the interest in the use of bacteria for biological control of plant-pathogenic fungi has increased. We studied the possible side effects of coating barley seeds with the antagonistic...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Organisms ranging from bacteria and corals to plants and vertebrates can form intransitive competitive networks, in which coexistence can be maintained because no one species or genotype is superior...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa disseminated infections depends on bacterial interaction with blood vessels. We have hypothesized that in order to traverse the endothelial barrier, bacteria...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Preterm and low birthweight (PTLBW) continues to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity across the world. In recent years, maternal periodontal disease has been implicated as a risk factor for...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe genus Vibrio is a diverse group of Gram-negative bacteria comprised of 74 species. Furthermore, the genus has and is expected to continue expanding...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sewage waste disposal facilities in the Florida Keys include septic tanks and individual package plants in place of municipal collection facilities in most locations. In Key Largo, both facilities discharge...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The mutagenic and cytotoxic activity of two newly synthesized doxorubicin derivatives and of one daunorubicin derivative were studied in V79 Chinese hamster cells and bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Microbial indicators in the environmental water are categorized as follows. 1. Index for pathogenic microbial contamination, especially enteric canal based ones. 2. Index for the ordinary microbial contamination. 3. Index for nutritive assessment. 4. Index for the treating effect of final effluent discharged into an environmental water. 5. Index for distinction of of the contamination source. Above 1 and 2'' are among the indices which cannot be replaced by other physico-chemical substances or indices. Up to the present time, 1'' is assessed by a coliform group and 2'' by the bacteria. Recently, however, the status on the microbial contamination of the environmental water is changing, thus urging the reexamination of the assessment systems. This report describes the following items. Characteristics and the elements of the indices (enteric canal based pathogenic microbial contamination); indices under examination ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are increasingly prevalent worldwide among Escherichia coli bacteria, mostly in community-acquired urinary tract infections. Finding...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Clindamycin concentrations in gingival crevicular fluid and in blood were determined over a 7-h period and were related to the minimal inhibitory concentrations of this agent for 340 bacterial strains...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) constitute a key antibiotic-resistance mechanism affecting Gram-negative bacteria, and also an excellent model for studying evolution in real time. A shift in...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This study examines the results of bacterial culture from 159 endometrial biopsy samples from 97 commercial dairy cows and correlations between bacteriological and histological findings. Bacteria were...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Periodontal diseases are infections of the tissues supporting the dentition. Recognition that relatively specific microfloras are associated with distinct clinical forms of periodontal disease has prompted...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease characterized by single or multiple ulcerations. Secondary bacterial infections are one of the complications that can increase the tissue destruction...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Magnetotactic bacteria contain chains of magnetically interacting crystals (magnetosome crystals), which they use for navigation (magnetotaxis). To improve magnetotaxis efficiency, the magnetosome crystals...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Maintenance energy expenditures were mesured for five rumen bacteria, Selenomonas ruminantium, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Bacteroides ruminicola, Megasphaera elsdenii, and Streptococcus bovis, by using a complex medium with glucose as the carbon source. Large differences (as high as 8.5-fold) in maintenance energy expenditures were seen among these bacteria. The suggestion is made that maintenance requirements could be a significant determinant of bacterial competition in the rumen. Theoretical maximum growth yields, calculated from double reciprocal plots of yield versus dilution rate, were compared to theoretical Y(ATP) values in order to estimate minimum molar adenosine 5'-triphosphate yields from glucose for each bacterium. Results showed that relative yield among the bacteria was growth rate dependent. At high dilution rates, both S. ruminantium and S. bovis produced lactate as their principal fermentation product. At ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundStructured noncoding RNAs perform many functions that are essential for protein synthesis, RNA processing, and gene regulation. Structured RNAs can be detected by comparative...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease), an endemic mycobacteriosis of cattle that is caused by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, is characterized by incoercible diarrhea and fecal shedding of bacteria. The...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A randomized intervention study was conducted to determine if discontinuing use of calf milk replacer medicated with oxytetracycline results in increased tetracycline susceptibility in Salmonella...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This study examined the hypothesis that solid surfaces may stimulate attached bacteria to produce exopolymers. Addition of sand to shake-flask cultures seemed to induce exopolymer synthesis by a number...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A total of 193 bacterial strains were tested for their susceptibilities to 14 antimicrobial agents. Penicillin G was active at 2 U/ml against 98% of the oral isolates. Other antibiotics with good activity...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundType A1 Clostridium botulinum strains are a group of Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacteria that produce a genetically, biochemically, and biophysically...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The in vitro activity of chephaloridine, cephalexin, cefatrizine (BL-S640), and cephapirin (BL-P-1322) was evaluated by the serial dilution method against pathogenic gram-positive and gram-negative...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Siderophores are essential factors for iron (Fe) acquisition in bacteria during colonization and infection of eukaryotic hosts, which restrain iron access through iron-binding protein, such as lactoferrin...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Some bacteria move inside cells by recruiting the actin filaments of the host cells. The filaments are polymerized at the back surface of the bacteria, and they move away, forming a "comet" tail behind the bacterium, which consists of gel network. We develop a one-dimensional mathematical model of the gel based on partial differential equations which involve the number of filaments, the density and velocity of the gel, and the pressure. The two end-points of the gel form two free boundaries. The resulting free boundary problem is rather non-standard. We prove local existence and uniqueness.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary Although many antibiotics are available for the treatment of bacterial infections, the emergence and global spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a community-wide problem. To overcome this problem, we must explore alternative antimicrobials. This study investigated the antibacterial properties of quercetin, a flavonoid present in vegetables and fruits. Quercetin was tested against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and was found to exert selective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Some clinical MRSA strains showed remarkable susceptibility to quercetin. In combination with antibiotics, such as oxacillin, ampicillin, vancomycin, gentamicin, and erythromycin, quercetin sho...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Protocol changes and options contained within US Environmental Protection Agency whole effluent toxicity tests represent variables that have the potential to affect bioassay performance and interpretation of results. Variables evaluated in this study include: the change in allowable age in the Pimephales promelas acute bioassay from up to 90 d to a maximum of 14 d, age-specific acute responses of P. promelas among the allowable ages of 1 to 14 d, change in the chronic growth endpoint definition from final mass to biomass, differences between hemacytometer and fluorometer measurements in the Selenastrum capricornutum protocol, and options for statistical interpretation of species sensitivity in multiple test/species screening bioassays. Clear age-related sensitivity and precision differences were observed in acute responses of P. promelas. Results obtained using the younger age classes were typically more variable in studies ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Similitude theory is used to develop scale models for determining the earthquake response of pile foundations embedded in overconsolidated clay. The model is compared with full-scale foundations embedded in natural soil, for which dynamic response measurements had been made in previous work. Correlation of the model and prototype earthquake response constitutes a major difference in this work over previous efforts using scale models. Gravity effects are included in the models by scaling pile and soil material properties. The model pile material is selected to provide the correctly scaled stiffness and mass properties. The required model soil properties are achieved by developing a mixture of bentonite, aerosil, and veegum. Elastic properties of the model soil are compared with those of the prototype by standard monotonic stress and cyclic stress soil tests. It is found that scaling considerations must also apply to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faced with increasing indications for the use of iodine-131 labelled lipiodol in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it appears essential to develop an individualized dosimetrY so we can predict the potential effectiveness of this treatment and adjust the activity to be injected. We developed a dosimetric protocol based on imagery and dedicated to calculation of the tumoral dose during the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by iodine-131 labelled lipiodol. This concept was developed on a SPECT- CT gantry, and integrates corrections for the phenomena of attenuation, diffusion and dead time. The dose is calculated according to the formalism proposed by the Medical Internal Radiation Dose Committee (MIRD). This protocol was applied to a series of 41 patients in the framework of a retrospective study. The results obtained in terms of biodistribution are compatible with previously published data. The total biological response rate is ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Selection of suitable species, which will survive the severe environment of low light, cool temperatures, and high winds, poses serious problems to revegetation programs in the Aleutian Islands. Selection must be based on adaptability of plants to the extremes of the Aleutian climate and, as realized more recently, on lack of disruption of the natural ecosystem. This places the emphasis on use of native species in revegetation. Elymus mollis Trin., American dunegrass, a dominant of the Aleutian dune community, was studied to better understand its potential for use in reclamation work. As the species occupies both beach and inland sites, an emphasis was placed on documenting its wide latitude of habitat occurrence. Community composition, dispersal, growth response, ecotypic variation, and nutrient relations were studied at two beach sites and two inland sites on Adak Island in the central Aleutian Islands in the 1977 and 1978 growing seasons. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In response to the need for a comprehensive and consistent approach to the complex issue of mixed waste management, a generalized methodology for remediation of a mixed waste site has been developed. The methodology is based on requirements set forth in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and incorporates ``lessons learned`` from process design, remediation methodologies, and remediation projects. The methodology is applied to the treatment of 32,000 drums of mixed waste sludge at the Oak Ridge K-25 Site. Process technology options are developed and evaluated, first with regard to meeting system requirements and then with regard to CERCLA performance criteria. The following process technology options are investigated: (1) no action, (2) separation of hazardous and radioactive species, (3) dewatering, (4) drying, and (5) ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To address the potential threat that suspect/counterfeit parts could pose to DOE workers and the public, the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oversight initiated a number of activities beginning in mid-1995. Oversight placed increased emphasis on the field`s quality assurance-suspect/counterfeit parts programs during safety management evaluations, in keeping with the Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH) oversight responsibilities, which include oversight of the Department`s quality assurance (QA) programs. In addition, Oversight reviewed relevant policy documents and occurrence reports to determine the nature and magnitude of the problem within the Department. The results of that review, contained in an Office of Oversight report, Independent Oversight Analysis of Suspect/Counterfeit Parts Within the Department of Energy (November 1995), indicate a lack of consistency and comprehensiveness in the Department`s ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A field-based microcosm approach was tested to identify deterioration of sediment quality in waterways using freshwater macroinvertebrates. The method can potentially identify the nature of contaminants based on species-specific responses. Sediments were collected from the Murray and Darling Rivers and irrigation drains within the Sunraysia region of south-eastern Australia and compared to non-polluted reference sediment. Clean sediments were also spiked with fertiliser to test whether nutrients affected the aquatic fauna. Seven of the eight sediments from the Sunraysia region had a negative impact on the macroinvertebrates, in particular sediment from the Darling River, which supported an impoverished fauna. Three species of chironomid showed varied responses to sediment quality and, although it was hypothesised that nutrients may have impacted on the macroinvertebrate fauna, the results suggest that other pollutants are ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The inducible transcription factor NF-#kappa#B regulates divergent signaling pathways including inflammatory response and cancer development. Selective inhibitors for NF-#kappa#B signaling are potentially useful for treatment of inflammation and cancer. NF-#kappa#B is canonically activated by preferential disposal of its inhibitory protein; I#kappa#B, which suppresses the nuclear translocation of NF-#kappa#B. I#kappa#B#alpha# (a major member of I#kappa#B family proteins) is phosphorylated with an I#kappa#B kinase (IKK) and subsequently polyubiquitylated by SCF"#beta#"T"r"C"P"1 ubiquitin-ligase in the presence of E1 and E2 prior to proteasomal degradation. Here, we describe a novel inhibitor termed GS143, which suppressed I#kappa#B#alpha# ubiquitylation, but not I#kappa#B#alpha# phosphorylation, MDM2-directed p53 ubiquitylation, and proteasome activity in vitro. GS143 markedly suppressed the destruction of I#kappa#B#alpha# stimulated by ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Objective: There are few safe and effective biological treatments for major depression in adolescents. We aimed to report the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a treatment for adolescents with this condition. Methods: The first two subjects in a double-blind, sham-controlled trial of rTMS that is evaluating the efficacy and safety of rTMS in depressed adolescents are described. Clinical response was assessed at baseline and at the end of each week. The following scales were used: Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Centre for Epidemiological Studies - Depression - Child Scale. A battery of cognitive tests was also used at several intervals to measure potential change in neuropsycholo...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract. The potential effects of synthetic unmethylated oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing CpG motifs, mimicking bacterial DNA, has never been evaluated on the immune response in the teleost fish gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), the most important fish species in Mediterranean aquaculture. First, binding and competition studies have demonstrated that binding is saturated and promiscuous, suggesting the participation of several receptors. Moreover, leucocyte cytotoxic (NCC) activity, production of ROIs (reactive oxygen intermediates), and expression of immune-relevant genes was greatly primed by ODNs. Focusing on the mechanism, the TLR9 gene is widely distributed in seabream tissues and differently regulated in vitro by several stimuli. Moreover, and for the first time in fish, TLR9...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Male infertility continues to be a clinical challenge of increasing significance. While male factors such as decreased semen quality are responsible for 25% of all infertility issues, the etiology of suboptimal semen quality is poorly understood. Many physiological, environmental, and genetic factors have been implicated, including oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), or free radicals, and although ROS are required for critical aspects of sperm function, excessive levels of ROS can negatively impact sperm quality. The origin of ROS generation, and the etiologies of increased ROS in men with suboptimal sperm quality have only recently been elucidated, offering multiple targets for potential therapy. Here, we present a critical review of th...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

