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
The accumulation of α-1,4-polyglucans is an important strategy to cope with transient starvation conditions in the environment. In bacteria and plants, the synthesis of glycogen and starch occurs...Full Text Available
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...
Both ammonium and nitrite act as substrates as well as potential inhibitors of anoxic ammonium-oxidizing (Anammox) bacteria. To satisfy demand of substrates for Anammox bacteria and to prevent substrate inhibition simultaneously; two strategies, namely high or low substrate concentration, were carefully compared in the operation of two Anammox upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors fed with different substrate concentrations. The reactor working at relatively low influent substrate concentration (NO(2)(-)-N, 240 mg-NL(-1)) was shown to avoid the inhibition caused by nitrite and free ammonia. Using the strategy of low substrate concentration, a record super high volumetric nitrogen removal rate of 45.24 kg-Nm(-3) day(-1) was noted after the operation of 230 days. To our knowledge, such a high value has not been reported previously. The evidence from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed ...
European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) is a marine species of great economic importance, particularly in Mediterranean aquaculture. However, numerous pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites affect the species, causing various infectious diseases and thereby leading to the most heavy losses in aquaculture production of sea bass. In this respect, knowledge on molecular and genetic mechanisms of resistance to pathogens and specific features of immune response against various infectious agents should greatly benefit the development of effective vaccines and proper vaccination strategies in marker-assisted selection of fish resistant to a range of infections. To date, genetic knowledge on sea bass immune regulatory genes responsible for resistance to pathogens is relatively poor ...
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...
The precipitation of heavy metals as hydroxides is the standard technique for the decontamination of waste water streams polluted by these elements. On the other side, progress in research has been made concerning the biosorption onto dead biomass and bioprecipitation supported by physiologically active bacteria. As the aim of this study, a flexible strategy has been envisaged cleaning a waste water with definite heavy metal load underlying the process mentioned above. Suitable bacteria were enriched and the process was tested in a technical plant. As result, a very high efficiency of heavy metal elimination has been found. The field of application covered by the acquired process is identical with the whole range of the waste water streams polluted by heavy metals. In addition, a second stage may be necessary if there are any further contaminants to be removed. (orig.) [Deutsch] Bei der Reinigung von schwermetallhaltigen ...
Technology Strategy Board Driving Innovation ...Technology Strategy 2009-2012 ... The vision of the Technology Strategy Board is for the UK to be a global leader in innovation
The cell wall envelopes of gram-positive bacteria represent a surface organelle that not only functions as a cytoskeletal element but also promotes interactions between bacteria and their environment....Full Text Available
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
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
Recent studies indicate that [Fe]-hydrogenases and H{sub 2} metabolism are widely distributed among green algae. The enzymes are simple structured and catalyze H{sub 2} evolution with similar rates than the more complex [Fe]-hydrogenases from bacteria. Different green algal species developed diverse strategies to survive under sulfur deprivation. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii evolves large quantities of hydrogen gas in the absence of sulfur. In a sealed culture of C. reinhardtii, the photosynthetic O{sub 2} evolution rate drops below the rate of respiratory O{sub 2} consumption due to a reversible inhibition of photosystem II, thus leading to an intracellular anaerobiosis. The algal cells survive under these anaerobic conditions by switching their metabolism to a kind of photo-fermentation. Although possessing a functional [Fe]-hydrogenase gene, the cells of Scenedesmus obliquus produce no significant amounts of H{sub 2} under S-depleted ...
Microbial degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons has been studied with the aim of developing applications for the removal of toxic compounds. Efforts have been directed toward the genetic manipulation of mesophilic bacteria to improve their ability to degrade pollutants, even though many pollution problems occur in sea waters and in effluents of industrial processes which are characterized by low temperatures. From these considerations the idea of engineering a psychrophilic microorganism for the oxidation of aromatic compounds was developed.In a previous paper it was demonstrated that the recombinant Antarctic Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 (PhTAC/tou) expressing a toluene-o-xylene monooxygenase (ToMO) is able to convert several aromatic compounds into corresponding catechols. In our work we improved the metabolic capability of PhTAC/tou cells by combining action of recombinant ToMO enzyme with that of the endogenous P. haloplanktis TAC125 laccase-like ...
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 ...
The most classic information on the syntrophic microorganisms in an anaerobic bacteria symbiotic system may be methanobacillus omelianskii. These bacteria were isolated as ones degrading alcohols such as ethanol into methane and were stably preserved for more than 20 years. But, it was clarified by later researches that this was a kind of symbiotic cocultivation system of the bacteria (S strain) which oxidizes ethanol into acetic acid, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide, and a kind of bacteria of the methanobacterium genus which produces or synthesizes methane from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Such a symbiotic system of two kinds of anaerobic bacteria is the one of a kind of bacteria which produces hydrogen by oxidizing substances and of another kind of bacteria which consume hydrogen. Various kinds of symbiotic systems including those of ...
Accumulated lines of evidence suggest that hyperimmune responses to periodontal bacteria result in the destruction of periodontal connective tissue and alveolar bone. The etiological roles of periodontal...Full Text Available
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
A multidisciplinary approach was used to study the effects of pollution from a marine fish farm on nitrification rates and on the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the underlying...Full Text Available
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
Enteropathogenic bacteria was isolated from 131 of 447 (29.4%) neotropical Panamanian lizards belonging to 34 species of seven families. Overall, 147 strains of bacteria were isolated comprising 26...Full Text Available
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
Marine sediments are frequently covered by mats of the filamentous Beggiatoa and other large nitrate-storing bacteria that oxidize hydrogen sulfide using either oxygen or nitrate, which...Full Text Available
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
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
Bacteria have the ability to adapt to different growth conditions and to survive in various environments. They have also the capacity to enter into dormant states and some bacteria form spores when...Full Text Available
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
Broth disk elution procedures represent one of the most practical means for clinical laboratories to perform routine antibiotic susceptibility tests on anaerobic bacteria. The accuracy of five disk...Full Text Available
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
Recently developed molecular methods have made it possible to characterize mixed microflora in their entirety, including the substantial numbers of bacteria which do not grow on artificial culture media....Full Text Available
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
Lipopolysaccharides from different bacteria isolated from cotton were purified and chemically analyzed. Their pulmonary toxicity to animals was tested in inhalation tests. Lipopolysaccharides from Agrobacterium...Full Text Available
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
Advanced Glycated End Products (AGEs) are formed by non-enzymatic protein glycation and are implicated in several physiological aspects including cell aging and diseases. Recent data indicate that bacteria...Full Text Available
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
This exploratory research paper investigated the coping strategies of families of hospitalized psychiatric patients and identified their positive and negative coping strategies. In this paper, the coping...Full Text Available
The chemiosmotic model of energy transduction offers a satisfying and widely confirmed understanding of the action of uncouplers on such processes as oxidative phosphorylation; the uncoupler, by facilitating...Full Text Available
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 ...
The Sirtuins are a family of orthologues of yeast Sir2 found in a wide range of organisms from bacteria to man. They display a high degree of conservation between species, in both sequence and function,...Full Text Available
This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of studies made on the regulation of the growth of Legionella Pneumophila bacteria in biofilms and amoebae. In a first project, the formation of biofilms by Legionella Pneumophila bacteria was analysed in static and dynamic systems using a complex growth medium. Under static and dynamic clinical and environmental conditions, the adherence of the biofilms on polystyrene tissue was studied. This was also examined under dynamic flow conditions. In a second part of the project, the regulation of growth of Legionella Pneumophila in amoebae was examined in that changes were made to the genome of the bacteria. The importance of the work for the de-activation of Legionella Pneumophila bacteria in biofilms is noted in the conclusions of the report.
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
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
Ether extracts of cultures of 29 strains representing 6 species of Bacillus, and of individual strains of Escherichia coli, Aerobacter aerogenes, and Pseudomonas...Full Text Available
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
A fundamental study of the application of bacteria to the recovery of toxic heavy metals from aqueous environments was carried out. The biosorption characteristics of cadmium and lead ions were determined with purple nonsulfur bacteria, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and hydrogen bacteria, Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 that were inactivated by steam sterilization. A simplified version of the metal binding model proposed by Plette et al. was used for the description of meal binding data. The results showed that the biosorption of bivalent metal ions to whole cell bodies of the bacteria was due to monodentate binding to two different types of acidic sites: carboxilic and phosphatic-type sites. The number of metal binding sites of A. eutrophus was 2.4-fold larger than that of R. sphaeroides.
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.
BackgroundResistance to third generation cephalosporins due to acquisition and expression of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes among Gram-negative bacteria is...Full Text Available
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...
Fifteen strains of CDC group 1 coryneform and biochemically similar bacteria were isolated from clinical specimens. Of the 15 strains isolated, 11 were derived from abscesses and purulent lesions, mostly...Full Text Available
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 ...
This dissertation evaluates recent proposals to include tropical deforestation into international climate change mitigation strategies. The research ... ...
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 ...
Microbiological comparison between irradiated and non-irradiated foodstuff has been studied for a long time as a way to detect whether a foodstuff has been irradiated or not. Generally, the proposed methods are based on the fact that ionization select species of bacteria which are recognized to be radioresistant. So reduction or elimination of known radiation sensitive microbes from the normal endogenous microflora could give an indication that the foodstuff has been irradiated, predominance of known radioresistant bacteria should be another indication. In the present work, we try to develop a test based on the radiosensitivity of the bacteria independently of their place. These first experiments show that the determination of radiosensitivity of strains isolated from a product or even of global radioresistance of mesophilic microflora could indicate if this product has been previously submitted to ionizing radiations. (4 ...
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 ...
Abstract Preparation of antibacterial alginate films incorporating extruded white ginseng (EWG) extracts was attempted. The antibacterial effect of EWG extract on six selected food pathogenic bacteria was compared with the effect of red ginseng (RG) and white ginseng (WG) extracts. The EWG was processed in a twin-screw extruder with feed moisture of 20% and barrel temperature of 115 and 130C. The data obtained by agar diffusion assay demonstrated that the film containing 1-g/mL of EWG at barrel temperatures of 115 (EWG-115) and 130C (EWG-130) exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against the four strains of bacteria than the other extracts RG and WG. All films sampled showed reduction in bacteria cell counts (log cycle) compared with the control. After 24-h of incubation, Pseudomonas a...
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...
This paper reports the results of leaching experiments conducted with and without Thiobacillus ferroxidans at the same conditions in solution. The extent of leaching of ZnS with Bacteria is significantly higher than that without bacteria at high concentrations of ferrous ions. A porous layer of elemental sulfur is present on the surfaces of the chemically leached particles, which no sulfur is present on the surfaces of the bacterially leached particles. The analysis of the data using the shrinking-core model shows that the chemical leaching of ZnS is limited by the diffusion of ferrous ions through the sulfur product layer at high concentrations of ferrous ions. The analysis of the data shows that diffusion through the product layer does not limit the rate of dissolution when bacteria are present. This suggests that the action of T.ferroxidans in oxidizing the sulfur formed on the particle surface is to remove the barrier ...
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...
Bloodstream infection by highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), is a growing clinical problem that increasingly defies medical intervention....Full Text Available
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Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) play a central role in the pathogenicity of many important pathogens, including Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Helicobacter pylori, and...Full Text Available
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
Methanol dehydrogenases isolated from bacteria belonging to different classes of methylotrophs contain the same prosthetic group. A procedure for its purification from whole cells is given. The reduced...Full Text Available
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
1. An enzyme from Escherichia coli 9723 that reduces adenosine 3′-phosphate 5′-sulphatophosphate to inorganic sulphite is described. Extracts of E. coli...Full Text Available
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
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
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common inhabitant of soil and water, is an opportunistic pathogen of growing clinical relevance. Its genome, one of the largest among bacteria [5570 open reading...Full Text Available
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
Several dissimilatory, sulfate-reducing bacteria were isolated from the rumen fluid of sheep fed purified diets containing sulfate. One isolate, strain D, was selected for characterization. This organism...Full Text Available
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
The second messenger signaling molecule bis-(3′-5′)-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) regulates many processes in bacteria, including motility, pathogenesis,...Full Text Available
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
Bacteria expressing type III secretion systems (T3SS) have been responsible for the deaths of millions worldwide, acting as key virulence elements in diseases ranging from plague to typhoid...Full Text Available
Washed cell suspensions of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans subsp. aestuarii were capable of reducing nanomolar levels of selenate to selenide as well as sulfate to sulfide....Full Text Available
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
We have examined the expression and structure of several genes belonging to two classes of vegetative specific genes of the simple eukaryote, Dictyostelium discoideum. In amebae grown on bacteria, deactivation...Full Text Available
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
The aim of this study was to investigate the supposed vertical diel migration and the accompanying physiology of Beggiatoa bacteria from hypersaline microbial mats. We combined microsensor,...Full Text Available
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
The evolution of drug resistant bacteria is a severe public health problem, both in hospitals and in the community. Currently, some countries aim at concentrating highly specialized services in large...Full Text Available
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
Up-flow anaerobic attached-growth bioreactors filled with pre-treated coir fibres ...coir-fibre arranged in bottle-brush configuration bounded by a novel plastic binding technique ...-three anaerobic filter reactors in series -coir fibre as the bacteria growth media a sedimentation
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
The overall objective of this project was to use molecular genetics to develop strains of bacteria with enhanced ability to remove sulfur from coal, and to obtain data that will allow the performance and economics of a coal biodesulfurization process to be predicted. (VC)
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 ...
The natural biotic capacity of soils to degrade gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH, lindane) was estimated using an enrichment technique based on the ability of soil bacteria to develop on synthetic...Full Text Available
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
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
The electrokinetic patterns of four bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Agrobacterium radiobacter), two yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida...Full Text Available
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
The genetic systems of bacteria that have the ability to use organic pollutants as carbon and energy sources can be adapted to create bacterial biosensors for the detection of industrial pollution....Full Text Available
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
Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging problem among nosocomial bacteria. Risk factors for the recovery of ceftriaxone-resistant (CRCF) or -susceptible (CSCF) Citrobacter freundii...Full Text Available
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
Bacterial nitric oxide synthases (bNOS) are present in many Gram-positive species and have been demonstrated to synthesize NO from arginine in vitro and in vivo. However, the physiological role...Full Text Available
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
In response to reports that the contamination of food can occur during the on-farm primary phase of food production, we report data that describes a possible cost-effective intervention measure. The...Full Text Available
We studied the dynamics of microbial communities attached to model aggregates (4-mm-diameter agar spheres) and the component processes of colonization, detachment, growth, and grazing mortality. Agar...Full Text Available
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
Proteins that metabolize or bind the nucleotide second messenger cyclic diguanylate regulate a wide variety of important processes in bacteria. These processes include motility, biofilm formation, cell...Full Text Available
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
Coryneform isolates from clinical specimens frequently cannot be identified by either reference laboratories or research laboratories. Many of these organisms are skin flora that belong to a large number...Full Text Available
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 ...
BackgroundMeropenem is a carbapenem that has an excellent activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacteria. The major objective...Full Text Available
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
The potential for oxidation of ammonia in anoxic marine sediments exists through anaerobic oxidation by Nitrosomonas-like organisms, utilizing nitrogen dioxide, coupling of nitrification,...Full Text Available
We cloned and sequenced structural gene choM, which encodes an insecticidally active cholesterol oxidase in Streptomyces sp. strain A19249. The primary translation product was predicted to be a 547-amino-acid...Full Text Available
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
The pilot area of the Vyngapour oil field allotted for MIOR tests contains three injection and three producing wells. These wells were treated in summer 1993 and 1994. Before, during, and after MIOR treatments on the pilot area the chemical compounds of injected and formation waters were studied, as well as the amount and species of microorganisms entering the stratum with the injected water and indigenous bacteria presented in bottomhole zones of the wells. The results of monitoring showed that the bottomhole zone of the injection well already had biocenosis of heterotrophic, hydrocarbon-oxidizing, methanogenic, and sulfate-reducing bacteria, which were besides permanently introduced into the reservoir during the usual waterflooding. The nutritious composition activated vital functions of all bacterial species presented in the bottomhole zone of the injection well. The formation waters from producing wells showed the increase of the content of ...
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
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
Several isolates of bacteria and fungi from soil, together with cells released directly from soil, were studied with respect to buoyant density and dry weight. The specific volume (cubic centimeters...Full Text Available
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
Acute Otitis Media occurs mostly after upper respiratory tract infection; the causative bacteria are those colonized in the nasopharynx. We studied 709 URI episodes and found that children with...Full Text Available
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
The distribution and activity of communities of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and methanogenic archaea in two contrasting Antarctic sediments were investigated. Methanogenesis dominated in freshwater...Full Text Available
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
The aggregation substance (AS) of Enterococcus faecalis, encoded on sex pheromone plasmids, is a surface-bound glycoprotein that mediates aggregation between bacteria thereby facilitating...Full Text Available
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
The sensitivities to cefuroxime and cephradine of potentially pathogenic bacteria isolated in two British general hospitals comprising 900 beds have been assessed. In a three-month period 2537 strains...Full Text Available
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
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
Our long-term goal is to enable highly productive plant species to extract, resist, detoxify, and/or sequester toxic heavy metal pollutants as an environmentally friendly alternative to physical remediation methods. We have focused this phytoremediation research on soil and water-borne ionic and methylmercury. Mercury pollution is a serious world-wide problem affecting the health of human and wild-life populations. Methylmercury, produced by native bacteria at mercury-contaminated wetland sites, is a particularly serious problem due to its extreme toxicity and efficient biomagnification in the food chain. We engineered several plant species (e.g., Arabidopsis, tobacco, canola, yellow poplar, rice) to express the bacterial genes, merB and/or merA, under the control of plant regulatory sequences. These transgenic plants acquired remarkable properties for mercury remediation. (1) Transgenic plants expressing merB (organomercury lyase) extract methylmercury from their ...
We describe a compact ultrafiltration system for the removal of pyrogens and bacteria from water labeled with the stable isotopes of deuterium and oxygen-18. The ultrafiltration system is constructed from readily available commercial components and can achieve complete removal of pyrogens and bacteria from 1L contaminated water within 30 min. By use of our procedure, loss of the isotopically labeled water by retention in the filtration system was minimal. The purified water is suitable for both oral and intravenous administration to healthy human subjects participating in nutrition studies.
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.
The microbial safety of foods cooked in microwave ovens was investigated. The mechanisms of microwave destruction of microorganisms were examined. Effects of time and temperature on microorganisms in different food systems were described. Studies showed that: microwave heating of food is more ''''food dependent'' than conventional heating; recommended microwave treatment time for some foods may not destroy high levels of bacteria; use of microwaves in combination with conventional heating methods results in more uniform heating of foods and destruction of bacteria; and microwaves exert different killing effects on individual bacterial species. (78 references, 2 tables)
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...