We study the spike statistics of neurons in a network with dynamically balanced excitation and inhibition. Our model, intended to represent a generic cortical column, comprises randomly connected excitatory and inhibitory leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, driven by excitatory input from an external population. The high connectivity permits a mean field description in which synaptic currents can be treated as gaussian noise, the mean and autocorrelation function of which are calculated self-consistently from the firing statistics of single model neurons. Within this description, a wide range of Fano factors is possible. We find that the irregularity of spike trains is controlled mainly by the strength of the synapses relative to the difference between the firing threshold and the postfiring reset level of the membrane potential. For moderately strong synapses, we find spike statistics very similar to those observed in primary visual cortex.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Summary Status epilepticus or other brain-damaging insults launch a cascade of events that may lead to the development of epilepsy. MRI techniques available today, including T2- and T1-weighted imaging, functional MRI, manganese enhanced MRI (MEMRI), arterial spin labeling (ASL), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and phase imaging, can detect not only damage caused by status epilepticus but also plastic changes in the brain that occur in response to damage. Optimal balance between damage and recovery processes is a key for planning possible treatments, and noninvasive imaging has the potential to greatly facilitate this process and to make personalized treatment plans possible.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The site characterization of Yucca Mountain, NV as a potential high level nuclear waste repository includes study of the surficial deposits as a record of the paleoenvironmental history of the Yucca Mountain region. An important aspect of this history is an understanding of the evolution of paleogeography leading to establishment of the present drainage pattern. Establishment of drainage basin evolution is needed before geomorphic response to paleoclimate and tectonics can be assessed, because a major change in drainage basin geometry can predominantly affect the sedimentary record. Because alluvial aquifers are significant to regional hydrology, a major change in surface drainage resulting in buried alluvium could have hydrogeologic significance. In this paper, we report on geologic evidence for a major modification in surface drainage pattern in the Yucca Mountain region, resulting in the probable establishment of the Fortymile Wash drainage ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Fitness, (biometric measurements, reproduction) and behaviour that are ecologically relevant biomarkers in assessing the quality of estuarine sediments were studied by comparing the responses of the polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor - a key species in estuaries - along a pollution gradient. Intersite differences were shown for all the measured parameters: size-weight relationships, energy reserves as glycogen and lipids, sexual maturation patterns, total number of oocytes per female, total and relative fecundity, burrowing behaviour. The physiological and behavioural status of N. diversicolor was consistently disturbed in the larger, most contaminated estuaries (Loire and Seine, Fr.) compared to reference sites (Bay of Bourgneuf, Goyen estuary, Fr.). Many classes of potentially toxic che...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The dynamic response of cylindrical and ring-shaped YBaCuO bulk parts to pulsed magnetic fields is calculated by using small sets of finite elements. Some comparisons with experimental results are provided, and they give confidence in the modelling of the superconducting properties. Transient magnetizations as a function of time and space as well as shapes and absolute values of trapped magnetic flux profiles are presented. The influence of the sample geometry is investigated for different millisecond pulsed magnetization processes. Results are reported for different radial thicknesses and heights, different pulse durations, peak magnetic fields and pulse sequences with and without stepwise cooling. Comparisons concerning the achievable trapped magnetic field and flux are made, and implications for the use of high-temperature superconductor bulk parts as cryo-permanent magnets in potential applications like electric machinery are discussed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A series of cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance experiments have been carried out in order to investigate the effect of cathode composition and porosity on the electrochemical characteristics of strontium-doped lanthanum, praseodymium and gadolinium cobaltite cathodes. The impedance responses at different electrode potentials of the half cell and symmetric single cell setups are compared and analyzed by the equivalent circuit modeling method. The deconvolution of impedance spectra for single cell cathode and anode reactions contributions based on the results of simultaneous analysis of half cells and symmetric single cells has been made by differential impedance real part vs. ac frequency plot analysis method. Noticeable influence of cathode chemical composition, meso-porosity and macro-porosity on the electrochemical activity of the oxygen electroreduction has been demonstrated. Seeming activation energy values ...

CERN Document Server

The concept of the 'white-light cavity' has recently generated considerable research interest in the context of gravitational wave detection. Cavity designs are proposed using negative (or anomalous) dispersion in an intracavity medium to make the cavity resonate over a large range of frequencies and still maintain a high cavity build-up. This paper presents the first experimental attempt and demonstration of white-light effect in a meter long ring cavity using an intracavity atomic medium. The medium's negative dispersion is caused by bi-frequency Raman gain in an atomic vapor cell. Although the white light condition was not perfectly achieved and improvements in experimental control are still desirable, significantly broad cavity response over bandwidth greater than 20 MHz has been observed. These devices will have potential applications in new generation laser interferometer gravitational wave detectors.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An overview of climatic factors and impact relative to river ice engineering and science is presented. An explanation of the fundamentals of climatic change is followed by a review of direct and indirect climatic influences that govern river ice breakup and related trends. Known responses of river ice to climatic change and potential future changes to ice breakup processes are described along with the probable ecological and socio-economic consequences of these changes. Changes in engineering approaches to accommodate the present ice regime and predicted changes in climatic variables that affect river ice processes and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure and ecosystems to climatic change are examined. Future research on the links between river ice and stream ecology is suggested to identify ecological concerns that may result from changes in river ice regimes induced by climatic change. 60 refs., 3 figs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Potential of spent biomass of a cyanobacterium, Nostoc linckia HA 46, from a hydrogen bioreactor was studied for biosorption of a textile dye, reactive red 198. The waste biomass was immobilized in calcium alginate and used for biosorption of the dye from aqueous solution using response surface methodology (RSM). Kinetics of the dye in aqueous solution was studied in batch mode. Interactive effects of initial dye concentration (100-500mg/L), pH (2-6) and temperature (25-45^oC) on dye removal were examined using Box-Behnken design. Maximum adsorption capacity of the immobilized biomass was 93.5mg/g at pH 2.0, initial concentration of 100mg/L and 35^oC temperature, when 94% of the dye was removed. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) studies revealed that biosorption was mainly mediated by fun...

CERN Document Server

A fundamental Doppler-like but asymmetric wave effect that shifts received signals in frequency in proportion to their respective source distances, was recently described as means for a whole new generation of communication technology using angle and distance, potentially replacing TDM, FDM or CDMA, for multiplexing. It is equivalent to wave packet compression by scaling of time at the receiver, converting path-dependent phase into distance-dependent shifts, and can multiply the capacity of physical channels. The effect was hitherto unsuspected in physics, appears to be responsible for both the cosmological acceleration and the Pioneer 10/11 anomaly, and is exhibited in audio data. This paper discusses how it may be exploited for instant, passive ranging of signal sources, for verification, rescue and navigation; incoherent aperture synthesis for smaller, yet more accurate radars; universal immunity to jamming or interference; and precision ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The classical theory of collisional broadening and shift parameters (?, ?) of an isolated spectral line was used to obtain simple analytical formulas for calculating both ? and ?. These formulas were obtained on the assumption that the short range interaction is effective only in the broadening while the long range is effective in the shift of the spectral line. These parameters ? and ? depend on the limiting phase shifts responsible for broadening ?b and shift ??. It was found that the values of ?b and ?? are not equal to each other as was proposed by Weisskopf ?b=??=1. The maximum and average values of ?b (?bmax, ?bav) and ?? (??max, ??av) were obtained by numerical evaluation, using different inverse power potentials. By introducing these parameters into the approximated formulas for ? and ? using Van der Waals and Lennard-Jones potential, it was found that the results of calculations for (? and ?) with different atomic ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