How do police respond to and manage complaints of stalking? To answer this question, we conducted a 3-phase study. First, we reviewed the literature to identify risk management tactics used to combat stalking. Second, we asked a group of police officers to review those tactics for completeness and group them into categories reflecting more general risk management strategies. The result was 22 categories of strategies. Finally, we used qualitative methods to evaluate the files of 32 cases referred to the specialized anti-stalking unit of a metropolitan police department. We coded specific risk management tactics and strategies used by police. Results indicated that a median number of 19 specific tactics from 7 general strategies were used to manage risk. Also, the implementation of strategi...
BackgroundStrategies to accurately identify the occurrence of specific health care events in administrative data is central to many quality improvement and research efforts. Many...Full Text Available
The energy strategy of the UK Overseas Development Administration is outlined with specific emphasis on energy efficiency and renewable energies. Based on 29 case studies concerning projects and programmes in both developed and developing countries, critical success factors for renewable energy projects are identified. UK)
BackgroundInternet education is increasingly provided to health professionals, but little is known about the most effective strategies for delivering the content. The purpose of...Full Text Available
Israel has faced the challenge presented by epidemic poliomyelitis by using different immunization strategies. In the 1950s, inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) helped to reduce the total burden of...Full Text Available
A synthetic strategy for constructing ionic hydrogen-bonded materials by combining perhalometallate anions with cations able to serve as hydrogen bond donors is presented. The approach is based on identification...Full Text Available
The DOE strategy recognizes that public perception of low-level waste management practices is not positive. Actions are included that are aimed at opening the system to the public. A better informed public will be able to better assess the performance of the low-level waste management system.
Objective: To further delineate the clinicopathological and radiological features of solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas and summarize the surgical therapy strategy for this tumor. Methods:...Full Text Available
Assessment strategies are an important component in game theoretical models of contests. Strategies can be either based on one’s own abilities (self assessment) or on the relative abilities...Full Text Available
... due to the evolving nature of the Strategy Maps and the changing priority roles, it was decided not to link the SMSP directly with any Strategic Plans. ...
Abstract This study presents a review of distributed model predictive control (DMPC) strategies followed by recent studies conducted by the authors on the robustness of these strategies to model errors and a summary of future challenges in this area. The review identifies three key challenges for the successful application of DMPC: (i) the selection of optimal control structure for DMPC; (ii) the choice of a suitable coordination strategy among the controllers; and (iii) the robustness of DMPC strategies to model errors. Then, the study summarises recent developments related to the robustness of unconstrained and constrained DMPC algorithms. For the unconstrained case, a methodology that is based on the calculation of a performance index is proposed to balance the trade-off between perform...
An energy control strategy (10) for a hybrid electric vehicle that controls an electric motor during bleed and charge modes of operation. The control strategy (10) establishes (12) a value of the power level at which the battery is to be charged. The power level is used to calculate (14) the torque to be commanded to the electric motor. The strategy (10) of the present invention identifies a transition region (22) for the electric motor's operation that is bounded by upper and lower speed limits. According to the present invention, the desired torque is calculated by applying equations to the regions before, during and after the transition region (22), the equations being a function of the power level and the predetermined limits and boundaries.
In this paper we describe the reconstruction strategies, the calibration procedures and the detector performance results from the latest CMS operation.
This final report of the Manitoba Round Table on Environment and Economy (MRTEE) chronicles its history, objectives, accomplishments and ongoing challenges from 1988-1997. MRTEE`s mandate was to promote environmentally sustainable economic development in Manitoba through policies and programs that combine environmental concerns with economic decisions. The seven main objectives of the MRTEE were: (1) the implementation of a sustainable development strategy for Manitoba, (2) the design of a communications program on environment-economy integration and an action plan to upgrade environmental education, (3) implementation of market-driven and incentive programs to promote environmental protection by business, agriculture and resource users, (4) implementation of sustainable development within the public sector, (5) encouragement of individual businesses, farms and resource users to adopt codes of environmental practice, (6) encouragement of specific projects that ...
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 ...
We studied the interaction of Pu(VI) with Pseudomonas stutzeri ATCC 17588 and Bacillus sphaericus ATCC 14577, representatives of the main aerobic groups of soil bacteria present in the upper soil layers. The accumulation studies have shown that these soil bacteria accumulate high amounts of Pu(VI). The sorption efficiency toward Pu(VI) decreased with increasing biomass concentration due to increased agglomeration of the bacteria resulting in a decreased total surface area and number of available complexing groups. Spores of Bacillus sphaericus showed a higher biosorption than the vegetative cells at low biomass concentration which decreased significantly with increasing biomass concentration. At higher biomass concentrations (> 0.7 g/L), the vegetative cells of both strains and the spores of B. sphaericus showed comparable sorption efficiencies. Investigations on the pH dependency of the biosorption and extraction ...
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 ...
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 ...
We aim to examine the spectrum of bacteria causing corneal infections and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. This will serve as a guideline for empiric therapy of corneal infections. We conducted the study over a period of 18 months from March 2001 through December 2002 in King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Corneal specimens taken from 200 patients were inoculated directly onto different types of media. The isolates were identified and then tested against the appropriate topical or systemic antibiotics. Sixty-seven (33.5%) of the total specimens were culture positive and 133 (66.5%) were culture negative. Fourteen (7%) of these showed organisms in the Gram stained smears and correlated well with the culture reports. Of the 67 positive cultures, 53 (79.1%) were Gram-positive bacteria mostly coagulase-negative Staphylococci 29 (43.3%) followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) 13 (19.4%). Among ...
The research project started in April, 2008 before adoption of the cabinet report of the Federal Government to the German strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change. The German Strategy for Adaptation emphasizes the meaning of information about requirements for adaptation and the active involvement of all social groups in the other process of the strategy. For this the research project has made concrete proposals for the information, communication and participation of social groups. These proposals are based in the essentials on an interest analysis about interviews with stakeholders and the economy to their demands and expectations to the German strategy for Adaptation. Besides we have researched international examples for the adaptation to the climate change for the public relations. For the interactive development of the Internet platform www.anpassung.net concrete proposals were developed. (orig.)
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 weight distribution of ...
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 weight distribution of ...
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 ...
The generation of acidic mine drainage is based on the oxidation dissolution of sulfide minerals due to the contact of ores with the natural water and the air. Namely, the sulfuric acid promotes the dissolution of sulfide minerals and gangue minerals, and Fe{sup 2+} is further oxidized to turn into Fe{sup 3+}, which acts as an oxidizer for other sulfide minerals and promotes the dissolution of the same. This paper roughly describes a mine drainage treatment focusing on an Fe{sup 2+} neutralization method and an iron bacteria oxidation method. The iron bacteria oxidation method is a method of oxidizing Fe{sup 2+} into Fe{sup 3+} by using iron bacteria, and then removing Fe{sup 3+} with calcium carbonate. This method has been used for treating the drainage in the Sakuhara Mine and the former Matsuo Mine, with good results. The paper finally introduces, as power-saving low-cost mine drainage treatment methods, a method of ...
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...
This paper elucidates morphological characteristics, reproduction forms and ecological characteristics of Plectus sp. and Rhabditis sp. which are most frequently detected nematodes separated from tap water. The paper also discussed experimentally establishment of cultivating conditions for these nematodes, and behavior and reproduction characteristics of nematodes under widely ranging conditions of temperatures, bacteria concentrations and pH. Plectus sp. grows in hermaphroditic individuals, while Rhabditis sp. grows only in female. An LE culture medium can cultivate nematodes that appear in tap water, and is suitable for subculture of nematodes. Conditions of temperatures from 20{degree}C to 25{degree}C, pH and inoculated concentration of bacteria at 10{sup 8} cell {center_dot} ml{sup -1} are suitable for reproduction of Plectus sp. and Rhabditis sp. Plectus sp. and Rhabditis sp. prefer mild temperatures for reproduction, cannot reproduce ...
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 ...
Biocatalytic Desulfurization (BDS) represents an alternative approach to the reduction of sulfur in fossil fuels. The objective is to use bacteria to selectively remove sulfur from petroleum and middle distillate fractions, without the concomitant release of carbon. Recently, bacteria have been developed which have the ability to desulfurize dibenzothiophene (DBT) and other organosulfur molecules. These bacteria are being developed for use in a biocatalyst-based desulfurization process. Analysis of preliminary conceptual engineering designs has shown that this process has the potential to complement conventional technology as a method to temper the sulfur levels in crude oil, or remove the recalcitrant sulfur in middle distillates to achieve the deep desulfurization mandated by State and Federal regulations. This paper describes the results of initial feasibility studies, sensitivity analyses and conceptual design work. ...
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 ...
Bark beetles that colonize living conifers and their microbial associates encounter constitutive and induced chemical defenses of their host. Monoterpene hydrocarbons comprise a major component of these allelochemicals, and many are antibiotic to insects, fungi, and bacteria. Some bark beetle species exhaust these defenses by killing their host through mass attacks mediated by aggregation pheromones. Others lack adult aggregation pheromones and do not engage in pheromone-mediated mass attacks, but rather have the ability to complete development within live hosts. In the former species, the larvae develop in tissue largely depleted of host terpenes, whereas in the latter exposure to these compounds persists throughout development. A substantial literature exists on how monoterpenes affect b...
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.)
The present study describes the screening of five lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for use as probiotics based on their competitive adhesion and production of antagonistic substances against some fish pathogens. A reduction of adhesion of all pathogenic strains tested was obtained with three of the LAB strains (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CLFP100, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris CLFP102 and Lactobacillus curvatus CLFP150). With the exception of fish pathogens Flavobacterium psychrophilum and Renibacterium salmoninarum that were not inhibited by LAB strains, production of antagonistic compounds by all tested LAB was observed against at least one of the indicator strains. Based on mucus adhesion, competitive exclusion, and suppression of fish pathogen growth, the selected LAB strains can b...
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.
Abstract Alkali tolerance and the mechanism of microcystin (MC) degradation were investigated in the MC-degrading bacterial species, Sphingopyxis sp. C-1, to better understand the increased MC degradation under the alkaline conditions that arise during the disappearance of water blooms. MC-degrading bacteria harbour mlrA, mlrB and mlrC that encode MC-degrading enzymes. Sphingopyxis sp. C-1 also possesses these genes, as well as the mlrD gene that has been assumed to encode MC and its degradation transporter. This study demonstrated that MC degradation activity was promoted by the intermittent addition of microcystin-LR (MCLR) to cultures of strain C-1. That the expression of mlrA, mlrB and mlrC is induced by MCLR also was indicated, whereas that of mlrA and mlrB is induced by the MCLR degr...
Using carbon-paste-CuFeS{sub 2} electrodes and a cyclic voltammetric technique, it was found that a large number of intermediate electrochemical oxidation reactions were associated with the dissolution of chalcopyrite in presence and absence of bacteria. The effects of concentrations of copper, ferrous and ferric ions, as well as of agitation on the peaks of cyclic voltammograms were measured. It was established that chalcopyrite oxidation was solid-state controlled as suggested by the data of chronopotentiometric and chronoamperometric measurements. The activation energy of solid state diffusion of chalcopyrite leaching was determined by the Sand's method to be {triangle}E{sub a} = 20.5 kJ. The leaching mechanism is discussed in terms of solid-state properties (energy bonding) of the n-type semiconductor chalcopyrite and energy density states of redox systems of acidic bacterial leach media. A generalized model for the mechanism of chalcopyrite leaching ...
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...
Abstract Background: This study involves a multicentre surveillance of tigecycline and tetracycline activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria from primary care centres (PCCs), general hospital wards (GHWs) and intensive care units (ICUs) in Denmark (n == 9), Finland (n == 10), Norway (n == 7) and Sweden (n == 19). Methods: The hospitals were each asked to test 30 consecutive Gram-positive and 30 Gram-negative clinical isolates. Supportive information accompanying each isolate included the study centre, ward level (PCC, GHW, or ICU), patient identification and source of the isolate. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for tetracycline and tigecycline were determined with the Etest. Results: The isolates collected comprised 1610 Gram-negative and 1767 Gram-positive clini...
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...
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...
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common problem in the female population. Women with diabetes mellitus are possibly at a higher risk. The usual medical therapy for UTI is antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study is to explore strategies employed by diabetic women for prevention and self-treatment of UTI. Forty-two women with diabetes mellitus who had experienced at least one episode of UTI in the last six months were included. Data collection included background information, questions about prevention and self-treatment strategies and a clinical examination to measure maximal urine flow, residual urine, a blood test evaluating diabetic control (HbA1c) and a urine test strip for determination of glucose, leucocytes, nitrite, blood, protein and pH. Thirty-five participants (83.3%) reported changes in daily routines like 'always keeping warm', 'increased fluid intake', 'good personal hygiene' as prevention strategies. ...
Aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria were isolated from surface soils and coastal plain subsurface (including deep aquifer) sediments (depths to 265 m) at a study site near Aiken, S.C., by plating on...Full Text Available
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
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
Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to an ionizing energy to kill harmful bacteria and other organisms and extend shelf-life. It is a safe process and has been approved by some 50 countries worldwide and applied commercially in the USA, Japan, China and several European countries for many years. Trends law regulations and new applications in Europe and another countries has been described. (author)
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.
Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, M. ruminantium, and Methanosarcina barkeri were labeled with 14CO2 (14CO2 + H14CO3- + 14CO32-) for from 2 to 45 s. Radioactivity was recovered in coenzyme M derivatives,...Full Text Available
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.
A pilot-scale model was constructed to determine if a wetland treatment system (WTS) could effectively remove low-level mercury from an outfall located at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site.
The diverse microenvironments of foods, changing with processing and preservation, might provide conditions that would enhance the growth of microorganisms which are the principal cause of spoilage, off-odor and unpleasant flavor in foods. Radiation is a potential process which may provide a product with far superior microbial quality for food preservation, by reduction of microbial population; elimination of food-borne pathogens; extension of shelf-life; and reduction of spoilage. The aim of irradiation at low dose level is to eliminate certain microorganisms, especially spoilage types and those of public health significance. But, the radurization dose allows the outgrowth of radioresistant bacteria. Certain strains of Moraxella-Acinetobacter (M-A) groups have been recognized as radioresistant bacteria (Welch and Maxcy, 1975), which may have gone unnoticed by food microbiologists, since these bacteria have not been ...
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
Antimicrobial susceptibilities of 233 Gram-positive and 180 Gram-negative strains to two novel bis-indoles were evaluated. Both compounds were potent inhibitors of Gram-positive bacteria, with MIC90...Full Text Available
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
Biosorption means the storage of substances at the cell envelope. Different microbial biomasses were tested for the separation of radionuclides from mining waters. Results of a pilot plant demonstrate the ability of these techniques for water cleaning processes. An effluent concentration of lower than 1 mg/l (in most cases 0.1 mg/1) could be realized in a pilot plant by using pure cells of a methylotrophic strain of bacteria as well as using of a fungal mycelia.
This article deals with the need for control strategies and control systems in buildings with hybrid ventilation. In this respect, control strategies are methods of keeping certain parameters like temperature, air quality etc within specified limits. A control system is automatic and includes sensors, motors, dampers etc. The article also discusses consequences with respect to thermal comfort, air quality and energy use following selection of control parameters for controlling air masses.
With increasing liberalization of the energy sector, German suppliers of line-transmitted energy find themselves in an utterly changed sales environment, forcing companies and utilities to elaborate for the first time management policies and strategies that will ensure loyalty of their present customers, and help to solicit new customers. The article here explains some major terms and instruments used in designing key-account management strategies, as well as general procedures for suitability assessment. (orig/CB)
Ensuring security of e-government applications and infrastructures is crucial to maintain trust among stakeholders to store, process and exchange information over the e-government systems. Due to dynamic and continuous threats on e-government information security, policy makers need to perform evaluation on existing information security strategy as to deliver trusted e-government services. This paper presents an information security evaluation framework based on new fuzzy multi criteria decision making (MCDM) to help policy makers conduct comprehensive assessment of e-government security strategy.
... that operated in Pakistan, Dubai, and throughout the Middle East ... identifies 'funds' as one of eight major terrorist ... techniques, and procedures (TTP). ...
... development of SC policy within DOD, because it describes the necessary link between DOD ... strategy convolutes USG efforts to develop SC policy. ...
The ras oncogenes function by indirectly controlling expression of a subset of yet-undefined genes that are crucial for cell growth and differentiation. In a differential display strategy, numerous...Full Text Available
Structured abstractObjectiveAlthough most reviews of Pseudomonas aeruginosa therapeutics focus on antibiotics currently in use or...Full Text Available
The early and precise diagnosis, the prognosis, and the clinical management of multiple sclerosis, remain a considerable challenge. In recent years, the development of novel and powerful proteomic...Full Text Available
Many real-world text classification tasks involve imbalanced training examples. The strategies proposed to address the imbalanced classification (e.g., resampling, instance weighting), however, have not been systematically evaluated in the text domain. In this paper, we conduct a comparative study on the effectiveness of these strategies in the context of imbalanced text classification using Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifier. SVM is the interest in this study for its good classification accuracy reported in many text classification tasks. We propose a taxonomy to organize all proposed strategies following the training and the test phases in text classification tasks. Based on the taxonomy, we survey the methods proposed to address the imbalanced classification. Among them, 10 common...
Strategies are needed for assessing the risks of exposures to airborne toxicants that vary over concentrations and durations. The goal of this project was to describe the relationship between the concentration...Full Text Available
... and regional land, sea, air, and space-based systems, and ... means of delivery of weapons where such ... a separable and divisible part of the weapon. ...
strives to reduce our "environmental footprint" in the following areas: EPA Facilities Energy Conservation Requirements | Goals and Strategies | Results | Reports Green Power...
The following topics are discussed: program goal and objectives, program organization, and program status. Current program projects are described. (MHR)
... teaching and learning; Creating learning materials and teaching strategies; Developing faculty ... achieve educational innovations. Educational Materials Development (EMD): A project under the former ...
Introduction: Generally agreed outcome criteria in psychosis are required to evaluate the effectiveness of new treatment strategies. The aim of this study is to explore clinical recovery...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES:To investigate the effect of opioid receptor blockade on the myocardial protection conferred by chronic exercise and to compare exercise training with different strategies...Full Text Available
Poplar breeding in Europe is in a more advanced state than breeding programmes of other species. In Europe, poplars are part of the scenery and are integrated in the economy. Traditionally poplar stands are established in lowland areas. But an increasing interest in their use moved them to upland sites. Poplar uses are multiple: lumber, industrial wood, wind-breaks and landscape plantations, etc. Selection characteristics are classified in different groups: vegetative propagation ability, vigor, adaptation to sites and climate, resistance to diseases and insect pests, wood quality, and coppicing ability. Strategies have improved with time. The most efficient strategies for the long term involve constitution of base populations, selection of parents for intra- and interspecific hybridizations, selection within the progenies, and vegetative propagation. Short term strategies are also applied simultaneously. Advanced breeding ...