H Power Enterprises of Canada was founded in 1997; currently, it has 40 employees and expect to grow to about 50 by mid-2000. The company is engaged in fuel cell technology development , manufacturing and marketing. The company has the advantage that its technology has been proven, products are already commercialized, and strategic alliances are already in place to make an assault on the market. The concept of proton exchange membrane fuel cell technology is explained in terms of efficiency, response time, power density, stack manufacturing cost, maintenance cost, stack life and compatible thermal loads. Individual products, their energy and operating efficiency, potential applications and potential markets are reviewed. It is estimated that for stationary fuel cells the market will be worth $ 30 billion by 2030. In the United States alone, remote residential cogeneration sites are estimated at 500,000. The estimates for ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Recent seizures of nuclear materials, and particularly of fissionable nuclear materials, have resulted in an increased awareness of the need for fieldable instrumentation for the detection and characterization of suspect packages and materials. The ability to perform in-field assessments of materials contained in suspect packages is important for several reasons. First, and most importantly, determination of the type and quantity of material provides information critical to personnel safety. The personnel at potential risk may include both the general population in the area of the package and incident response personnel. Additionally, it would be advantageous to gain information that could result in attribution of the suspect package to a particular facility or pathway as soon as possible after interception. Limited access to a suspect package could also require the use of fieldable characterization instrumentation as opposed to transporting ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trace elemental analysis was carried out in various parts of some anti-diabetic medicinal plants using PIXE technique. A 3 MeV proton beam was used to excite the samples. The elements Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb and Sr were identified and their concentrations were estimated. The results of the present study provide justification for the usage of these medicinal plants in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) since they are found to contain appreciable amounts of the elements K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Cu, and Zn, which are responsible for potentiating insulin action. Our results show that the analyzed medicinal plants can be considered as potential sources for providing a reasonable amount of the required elements other than diet to the patients of DM. Moreover, these results can be used to set new standards for prescribing the dosage of the herbal drugs prepared from these plant materials.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The comprehension of passivity and its protective character against corrosion is closely connected with the electronic properties of passive films. Passive films formed anodically on carbon steel in borate/boric acid solution, pH 9.2, have been characterised by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Mott-Schottky plots and impedance measurements were made on films formed at different potentials and times. The investigation allowed the determination of the semiconductive properties of the films. The results of the capacitance response indicate that the passive films behave like highly doped n-type semiconductors, showing that the passive film properties are dominated by iron. The value of donors density (N {sub D}) for the passive film is of the order of 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} and decreases with increasing formation time and potential, indicating that defects decrease with increasing film thickness. Based on the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Exposure of cells to light of less than 320 nanometers wavelengths may lead to lethal lesions and perhaps carcinogenesis. Many organisms have evolved mechanisms to repair U.V. light-induced damage. Organisms such as deep-sea bacteria are presumably never exposed to U.V. light and perhaps occasionally to visible from bioluminescence. Thus, the repair of U.V. damage in deep-sea bacterial DNA might be inefficient and repair by photoreactivation unlikely. The bacteria utilized in this investigation are temperature sensitive and barophilic. Four deep-sea isolates were chosen for this study: PE-36 from 3584 m, CNPT-3 from 5782 m, HS-34 from 5682 m, and MT-41 from 10,476 m, all are from the North Pacific ocean. The deep-sea extends from 1100 m to depths greater than 7000 m. It is a region of relatively uniform conditions. The temperature ranges from 5 to -1"0C. There is no solar light in the deep-sea. Deep-sea bacteria are ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CNPT-3 is the laboratory designation of a strain of bacteria that reproduces best at deep-sea pressures. It was isolated from a sample collected at a 5800 m depth of the Pacific Ocean. This isolation was achieved from a sample that had been retrieved without warning. This year we demonstrated that there are similarly behaving bacteria that can be isolated from samples even when retrieved with decompression. The purpose of this project was to define the temperatures and pressures over which CNPT-3 can exist and function. (1) At 2"0C CNPT-3 is eurybathic from about 1000 to 6500 m, as judged from an only slightly pressure dependent generation time. (2) CNPT-3 is unquestionably barophilic at 2"0C, with doubling times of 9 hours at 580 bars and over 18 hours at 1 bar. (3) At 10"0C, reproduction is adversely affected at 1 bar to the extent that CNPT-3 becomes obligately barophilic at 10"0C. Yet reproduction is enhanced above 280 bars and occurs with ...

Science.gov (United States)

Increasing economic and recreational opportunities, attractive scenery and a perception of a better quality of life are luring people to the coast. Unfortunately, these activities together with the commensurate increase in population in the area inevitably result in pollution of coastal waters with excessive microorganisms and other pollutants. Microbial pollutants not only contaminate the coastal water but also aquatic food sources, thus posing a health risk to consumers. Fish is a major source of protein in Cameroon, especially in the coastal areas. In this study, we investigated the microbiological quality of fish from the Limbe and Tiko beaches in South West Cameroon from May to October 2007. We isolated human pathogenic bacteria from three anatomic sites (skin, gills, intestine) of 50 fish (150 specimens) and investigated their susceptibility patterns to a battery of antibiotics. Data were analyzed statistically using chi2 with significance set at p South West ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this article we describe the identification of endophytic bacteria belonging to three groups isolated from shoot tip cultures of banana cv. Grand Naine in a recent study (Thomas et?al. 2008) based on partial 16S rRNA gene sequence homology analysis. The first group included banana stocks that displayed obvious colony growth on MS based tissue culture medium during the first in?vitro passage. The second group constituted stocks that were tissue index-negative for cultivable bacteria initially but turned index-positive after a few to several (4?8) in?vitro passages while the third group formed one sub-stock that turned index-positive after about 18 passages. The organisms belonged to about 20 different genera comprising of ?, ?, ?-proteobacteria, Gram-positive firmicutes and actinobacteri...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Since microwaves are used in human cancer therapy, information on specific biological effects of microwaves at elevated temperatures is important. To help supply this information, we exposed mammalian cells (CHO) and bacteria (Serratia marcescens) to hyperthermal temperatures (43, 44, and 45/sup o/C for CHO and 48, 49, and 50/sup o/C for the bacteria) with and without microwave irradiation. Temperature control was maintained by a refrigeration-reheat system and high-velocity water recirculation. The 2450-MHz microwave source was operated in a pulsed mode with power density up to 500 mW/cm/sup 2/. As expected, the survival curve slopes for both cell types increased rapidly with temperature, doubling for each degree Celsius. Microwave irradiation produced no significant change in extrapolation number for either cell type. However, survival curves of CHO cells which received microwaves were steeper by a factor of 1.25 than their sham-irradiated ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

There is a continuing need to understand dose-response relationships for ionizing radiation in order to protect the health of the public and nuclear workers from undue exposures. However, relatively few human populations have been exposed to doses of radiation high enough to cause observable, long-term health effects from which to derive dose-response relationships. This is particularly true for internally deposited radionuclides, although much effort has been devoted to epidemiological studies of the few types of exposures available, including lung cancers in uranium miners form the inhalation of the radioactive decay products of Ra, liver cancers in patients injected with Thorotrast X-ray contrast medium containing Th, bone cancers in radium dial painters who ingested Ra, and bone cancers in patients who received therapeutic doses of Ra. These four types of exposures to internally deposited radionuclides provide a basis for understanding the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

By the use of thermoluminescence (TL) technique we have investigated the effects of gamma irradiation on the TL response of pulverised natural zircon (ZrSiO_4) crystals from the Jos Plateau area of Nigeria. Samples of the mineral that have been previously annealed were artificially irradiated to moderate gamma doses ranging from 0.7 to 4.9 Gy using "6"0Co gamma-source of the CERD. The natural TL glow curve of the sample showed a broad peak around 250 deg. C, the peak was however, found to be completely erased following heat treatment for 2 h at 400 deg. C. The TL glow curves of the artificially irradiated samples showed two overlapping glow peaks at about 112 deg. C (peak I) and at 156 deg. C (peak II) within the dose range utilised. We note that the natural TL peak appears to be different from the two observed in the artificially irradiated sample. The TL response with dose was investigated for the two glow peaks found in the artificially ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Eugenol, the principal chemical component of clove oil from Eugenia aromatica has been long known for its analgesic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. The interaction of the eugenol with ten different hydrophobic and hydrophilic antibiotics was studied against five different Gram negative bacteria. The MIC of the combination was found to decrease by a factor of 5-1000 with respect to their individual MIC. This synergy is because of the membrane damaging nature of eugenol, where 1mM of its concentration is able to damage nearly 50% of the bacterial membrane. Eugenol was also able to enhance the activities of lysozyme, Triton X-100 and SDS in damaging the bacterial cell membrane. The hydrophilic antibiotics such as vancomycin and b-lactam antibiotics which have ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The development of 'Green Chemistry' requires new materials to replace the conventional organic chemistry by biological catalysts, to produce fine chemicals in an environmentally friendly manner. Microbial whole cells can be directly used as biocatalysts, providing a simple and cheap methodology since enzyme isolation and purification are avoided. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a very stable polymer though it can be activated by gamma radiation to induce grafting. Glycidyl methacrylate was grafted onto macroporous HDPE and PP in the range of 1-6%, proportional to the initial monomer concentration. Grafted polymers were further chemically modified with ethylenediamine to generate a cationic hydrogel of micron-size thickness onto the internal polymer surfaces. Modified polymers were able to immobilize Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that can catalyze a chemical reaction as efficient as free cells do.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract In the 1990s, significant efforts were invested in the research and development of food-grade expression systems in lactic acid bacteria (LAB). At this time, Lactococcus lactis in particular was demonstrated to be an ideal cell factory for the food-grade production of recombinant proteins. Steady progress has since been made in research on LAB, including Lactococcus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, in the areas of recombinant enzyme production, industrial food fermentation, and gene and metabolic pathway regulation. Over the past decade, this work has also led to new approaches on chromosomal integration vectors and host/vector systems. These newly constructed food-grade gene expression systems were designed with specific attention to self-cloning strategies, food-grade selection...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

One proposed solution to the problem of ballast-mediated aquatic invasions involves chemically treating ballast water to kill key target organisms. Here, we examine the efficacy of three commercially available ballast water biocides using vegetative microalgae, dinoflagellate resting cysts and bacteria as test organisms. Chemicals tested were the ballast water biocides SeaKleen and Peraclean Ocean, and the chlorine dioxide biocide Vibrex. Results demonstrate that the applicability of each of the three chemical biocides as a routine ballast water treatment is limited by factors such as cost, biological effectiveness and possible residual toxicity of the discharged ballast water (assessed on the basis of impact on motility of vegetative marine microalgae). Of the three biocides tested, Perac...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this work, silver-montmorillonite (Ag-MMT) antimicrobial nanoparticles have been obtained by allowing silver ions from nitrate solutions to replace the Na^+ of natural montmorillonite and then to be reduced by a thermal treatment. Ag-MMT were used as active antimicrobial compounds to improve the shelf life of fresh fruit salad. In order to assess their influence on product shelf life, sensorial and microbiological quality has been monitored during the storage. The microbiological quality was determined by monitoring the principal spoilage microorganisms (mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds). Additionally, the evolution of sensorial quality was assessed by monitoring color, odor, firmness and product overall quality. The Ag-MMT nanopa...

Science.gov (United States)

PMID:19862292

KoreaScience (Korea)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The object of this survey of small US electric utility systems was to determine the potential utilization of small, fuel-flexible, advanced-cycle combustion turbines for power generation. Three prototype concepts were evaluated. Concept A: a 2.5 MWe externally fired, closed-cycle combustion turbine, with fluidized-bed combustor, burning solid fuels. Concept B: an open 3.8 MWe, indirect-fired, combined-cycle turbine system using solid, liquid or gaseous fuels, with downstream stack cleanup. Concept C: 11.6 MWe, utilizing an open, direct-fired, combined-cycle turbine arrangement, gas or oil fueled employing components of advanced development. It was presumed such units might be commercially available circa 1985 to 1990. Fifty-three utilities, encompassing a variety of ownerships, geographical distribution and system sizes, were interviewed on-site. Questions covered the probable use of such generating concepts and their perceived attributes. The report presents the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of this document is to use existing documentation to review the effectiveness of subsurface flow and surface flow constructed wetlands in treating wastewater and to demonstrate the viability of treating effluent from Savannah River Site outfalls H-02 and H-04 with a subsurface flow constructed wetland to lower copper, lead and zinc concentrations to within National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit limits. Constructed treatment wetlands are engineered systems that have been designed and constructed to use the natural functions of wetlands for wastewater treatment. Constructed wetlands have significantly lower total lifetime costs and often lower capital costs than conventional treatment systems. The two main types of constructed wetlands are surface flow and subsurface flow. In surface flow constructed wetlands, water flows above ground. Subsurface flow constructed wetlands are designed to keep the water level below the top of the rock or gravel media, ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Telavancin is a bactericidal lipoglycopeptide with a multifunctional mechanism of action. We conducted a randomized, double blind, active-control phase II trial. Patients ≥18 years of age with...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brief summaries are given of research carried out in the following areas: absorption spectroscopy of titanium, niobium, and molybdenum in uranium alloys; atomic absorption spectroscopy of selenium in stainless steel, computer program improvements for spectrophotometer control, and detection of beryllium in stack gases; electrolysis for inactivation of bacteria in cooling-tower water; improved solvent analysis by gas chromatography; sequential radionuclide separation for various sample matrices; progress on an electron microprobe analyzer; and miscellaneous projects.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biological cells of the nitrogen fixating bacteria Xanthobacter autotrophicus GZ 29 have been cultivated with 57-Fe, and from the nitrogenase of these cells the 57-Fe marked molybdenum-iron-protein is extracted. The Moessbauer spectra of this enzyme show that the structure of the iron cluster is similar to the structure in the molybdenum-iron-proteins of Azotobacter vinelandii, Klebsiella pneumoniae or Clostridium pasteurianum.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