This paper summarizes the findings from an exploratory definition of a usage strategy for multiple control centre wall displays in CANDU nuclear power plants. Wall displays are defined as large sized, vertically oriented display surfaces that may be positioned in various locations about a control room to support user information needs. The paper begins by discussing the need for a usage strategy for all control room information resources, and then reviews the history in wall display implementation and usage in nuclear power plant control rooms. The balance of the paper discusses the approach used in characterization and review of control room task information needs and definition of a wall display usage strategy. The paper concludes by outlining some of the possible impacts on future control room design and operations that the introduction of wall displays may imply. (author)
... 1. Major Grover E. Myers, Aerospace Power: The Case for Indivisible ... 19. Admiral James D. Watkins, The Maritime Strategy (Annapolis: US Naval ...
The risk perception of the public consists of two components: the objectively factual component and the subjectively irrational component. The two strategies adopted by the German gas supply industry are the internal and the external communication strategy. Concepts and measures of accident precaution, registration and analysis of accident data (installation and operating errors, defects on flue systems, pipelines and valves, subsequent installation of gas appliances) are discussed. (R.P.)
Following a referendum in Italy in 1987, the four Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) owned and operated by the state utility ENEL were closed. After closing the NPPs, ENEL selected a ''safestore'' decommissioning strategy; anticipating a safestore period of some 40-50 years. This approach was consistent with the funds collected during plant operation, and was reinforced by the lack of both a waste repository and a set of national free release limits for contaminated materials in Italy. During 1999, twin decisions were made to privatize ENEL and to transform the nuclear division into a separate subsidiary of the ENEL group. This group was renamed Sogin and during the following year, ownership of the company was transferred to the Italian Treasury. On formation, Sogin was asked by the Italian government to review the national decommissioning strategy. The objective of the review was to move from a safestore ...
This document describes the proposed strategy for disposal of spent and failed melters from the tank waste treatment plant to be built by the Office of River Protection at the Hanford site in Washington. It describes program management activities, disposal and transportation systems, leachate management, permitting, and safety authorization basis approvals needed to execute the strategy.
EREC, the international umbrella organization, published last year a study on export strategies for renewable energy technologies. The 150-page document provides valuable information on key export markets and financial institutions, and presents the various branches' perspectives for the future. The following excerpts will whet your appetite for more. The complete study is available for download: www.erec-renewables.org (Eurees). (orig.)
The objective of SCK-CEN's R and D programme on decision strategy research are (1) to support and advise the Belgian authorities on specific problems concerning existing and potential hazards from exposure to ionising radiation, both in normal and emergency situations; (2) to perform research on relevant topics that might have an important impact on decision making related to nuclear applications, including social and economic sciences. Main achievements in this area in 1999 are described.
The report examines common ventilation and air conditioning systems and strategies for both domestic and commercial buildings; and covers issues such as energy conservation, indoor air quality and occupant comfort. Drawing data from many countries in Europe and the United States of America, various natural, mechanical and air conditioning systems were compared using criteria such as climate, level of occupant interaction, and level of system comfort. This classification system is evaluated and seen as a valuable framework for further research. (U.K.)
BackgroundTo compare two strategies of dynamic intensity modulated radiation therapy (dIMRT) with 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) in the setting of hypofractionated...Full Text Available
This report describes the data, assumptions, and methodology used in the air quality analysis for the 1984 High Altitude Report to Congress. Detailed descriptions of the strategies examined and the mobile source emission factors associated with each strategy are included in this report only by reference.
This paper proposes a novel control strategy for tracking peak power in a wind or wave energy system using a squirrel cage induction generator. It eliminates wind speed measurement or estimation and uses a simple scalar technique by exploiting the cubic nature of the power curve. The method works even when air velocity is varying dynamically. (author)
Role-limiting approaches support knowledge acquisition (KA) by centering knowledge base construction on common types of tasks or domain-independent problem-solving strategies. Within a particular problem-solving strategy, domain-dependent knowledge plays specific roles. A KA tool then helps a user to fill these roles. Although role-limiting approaches are useful for guiding KA, they are limited because they only support users in filling knowledge roles that have been built in by the designers of the KA system. EXPECT takes a different approach to KA by representing problem-solving knowledge explicitly, and deriving from the current knowledge base the knowledge gaps that must be resolved by the user during KA. This paper contrasts role-limiting approaches and EXPECT`s approach, using the propose-and-revise strategy as an example. EXPECT not only supports users in filling knowledge roles, but also provides support in making ...
Specific {sup 32}P-labeled DNA probes were prepared and used to evaluate the distribution of tetracycline resistance determinants carried by gram-negative enteric bacteria isolated from pigs in 3 swine herds with different histories of antibiotic exposure. Plasmid DNA, ranging in size from 2.1 to 186 Kb, was observed in over 84% of 114 isolates studied. Two of 78 tetracycline resistant strains did not harbor plasmids. The DNA probes were isolated from plasmids pSL18, pRT29/Tn10, pBR322 and pSL106, respectively, and they represented class A, B, C and D tetracycline resistance determinants. Hybridization conditions using 0.5X SSPE at 65{degrees}C minimize cross-hybridization between the different class of tetracycline resistance genes. Cross-hybridization between class A and class C determinants could be distinguished by simultaneous comparison of the intensity of their hybridization signals. Plasmids from over 44% of the tetracycline resistant isolates did not ...
The microbial process of converting organic matter into methane and carbon dioxide is so complex that anaerobic digesters have long been treated as {open_quotes}black boxes.{close_quotes} Research into this process during the past few decades has gradually unraveled this complexity, but many questions remain. The major biochemical reactions for forming methane by methanogens are largely understood, and evolutionary studies indicate that these microbes are as different from bacteria as they are from plants and animals. In anaerobic digesters, methanogens are at the terminus of a metabolic web, in which the reactions of myriads of other microbes produce a very limited range of compounds - mainly acetate, hydrogen, and formate - on which the methanogens grow and from which they form methane. {open_quotes}Interspecies hydrogen-transfer{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}interspecies formate-transfer{close_quotes} are major mechanisms by which methanogens obtain their ...
High energy radiation was studied as a means for destroying hazardous organic chemical wastes. Tests were conducted at bench scale with a {sup 60}Co source, and at full scale (387 l/min) with a 1.5 MV electron beam source. Bench scale tests for both benzene and phenol included 32 permutations of water quality factors. For some water qualities, as much as 99.99% of benzene or 90% of phenol were removed by 775 krads of {sup 60}Co irradiation. Full scale testing for destruction of benzene in a simulated waste-water mix showed loss of 97% of benzene following an 800 krad dose and 88% following a 500 krad dose. At these loss rates, approximately 5 Mrad of electron beam irradiation is required to reduce concentrations from 100 g/l to drinking water quality (5 {mu}g/l). Since many waste streams are also inhabited by bacterial populations which may affect filtering operations, the effect of irradiation on those populations was also studied. {sup 60}Co and electron beam irradiation were both ...
New tetradentate N(2)O(2) donor Schiff bases and their mononuclear Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Pd(II) complexes were synthesized and characterized extensively by IR, (1)H-, (13)C-NMR, mass, ESR, conductivity measurements, elemental and thermal analysis. Specifically the magnetic and electronic spectral measurements demonstrate the octahedral structures of cobalt(II), nickel(II) complexes and square planar geometries of copper(II), palladium(II) complexes. All the ligands and complexes were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against two gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and two gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia). In this study, Pd(II) complexes exhibited potent antibacterial activity against B. subtilis, S. aureus whereas other metal complexes also exerted good activity towards all tested strains even than standard drugs streptomycin and ampicillin. PMID:21297294
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 source. Enzymes for the ...
The objectives of this study are to make a biosensor on a trial basis which can instantaneously measure the nitrogen in wastewater, and to develop a wastewater treatment system which is capable of on-line measurement and controlling. The system provides easier operational control relating to such a high efficient treatment as the removal of nitrogen content in wastewater, serving as a solution to the eutrophication problem. It can be applied also to the analysis of fertilizer components for agriculture. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria were immobilized with cellulose acetate film, which is mounted on a diaphragm type oxygen electrode to make a sensor, and its responsibility was studied. The gradient is slow in high concentration but sharp in low concentration, and it seems possible to use it for the measurement for less than 20 ppm nitrogen concentration. The dependence of the sensor including electrodes and activity of bacteria on temperature is ...
This project is concerned with the structure and function of the unique antenna system found in the green photosynthetic bacteria. The antenna system in these organisms is contained within a vesicle known as a chlorosome, which is attached to the cytoplasmic side of the cell membrane. Additional antenna pigments and reaction centers are contained in integral membrane proteins. Energy absorbed by the bacteriochlorophyll c (BChl c) pigments in the chlorosome is transferred via a ``baseplate`` array of BChl a antenna pigments into the membrane and to the reaction center. This system is similar in some respects to the phycobilisome antenna system found in cyanobacteria and some types of algae, in that a membrane-associated structure absorbs light and transfers it to the membrane where conversion to chemical energy takes place. However, the overall structure, the type of pigments utilized and the nature of the proteins in these two types of membrane-associated antenna ...
Background The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines recommend that antibiotic prophylaxis should be instituted in any patient with cirrhosis and gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and that oral norfloxacin, intravenous ciprofloxacin, and ceftriaxone are preferable. However, the antimicrobial spectrum of the first generation of cephalosporins (cefazolin) covers a wide range of bacteria species, including community-acquired strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, but their efficacy as prophylactic antibiotics in cirrhotic patients with acute hemorrhage was seldom warranted in the literature. This study aimed to explore the effects of cefazolin on the outcome of cirrhotic patients with acute variceal hemorrhage after endoscopic interventions. Method...
The C isotopic composition of CH4 emissions are strongly influenced by the pathway of CH4 formation. Contrary to data from other freshwater systems, soil gas and surface flux measurements made in the tropical rain forests of Puerto Rico strongly suggest that CH4 produced in these environments was derived from CO2 reduction, rather than from acetate consumption. This study explored the effects of bacterial competition for acetate, pH, and soil structure on the pathways of CH4 formation in tropical rain forest soils. Our goal was to test two principal hypotheses: (1) ferric iron-reducing bacteria out-competed methanogens for acetate, resulting in greater CO2 reduction rather than aceticlastic methanogenesis, and (2) the low pH of tropical rain forest soils favors CO2 reduction rather than aceticlastic methanogenesis. In addition, this study also investigated the effect of destroying soil aggregate structure on the pathways and rates of CH4 production. Ferric ...
Cultured fish and human cells have been used as bioassay systems for the evaluation of the toxicity of aquatic pollutants. Numerous assays using bacteria and yeast have also been used for such purposes. The authors report the toxicity of aquatic pollutants (Cd, Hg, and Ni), using cell culture systems and the yeast Saccharomyces cervisiae test. Cd, Hg, and Ni were chosen as model compounds of pollutants because the related toxicity is now fairly well established.
The present study was aimed to investigate antimicrobial potential of Glycyrrhiza glabra roots. Antimycobacterial activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra was found at 500mg/mL concentration. Bioactivity guided phytochemical analysis identified glabridin as potentially active against both Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and H37Rv strains at 29.16mg/mL concentration. It exhibited antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Our results indicate potential use of licorice as antitubercular agent through systemic experiments and sophisticated anti-TB assay.
The emergence of bacterial antibiotic resistance is a growing problem, yet the variables that influence the rate of emergence of resistance are not well understood. In a microfluidic device designed to mimic naturally occurring bacterial niches, resistance of Escherichia coli to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin developed within 10 hours. Resistance emerged with as few as 100 bacteria in the initial inoculation. Whole-genome sequencing of the resistant organisms revealed that four functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms attained fixation. Knowledge about the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance in the heterogeneous conditions within the mammalian body may be helpful in understanding the emergence of drug resistance during cancer chemotherapy. PMID:21940899
Microorganisms associated with fractured basalt core were compared to those suspended in groundwater pumped from the same well in the eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer (Idaho, USA). Two wells influenced to different degrees by a mixed-waste plume in the fractured basalt aquifer were examined. In one well, an array of dialysis cells filled with either deionized water or crushed basalt was equilibrated to compare the microorganisms collected in this fashion with those from core and groundwater samples collected in a traditional manner from the same well. Analyses were performed to characterize these samples and to provide a basis for comparison. These included total cell counts by microscopy; total biomass by phospholipid fatty acid analysis; enumerations of viable aerobic heterotrophs, groups of putative aerobic co-metabolic TCE-degraders and aerobic H2-oxidizing bacteria; mineralization of 14C- labeled acetate; and enrichments for dissimilatory iron-reducing ...
A Norwegian Research Program on Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) in North Sea reservoirs was launched in 1992. Microbial methods, applied in this context, is a part of this program. The scope, the methodological approach, and results from the three first years are presented. Water profile control, using biomass to block high permeable zones of a reservoir, has been investigated using nitrate-reducing bacteria in the injected sea water as plugging agents. Emphasis has been put on developing a process that does not have disadvantages secondary to the process itself, such as souring and impairment of the overall injectivity of the field. Data from continuous culture studies indicate that souring may successfully be mitigated by adding nitrite to the injected seawater. The morphology and size of generic-nitrate-reducing seawater bacteria have been investigated. Screening of growth-promoting nutrients has been carried out, and some sources were detected ...
Immidacloprid is a cyclodiene organochlorine used as an insecticide all over the world and possessing a serous environmental threat. It is mostly used for cotton insects (bollworm, aphid and white fly). For isolation of imidacloprid degrading bacteria, two soil samples were collected from industrial contaminated sites of Kala Shah Kahu district sheikupura, having ten year history of use. Soil samples were analyzed by measuring pH and electric conductivity. The isolation of imidacroprid degrading bacteria was performed by enrichment technique. Eight bacterial strains, S/sub 1-a/ S/2-2-b/ S/2-c/ S/2-d/ S/2-e/ S/sub 2-f/ and S/sub 2-g/ and S/sub e-a/ were isolated on the basis of their colony morphologies. The purified colonies were characterized morphologically, physiologically and biochemically. Gram staining was done and Gram negative strain were confirmed on MacConkey agar and Eosin Methylene Blue. Bacterial strains were also checked for ...
The kinetics of benzoate degradation by the anaerobic syntrophic bacterium, Syntrophus buswellii, was studied in coculture with Desulfovibrio strain G11. The threshold value for benzoate degradation was dependent on the acetate concentration with benzoate threshold values ranging from 2.4 [mu]M at 20 mM acetate to 30.0 [mu]M at 65 mM acetate. Increasing acetate concentrations also inhibited the rate of benzoate degradation with a apparent K[sub i] for acetate inhibition of 7.0 mM. Lower threshold values were obtained when nitrate rather than sulfate was the terminal electron acceptor. These data are consistent with a thermodynamic explanation for the threshold, and suggest that there is a minimum Gibbs free energy value required for the degradation of benzoate. An acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase has been isolated from Syntrophomonas wolfei; it is apparently a key enzyme controlling the synthesis of poly-B-hydroxyalkanoate from acetyl-CoA in this organism. Kinetic characterization of the ...
How should lightweight electric-powered vehicles be promoted, after the large-scale fleet test being conducted at Mendrisio (southern Switzerland) is completed in 2001, and are there reasons to put question marks behind the current approach? The demand for electric vehicles, and particularly the one in the automobile category, has remained at a persistently low level. As it proved, any appreciable improvement of this situation is almost impossible, even with substantial financial incentives. However, the unsatisfactory sales figures have little to do with the nature of the fleet test itself or with the specific conditions at Mendrisio. The problem is rather of structural nature. For (battery-operated) electric cars the main problem at present is the lack of an expanding market which could become self-supporting with only a few additional incentives. Various strategies have been evaluated. Two alternatives were considered in particular: a ...
We study the consumption-portfolio problem in a setting with capital gain taxes and multiple risky stocks to understand how short selling influences portfolio choice with a shorting-the-box restriction. Our analysis uncovers a novel trading flexibility strategy whereby, to minimize future tax-induced trading costs, the investor optimally shorts one of the stocks (or equivalently, buys put options) even when no stock has an embedded gain. Alternatively, an imperfect form of shorting the box can reduce aggregate equity exposure ex post. Given these two short selling strategies, it is common for an unconstrained investor to short some equity while a constrained investor holds a positive investment in all stocks. With no shorting, the benefit of trading separately in multiple stocks is not eco...
In the framework of the renewable energies development policy and the energy mastership wanted by the Government, a document has been asked by the Prime Minister. It evaluates the development prospects at long and medium dated, of the main chains of renewable energies production taking into account the national developable deposits size, the technologies assessment, the environmental impacts and the competition facing the traditional energies. It evaluates the measures leading to an increasing efficiency. Measures concerning the regulations, the budget, and the fiscality are also discussed. From these analysis, a national strategy for actions in favor the renewable energies, are proposed. (A.L.B.)
Studies have suggested that skill-building through hands-on cooking as a nutrition education strategy, is effective to improve overall dietary quality among participants. FamilyCook Productions' ''Diet for a Healthy Planet with Teen Battle Chefs(TM)'' curriculum using this approach, was piloted in 2008 in a Brooklyn public high school resulting in a statistically significant improvements in dietary quality as well as attitudinal improvements and efforts by students to support changes in school food service. Program evaluation used the RE-AIM framework and employed both quantitative and qualitative strategies including pre and post program surveys, focus groups, and weekly electronic teacher feedback. The program has since grown to over 85 high schools in 16 states.
The management programs for invasive species have been proposed and implemented in many regions of the world. However, practitioners and scientists have not reached a consensus on how to control them yet. One reason is the presence of various uncertainties associated with the management. To give some guidance on this issue, we characterize the optimal strategy by developing a dynamic model of invasive species management under uncertainties. In particular, focusing on (i) growth uncertainty and (ii) measurement uncertainty, we identify how these uncertainties affect optimal strategies and value functions. Our results suggest that a rise in growth uncertainty causes the optimal strategy to involve more restrained removals and the corresponding value function to shift up. Furthermore, we also...
Finding interesting rule in the sixth strategy step about threshold control on generalized relations in attribute oriented induction, there is possibility to select candidate attribute for further generalization and merging of identical tuples until the number of tuples is no greater than the threshold value, as implemented in basic attribute oriented induction algorithm. At this strategy step there is possibility the number of tuples in final generalization result still greater than threshold value. In order to get the final generalization result which only small number of tuples and can be easy to transfer into simple logical formula, the seventh strategy step about rule transformation is evolved where there will be simplification by unioning or grouping the identical attribute. Our approach to measure interesting rule is opposite with heuristic measurement approach by Fudger and Hamilton where the more complex concept ...