All organisms examined to date possess a dUTPase that performs the important function of efficiently hydrolyzing dUTP to dUMP in order to prevent the incorporation of dUTP into DNA. Three putative dUTPases...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Fatty acid biosynthesis is crucial for all living cells. In contrast to higher organisms, bacteria use a type II fatty acid synthase (FAS II) composed of a series of individual proteins, making...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

China operates 10 nuclear power reactors and has 5 more under construction. A large extension of nuclear power is expected by 2020. Nuclear generated electricity accounts for 2% of the total electric power generation. The Chinese policy is to have spent fuel reprocessed in China. So, final disposal include vitrified waste and some CANDU spent fuel for direct disposal. There is a legal framework in place in China to manage HLW. The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) has the responsibility for setting policy on HLW disposal and implementing the disposal programme, while the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) and the State Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are the regulatory bodies, which are responsible for licensing and reviewing of environment impact assessment report. The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is considered to be the actual implementer, conducting the major activities for HLW management. In the 1980's, China ...

Science.gov (United States)

... Accession Number : AD0268549. Title : POTENTIATION BY PENTOBARBITAL OF THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF AET AGAINST GAMMA RAYS. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Species interactions research and monitoring was initiated in 1989 to investigate ecological interactions among fish in response to proposed supplementation of salmon and steelhead in the upper Yakima River basin. This is the eighth of a series of progress reports that address species interactions research and pre-supplementation monitoring of fishes in the Yakima River basin. Data have been collected prior to supplementation to characterize the ecology and demographics of non-target taxa (NTT) and target taxon, and develop methods to monitor interactions and supplementation success. Major topics of this report are associated with implementing NTT monitoring prescriptions for detecting potential impacts of hatchery supplementation, hatchery fish interactions, and monitoring fish predation indices. This report is organized into four chapters, with a general introduction preceding the first chapter. This annual report summarizes data collected ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As the 20th century draws to a close, both individual countries and the world community face challenging problems related to the supply and use energy. These include local and regional environmental impacts, the prospect of global climate and sea level change associated with the greenhouse effect, and threats to international relations in connection with oil supply or nuclear proliferation. For developing countries, the financial cost of providing energy to provide basic needs and fuel economic development pose an additional burden. To assess the magnitude of future problems and the potential effectiveness of response strategies, it is important to understand how and why energy use has changed in the post and where it is heading. This requires study of the activities for which energy is used, and of how people and technology interact to provide the energy services that are desired. The authors and their colleagues have analyzed trends in energy ...

Science.gov (United States)

High salinity is one of the main factors limiting cotton growth and productivity. The genes that regulate salt stress in TM-1 upland cotton were monitored using microarray and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) with samples taken from roots. Microarray analysis showed that 1503 probe sets were up-regulated and 1490 probe sets were down-regulated in plants exposed for 3h to 100mM NaCl, and RT-PCR analysis validated 42 relevant/related genes. The distribution of enriched gene ontology terms showed such important processes as the response to water stress and pathways of hormone metabolism and signal transduction were induced by the NaCl treatment. Some key regulatory gene families involved in abiotic and biotic sources of stress such as WRKY, ERF, and JAZ were differentially expressed. Our transcriptome analysis might provide some useful insights into salt-mediated signal transduction pathways in cotton and offer a number of candidate genes as potential ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The thermodynamics of the Sr-Si system is of fundamental importance for the understanding of eutectic modification of Al-Si alloys. At the same time, strontium silicides have recently been found to have potential applications in electronic devices. Renewed research efforts have led to a re-evaluation of the phase equilibria in this system, resulting in the discovery of previously undetected stable intermetallic compounds. In this work, we investigate the finite temperature thermodynamic properties of the stable (and metastable) Sr-Si intermetallics. The vibrational properties of the intermetallic compounds are calculated within harmonic theory, with quasi-harmonic corrections to account for the effects of thermal expansion. The total free energies of the compounds are computed considering vibrational and electronic contributions, as well as weak anharmonic corrections. The ground state of the system is predicted and compared to previous experimental and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The large girth and immense size of the baobab has caused many to speculate about its age. Unfortunately reliable age estimates cannot be determined from growth rates as the girth varies in response to different moisture regimes. In a similar way, ages cannot be determined from ring-width measurements or X-ray densitometry as the absorbent nature of the soft fibrous wood and distortion upon drying prevent the application of these techniques. The Southern Hemisphere bomb radiocarbon curve was used to demonstrate that the rings of a recently-fallen baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) from Kruger National Park appear to be annual. The detrended C isotope values of finely-ground wholewood from another baobab specimen were found to be highly associated with January precipitation (r = 0.72; p < 0.01). This study demonstrates that high resolution information about past climates may be obtained by analysing the C isotope values from baobab samples even if distortion of ...

Scientific Electronic Library Online (English)