This brochure describes the strategy employed by the administration of Malaspina University--College in Nanaimo, British Columbia, to implement energy-efficient plans and integrating systems and plans that would allow the institution to consume less energy, fewer resources and improve the health and well-being of its students and staff. An assessment study to identify the most problematic areas, and to develop a prioritizing strategy for their replacement was the first step, followed by rigorous adherence to a 10- year cyclical replacement schedule. The program includes replacement of rooftop ventilation units, installation of high-performance glazing units to replace single-glazed windows, implementation of an Energy Management System to monitor heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and a Power Smart New Building Design and Building Improvements Program. The combined cost avoidance associated with these projects is estimated to ...
The known biological functions of RNA have expanded in recent years and now include gene regulation, maintenance of sub-cellular structure, and catalysis, in addition to propagation of genetic information. As for proteins, RNA function is tightly correlated with structure. Unlike proteins, structural information for larger, biologically functional RNAs is relatively limited. NMR signal degeneracy, relaxation problems, and a paucity of long-range {sup 1}H-{sup 1}H dipolar contacts have limited the utility of traditional NMR approaches. Selective isotope labeling, including nucleotide-specific and segmental labeling strategies, may provide the best opportunities for obtaining structural information by NMR. Here we review methods that have been developed for preparing and purifying isotopically labeled RNAs, as well as NMR strategies that have been employed for signal assignment and structure determination.
Clin. Otolaryngol. 2009, 34, 438-446. Objective: To determine whether economic costs associated with a conservative management strategy for unilateral acoustic neuroma offer an economic advantage over active management options. Design: Cost and sensitivity analysis on a prospective cohort. Setting: Single centre study within a tertiary referral centre in Toronto, Canada. Participants: 72 patients (32 males, 40 females) aged 36 to 78 years with unilateral acoustic neuroma were assigned initially to a conservative management strategy. Entry criteria were small tumour size (less than 15mm in the cerebellopontine angle), patient preference and/or significant co-morbidity. Interventions: MRI scanning was performed every 6 months for the first year, annually subsequently and then every 2-3 years...
Many hoarding rodents use burrows not only for dwelling and protection from natural enemies, but also for food storage. However, little is known how burrows used by scatter-hoarding animals influence their foraging behaviors. In addition, handling time for a given food item has a fundamental impact on hoarding strategies of these hoarding animals: food items with longer handling time are more likely to be hoarded due to increasing predation risk because the animals spend more time outside their burrows if they consumed such food. By providing with two types of artificial burrows (aboveground vs. underground) and two types of food items (i.e. seeds) with contrasting handling times, we investigated how burrow condition and handling time co-influence hoarding strategies of a key scatter-hoard...
Orientation in the environment can draw on a variety of cognitive strategies. We asked 634 healthy volunteers to perform a comprehensive battery administered through an internet website (www.gettinglost.ca), testing different orientation strategies in virtual environments to determine the effect of age and gender upon these skills. Older participants (46-67years of age) performed worse than younger participants (18-30 or 31-45years of age) in all orientation skills assessed, including landmark recognition, integration of body-centered information, forming association between landmarks and body turns, and the formation and use of a cognitive map. Among all tests, however, the ability to form cognitive maps resulted to be the significant factor best at predicting the individuals' age group. ...
This paper focuses on a factorial-based design strategy. The approach provides an efficient and statistically reliable means for assessing the influence of multivariable effects. It is applied to the detection and evaluation of damage in impacted composite sandwich panels. The experimental results obtained from this test strategy are utilized to form an empirical response function. The resulting polynomial relates damage area to residual compression strength at values of independent variables for which testing did not occur. The response function also identifies nonlinear interaction effects of key variabes that cannot be easily ascertained by traditional single-variable test strategies. Independent variables evaluated include core thickness, number of face sheet plys and impact energy. The methodology presented allows the designer to predict with more confidence the damage tolerance of a composite material component, and ...
Background and aims. The multiplicity of vaccine injections during childhood leads to iterative painful and stressful experiences which may lead in turn to anticipated pain and then possibly to a true needle phobia. We aimed at evaluating a multifactorial strategy of pain management combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches during vaccination, as compared to usual care, in 4- to 12-year-old children. Methods. In all, 239 children were enroled by 25 family practitioners in an open-label study. After a pseudo-randomization, usual pain management (n = 132) was compared to a multifactorial strategy (n = 107) associating preliminary application of an anesthesic patch, preferential use of specified vaccines, child education by the parents and the doctor, parental accompaniment...
Social learning (learning through observation or interaction with other individuals) is widespread in nature and is central to the remarkable success of humanity, yet it remains unclear why...Full Text Available
BackgroundEpilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent electrophysiological activities, known as seizures. Without the appropriate detection strategies,...Full Text Available
The study examines the question of whether or not civilian marketing practices and principles can be applied in the military care setting. Using the NRMC Great Lakes as a basis, the answer is yes--consumers of military medical care are ready to be the rec...
In developing severe accident management strategies, an engineering decision would be made based on the available data and information that are vague, imprecise and uncertain by nature. These sorts of vagueness and uncertainty are due to lack of knowledge for the severe accident sequences of interest. The fuzzy set theory offers a possibility of handling these sorts of data and information. In this paper, the possibility to apply the decision-making method based on fuzzy set theory to the evaluation of the accident management strategies at a nuclear power plant is scrutinized. The fuzzy decision-making method uses linguistic variables and fuzzy numbers to represent the decision-maker's subjective assessments for the decision alternatives according to the decision criteria. The fuzzy mean operator is used to aggregate the decision-maker's subjective assessments, while the total integral value method is used to rank the decision ...
Personal Health Records (PHRs) are increasingly recognized as a strategy to improve patient-provider communication, availability of health information, and quality of care, by making the delivery of...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo estimate which strategy is the most cost-effective for prevention of preterm birth and associated morbidity.Study DesignFull Text Available
... NE Mall Room B-607, EPA Headquarters, 401 M ... formally adopted and initiated a joint strategy for ... CLI kick-off Partner and Task Force meeting. ...
Borna disease virus (BDV) uses a unique strategy of replication and transcription which takes place in the nucleus, unlike other known, nonsegmented, negative-stranded RNA viruses of animal origin....Full Text Available
Devastating central nervous system injuries and diseases continue to occur in spite of the tremendous efforts of various prevention programs. The enormity of and annual escalation of healthcare...Full Text Available
Strategies to combine aspirated marrow cells with scaffolds to treat connective tissue defects are gaining increasing clinical attention and use. In situations such as large defects where initial...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES: Personal and equipment assistance are common strategies to reduce disability. This study sought to determine how often assistance reduces or even completely resolves health-related difficulties...Full Text Available
The paper presents the progress of the Radioactive Waste Management Plan which accompanies the Decommissioning Plan for research reactor WWR-S located in Magurele, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania. The new variant of the Decommissioning Plan was elaborated taking into account the IAEA recommendation concerning radioactive waste management. A new feasibility study for WWR-S decommissioning was also developed. The preferred safe management strategy for radioactive wastes produced by reactor decommissioning is outlined. The strategy must account for reactor decommissioning, as well as rehabilitation of the existing Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant and the upgrade of the Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility at Baita-Bihor. Furthermore, the final rehabilitation of the laboratories and reusing of cleaned reactor building is envisaged. An inventory of each type of radioactive waste is presented. The proposed waste management ...
BackgroundIn 1998, the U.K. National Health Service Information for Health Strategy proposed the implementation of a National electronic Library for Health...Full Text Available
...challenges faced by the industrial sector by implementing a Research Agenda for Embedded Computing Systems. The Artemis JU will manage and co-ordinate open ...5 billion research programme on Embedded Computing Systems. The programme is open to organisations within the EU Member States as well as Associated ...
The development of new methods for gene addition to mammalian genomes is necessary to overcome the limitations of conventional genetic engineering strategies. Although a variety of DNA-modifying enzymes...Full Text Available
Understanding the mechanisms whereby information encoded within patterns of action potentials is deciphered by neurons is central to cognitive psychology. The multiprotein complexes formed by...Full Text Available
Oxidative stress contributes to the pathophysiology of exposure to heavy metals/metalloid. Beneficial renal effects of some medications, such as chelation therapy depend at least partially on the ability...Full Text Available
The homologous sequences observed for many calcium binding proteins such as parvalbumin, troponin C, the myosin light chains, and calmodulin has lead to the hypothesis that these proteins have homologous...Full Text Available
Genetically identical rhesus monkeys would have tremendous utility as models for the study of human disease and would be particularly valuable for vaccine trials and tissue transplantation studies where...Full Text Available
High blood pressure (BP) is a major public health problem in India and its prevalence is rapidly increasing among urban and rural populations. Reducing systolic and diastolic BP can decrease cardiovascular...Full Text Available
Sperm competition occurs when 2 or more males copulate with a particular female during the same reproductive cycle, and their sperm compete to fertilize the female's available eggs. One strategy that...Full Text Available
Background:Smoking cessation is an important strategy for reducing the harmful effects of tobacco, particularly in the prevention of lung cancer; however, prospective data on the...Full Text Available
This study investigated the feasibility of a slow-release inoculation approach as a bioaugmentation strategy for the degradation of lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane [γ-HCH]). Slow-release...Full Text Available
Experienced users of the Clarion cochlear implant were tested acutely with the HiResolution (HiRes) and HiRes Fidelity120 (F120) processing strategies. Three psychophysically-based tests were...Full Text Available
A protein evolution strategy is described by which double-stranded DNA fragments encoding defined E. coli protein secondary structural elements (α-helices, β-strands...Full Text Available
Destress blasting is commonly used as a stress control technique at the Galena Mine, Wallace, Idaho, where the U.S. Bureau of Mines maintains a cooperative research program with the mine operators (ASARCO). A digital seismic array and an array of borehole...
BackgroundNew Zealand's Primary Health Care Strategy (NZPHCS) was introduced in 2002. Its features are substantial increases in government funding delivered as capitation payments,...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe circadian rhythm in mammals is orchestrated by a central pacemaker in the brain, but most peripheral tissues contain their own intrinsic circadian oscillators. The...Full Text Available
Current adherence assessments typically detect missed doses long after they occur. Real-time, wireless monitoring strategies for antiretroviral therapy may provide novel opportunities to proactively...Full Text Available
BackgroundSubjects with a ring scotoma can use two retinal loci, a foveal and a peripheral, for reading. Our aim was to investigate the relative use of both retinal loci as a function...Full Text Available
Deforestation is rapidly transforming primary forests across the tropics into human-dominated landscapes. Consequently, conservationists need to understand how different taxa respond and adapt to these...Full Text Available
A new strategy is presented for the synthesis of graft copolymers using only the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). From a ROMP-derived main chain, pendant maleimide functional groups...Full Text Available
BackgroundRapid and correct diagnosis of malaria is considered an important strategy in the control of the disease. However, it remains to be determined how well these tests can...Full Text Available
Plantago media L. and Plantago maritima L. differ in their strategy toward salt stress, a major difference being the uptake and distribution of ions. Patch clamp techniques...Full Text Available
The analysis of individual molecules is evolving into an important tool for biological research, and presents conceptually new ways of approaching experimental design strategies. However, more...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeasonal influenza A infection affects a significant cohort of the global population annually, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic strategies...Full Text Available
Hospitals as research environments are crucial in advancing evidence-based practice and translational research. The authors discuss issues related to hospital-based nursing research such as...Full Text Available
BackgroundStem cell characteristics are an important feature of human cancer cells and play a major role in the therapy resistance of tumours. Strategies to target cancer stem cells...Full Text Available
In this paper the problem of developing optimal bidding strategies for the participants of oligopolistic energy markets is studied. Special attention is given to the impacts of suppliers' emission of pollutants on their bidding strategies. The proposed methodology employs supply function equilibrium (SFE) model to represent the strategic behavior of each supplier and locational marginal pricing mechanism for the market clearing. The optimal bidding strategies are developed mathematically using a bilevel optimization problem where the upper-level subproblem maximizes individual supplier payoff and the lower-level subproblem solves the Independent System Operator's market clearing problem. In order to solve market clearing mechanism the multiobjective optimal power flow is used with supplier emission of pollutants, as an extra objective, subject to the supplier physical constraints. This paper uses normal ...
Species that depend on ephemeral habitat often evolve distinct dispersal strategies in which the propensity to disperse is closely integrated with a suite of morphological, behavioural and physiological...Full Text Available
BackgroundMass treatment to trachoma endemic communities is a critical part of the World Health Organization SAFE strategy. However, non-participation may not be at random, affecting...Full Text Available
BackgroundPrevious research has shown that internet education can lead to short-term improvements in clinicians' knowledge, confidence and communication practices. We wished to better...Full Text Available
BackgroundLarviciding is a key strategy used in many vector control programmes around the world. Costs could be reduced if larvicides could be manufactured locally. The potential...Full Text Available
BackgroundImproving the understanding of childhood malarial anaemia may help in the design of appropriate management strategies.MethodsA...Full Text Available
During the past decade idiopathic venous thromboembolism has become a separate entity, a chronic illness which has required prolonged anticoagulation and other prevention strategies to avoid recurrences....Full Text Available
We have developed a new strategy for immunization of wild rabbit populations against myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) that uses recombinant viruses based on a naturally attenuated field...Full Text Available
Objectives:The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic is in its third decade and has reached to alarming proportions worldwide....Full Text Available
... As noted by Emma Rothschild: ... 24. Emma Rothschild, "Food Politics," Foreign Affairs, 54 (January 1976),285·86. 25. Forecast 90, pp. I1·31, 32. 26. ...
The purpose of this work is to develop a novel feature-based registration strategy to automatically map the rectal contours from planning computed tomography (CT) (pCT) to cone beam CT (CBCT). The rectal...Full Text Available
Epidemiologic research concerning electric and magnetic fields in relation to cancer has focused on the potential etiologic roles of residential exposure on childhood cancer and occupational exposure...Full Text Available
This purpose of this paper is to describe the optimizing Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) insertion, revising data collection strategies, estimating workloads, and calculating the financial savings generated by the vascular access nurse (VAN)...
Esophageal perforation is associated with a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. We report herein a case of lye-induced esophageal perforation managed successfully by employing endoscopic T-tube...Full Text Available
BackgroundAntigen sparing and cross-protective immunity are regarded as crucial in pandemic influenza vaccine development. Both targets can be achieved by adjuvantation strategy...Full Text Available
Zebrafish transgenesis is a powerful and increasingly common strategy to assay vertebrate transcriptional regulatory control. Several challenges remain, however, to the broader application of...Full Text Available
Chemoprevention strategies to prevent the development of lung cancer in at-risk individuals are a key component in disease management. In addition to being highly effective, an ideal chemopreventive...Full Text Available
Antivenoms are the currently available agents for treatment of snake venom intoxication in humans. The development of therapeutic strategies employing more generally available drugs could improve treatment of invenomation by reducing hypersensitive reacti...
Short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)–mediated gene knockdown is a powerful tool for targeted gene silencing and an emerging novel therapeutic strategy. Recent publications, however, reported unexpected...Full Text Available
Spatial abilities have been associated with many ecologically-relevant behaviors such as territoriality, mate choice, navigation and acquisition of food resources. Differential demands on spatial...Full Text Available
The temporal fine structure (TFS) of sound contributes significantly to the perception of music and speech in noise. The evaluation of new strategies to improve TFS delivery in cochlear implants (CIs)...Full Text Available
The study of the Military Strategic and Tactical Relay (MILSTAR) program focuses on the role of the program manager and contracting officer in developing the acquisition strategy.
The results of clinical trials conducted in Europe and North America have been incorporated into treatment strategies for breast cancer in Japan. Despite the use of similar treatment regimens, why has...Full Text Available
Intestinal parasitic infections have been perceived as a public health problem in Seychelles for decades. A comprehensive strategy to reduce morbidity and, in the long term, transmission of intestinal...Full Text Available
BackgroundSelf-administered computer-assisted blood donor screening strategies may elicit more accurate responses and improve the screening process.MethodsRandomized...Full Text Available
Program plans of the Office of Coal Technology in coal liquefaction are presented. Technology description, status, market applications, program strategy and program management descriptions are included. 2 figs. (CBS)
Urethral and endocervical swabs and self-collected vaginal swabs (SCVSs) and urine specimens are all used as samples for diagnosis of urogenital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis....Full Text Available
Top quark is extremely sensitive to non-standard CP violating phases. General strategies for exposing different types of phases at the NLC are outlined. SUSY phase(s) cause PRA in $t\\to Wb$. The transverse polarization of the $\\tau$ in the reaction $t\\to b\\tau\
to Protect Workers' Rights); 2/28/07 [PDF - 1,030 KB] Submission to the docket from Eninger (private person); 3/1/07 [PDF - 174 KB] Submission to the docket from Farber (private...
The German state of Sachsen is a synonym for brown coal production. The elections to the state parliament will decide the future of this echnology and of climate protection strategies like renewable energy sources. A renewables fraction of 82 percent of renewables-derived electric power may be possible by 2020. (orig.)
Anemia commonly affects critically ill patients. The causes are multifactorial and include acute blood loss, blood loss from diagnostic testing and blunted red blood cell production. Blood transfusions...Full Text Available
The biomechanical nature of the arterial system and its major disease states provides a series of challenges to treatment strategies. Endovascular device design objectives have mostly centered on short-term...Full Text Available
Bacterial pathogens use virulence strategies to invade epithelial barriers, but active processes of epithelial cells may also contribute to the endocytosis of microbial particles. To focus on the latter,...Full Text Available
AimsA better understanding of the ionic mechanisms for cardiac automaticity can lead to better strategies for engineering bio-artificial pacemakers. Here, we attempted to better...Full Text Available
...research strategy and plans Aquatic resource monitoring research programs, EMAP and STAR grants Go To EMAP homepage Go To Top Bibliography References for survey designs, statistical analyses , program documentation, and monitoring reports. Reports, abstracts and links to electronic versions Go To Top Frequently Asked Questions ...
This joint statement was developed by the CMA and the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, a national association of pharmacists, and includes the goal of drug therapy, strategies for collaboration...Full Text Available
A goal of our research is to identify biochemical factors that underlie the susceptibility of bone marrow cell populations to benzene metabolites so as to develop a mechanistically based chemoprotective...Full Text Available
Since the establishment of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), there have been gradual changes in strategies to evaluate the overall toxicity of chemicals as well as their carcinogenic potential....Full Text Available
BackgroundGenomics has substantially changed our approach to cancer research. Gene expression profiling, for example, has been utilized to delineate subtypes of cancer, and facilitated...Full Text Available
The state of chromatin (the packaging of DNA in eukaryotes) has long been recognized to have major effects on levels of gene expression, and numerous chromatin-altering strategies—including...Full Text Available
The extreme strength and elasticity of spider silks originate from the modular nature of their repetitive proteins. To exploit such materials and mimic spider silks, comprehensive strategies...Full Text Available
The function of the hyolingual complex in three odontocete species was investigated to compare adaptations of divergent feeding strategies, suction and ram feeding. Pygmy and dwarf sperm whales, members...Full Text Available
BackgroundStable transgenesis is an undeniable key to understanding any genetic system. Retrovirus-based insertional strategies, which feature several technical challenges when they...Full Text Available
Transthyretin aggregation-associated proteotoxicity appears to cause several human amyloid diseases. Rate-limiting tetramer dissociation and monomer misfolding of transthyretin (TTR) occur before...Full Text Available
The offline adaptive radiotherapy (ART) has been used to effectively correct and compensate the prostate motion and reduce the required margin. The efficacy depends on the characteristics of...Full Text Available
On the basis of literary sources and experimental data, the advantages of a monogamous reproductive strategy are analyzed. Monogamous species of Lepidoptera have no postcopulative mechanisms of control over the success of reproductive sperm competition, cryptic female choice, and, probably, the male?s nuptial gift. Selection of the sex partner and of the quality of the future generation is determined by the precopulative and copulative mechanisms of the reproductive behavior, which include chemocommunication and a ?lock-and-key? mechanism. In an experiment with one male and one female, the quota of successful mating can depend on the morphological complication of the genital apparatus of males. Cases are considered of repeated mating for some, usually monogamous, species. In comparison wit...
This article discusses the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in-core flux thimble tube in-service inspection method and strategy. High light of the multiple frequency eddy current technology adopted including frequency and probe choice, standard design, data acquisition process are involved. The wear defect-growing trends are studied on base of the history data, which contribute to the in-service inspection strategy decision. (authors)
In the framework of the carbon storage two forestry methods are analyzed by the author: the standing capitalization (slowing of the crops) and the spices substitution (slow growing species by fast growing species). The construction of a model taking into account the all stage of the carbon implication (biomass, soil, forest products) offers simulation and quantitative results on these methods. (A.L.B.)
... Bednarek & Rowena A. Pecchenino & Sally C. Stearns [Downloadable! (restricted)] 317-327 On the Existence and Uniqueness of Pure-Strategy Nash Equilibrium in Asymmetric Rent-Seeking Contests by Takeshi Yamazaki [Downloadable! (restricted)] 2008, Volume 10, Issue 1 1-5 The Journal of Public Economic Theory at Ten Years Old by John P. Conley & Myrna Wooders [Downloadable! (restricted)] 7-26 Strategy-Proofness and the Tops-Only Property by John A. Weymark [Downloadable! (restricted)]...
Hope is an essential dimension of life. Hope, according to Marcel?s thinking, is the act by which the temptation to despair is actively overcome. Hope comes alive when confronting life?s trials, darkness, illness and separation. Marcel differentiates ?I hope? from ?I hope that?. Hope as a central construct for nursing has been analysed, defined, and studied by the nursing theorist Jean Watson in her Theory of Human Caring, and Kaye Herth with her strategies (Herth Hope Index). These strategies are based on Marcel?s existential notion that human beings have an endless possibility of improving their own being.
Italian district small and medium enterprises (SMEs) developed aggressive strategies to extend their sales networks and supply chains abroad. Literature on districts offered alternative explanations about the impacts of internationalization on local manufacturing systems. The authors consider the evolution of Italian districts in the framework of global value chain approach, focusing on the role of leading firms. Based on a survey of 650 Italian SMEs and financial indicators, the paper describes the rise of a new district firm model, the open network, which becomes a key node of global value chains. The paper also analyses the relationships among internationalization, innovation strategies and performance of SMEs.
Access for independents to retail gas markets was a central concern in European policy reform efforts in the 1990s. Upstream oil and gas companies reacted with strategic intentions of forward integration. By late 2004, forward integration was still weak, however. An important explanation of the gap between announced strategic re-orientation and actual strategy implementation lies in the political failure of EU member states to dismantle market barriers to entry for independents. Variations between companies in downstream strategy implementation are explained by variations in business opportunities and internal company factors.
This document presents a detailed schedule for the implementation of the strategy for managing defense remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste. The baseline management strategy was defined in the Defense Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Cost/Schedule Optimization Study and is summarized in this document. Also included are revised RH TRU waste inventory projections, current site management plans, a list of key decision points and milestones, and a discussion of uncertainties associated with management of RH TRU waste. The plans are summarized in a detailed schedule diagram and in an RH TRU waste work off diagram. 9 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.
The justification, strategies, and technology options for implementing advanced district heating and cooling systems in the United States are presented. The need for such systems is discussed in terms of global warming, ozone depletion, and the need for a sustainable energy policy. Strategies for implementation are presented in the context of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act and proposed new institutional arrangements. Technology opportunities are highlighted in the areas of advanced block-scale cogeneration, CFC-free chiller technologies, and renewable sources of heating and cooling that are particularly applicable to district systems.
We present a method for the analysis of singularities of Feynman amplitudes based on the Speer sector decomposition of the Schwinger parametric integrals combined with the Mellin-Barnes transform. The sector decomposition method is described in some details. We suggest the idea of applying the method to the analysis of collinear singularities in inclusive QCD cross sections in the mass-less limit regularizing the forward amplitudes by an off-shell choice of the initial particle momenta. It is shown how the suggested strategy works in the well known case of the one loop corrections to Deep Inelastic Scattering.
Many non-domestic buildings, built recently in the UK, use natural means to provide ventilation for indoor air quality and thermal comfort. This paper presents monitoring results obtained from such a purpose built naturally ventilated educational building. Its performance during the summer is discussed based on monitored results. Using thermal and ventilation modelling, the paper also discusses the optimisation of the building's summer performance. Recommendations on the selection of appropriate ventilation strategies in relation to the prevailing external conditions are derived and the appropriateness of the control methods is discussed. (author)
A dialyzable factor(s) in human serum is known to stimulate gonococcal oxygen consumption. Its effect on other human pathogens was investigated. A 10% serum solution increased peak O2 consumption for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to 157% (P less than 0.05) and 199% (P less than 0.02), respectively, of their O2 consumption when suspended in Hanks balanced salt solution, compared with a 356% increase for Neisseria gonorrhoeae with serum. Dialyzed serum lacked stimulatory capacity. Bacteria, serum, and neutrophils are often incubated to evaluate neutrophil bactericidal activity. Samples of 10(8) N. gonorrhoeae, S. aureus, and E. coli turned resazurin colorless (anaerobic conditions, Eh less than -42 mV) after 7.4, 13.3, and 15.1 min, respectively. Because neutrophil formation of reactive oxygen intermediates requires ambient O2, the effect of live bacteria and serum on this process was explored. After 5 min of incubation of 10(8) N. ...
Agricultural runoff is a major non-point source pollutant and is the leading impairment of streams and rivers in the USA. This study examined the effects of agricultural, forest and urban land cover on water quality at the watershed level. Forty-three catchments ranging from 12 to 50?km2 were selected based on a land cover gradient within Lower Kaskaskia River Watershed in Illinois. Grab samples were collected and analyzed for nutrients, bacteria, and total suspended solids (TSS). Forest land cover was included in six of the ten regression models produced. Four of these regression models were for base flow conditions, suggesting that forest land cover had a significant impact on base flow water quality. Urban land cover was also included in six of the regression models. However, the majori...
The type III secretion system among Gram-negative bacteria is known to deliver effectors into host cell to interfere with host cellular processes. The type III secretion system in Yersina, Pseudomonas and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli have been well documented to be involved in the bacterial pathogenicity. The existence of type III secretion system has been demonstrated in neuropathogenic E. coli K1 strains. Here, it is observed that the deletion mutant of type III secretion system in E. coli strain EC10 exhibited defects in the invasion and intracellular survival in Acanthamoeba castellanii (a keratitis isolate) compared to its parent strain. Next, it was determined whether type III secretion system plays a role in E. coli K1 survival inside Acanthamoeba during the encystment process...
We revisit a recently proposed agent-based model of active biological motion and compare its predictions with own experimental findings for the speed distribution of bacterial cells, Salmonella typhimurium. Agents move according to a stochastic dynamics and use energy stored in an internal depot for metabolism and active motion. We discuss different assumptions of how the conversion from internal to kinetic energy d(v) may depend on the actual speed, to conclude that d 2 v ? with either ? = 2 or 1 ? < 2 are promising hypotheses. To test these, we compare the model?s prediction with the speed distribution of bacteria which were obtained in media of different nutrient concentration and at different times. We find that both hypotheses are in line with the experimental observations, with ? bet...
Biosorption behaviour of and toxic effects of heavy metals in submersed and immobilised microorganisms was studied in batches and in continuous processes in an airlift-recycle reactor. Nickel, cadmium, and zinc were used as heavy metals. (orig./VHE) [Deutsch] Am Beispiel einer Naphthalin-2-sulfonsaeure-abbauenden Kultur wurde das Biosorptionsverhalten und die toxische Wirkung von Schwermetallen auf submerse und immobilisierte Mikroorganismen im Batch-Ansatz und im kontinuierlichen Betrieb in einem Airlift-Schlaufenreaktor untersucht. Als Schwermetalle wurden Nickel, Cadmium und Zink eingesetzt. (orig./VHE)
In the present work, quaternary chitosans as water-soluble compounds were prepared based on three-step process. Schiff bases were firstly synthesized by the reaction between the amino groups of chitosan with aliphatic aldehydes followed by a reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to form N-(alkyl) chitosans. N,N,N-(dimethyl alkyl) chitosans were then obtained by a reaction of chitosan containing N-butyl, N-pentyl, N-hexyl, N-heptyl, and N-octyl substituents with methyl iodide. The compounds were characterized using IR and NMR spectroscopy. Subsequent experiments were conducted to test their antimicrobial activities against the most economic plant pathogenic bacteria of crown gall disease Agrobacterium tumefaciens, soft mold disease Erwinia carotovora, fungi of grey mold Botrytis cinerea...
An uncomfortable thermal climate, draft complaints and a bad airquality are often related to the climate installation. To avoid badfunctioning of the system a number of preconditions has to be fulfilledwith regard to design, planning and execution, adjustments, completion,control, maintenance and management of the installations. First threetypes of health problems in buildings are shortly discussed: buildingrelated illness, sick building syndrome and building or installationrelated complaints. Then some functions of the climate installationsare described: air filtration, filter classes and filter quality, aswell as investment costs for better filters. Next the causes for thecomplaints are dealt with: air conditioning, ventilation, air quality,and temperatures. Subsequently health affecting aspects in relation tothe climate systems are discussed: outdoor air pollution,microorganisms, bacteria (legionella pneumophila), allergies, ionneutralization and performance of ...
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 ...
Abstract Lyme disease is a perfect model of the complex relationship between host, vector, and the vector-borne bacteria. Both dogs and horses in Romania are exposed to infection. The aim of the present study was to assess the seroreactivity against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in dogs and horses from different regions of Romania. 276 samples from dogs and 260 samples from horses located in different regions of Romania were analyzed by ELISA and IFA, respectively. The effect of several factors potentially affecting seroreactivity (location, age, gender, occupation, and vector exposition risk) was evaluated using Fisher's exact test (R 2.12.0). The overall prevalence of anti-Borrelia antibodies was 6.52% (18/276) in dogs, with a significantly higher positivity (46.15%, 6/13, p=0.0005) re...
Plasmid pRK404-a smaller derivative of RK2-is a tetracycline-resistant broad-host-range vector that carries a multiple cloning site and the lacZ(alpha) peptide that enables blue/white selection for cloned inserts in Escherichia coli. We present herein the complete and annotated sequence of pRK404 and three related vectors-pRK437, pRK442, and pRK442(H). These derivatives have proven to be valuable tools for genetic manipulation in Gram-negative bacteria. The knowledge of their complete sequences will facilitate efficient future engineering of them and will enhance their general applicability to the design of genetic systems for use in organisms for which new genomic sequence data are becoming available.
We present a simple discrete model for the non-linear spatial interaction ofdifferent kinds of ``subpopulations'' composed of identical moving entitieslike particles, bacteria, individuals, etc. The model allows to mimic a varietyof self-organized agglomeration and segregation phenomena. By relating it togame-theoretical ideas, it can be applied not only to attractive and repulsiveinteractions in physical and chemical systems, but also to the much richercombinations of positive and negative interactions found in biological andsocio-economic systems. Apart from investigating symmetric interactions relatedto a continuous increase of the ``overall success'' within the system(``self-optimization''), we will focus on cases, where fluctuations further orinduce self-organization, even though the initial conditions and theinteractions are assumed homogeneous in space (translation invariant).
The use of indigenous bacterial root endophytes with biocontrol activity against soil-borne phytopathogens is an environmentally-friendly and ecologically-efficient action within an integrated disease management framework. The earliest steps of olive root colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 and Pseudomonas putida PICP2, effective biocontrol agents (BCAs) against Verticillium wilt of olive (Olea europaea L.) caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb., are here described. A gnotobiotic study system using in vitro propagated olive plants, differential fluorescent-protein tagging of bacteria, and confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis have been successfully used to examine olive roots?Pseudomonas spp. interactions at the single-cell level. In vivo simultaneous visualization...
Abstract Plant pathogenic bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas cause a variety of diseases in economically important monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous crop plants worldwide. Successful infection and bacterial multiplication in the host tissue often depend on the virulence factors secreted including adhesins, polysaccharides, LPS and degradative enzymes. One of the key pathogenicity factors is the type III secretion system, which injects effector proteins into the host cell cytosol to manipulate plant cellular processes such as basal defense to the benefit of the pathogen. The coordinated expression of bacterial virulence factors is orchestrated by quorum-sensing pathways, multiple two-component systems and transcriptional regulators such as Clp, Zur, FhrR, HrpX and HpaR. Furthermore, virule...
The world of antibiotic drug discovery and development is driven by the necessity to overcome antibiotic resistance in common Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. However, the lack of Gram-negative activity among both recently approved antibiotics and compounds in the developmental pipeline is a general trend despite the fact that the plethora of covered drug targets are well-conserved across the bacterial kingdom. Such intrinsic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is largely attributed to the activity of multidrug resistance (MDR) efflux pumps. Moreover, these pumps also play a significant role in acquired clinical resistance. Together, these considerations make efflux pumps attractive targets for inhibition in that the resultant efflux pump inhibitor (EPI)/antibiotic combination d...
The 1993 Petroleum Hydrocarbons Conference was comprised of 3 days of technical presentations within the following topic areas: pollution prevention and cost control; development of remediation levels; free-phase and dissolved hydrocarbon contamination management; investigation and analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons; applications of computer modeling for remediation; design and implementation of bioventing; design and implementation of air sparging; soil vapor extraction as a remediation technique; and ground water remediation using natural bacteria. In addition, more than 100 leading companies in the ground water and petroleum industries participated in the Conference Exposition in which a variety of equipment and services for preventing, detecting and remediating ground water contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons and other organic chemicals was showcased. Individual papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases.
Odor purification process using bio-function, which is technologically called bio-deodorizing process, utilizes the function of microorganism to convert mal-odor substances to non-odor substances. It attracts attention because the operation cost of a facility is low due to non-use of chemicals and energy, and because it is environmentally friendly without the possibility of generating secondary pollution. It is being used in deodorizing at sewage treatment facilities, fertilizer plants, coating plants, and foundries in Japan, and is more widely used in Europe. The conventional deodorizing technology in Japan mostly focuses on processes of physical chemistry such as activated carbon treatment, chemical scrubbing, combustion, and masking, but bio-deodorizing process tends to replace the conventional processes. This paper explains (1) relation of mal-odor and microorganism, (2) bio-deodorizing system (solid phase system and liquid phase system), (3) points and precaution on using ...
Abstract Microbiological quality and biophenol content evolution was studied in minimally processed Thassos cv table olives by hot air dehydration under mild conditions (40C, 24-h, aw-=-0.893) and storage under characteristic packaging conditions (vacuum, 100% N2 and air) at 4 and 20C over a period of 180 days. No salt was used in the production line or packaging. The undesirable microorganisms (Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus, Clostridium) were undetectable until the end of the storage period. Also, modified atmospheres prevented fungal growth at both temperatures apart from the samples stored in air, in which Penicillium and Aspergillus spp. were identified. At 20C, a coexistence of mesophilic bacteria and yeasts occurred. At 4C, yeasts were the predominant microflora...
Laboratory {open_quotes}jar{close_quotes} tests compared eleven different fuel oil and diesel fuel sludge-control additives. Factors studied included (1) ability to disperse and prevent buildup of sludge deposits on surfaces, (2) ability to protect steel from corrosion, (3) ability to inhibit growth and proliferation of bacteria, and (4) ability to disperse water. Results varied greatly, and it was found that many commercial products do not do what they claim. It is concluded that fuel retailers should not believe manufacturers` claims for their additive products, but rather should test such products themselves to be sure that the benefits of treatment are real. A simplified form of the procedure used here is proposed as one way for dealers to do such testing.
Astrocytes have important immune functions in CNS, and astrocytes stimulated by interferon-g were showed to have direct antimicrobial function. However whether astrocytes without the stimulation of cytokines have antibacterial function, and how this function is regulated are still largely unknown. In this study, we found that primary cultured astrocytes inhibited the growth of both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Further more, we showed that interleukin-1b (IL-1b) enhanced the antibacterial effect in a dose-dependent manner, and the antibacterial effect of astrocytes from IL-1b receptor-deficient mice failed to be enhanced by IL-1b. IL-1b stimulated IkBa degradation, NF-kB nuclear translocation, and transactivation in astrocytes. NF-kB inhibitors blocked NF-kB activation and the ...
This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial effect of BSAP-254 on Bacillus cereus with the induced stress proteins. The BSAP-254 is an antimicrobial peptide isolated from soybean-fermenting bacteria, Bacillus subtilis SC-8. It had a narrow spectrum of activity against B. cereus group. The growth inhibitory effect of BSAP-254 (50??g/mL) reduced the population of B. cereus from >108 to 104 colony-forming units per milliliter within 30?min. In B. cereus exposed to BSAP-254, 14 intracellular proteins were differentially expressed as determined by 2-DE coupled with MS. Of the differentially expressed proteins identified, the stress protein GroEL, which is heat shock protein, was induced in B. cereus exposed to antibacterial peptide.
The leaf extract from the plant Piliostigma reticulatum was found to exhibit antimicrobial activity against some bacteria and fungi such as Staphylococcus aureus (NCTC 6571), Escherichia coli (NCTC 10418), Bacillus subtilis (NCTC 8236), Proteus vulgaris (NCTC 4175), Aspergillus niger (ATCC 10578) and Candida albicans (ATCC 10231). Upon investigation of the chemical constituents present in the leaf extract, a total of seven compounds were isolated and their structures were unambiguously established by spectroscopic methods including HR-MS and NMR spectrometry. Four of the isolated compounds were novel, namely 6-C-methyl-2-p-hydroxyphenyloxychromonol (piliostigmol), 1, 6,8-di-C-methylquercetin-3,3prime,7-trimethyl ether, 2, 6,8-di-C-methylquercetin-3,3prime-dimethyl ether, 3 and 3prime,6,8,-...