Abstract in english Cytokines are molecules that were initially discovered in the immune system as mediators of communication between various types of immune cells. However, it soon became evident that cytokines exert profound effects on key functions of the central nervous system, such as food intake, fever, neuroendocrine regulation, long-term potentiation, and behavior. In the 80's and 90's our group and others discovered that the genes encoding various cytokines and their receptors are e (more) xpressed in vascular, glial, and neuronal structures of the adult brain. Most cytokines act through cell surface receptors that have one transmembrane domain and which transduce a signal through the JAK/STAT pathway. Of particular physiological and pathophysiological relevance is the fact that cytokines are potent regulators of hypothalamic neuropeptidergic systems that maintain neuroendocrine homeostasis and which regulate the body's response to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The electronic band structure, transport properties, and lattice dynamics in AuX_2 (X = Al, Ga and In) under high pressure have been extensively studied with full potential linearized augmented plane wave and pseudopotential plane wave methods. The theoretical results for the electronic band structure and Fermi surface reveal pressure-induced electronic topological transitions (ETTs) in AuGa_2 and AuIn_2, while they are absent in AuAl_2, in excellent agreement with the experimental observations. Moreover, calculations of the transport properties at different pressures reveal subtle changes in the band structure close to the Fermi surface of the three intermetallic compounds. It is clear that the anomalies in transport properties are due to ETTs. Interestingly, a pressure-induced soft transverse acoustic (TA) phonon mode is identified only in AuGa_2. The TA phonon instability at the Brillouin zone boundary L point might be responsible for the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The TS-1 and TS-2 TREAT transient experiments subjected a low burnup (2 MWd/kg) and a medium burnup (58 MWd/kg), respectively, FFTF irradiated fuel pin to unprotected 5 cents/s overpower transient conditions. The fuel pin failure response was similar in the two tests, which demonstrated a large margin to failure (P/P_0 > 3) and a favorable upper level failure location. Thus, for these transient conditions, burnup effects on transient performance appeared to be minimal in the range tested. Pin disruption in the medium burnup TS-2 test was more severe due to the higher fission gas pressurization, but failure occurred at only a 5% lower power level than for the low burnup TS-1 fuel pin. Both tests exhibited axial extrusion of molten fuel to the region above the fuel column several seconds before pin failure, demonstrating a potentially beneficial inherent safety mechanism to delay failure and mitigate accident consequences.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The objective of the Coastal Habitat Injury Assessment study was to document and quantify injury to biota of the shallow subtidal, intertidal, and supratidal zones throughout the shoreline affected by oil or cleanup activity associated with the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The results of these studies were to be used to support the Trustee`s Type B Natural Resource Damage Assessment under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). A probability based stratified random sample of shoreline segments was selected with probability proportional to size from each of 15 strata (5 habitat types crossed with 3 levels of potential oil impact) based on those data available in July, 1989. Three study regions were used: Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet/Kenai Peninsula, and Kodiak/Alaska Peninsula. A Geographic Information System was utilized to combine oiling and habitat data and to select the probability sample of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes a functional slide rule that provides a readily usable ?in-hand? method for estimating nuclear criticality accident information from sliding graphs, thereby permitting (1) the rapid estimation of pertinent criticality accident information without laborious or sophisticated calculations in a nuclear criticality emergency situation, (2) the appraisal of potential fission yields and external personnel radiation exposures for facility safety analyses, and (3) a technical basis for emergency preparedness and training programs at nonreactor nuclear facilities. The slide rule permits the estimation of neutron and gamma dose rates and integrated doses based upon estimated fission yields, distance from the fission source, and time-after criticality accidents for five different critical systems. Another sliding graph permits the estimation of critical solution fission yields based upon fissile material concentration, critical vessel geometry, and ...

Science.gov (United States)

Simple and low cost biosensor based on screen-printed electrode for sensitive detection of some alkylphenols was developed, by entrapment of HRP in a nanocomposite gel based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF(6)]) ionic liquid. Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, CV and EIS studies demonstrate the interaction between SWCNTs and ionic liquid. The nanocomposite gel, SWCNT-[BMIM][PF(6)] provides to the modified sensor a considerable enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen peroxide reduction. The HRP based biosensor exhibits high sensitivity and good stability, allowing a detection of the alkylphenols at an applied potential of -0.2V vs. Ag/AgCl, in linear range from 5.5 to 97.7?M for 4-t-octylphenol and respectively, between 5.5 and 140?M for 4-n-nonylphenol, with a response time of about 5s. The detection limit was 1.1?M for 4-t-octylphenol, and respectively 0.4?M for ...

CERN Document Server

The principal paradigm for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) suggests that the prompt transient gamma-ray signal arises from multiple shocks internal to the relativistic expansion. This paper explores how GRB prompt emission spectra can constrain electron (or ion) acceleration properties at the relativistic shocks that pertain to GRB models. The array of possible high-energy power-law indices in accelerated populations is highlighted, focusing on how spectra above 1 MeV can probe the field obliquity in GRB internal shocks, and the character of hydromagnetic turbulence in their environs. When encompassing the MeV-band spectral break, fits to BATSE/EGRET burst data indicate that the preponderance of electrons responsible for the prompt emission reside in an intrinsically non-thermal population. This differs markedly from typical populations generated in acceleration simulations; potential resolutions of this conflict such as the action of self-absorption ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The study investigated the luminescence behaviour of natural olivine to discuss the potential for Cenozoic (quaternary) dating. The UV-blue thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves of irradiated olivines have a resolved peak at 190 deg. C and other peaks at higher temperature at lower dose levels, and broad signals around 275-310 and 375-400 deg. C at higher dose levels. The UV-blue TL increases with additional laboratory dose to {approx}1.6kGy within a plateau temperature region, suggesting the possibility of dosimetry and Cenozoic dating. Both infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and blue light stimulated luminescence (BLSL) were detected from laboratory-irradiated olivines although the BLSL was weaker than the IRSL. Furthermore, post-BL IRSL was detected but post-IR BLSL was not observed. Therefore, IR stimulation is recommended for optically stimulated luminescence measurements with natural olivine. The growth of the IRSL signal component with doses less than ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A permeable reactive mixture has been developed using low cost, readily available materials that is capable of providing effective, long-term phosphorous treatment in areas impacted by on-land wastewater disposal. The reactive mixture creates a geochemical environment suitable for P-attenuation by both adsorption and precipitation reactions. Potential benefits include significant reductions in phosphorous loading to receiving groundwater and surface water systems, and the accumulation of P-mass in a finite and accessible volume of material. The mixture may be applied as a component within surface treatment systems or in subsurface applications such as horizontal or vertical permeable reactive walls. The mixture averaged > 90% treatment efficiency over 3.6 years of continuous-flow laboratory column experiments. The mixture was further evaluated at the pilot-scale to treat municipal wastewater, and the field-scale to treat a well-characterized septic system plume ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article discussed potential reasons why most major oil companies are not currently investing in oil shale resources. At present, only Shell, Chevron-Texaco, and ExxonMobil are engaged in oil shale pilot schemes. It was suggested that one of the reasons oil companies are reluctant to become involved is due to weak responses to experimental leasing programs conducted by the federal government of the United States, which are not favourable for commercial-scale operations. A federally sponsored leasing program and clear unconventional resource energy policies are needed, and unconventional oil resources must be developed in order to prevent escalating oil prices. The economics of oil shale recovery are equivalent to those obtained by Alberta's oil sands operators. Large amounts of char and hydrogen in the oil shale add value. However, oil shale processing has significant environmental impacts. Major oil companies in Brazil and China ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Under Federal law, the Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for safe disposal of Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Waste (GTCC LLW) generated by licenses of the Nuclear Regulatory commission (NRC) or Agreement States. Such waste must be disposed of in a facility licensed by the NRC. It is unlikely that licensed disposal of GTCC LLW will be available prior to the year 2010. Pending availability of disposal capacity, DOE is assessing the need for collective, long-term storage of GTCC LLW. Potential risks to public health and safety caused by long-term storage of GTCC LLW at the place of generation will be evaluated to determine if alternative facilities are warranted. If warranted, several options will be investigated to determine the preferred alternative for long-term storage. These options include modification of an existing DOE facility, development of a new DOE facility, or development of a facility by the private sector with or without ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In recent years it has become evident from epidemiological and experimental data that a large number of environmental factors, including diet, play a role in modifying the incidence of cancer. Cell culture systems in which oncogenic transformation serves as an end point are powerful tools for evaluating these questions. Using such systems it has been shown recently that pyrolysis products from charred surfaces of broiled meat and fish can transform hamster embryo cells in vitro as well as produce tumors in the animal. Our studies in vitro have demonstrated the oncogenic potential of ionizing radiation in both hamster and human cells and have established in hamster cells the dose response relationship at doses ranging from 1 to 600 rad for x-rays and 0.1 to 150 rad for neutrons. The present work was aimed at evaluating whether there exists a cocarcinogenic interaction between a pyrolysis product and x-rays in their ability to transform hamster ...