AbstractBackground In recent years nano-metaloxides which easily penetrate into the cells with special interest due to their higher chemical reactivity as compared to that of similar materials in the bulk form. Of particular interest are nano-TiO2 and ZnO, which have been widely used for their bactericidal and anticancerous properties. Purpose The aim of the present study was to examine the bactericidal properties of nano-TiO2 and ZnO combined with visible light on S. aureus and S. epidermitis, known for their high prevalence in infected wounds. Study Using the technique of electron-spin resonance (ESR) coupled with spin trapping, we examined the ability of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticle suspensions in water to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) with and without visible light irradiation. Th...
The primary charge separation in photosynthetic bacteria generates a dimeric bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) cation and a bacteriopheophytin (BPheo) anion which lie within close proximity of each other (approx. 10 A). The two radicals also lie within van der Waals contact on opposite sides of a lone BChl bridging molecule. Spectral changes in the red (Q/sub y/) band of the bridge BChls have been observed on picosecond time scales following excitation of the reaction center (RC) and have been variously attributed to the formation of a BChl anion, to a charge-transfer state, or to electrochromic effects. They present calculations here which suggest that electrochromic effects caused by the photogenerated cation and/or anion can rationalize the optical changes observed in the flash photolyses as well as in trapping experiments.
Endophytes are microorganisms that live within healthy plant tissues, and include fungi and bacteria. They can be mutualists, comensals or even latent pathogens. Presence of these endosymbionts may affect host physiology, for example by consuming products of photosynthesis (endophytes are heterotrophs) or producing toxic metabolites. In this work two fungicides were used to eliminate fungal endophytes from seedlings of guarea guidonia. light saturated photosynthesis (Amax) was measured in endophytefree plants and compared with control plants. Each fungicide killed different fungal endosymbionts. phomopsis was more susceptible to benomyl while colletotrichum was more susceptible to propiconazole. Although suggestive, values of Amax were not significantly different for each treatment compared with control plants. No prediction can be made at this point about the final outcome of a given plantendophytic fungi interaction
The role of adaptation in the divergence of lineages has long been a central question in evolutionary biology, and as multilocus sequence data sets have become available for a wide range of taxa, empirical estimates of levels of adaptive molecular evolution are increasingly common. Estimates vary widely among taxa, with high levels of adaptive evolution in Drosophila, bacteria, and viruses but very little evidence of widespread adaptive evolution in hominids. Although estimates in plants are more limited, some recent work has suggested that rates of adaptive evolution in a range of plant taxa are surprisingly low and that there is little association between adaptive evolution and effective population size in contrast to patterns seen in other taxa. Here, we analyze data from 35 loci for si...
Several lines of evidence are presented that indicate that the level of tetracycline resistance of Esherichia coli strains harboring plasmid pBR322 varies according to whether the SOS system of the host bacteria has been induced. These include use of strains in which the SOS system is expressed constitutively (lexA def.), is thermoinducible (recA441) or noninducible (lexA ind-), or is highly repressed (multiple copies of lexA+). Similar induction was observed with the product of another plasmid gene, beta-lactamase. The amounts of extractable plasmid DNA were also increased by SOS induction, and we propose that the SOS-induced increases in levels of tetracycline resistance and beta-lactamase activity are due to an increased plasmid copy number.
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...
Ionizing radiation has been used to treat poultry to remove harmful microorganisms, mainly Salmonella, which contaminates chicken, goose and other fresh and frozen poultry. This microorganism is sensitive to low dose radiation. Thus, irradiating these foods with doses between 1 to 7 kGy results in a large reduction of bacteria. Since it is necessary to determine whether irradiation has occurred and to what extend, this work studied the signal produced by ionizing radiation within the hard crystalline matrix of chicken`s bone to establish a control method. Chicken`s drumsticks were irradiated and bones separated from flesh were lyophilized and milled. ESR spectrum was then obtained. The ESR signal increased linearly with dose over the range 0.25 to 8.0 kGy. Free radicals evaluated during 30 days after irradiation showed stable in this period. (Author).
Among the numerous free-living amoebae (FLA) of soil and water habitats, certain species belonging to two genera Acanthamoeba and Naegleria are facultative parasites of man.They cause disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis where history of contact with water was recorded in most of the cases especially with Naegleria species. The present work aimed to search for presence of free-living amoebae in the water and trials for its control by Ultraviolet-radiation (UV-radiation). Samples from different water sources were examined for the presence of free-living amoebae. These samples were cultured on non-nutrient agar streaked with bacteria. Amoebae were detected and identified by means of their morphological characters. Twelve positive cases of one hundred and twenty examined samples could be detected. The positive samples were exposed to different doses of UV-radiation for different times.
Brucella melitensis is a Gram-negative coccobacillus bacteria belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria subclass. It is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes brucellosis, a disease affecting sheep, cattle, and sometimes humans. The B. melitensis strain M5-90, a live attenuated vaccine cultured from the B. melitensis virulent strain M28, has been an effective tool to control brucellosis in goats and sheep in China. Here we report the complete genome sequences of B. melitensis M28 and M5-90, strains with different virulence backgrounds, which will serve as a valuable reference for future studies. PMID:21478357
Leptospirillum ferriphilum and Acidithiobacillus caldus are two important acidophilic microorganisms involved in iron and sulfur oxidation during bioleaching. Cell adsorption to mineral surfaces is important for the direct leaching or contact leaching of minerals. In this study, we report the competitive adsorption of binary mixtures of L. ferriphilum LF-104 and A. caldus MTH-04 onto pyrite surfaces. The Langmuir adsorption parameter (CAm) indicated that these two bacteria underwent competitive adsorption to pyrite. Real-time quantitive PCR was used to quantify the relative amounts of L. ferriphilum and A. caldus adsorbed onto the surfaces of pyrite following exposure to a mixture of these two organisms. The adsorption of L. ferriphilum was not affected by A. caldus. However, adsorption of...
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...
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the chemical and microbial properties of traditional Iranian fish sauce, mahyaveh. Fish sauce samples used in this study originated from five different locations in the Southern part of Iran. The pH of mahyaveh samples from different locations was in the range of 4.89-7.55 and NaCl concentration was in the range of 7.48-17.1%. The overall mean of TVB-N in all the samples tested was 3098 mg/kg. Histamine, with the overall mean of 2662 mg/kg, was found to be the main biogenic amine in the Iranian fish sauce. The high histamine content can be related to the high levels of bacterial count especially enterobacteriaceae (overall mean of 3.41 log cfu/g) and lactic acid bacteria (overall mean of 4.13 log cfu/g) in this product. Spermidine w...
The potential of the yeast Candida tropicalis and Candida guillermondii was evaluated and an isolated partnership of microorganisms of waters of the Medellin River, conformed by two bacteria and one leavening, to degrade the content of organic matter present in wine produced by the factory of Licores and Alcoholes de Antioquia (FLA) in aerobic process with biomass production. For each one of the microorganisms in study this capacity of removal in units of chemical demand of oxygen was quantified (CDO); in addition, parameters were analyzed such as yield of the biomass in relation to the removed CDO and to total reducing sugars (TRS) consumed, time of fermentation and speed of growth different dilutions from wine. Also the possible inhibition was analyzed that the present phenolic compounds in this wine can cause in the biological process of degradation.
The colonization of an implant surface by bacteria is an extremely important medical problem, which often leads to the failure of medical devices. Modern surface modification techniques, such as ion implantation, can confer to the surfaces very different properties from those of the bulk underlying material. In this work, austenitic stainless steel 316 LVM has been superficially modified by Si^+ ion implantation. The effect of surface modification on the biocompatibility and bacterial adhesion to 316 LVM stainless steel has been investigated. To this aim, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), as precursor of osteoblastic cells, and bacterial strains relevant in infections related to orthopedic implants, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, have been assayed. For the ...
ABSTRACT To date the effect of silver-containing wound dressings on biofilms, known to be present in chronic wounds, has not been determined or documented. In this current study, we aimed to determine the antimicrobial effect of a silver-containing dressing on biofilms grown in a chambered slide model. Before the addition of a wound dressing onto a 24-hour biofilm, composed of either Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus aureus, or a mixed bacterial community, a fluorescent dye was applied. This enabled the viability of sessile bacteria to be monitored in real-time, using a rapid form of confocal laser scanning microscopy over a contact time period of 48 hours. By analyzing all the three-dimensional data generated from the confocal time-lapse sequences, 90% of all se...
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...
Abstract Introduction.- Infection is the worst complication seen with inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP). Both the American Medical Systems (AMS) and Coloplast IPP have infection retardant coatings. AMS is coated at the factory with rifampicin and minocycline (InhibiZone). The Coloplast IPP has a hydrophilic coating covalently bonded to its components that will absorb any aqueous solution before implantation and provides increased surface lubricity to decrease bacterial adherence. Aim.- We tested several antibiotic dips comparing zones of inhibition (ZOI) against five commonly infecting bacteria with coated Coloplast implants. Results were compared with those ZOI created with strips of an AMS IPP precoated with InhibiZone. Methods.- Pieces of sterile Coloplast Titan IPP were dipped in (i) ...
Objective Infectious endophthalmitis is among the most serious complications of cataract surgery. Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are responsible for less than 30% of cases; however, their rapidity of infection and virulence often results in poor visual outcome despite prompt antibiotic treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate an outbreak of post-cataract surgery P. aeruginosa endophthalmitis in India. Design Hospital-based case series. Participants Twenty patients with acute postoperative endophthalmitis who underwent cataract surgery at one of the peripheral centers of Joseph Eye Hospital, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India, from February 23 to April 2, 2008. Interventions Vitreous aspirates and environmental surveillance specimens were inoculated ...
Experimental wetlands are being constructed on mined lands in the United States as an inexpensive alternative to conventional acid mine water treatment facilities. The US Bureau of Mines is conducting an inventory of these constructed wetlands as part of a long-term evaluative study. Preliminary results, based on the 20 sites surveyed to date, indicate that the wetlands dominated by emergent species are out-performing the Sphagnum-dominated wetlands, and that much of the water treatment is accomplished by other aspects of the wetland, including bacteria, algae, amendments and other plants. Iron concentrations as high as 85 mg/l are reduced to less than 3 mg/l after flow through the constructed wetlands. Manganese is also removed, though somewhat less efficiently. 12 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.
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...
The strategy for management of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s (ORNL) radioactively contaminated liquid waste was reviewed in 1991. The latest information available through the end of 1990 on waste characterization, regulations, US Department of Energy (DOE) budget guidance, and research and development programs was evaluated to determine how the strategy should be revised. Few changes are needed to update the strategy to reflect new waste characterization, research, and regulatory information. However, recent budget guidance from DOE indicates that minimum funding will not be sufficient to accomplish original objectives to upgrade the liquid low-level waste (LLLW) system to comply with the Federal Facilities Agreement, provide long-term LLLW treatment capability, and minimize environmental, safety, and health risks. Options are presented that might allow the ORNL LLLW system to continue operations temporarily, but they ...
Recently the troubles related to the network security have often occurred at KEK. According to their security policy, the authors have started the strategy against the daily attacks. It consists of two fundamental things; the monitoring and the access control. To monitor the network, the authors have installed the intrusion detection system and have managed it since 1998. For the second thing, the authors arranged three categories to classify all hosts (about 5000 hosts) at KEK according to their security level. To realize these three categories, the authors filter the incoming packet from outside KEK whether it has a SYN flag or not. The network monitoring and the access control produced good effects in keeping the security level high. Since 2000 the authors have started the transition of LAN from shared-media network to switched network. Now almost part of LAN was re-configured and in this new LAN 10 Mbps 100 Mbps/1Gbps Ethernet are supported. Currently the ...
The aim of this study was to compare the results of different treatment strategies for osteochondral defects (OCD) of the talus. Electronic databases from 1966 to June 2000 were systematically screened. Thirty-nine studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. No randomized clinical trials could be identified. The results of nonoperative treatment were described in 14 studies, of excision alone in 4, of excision and curettage in 10, of excision, curettage and drilling in 21, of cancellous bone grafting in 2, of fixation in 3, and of osteochondral transplantation in 1. Good or excellent results were found in 45% of the cases. Comparison of different surgical procedures showed that excision, curettage and drilling resulted in the highest mean success rate (86%), followed by excision and curettage (76%) and excision alone (38%). From the results of this systematic review we conclude that nonoperative treatment and excision alone are not to be recommended for treatment of ...
An initial draft of an environmental and natural resource strategy for the Asia Near/East region in the 1990's is presented. The report contains five chapters. Chapter I provides an analytic framework that links natural resources, their extent, quality, and management with economic growth in the region. Chapter II contains a more detailed description and analysis of key resource problems that are restricting economic growth and have a severe negative impact on standard of living and quality of life. The most serious of these are soil and water degradation; destruction of natural forests, wetlands, and coastal zones; inefficient energy use and industrial pollution; and lack of environmental services. Chapters III and IV describe 20 specific opportunities for working toward sustainable economic growth through protection and enhancement of the natural resource base. Opportunities for action were chosen on the basis of the urgency and importance of the ...
The European Commission recently has adopted a new European Strategy for Environment and Health focusing on the growing concern over the adverse health effects caused by environmental pollution. Based on the results of various studies carried out in recent years polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and PCBs are playing an important role in this strategy. In view of the enlargement of the European Union (EU) to include Candidate Countries (CCs) the Commission stressed the need to involve the Candidate Countries from an early stage on in the development of such a strategy. Thus two studies have been commissioned which are particularly directed to provide a) an overview on environmental levels and human exposure of dioxins and PCBs and b) an harmonised PCDD/F emission inventory for the target matrices air, water and land The latter study, entitled ''Dioxin Emissions in Candidate ...
Consideration of the technical feasibility of Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the site for a high-level nuclear waste repository has led to an intense debate regarding the economic, social, and political impacts of the repository. Impediments to the siting process mean that the nuclear waste problem is being resolved by adhering to the status quo, in which nuclear waste is stored at scattered sites near major population centers. To assess the merits of alternative siting strategies--including both the permanent repository and the status quo- we consider the variables that would be included in a model designed to select (1) the optimal number of disposal facilities, (2) the types of facilities (e.g., permanent repository or monitored retrievable facility), and (3) the geographic location of storage sites. The objective function in the model is an all-inclusive measure of social cost. The intent of the exercise is not to demonstrate the superiority of any single disposal ...
European research in green energy production from crops has resulted in the development of full scale bioreactors that use energy crops as feedstock. Switchgrass has been touted as one of the most promising crops for energy production among several perennial grass species grown under moderate to hot climates. However, few studies have been conducted in colder climate conditions. This study examined the mesophilic methane yield of switchgrass grown under the cooler growing conditions that exist in northeastern North America. In 2007, switchgrass was harvested in late July, August and September and conserved as silage. The regrowth of plots harvested in late July was also harvested in late September as a two-cut strategy. A 30 L small-scale laboratory digester was used to anaerobically digest the switchgrass silage samples. Specific methane yield decreased considerably with advancing plant development, but was similar between the first harvest in late July and the ...
OBJECTIVES: The authors examine the rationale and efficacy of pre-travel hepatitis B immunization strategies based on itinerary and presumed on-travel risk behaviour. METHODS: A large survey among 26,640 Danes survey provided data on journey lengths and destinations, immunization coverage, risk behaviour and knowledge. RESULTS: The estimated cumulative lifetime stay in endemic areas outside Europe is 4.3 months. The majority of risk situations are involuntary and unforeseeable. The majority of risk situations occur on short-term journeys. 5% nonimmune and 5% short-term travellers experienced at least one risk situation such as injections/operations/tattoos on their journey. The level of knowledge of hepatitis A and B is low. CONCLUSIONS: The rationale and efficacy of current immunization strategies are challenged. Based on the results presented here and the availability of vaccines with long-lasting coverage, the authors find that ...
US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5400.1 requires the preparation of environmental monitoring plans and implementation of environmental monitoring programs for all DOE facilities. The order identifies two distinct components of environmental monitoring, namely effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance. In general, effluent monitoring has the objectives of characterizing contaminants and demonstrating compliance with applicable standards and permit requirements, whereas environmental surveillance has the broader objective of monitoring the effects of DOE activities on on- and off-site environmental and natural resources. The purpose of this document is to support the Environmental Monitoring Plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) by describing the groundwater component of the environmental surveillance program for the DOE facilities on the ORR. The distinctions between groundwater effluent monitoring and groundwater surveillance have been defined in the Martin Marietta ...
This article describes a methodology to determine the best strategy in an open bid, where oil and gas fields are the targets for exploration. Based upon the previous bid rounds for a given specific area - the Campos Basin, for that matter -, the data were statistically treated to fit a probability density function, modelling the value of bids offered by the competing companies. By means of techniques and concepts pertaining to Game Theory a balance matrix was built for values of bids made by companies as a function of the company alone in assumed bid rounds. At the end of each british auction, participants of this simultaneous game, using the rationality principle, aimed at winning the tender on the oil field aimed for, through the use of better answers with respect to its rival competitor. The game goal was maximize return on investment purchase in the decisions of lease blocks purchases in the auctions, or to try minimize its opponents gains. Proceeding with the ...
A first-principles task-based approach to the design of medical ultrasonic imaging systems for breast lesion discrimination is described. This study explores a new approximation to the ideal Bayesian observer strategy that allows for object heterogeneity. The new method, called iterative Wiener filtering, is implemented using echo data simulations and a phantom study. We studied five lesion features closely associated with visual discrimination for clinical diagnosis. A series of human observer measurements for the same image data allowed us to quantitatively compare alternative beamforming strategies through measurements of visual discrimination efficiency. Employing the Smith-Wagner model observer, we were able to breakdown efficiency estimates and identify the processing stage at which performance losses occur. The methods were implemented using a commercial scanner and a cyst phantom to explore development of spatial filters for systems ...
Intensification of forest management and harvesting will lead to increased pressures on relatively infertile forest soils with possible reductions in levels of nitrogen and organic matter. It will be necessary for foresters to manage the soils, along with trees, if they wish to maintain site productivity. Nitrogen fixation should be considered as a supplementary or alternative soil amendment method. Free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria appear to contribute minor amounts of combined nitrogen to forest soils, but it is possible that this contribution has been underestimated. The nitrogen-fixing symbioses of higher plants with bacteria contribute up to 300 kg year of nitrogen, more than sufficient to replace potential losses of nitrogen in intensive forestry. The nitrogen-fixing process, however, requires sufficient supplies of certain elements and is sensitive to environmental factors. There are numerous examples of nitogen-fixing symbioses ...