Science.gov (United States)

Magnetic particles have become very promising materials for drug delivery. However, preparation of magnetite particles with high surface area, biocompatibility, strong magnetic response, and suitable particle size still remains a major challenge. In this report, magnetite nanocrystal clusters with high surface areas were fabricated through a solvothermal process by introducing ammonium acetate as a porogen and trisodium citrate as a surface modification agent. The porosity, which was controlled by the reactant concentration, has been investigated in detail. The surface area of the nanocrystal clusters was as high as 141?m(2) g(-1) . Ibuprofen, as a model drug, was entrapped into the magnetite carriers. The interfacial interaction between the carboxylic groups on the drug molecules and the carboxylate groups on the carriers enhanced the loading efficiency. Low cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cell and in vitro constant drug release behavior combined with the high drug loading ...

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The Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) was established by the US Department of Energy Field Office, Richland (RL) in 1987 as part of Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The HCRL provides support for managing the archaeological, historical, and cultural resources of the Hanford Site, Washington, in a manner consistent with federal statutes and regulations. This report summarizes activities of the HCRL during fiscal year (FY) 1990. The HCRL responsibilities have been set forth in the Hanford Cultural Resources Management Plan (HCRMP) as a prioritized list of tasks. The task list guided cultural resources management activities during FY 1990 and is the outline for this report. In order, these tasks were to (1) conduct cultural resource reviews, (2) develop an archaeological resources protection plan, (3) monitor the condition of known archaeological sites, (4) plan a curation system for artifacts and records, (5) evaluate cultural resources for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Drosophila hairy gene encodes a basic helix- loop-helix protein that functions in at least two steps during Drosophila development: (1) during embryogenesis, when it partakes in the establishment of segments, and (2) during the larval stage, when it functions negatively in determining the pattern of sensory bristles on the adult fly. In the rat, a structurally homologous gene (RHL) behaves as an immediate-early gene in its response to growth factors and can, like that in Drosophila, suppress neuronal differentiation events. Here, the authors report the genomic cloning of the human hairy gene homolog (HRY). The coding region of the gene is contained within four exons. The predicted amino acid sequence reveals only four amino acid differences between the human and rat genes. Analysis of the DNA sequence 5[prime] to the coding region reveals a putatitve untranslated exon. To increase the value of the HRY gene as a genetic marker and to assess its ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We used light confinement in optical microcavities to achieve a strong enhancement and a precise wavelength tunability of the electrical photoconductance of nanostructured porous silicon (PS). The devices consist of a periodic array of alternating PS layers, electrochemically etched to have high and low porosities - and therefore distinct dielectric functions. A central layer having a doubled thickness breaks up the symmetry of the one-dimensional photonic structure, producing a resonance in the photonic band gap that is clearly observed in the reflectance spectrum. The devices were transferred to a glass coated with a transparent SnO{sub 2} electrode, while an Al contact was evaporated on its back side. The electrical conductance was measured as a function of the photon energy. A strong enhancement of the conductance is obtained in a narrow (17nm FWHM) band peaking at the resonance. We present experimental results of the angular dependence of this photoconductance peak energy, and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The usual method of introducing engineers to the concept of dislocations and their role in plastic flow is to compare an estimate of the theoretical strength of solid (of order {micro}/30 where {micro} is the shear modulus) and the observed strength of either single crystals ({mu}/10{sup 4}) or practical engineering material such as structural steels where the yield stress in shear is of order {mu}/10{sup 3}. However, if one considers the problem in reverse, one can consider the accumulation of dislocations as an important mechanism by which one can produce engineering materials in which the strength level approaches the theoretical strength. If one assumes that the flow stress can be expressed in terms of te mean free path between stored dislocations or as the square root of the global dislocation density, then one can see the influence of dislocation density in a diagrammatic form. It is clear that the strengthening by dislocation accumulation due to large imposed plastic strains ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In response to US Department of Energy directives, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has developed a waste minimization plan aimed at reducing the amount of wastes at this national research and development laboratory. Activities at ANL are primarily research- oriented and as such affect the amount and type of source reduction that can be achieved at this facility. The objective of ANL's waste minimization program is to cost-effectively reduce all types of wastes, including hazardous, mixed, radioactive, and nonhazardous wastes. The ANL Waste Minimization Plan uses a waste minimization audit as a systematic procedure to determine opportunities to reduce or eliminate waste. To facilitate these audits, a computerized bar-coding procedure is being implemented at ANL to track hazardous wastes from where they are generated to their ultimate disposal. This paper describes the development of the ANL Waste Minimization Plan and a pilot demonstration of the how the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The economies of East Asia are predominantly export based and, therefore, place special emphasis on the security of the sea lines of communication (SLOCs). Due to economic globalization, the United States shares these concerns. Cooperative measures by the concerned parties could reduce the potential for disruption by maritime conflicts. Primary threats against the SLOCs are disputes over the resources under the seas, disputes over some small island groups, disputes between particular parties (China-Taiwan and North-South Korea), or illegal activities like smuggling, piracy, or terrorism. This paper provides an overview on these threats, issue by issue, to identify common elements and needed cooperation. Cooperation on other topics such as search and rescue, fisheries protection, and oil spill response may help support improved relations to prevent maritime conflicts. Many technologies can help support maritime cooperation, including improved ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Monitoring brine chemistry to determine the extent of potential adverse reactions has been simplified by the development of a field-brine test kit and a series of nomographs. Results of the kit analyses serve as input to the nomographs, which provide a graphic means of determining the scaling tendency (Saturation Index value) of a brine. Brines that do not tend to form scale may be corrosive. Saturation Index values were correlated with various processes using data from geopressured wells in the Gulf Coast area. Control of scale in surface equipment with chemical inhibitors has been successful. Numerous laboratory simulations of inhibitor squeeze operations were completed using core material with calcite present and absent. The corresponding wells were squeezed with phosphorous-containing inhibitors, and the flowback of brine was monitored for phosphorous concentrations vs time. A new procedure to measure the concentration of phosphorous-containing inhibitors down ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Launched in 2006, over 8,700 residential energy upgrades have been completed through Austin Energy's Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) program. The program's lending partner, Velocity Credit Union (VCU) has originated almost 1,800 loans, totaling approximately $12.5 million. Residential energy efficiency loans are typically small, and expensive to originate and service relative to larger financing products. National lenders have been hesitant to deliver attractive loan products to this small, but growing, residential market. In response, energy efficiency programs have found ways to partner with local and regional banks, credit unions, community development finance institutions (CDFIs) and co-ops to deliver energy efficiency financing to homeowners. VCU's experience with the Austin Energy HPwES program highlights the potential benefits of energy efficiency programs to a lending partner.