Objective: To determine whether asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with upper genital tract inflammation or bacterial colonization.Methods: Fifty nonpregnant women with intact uteri who planned to undergo gynecologic surgery and had no recent symptoms of vaginal infection were enrolled. We obtained a vaginal swab for Gram stain, endocervical swab for chlamydia and gonorrhea DNA probe testing, and Pipelle endometrial biopsy for aerobic and anaerobic cultures and histology. We correlated surgical findings and histology of available surgical specimens with the microbiologic results. The diagnosis of BV was made according to Speigel's criteria. Bacteria isolated from the uterus were classified as high virulence versus low virulence. Contingency tables were analyzed using the chi-square or Fisher Exact tests.Results: Twenty-one of 50 patients had BV on Gram stain, 3 had intermediate BV, and 3 had unreadable slides. Eleven patients had histologic ...
Placental insufficiency, inducing hypoxia-ischaemia, is considered a major cause of neuronal injury and impaired post natal development. Placental insufficiency alters the metabolism of arachidonic acid and its oxidation products. Premature labour and low-birth-weight infants are associated with reduced intrauterine blood-flow and infections of the reproductive tract. Thyroidal activity is depressed in undernutrition (placental insufficiency). Premature infants require extra vitamin C for normal tyrosine metabolism (tyrosine is the thyroxine precursor). Among the symptoms indicating infantile cretinism, which appear during 3-5 months of age are: delayed union of skull bones, torpid behaviour, slow feeding, cyanosis during feeding, excessive sleepiness, enlarged tongue, umbilical herniation, flabby musculature, short stature and delayed development. These symptoms have all been described in low-birth-weight infants and sudden infant death syndrome victims by various authors. ...
A short-term intensive quality-of-water study was conducted during a period of generally low streamflow in Bakers Creek and its tributary, Lindsey Creek, near Clinton, Mississippi. During the September 15-18, 1980 study, dissolved oxygen concentrations in Bakers Creek were less than 5 milligrams per liter. The specific conductance, 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, nutrient concentrations, and bacteria densities in Bakers Creek decreased downstream through the study reach. The mean specific conductance decreased from 670 to 306 microhms per centimeter. The 5-day biochemical oxygen demand decreased from 19 to 2.8 milligrams per liter. The mean total nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations decreased from 10 and 7.1 to 1.0 and 0.87 milligram per litter, respectively. The maximum fecal bacteria decreased from 7200 to 400 colonies per 100 milliliter. The concentrations of mercury, iron, and manganese in a sample collected at the downstream site ...
To examine whether the neuroendocrine hormone norepinephrine may influence the production of the Shiga-like toxins (SLTs), several Escherichia coli O157:H7 clinical isolates were grown in the presence or absence of norepinephrine. An in vitro culture system consisting of low (<1500 colony-forming units/ml) initial concentrations of inocula into a serum-based medium was used to more closely approximate in vivo conditions. The growth of all isolates was increased several logs in the presence of norepinephrine, as compared with the growth in controls, during a 24-hour growth period. Controls included additional dextrose as well as the use of the norepinephrine metabolite normetanephrine, which contains one more methyl group than norepinephrine and hence would serve as a better energy source for growth if the effect were solely nutritionally mediated. During the 24 hours of growth, the production of cell-associated SLT-I on a protein-equivalent basis was shown to be increased over ...
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 24- to 72-hour ...
Previous studies have documented dissimilatory growth of bacteria on solid Mn{sup 4+} oxide, but Mn{sup 3+} oxides have not been previously studied; here the authors have demonstrated for the first time the bacterial reduction of manganite. Strain MR-4 of Shewanella putrefaciens was able to grow on and rapidly reduce insoluble needle-shaped crystals of synthetic manganite (MnOOH), converting them to soluble Mn{sup 2+} in the process. The rate of Mn{sup 3+} reduction was optimal at pH of 7.0 and 26 C consistent with an enzymatic reaction. In addition the rates of reduction were in proportion to the amount of manganite added, but nearly independent of the cell concentration present (e.g., cell number had only a small effect on the rate of Mn{sup 3+} reduction at early stages of growth) suggesting that surface properties were dictating the rates of metal reduction. This thesis was supported by major differences in reduction rates when Mn oxides of different surface ...
This work evaluated the effect of gamma radiation on reducing the population of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli nd Salmonella typhimurium in ground chicken breast stored under refrigeration. The experiment included a control and 4 doses of gamma radiation ( 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 kGy) along with 5 periods of storage under refrigeration ( 1, 7 14, 21 and 28 days). Samples of ground chicken breast were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 14458), Escherichia coli (ATCC 11105) and Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 0626), irradiated at temperatures between 4 and 8 deg C and stored under refrigeration (5 deg C) for 28 days. The increased radiation dose and period of storage under refrigeration caused a reduction of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium populations in the ground chicken breast. Mean radiation D values determined for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were 0.41 and 0.72 kGy, respectively. Gamma irradiation was an effective ...
Development of food preservation and processing techniques by radiation was performed. Gamma irradiation at 2-10 kGy is considered to be an effective method to control pathogenic bacteria in species including Escherichia coli O157:H7. Gamma irradiation at 5 kGy completely eliminated pathogenic bacteria in beef. Gamma irradiation at such doses and subsequent storage at less than 4 deg C could ensure hygienic quality and prolong the microbiological shelf-life resulting from the reduction of spoilage microorganisms. Gamma irradiation on pre-rigor beef shortens the aging-period, improves tenderness and enhances the beef quality. And, a new beef processing method using gamma irradiation, such as in the low salt sausage and hygienic beef patty was developed. Safety tests of gamma-irradiated meats(beefs: 0-5 kGy; porks: 0-30 kGy) in areas such as genotoxicity, acute toxicity, four-week oral toxicity, rat hepato carcinogenesis and the anti oxidative ...
BIBRA "t"r"a"d"e"m"a"r"k, is the new bio-technological method developed in Gundremmingen for treating radioactive waste water, using bacteria in a process analogous to the long-established principle of communal sewage treatment plants. The method exploits the behaviour of the micro-organisms found there, to establish optimum adaptation of their population for decomposing the typical pollutants found in this washing water. This procedure is particularly suitable for nuclear engineering plants, because in such plants the waste water composition changes little so that the bacteria can achieve optimum adaptation to this waste water. The organic ingredients of the washing media are decomposed by introducing air. The advantage of the procedure is not only the significant reduction of the amount of waste material, but also enhanced efficiency of the cleaning process. The decontamination factor in Gundremmingen improved from a factor of 5 to a factor ...
The objective of this work is to determine the ability of indigenous bacteria from a Venezuelan oil field to grow under reservoir conditions inside a porous media, and to produce metabolites capable of recovering residual crude oil. For this purpose, samples of formation waters from a central-eastern Venezuelan oil reservoir were enriched with different carbon sources and a mineral basal media. Formation water was used as a source of trace metals. The enrichments obtained were incubated at reservoir temperature (71{degrees}C), reservoir pressure (1,200 psi), and under anaerobic conditions for both outside and inside porous media (Berea core). Growth and metabolic activity was followed outside porous media by measuring absorbance at 660 nm, increases in pressure, and decreases in pH. Inside porous media bacterial activity was determined by visual examination of the produced waters (gas bubbles and bacterial cells). All the carbohydrates tested outside porous media ...
This study reports on the physical-chemical behaviour of swelling di-octahedral clays (smectites) and their interaction with aqueous solutions and bacteria (Shewanella putrefaciens). Experimental results are presented for compacted clays, hydrated under confined volume conditions, using a new type of reaction-cell (the 'wet-cell' of Warr and Hoffman, 2004) that was designed for in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. For comparison, dispersed clay systems were studied using standard batch solutions subjected to varying degrees of agitation. The combination of time-dependent in situ XRD measurements with gravimetric measurements and calculated diffraction patterns using the CALCMIX software (Plancon and Drits, 1999) allowed to successful quantification of the dynamics of water uptake and storage. This analytical procedure combined with published water vapour adsorption data enabled determination of the abundance of structured water layers, ...
ObjectivesProject VOLCANOSCOPE will evaluate strategies (1) for applying existing and new forecasting models to volcanic eruptions, and (2) for identifying methods to improve how forecasts are communicated effectively to vulnerable communities. To link forecasting and communication, the interdisciplinary study will assess how to engage all stakeholders - from monitoring scientists, through emergency agencies, to vulnerable communities - to optimize the understanding of forecasts among different end users. [continued...]DescriptionProject VOLCANOSCOPE will evaluate strategies (1) for applying existing and new forecasting models to volcanic eruptions, and (2) for identifying methods to improve how forecasts are communicated effectively to vulnerable communities. To link forecasting and communication, the interdisciplinary study will assess how to engage all stakeholders - from monitoring scientists, through emergency agencies, to vulnerable ...
A general method for stable-isotope labeling of large proteins is introduced and applied for studies of the E. coli GroE chaperone proteins by solution NMR. In addition to enabling the residue-specific {sup 15}N-labeling of proteins on a highly deuterated background, it is also an efficient approach for uniform labeling. The method meets the requirements of high-level deuteration, minimal cross-labeling and high protein yield, which are crucial for NMR studies of structures with sizes above 150 kDa. The results obtained with the new protocol are compared to other strategies for protein labeling, and evaluated with regard to the influence of external factors on the resulting isotope labeling patterns. Applications with the GroE system show that these strategies are efficient tools for studies of structure, dynamics and intermolecular interactions in large supramolecular complexes, when combined with TROSY- and CRINEPT-based experimental NMR ...
In addition to the ability to solve the static transport equation, we have also incorporated time dependence into our parallel 3-D S{sub {ital N}} code DANTSYS/MPI. Using a semi-implicit scheme, DANTSYS/MPI is capable of performing time-dependent calculations for both fissioning and pure source driven problems. We have applied this to various types of problems such as nuclear well logging and prompt fission experiments. This paper describes the form of the time- dependent equations implemented, their solution strategies in DANTSYS/MPI including iteration acceleration, and the strategies used for time-step control. Results are presented for a model nuclear well logging calculation.
This paper presents a prescriptive account of diagnostic problem solving, or diagnosis, in quality and process control. This paper identifies a general strategy, named branch-and-prune, whose manifestations can be found in disciplines such as medical diagnosis, troubleshooting of devices, and model-based diagnosis in artificial intelligence. The work aims to offer a clear conceptualization of this strategy, based on the notions of structures for the search space, and constraints to the cause's nature.The idea is to treat the search space of candidate explanations as a tree structure, in which general and high-level causal directions are branched into more specific and detailed explanations. Constraints eliminate all but a few branches (pruning), which are explored in more detail. We enumer...
This work is focused on effect of various cooling strategies on surface roughness and tool wear during computer aided milling of soft workpiece materials. These milling operations were selected as dry milling, cool air cooling milling and fluid cooling milling. A cool air cooling system was designed and produced to cool end milling tools. Cool air was produced by a vortex tube. Annealed AISI 1050 was used as the workpiece material and cutting tool material was selected as HSS-Co8 DIN 844/BN. Optimal cutting parameters were selected according to workpiece hardness from reference catalog and kept for all tests. Tool wear and surface quality were measured for three different cooling types changing from ten minute machining time to thirty minute machining time. As a result, the surface roughne...
Before expanding on the development of the Terra Nova oilfield, the author discussed the overall business strategy of Petro-Canada and identified where the Terra Nova and offshore Newfoundland oil have their place within this strategy. The principal basins and oilfields offshore Newfoundland were reviewed, then the emphasis shifted to rest on the Terra Nova development project. A whole range of topics were brought up, including the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility, the modules layout, the FPSO located at Bull Arm, and the floating production systems. The physical environment of the Grand Banks was highlighted, and the next few sections were devoted to the Terra Nova FPSO, FPSO and drill centres, the Turret General Arrangement, and Spider buoy including the disconnect/reconnect. The last four sections dealt with the animation of riser movement, the wellhead protection animation, Henry Goodrich, and operations ...
The objective of this research was to convert coal into a soluble substance under mild conditions. The strategy involved two steps, first to breakdown the macromolecular network of coal, and second to add hydrogen catalytically. We investigated different basic reagents that could, in priciple, break down coal's structure and alkylation strategies that might enhance its solubility. We examined O- and C-alkylation, the importance of the strength of the base, the character of the added alkyl groups and other reaction parameters. This work provided new information concerning the way in which hydrogen bonding, polarization interactions between aromatic structures and covalent bonding could be disrupted and solubility enhanced. The objective of our research was to explore new organochromium chemistry that might be feasible for the hydrogenation of coal under mild conditions.
Development of a strategy for forecasting river ice breakup and jamming on the Saint John River in New Brunswick was described. Methods used to identify ice jam-prone areas by simple temperature-based methods to fairly complex computer models using site specific data, were summarized. Recent technological advances in developing forecasts, including the NWRI probe for remotely measuring ice jam thickness, the RIVJAM model for determining stages upstream of an ice jam, and computational procedures for estimating the thrust exerted by ice jams against bridges, were also reviewed. Criteria and recommendations for river ice breakup and ice jamming for the Saint John River were provided. (Abstract only).
The most advanced frontier of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is represented by the use of an HLA-partially matched relative as donor. In this type of transplantation, donor-derived natural killer (NK) cells, which are alloreactive towardtoward recipient cells, significantly contribute to the eradication of leukemia blasts. Alloreactive NK cells may also kill host dendritic cells and T lymphocytes, thus preventing graft-versus-host disease and graft rejection, respectively. Sophisticated strategies of adoptive infusion of T-cell lines/clones specific for the most life-threatening pathogens (namely cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Aspergillus and Adenovirus) have been envisaged, and successfully tested in a few pilot trials, to protect the recipient in the...
In the last decade, directed evolution has become a routine approach for engineering proteins with novel or altered properties. Concurrently, a trend away from purely 'blind' randomization strategies and towards more 'semi-rational' approaches has also become apparent. In this review, we discuss ways in which structural information and predictive computational tools are playing an increasingly important role in guiding the design of randomized libraries: web servers such as ConSurf-HSSP and SCHEMA allow the prediction of sites to target for producing functional variants, while algorithms such as GLUE, PEDEL and DRIVeR are useful for estimating library completeness and diversity. In addition, we review recent methodological developments that facilitate the construction of unbiased libraries, which are inherently more diverse than biased libraries and therefore more likely to yield improved variants. PMID:16095966
The first year of this effort was focussed on the following broad objectives: (1) Analyze the molecular types present in shale oil (as a function of molecular weight distribution); (2) Determine the behavior of these molecular types in liquid-liquid extraction; (3) Develop the analytical tools needed to systematize the process development; (4) Survey the markets to assure that these have high value uses for the types found in shale oil; (5) Explore selective process means for extracting/converting shale oil components into concentrates of potentially marketable components; (6) Compile overview of the venture development strategy and begin implementation of that strategy. Each of these tasks has been completed in sufficient detail that we can now focus on filling in the knowledge gaps evident from the overview.
From its inception in 1977, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been responsible for maintaining the nations nuclear stockpile, leading the country in terms of basic research, setting national energy goals, and managing thousands of individual programs. Despite these gains, however, the DOE research and development (R&D) model does not appear to offer the nation an optimal strategy for assessing long-term energy challenges. American energy policy continues to face constraints related to three "Is": inconsistency, incrementalism, and inadequacy. An overly rigid management structure and loss of mission within the DOE continues to plague its programs and create inconsistencies in terms of a national energy policy. Various layers of stove-piping within and between the DOE and national labo...
The strategy for the Korean nuclear power plant lifetime management (PLIM) program, which has been developed over the last 3 years, is introduced, together with descriptions of recent events and related maintenance activities. This leading Korean PLIM project has been focused on such areas as a plant data survey, screening and prioritization of systems, structures and components (SSCs), aging evaluation of major components, economic analysis and regulatory issues. The current status is outlined in terms of major tasks including aging evaluation of 13 major components. The future long-term plan which eventually aims at maximizing the economic benefit for both the utility and its customers is presented. Also described is the technical development required for plant life extension. (orig.).
Researchers have identified as effective and worthy of broader dissemination a variety of intervention strategies to promote physical activity among older adults. This paper reports results of a community-organizing approach to disseminating evidence-based interventions in a sustainable way: The Southeast Seattle Senior Physical Activity Network (SESPAN). SESPAN was implemented in Southeast Seattle, a group of multicultural neighborhoods extending 8?miles southeast of downtown Seattle, with a population of 56,469 in 2000, with 12% (7,041) aged 65 and older. The SESPAN organizing strategy involved networking to: (1) make connections between two or more community organizations to create new senior physical activity programs; and (2) build coalitions of community groups and organizations to a...
Abstract Evaluation of pharmaceutical agents in children is now conducted earlier in the drug development process. An important consideration for this pediatric use is how to assess and support its safety. This article is a collaborative effort of industry toxicologists to review strategies, challenges, and current practice regarding preclinical safety evaluations supporting pediatric drug development with biopharmaceuticals. Biopharmaceuticals include a diverse group of molecular, cell-based or gene therapeutics derived from biological sources or complex biotechnological processes. The principles of preclinical support of pediatric drug development for biopharmaceuticals are similar to those for small molecule pharmaceuticals and in general follow the same regulatory guidances outlined by...
This paper describes new strategies for the brain-specific delivery of radionuclides that can be used to evaluate regional cerebral perfusion by single photon imaging techniques. A description of several examples of interesting new strategies that have recently been reported is presented. A new approach at this institution for the brain-specific delivery of radioiodinated iodophenylalkyl-substituted dihyronicotinamide systems is described which shows good brain uptake and retention in preliminary studies in rats. Following transport into the brain these agents appear to undergo facile intracerebral oxidation to the quaternized analogues which do not recross the intact blood-brain barrier and so are effectively trapped in the brain. 49 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.
The goals of this paper are to describe new strategies being pursued at several institutions for the brain-specific delivery of radionuclides that can be used to evaluate regional cerebral perfusion by single photon imaging techniques. A comprehensive review of the literature is beyond the scope of these proceedings and our goal is to, therefore, present a description of several examples of interesting new strategies that have recently been reported. In addition, the authors also describe a new approach being pursued at their institution for the brain-specific delivery of radioiodinated iodophenylaklyl-substituted dihydronicotiamide systems which shows good brain uptake and retention in preliminary studies in rats. Following transport into the brain these agents appear to undergo facile intracerebral oxidation to the quaternized analogues which do not cross the intact blood-brain-barrier and are effectively trapped in the brain.
Environmental pollution has become a bottleneck for the sustainable economic development of China. A 'business-as-usual' energy system in Chian is not suitable for meeting sustainability needs. It is well known that China has to use coal as the main primary energy source over the long term. Under such special conditions, to plan and construct an integrated sustainable energy system with optimal benefits in resource and energy utilization and environmental emissions is urgent. By introducing international studies and new developments in sustainable energy systems, this paper puts forward the concept that a polygeneration strategy based on coal gasification is the trend for future development of China's domestic energy industry. The framework of a polygeneration system based on oxygen-blown gasification is described and its benefits are analyzed. Finally, the starting procedure, government role, and policies for implementation ...
In 2009, following approval of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC), the European Commission (EC) created task groups to develop guidance for eleven quality descriptors that form the basis for evaluating ecosystem function. The objective was to provide European countries with practical guidelines for implementing the MSFD, and to produce a Commission Decision that encapsulated key points of the work in a legal framework. This paper presents a review of work carried out by the eutrophication task group, and reports our main findings to the scientific community. On the basis of an operational, management-oriented definition, we discuss the main methodologies that could be used for coastal and marine eutrophication assessment. Emphasis is placed on integrated ap...
Theoretical models of the decontamination process are developed and combined with an existing model of "6"0Co production in CANDU PHW reactors to predict the effects of decontamination on long term "6"0Co build-up in reactor primary heat transport systems. The effects of decontamination interval, decontamination factor, and post-decontamination corrosion release are calculated. An optimum decontamination strategy for a Pickering G.S. type reactor is developed on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis. This study indicates that the optimum decontamination interval is approximately six years. This optimum interval is relatively insensitive to variations in the costs of personnel exposure, the cost of a decontamination, the decontamination factor, and the post-decontamination corrosion model used. (author).
In today's maturing consumer markets, emphasis is shifting from straightforward sales to a more holistic approach to customer life cycle management, with a stronger emphasis on how sales are generated and service provided all along the customer journey. Effectively managing these different marketing, sales and service channels poses a significant challenge. Companies need new strategies, structures, processes and tools to deliver customer value across all channels. A multi-channel, integrative customer model that delivers customer value and significant return on investment (ROI) requires both a strong understanding of customer preferences and behaviours and a robust IT architecture that supports the overarching customer relationship management (CRM) strategy. Even those organizations that ...
Better quality of thermal comfort as well as reduced heat energy demand and accordingly CO{sub 2} emission can be achieved by better heating and ventilation strategies in private buildings. The paper deals with a novel model-based measurement and automation system. It describes the implementation of better strategies under given technical circumstances. (orig.) [German] Durch Verbesserung der Heizungs- und Lueftungsstrategien im privaten Lebensbereich kann sowohl Heizenergie eingespart und damit die CO{sub 2}-Emission verringert, als auch die Raumbehaglichkeit verbessert werden. Der Beitrag behandelt ein modellgestuetztes Mess- und Automatisierungssystem, mit dem die Realisierung der verbesserten Strategien unter gegebenen technischen Randbedingungen praktisch erst moeglich wird. (orig.)
The report presents an overview of A.I.D. efforts, which encompass a wide range of environmental issues and support environmental training, research, and institutional development. The report's opening section details A.I.D.'s efforts to enlist host-country support for environmental programs, with specific emphasis on improving natural resource management (especially in Africa), encouraging policy change, strengthening the private sector's environmental role, and preparing environmental profiles of host countries and helping them develop conservation strategies. The ensuing sections recount A.I.D. efforts in particular topics of environmental concern (biological diversity and environmental health and safety), critical ecological areas (coastal areas and forests and fragile lands), and specific country programs (reforestation in Haiti). A brief history of the evolution of the Agency's environmental strategy ...
The paper describes the latest developments in STRASSY (Strategy Assistance System), the strategy assistance system for the inspection of nuclear materials. The user can now select the fuel cycle he wishes to investigate from an initial range of 19 facilities. An inspection interface has been developed to enable the details and dates of inspections to be modified. One of the special features of the application of STRASSY in international safeguards is the taking into account of timeliness of detection; certain aspects of the time manager algorithms are presented and analysed, including the guaranteed existence of a solution. The results of a study of diversion paths in a simplified cycle consisting of our facilities are presented. Finally, the modifications necessary to enable STRASSY to be used for a posterior analysis of inspection results are discussed. (authors). 7 refs., 3 figs.
Currently, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched/haploidentical allografts have been validated as an alternative stem cell source for patients who have no immediate access to an HLA-matched related or unrelated donor. However, relapse remains a challenge after HLA-mismatched/haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) that is employed in the treatment of patients with hematological malignancies. In recent years, newly developed immunomodulatory strategies, which include prophylactic and therapeutic donor lymphocyte/natural killer (NK) cell infusion, donor selection based on NK alloreactivity/non-inherited maternal antigen (NIMA), immune reconstitution promotion, and application of exogenous cytokines, have made it possible to decrease the relapse rate and improve outco...
Cytoreductive conditioning regimes designed to allow for successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) paradoxically are also detrimental to recovery of the immune system in general but lymphopoiesis in particular. Post-transplant immune depletion is particularly striking within the T cell compartment which is exquisitely sensitive to negative regulation, evidenced by the profound decline in thymic function with age. As a consequence, regeneration of the immune system remains a significant unmet clinical need. Over the past decade studies have revealed several promising therapeutic strategies to address ineffective lymphopoiesis and post-transplant immune deficiency. These include the use of cytokines such as IL-7, IL-12 and IL-15; growth factors and hormones li...
This study assessed the impact of the results of genetic testing for hereditary cancer from a multifactorial health psychology perspective, considering that emotional expression plays a key role in psychological adjustment. Measures of dispositional and transactional coping strategies, anxiety and alexithymia were filled out by 77 participants in a longitudinal study design. Statistical analyses were performed using general linear models and partial least squares path modelling, low-constraint methods that are particularly useful in the behavioural sciences. While anxiety levels prior to the result announcement were predictive of the distress experienced by noncarriers, considerable variability was observed for mutation carriers. Some subjects who had lower anxiety levels before the test d...
The article examines the limits and challenges small powers face when they adjust to systemic changes. Specifically, this article discusses the Philippines' conduct of a diplomatic strategy of equi balancing between the USA and China. In this strategy, the Philippines enhances and deepens its security relations with its strategic ally, the USA and at the same time, obtains economic assistance and politico diplomatic concessions from East Asia's emergent power, China. The Philippines' diplomatic gambit, however, is restrained by its formal alliance with the USA and its chronic territorial dispute with China over the Spratly Islands. At present, several developments are undermining Manila's efforts in playing this balancing game with Washington and Beijing. These are: the Philippines' passiv...
Abstract Therapeutic proteins are exposed to various potential contact surfaces, particles, and leachables during manufacturing, shipping, storage, and delivery. In this review, we present published examples of interfacial- or leachable-induced aggregation or particle formation, and discuss the mitigation strategies that were successfully utilized. Adsorption to interfaces or interactions with leachables and/or particles in some cases has been reported to cause protein aggregation or particle formation. Identification of the cause(s) of particle formation involving minute amounts of protein over extended periods of time can be challenging. Various formulation strategies such as addition of a nonionic surfactant (e.g., polysorbate) have been demonstrated to effectively mitigate adsorption-i...
The approval (2003) and enforcement (2005) of a smoking ban in Italy have been viewed by many as an unexpectedly successful example of policy change. The present paper, by applying a processualist approach, concentrates on two policy cycles between 2000 and 2005. These had opposing outcomes: an incomplete decisional stage and an authoritative decision, enforced two years later. Through the analysis of the different phases of agenda setting, alternative specification and decision making, we have compared the quality of participation of policy entrepreneurs in the two cycles, their political strategies and, in these, the relevance of issue image. The case allows us to direct the attention of scholars and practitioners to an early phase of the policy implementation process - which we have nam...
The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany's national metrology institute, developed an alignment strategy to specify elemental depth profiling in vertical sidewall layers on structured wafers. For this purpose, PTB's irradiation chamber for 200?mm and 300?mm silicon wafers was used to combine total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and grazing incidence XRF (GIXRF) techniques by employing monochromatized undulator radiation of the BESSY II electron storage ring. 3-D test structures were fabricated to develop an optimal alignment strategy allowing for depth profiling in such nanolayers. The test structures consisted of silicon bars with widths/spacings either in the ?m or in the nm range. In order to be able to differentiate the sidewalls more easily from the remainder of ...
A three-component seismic line acquired over the Zamora gas field, northern Sacramento Valley, California, displays conventional (P-P) and converted-wave (P-SV) seismic anomalies. Well log and seismic modeling results indicate that bright-spot reflection strengths are related to variations in fluid saturation and lithology. The P-SV reflection strengths and interval velocities provide valuable information that complements more conventional strategies such as amplitude with offset and polarity analysis. This integrated strategy can improve risk evaluation and well-site selection in areas where rapid changes in reservoir quality impact resource evaluation.
A three-component seismic line acquired over the Zamora gas field, northern Sacramento Valley, California, displays conventional (P-P) and converted-wave (P-SV) seismic anomalies. Well log and seismic modeling results indicate that bright-spot reflection strengths are related to variations in fluid saturation and lithology. The converted-wave reflection strengths and interval velocities provide valuable information that compliments more conventional strategies such as amplitude with offset and polarity analysis. This integrated strategy can improve risk evaluation and well site selection in areas where rapid changes in reservoir quality impact resource evaluation.
Abstract The baobab tree, with more than 300 uses and commercial value in EU and United States, has been identified as one of the most important trees to be conserved and domesticated in Africa. A decline in baobab populations because of changes in climate could have a negative effect on African livelihoods. Therefore, it is important to study the potential future distribution of this species and determine strategies for conservation. We used Maxent, 480 geo-referenced records, present and future climatic and soil layers. Different general circulation models and scenarios were selected. Models were simulated for (i) All records, (ii) East Africa and (iii) West Africa species records. For each combination, the proportion of the present habitat that might remain suitable in the future was de...
Abstract In many places in the world the effects of common floods are increased by climate change. In the area around the Indonesian city of Semarang, the number and effects of tidal flooding are becoming more and more severe. We found that the inhabitants used different strategies against the impact of flooding. In both the existing and the predicted flood prone areas, most people appear not to intend to leave the area, even when the floods become everyday routine. People are connected to their dwellings in a way that abandoning is not a realistic scenario. This study provides relevant information about the way people in the affected areas perceive flood risks and adaptation opportunities. Governmental policy-makers and urban planners could base their strategies and actions on this inform...
In this paper, the question of whether the new distribution system for the electricity supply industry can deliver a better service to customers, is discussed. In particular it discusses the requirement of customers for low cost and efficiency, with particular reference to Victoria in general and Solaris in particular. Solaris comprises the amalgamation of five ex-Municipal Electricity Undertakings and one distribution part of the former State Electricity Commission. Despite not having a set of objectives, a strategy, a common culture, appropriate processes or systems, key account management skills, marketing and customer service expertise, commercial financial expertise, commercial treasury expertise and strategic skill, it has been able to develop a business plan and strategy to satisfy the shareholder (the government), improve customer communication facilities, set up human resource management mechanisms and liaison with the community. The ...
The marketing strategy developed for use in international markets by the S. M. Group International of Longueuil, Quebec, a company with interest and well-developed expertise in the environmental and energy sector, was described. The strategy is designed to aid in the selection of countries or regions of interest, in determining the sector of activity to be emphasized, in selecting a local partner or local business representatives, and in making contact locally with the people responsible for the development banks in the target countries in an effort to create awareness of the company. The company also tries, wherever possible, to promote its services to local governmental agencies through the industrial cooperation program of CIDA. Since development banks have a very conservative behaviour, past performances and constant provision of high quality services are of prime importance.
This paper develops optimal bidding strategies for a pumped-storage plant in a pool-based electricity market. In the competitive regime, when compared to simple hydroelectric generator, profit of the pumped-storage plant is maximized by operating it as a generator when market clearing price is high and as a pump when the price is low. Based on forecasted hourly market clearing price, a multistage looping algorithm to maximize the profit of a pumped-storage plant is developed, considering both the spinning and non-spinning reserve bids and meeting the technical operating constraints of the plant. The proposed model is adaptive for the nonlinear three-dimensional relationship between the power produced, the energy stored, and the head of the associated reservoir. Different operating cycles for a realistic pumped-storage plant are considered and simulation results are reported and compared. (author)
In case of a severe nuclear accident at a PWR plant, countermeasures will be initiated in the short term by authorities to reduce the consequences of the atmospheric radioactive releases on the neighbouring population. Various factors influence the level of protection afforded by countermeasures. For instance, a too late intervention would lead to a Jack of efficiency in terms of dose reduction if the actual evolution of the accident is not considered. Thus, implementation of countermeasures should be optimized. In general, the projected doses (those without countermeasure) are compared with those expected when a particular countermeasure or strategy is implemented. In this paper, an in-depth analysis associates the kinetics of the release with the corresponding evolution of the dosimetric efficiency of countermeasures. This is done at different times in the short term of the accident and for various distances from the plant. Results are presented for different ...
An adaptive power system stabilizer (APSS) employing a new self-optimizing pole shifting control strategy and its application to a power system are described in this paper. Based on an identified model of the system, the control is computed by an algorithm which shifts the closed-loop poles of the system to some optimal locations inside the unit circle in the z-domain to minimize a given performance criterion. With the self-optimization property, outside intervention in the controller design procedure is minimized, thus simplifying the tuning procedure during commissioning. Also, a new method of calculating the variable forgetting factor in real-time parameter identification is discussed. Studies show that the proposed APSS can provide good damping of the power system over a wide operating range and significantly improve the dynamic performance of the system.
Biostimulation by nutrient application is a viable technology for restoring oil-contaminated beaches. Maximizing the nutrient residence time is key for achieving a rapid cost-effective cleanup. We considered the nutrient injection strategy through a perforated pipe at the high tide line and we simulated numerically beach hydraulics, which allowed us to estimate the optimal injection flow rate of nutrient solution. Our results indicate that the optimal application is one that starts following the falling high tide and lasts for half tidal cycle. The saturated wet-front of the nutrient solution on the beach surface would move seaward with the same speed of the falling tide keeping a constant distance with the tide line. The numerical results were generalized to beaches of wide ranges of hydr...
Greening is a useful mitigation strategy for planners mainly from a visual perspective. For high-density urban living environment such as Hong Kong, urban greening helps cooling the air and providing shade; it also helps lowering building energy consumption by providing a better outdoor boundary condition. Many researchers have also suggested that greening may be employed as a strategy for combating the ill effects of urban Heat Island (UHI). Working towards a set of better greening guidelines for urban planners, the current paper first provides a comprehensive review of planning with urban greening. It then describes parametric studies that have been conducted to investigate the preferred location, amount, and types of vegetation for urban planning. The parametric studies employed the num...
To develop the advanced subchannel analysis code, the dominant factors that influence the boiling transitional process must be taken into account in the mechanistic constitutive equations based on the flow geometries and the fluid properties. The dominant factors that influence the boiling transitional processes are (1) the gas-liquid re-distribution by cross flow, (2) the liquid film dryout, (3) the two-phase flow regime transition, (4) the droplet deposition, and (5) the spacer-droplet interaction. At first, we indicated the strategy for the development of the constitutive equations for the five dominant factors based on the experimental database by the latest measurement technique and the latest computational fluid dynamics method. Then, the problems of the present constitutive equations and the improvement plan of the constitutive equations were indicated. Finally, the layered structure for the two-phase/three-field subchannel code including the new ...
Motion Camouflage (MC) is illuminated as a novel strategy in counterattacking anti-satellite by way of stealth trajectory scheduling. The dynamics model of MC in space is developed and a quadratic function with three boundary constraints is employed for trajectory determination. Based on the model a scenario is set to run the simulation. The results indicate given the designed acceleration input, the predator will be moved following a prescribed route, which precisely locates the predator between two objects at each time instant. In the last approaching phase, the motion is achieved with a big bumping rate which guarantees the power of this striking. Methods for deriving minimum fuel cost in the fixed approaching duration and the minimum approaching duration in limited acceleration input are proposed and are verified in the simulation. At last, camouflage is recognized as a multi-faceted affair, in which stealth trajectory design is considered an effective ...
Papers presented at the workshop include: the longterm viability of mined land in Queensland; the determination and achievement of rehabilitation objectives: a state government objective; monitoring native vegetation in regenerated bauxite mines at Weipa: a belt transect method; rehabilitation strategies at the Collinsville open cut coal mine; the alteration of the environment by the construction and operation of the coal export facility at Abbot Point; some aspects of the premining environment at Collinsville; the prospects for long term revegetation of acid coal mine spoil and reject materials; recovery and stability in disturbed and artificially revegetated plant communities: a theoretical viewpoint; revegetation in the arid tropics: Mount Isa Mines' experience; Nabralek and its rehabilitation; rehabilitation and management strategies for acid mine wastes; the purpose and design of water quality monitoring networks at mine sites; ...
DescriptionThis new research programme activity on Urban Atmospheric Science will deliver aspects of the NERC strategy: Next Generation Science for Planet Earth. It has been developed as part of the Environment, Pollution & Human Health theme. Research in the Environment, Pollution & Human Health theme is directed at elucidating key environmental processes that form part of a causal pathway between an environmental hazard and disease outcome, and providing a predictive capability of the risk to human heal [continued...
The Danish Ministry of Transportation has prepared a national plan of transportation, for the years until 2005. Official policy concerning land, maritime and air transport, personal and cargo transportation, investments and expenditures is outlined. Environmental impacts of energy consumption and air pollution abatement measures are considered. (EG)
This report discusses the following: (1) improving models of vapor-dominated geothermal fields: the effects of adsorption; (2) adsorption characteristics of rocks from vapor-dominated geothermal reservoir at the Geysers, CA; (3) optimizing reinjection strategy at Palinpinon, Philippines based on chloride data; (4) optimization of water injection into vapor-dominated geothermal reservoirs; and (5) steam-water relative permeability.
This book examines the Soviet military space effort from its infancy in the 1950s to the spy craft and anti-satellite systems of today. It describes in detail the Soviet equivalents of the U.S. Star Wars program and explains technical and political issues in laymen's terms. A full text of major arms control agreements completes the volume.
Soil placed over any sealant/barrier system can provide a protective mantle if the soil is not lost by erosion. Vegetation is an attractive choice for controlling erosion because it can provide an economical self-renewing cover that serves to reduce erosion by both wind and water. The objective of this research and development effort is to select and test vegetation strategies, including the choice of species and methods for revegetation that are compatible with sealant/barrier systems and are suited to soils and climates at inactive uranium mill tailings sites.
Based upon these processes-phytoextraction, phytovolatization and phytostabilization-a plant management remediation strategy for selenium (Se) has been developed for the Westside of Central California. Multi-year field phytoremediation studies were conducted between 2002-2007 on Se-tainted field si...
This comprehensive, critical review summarizes the use of nanoparticles in enhanced and amplified chemiluminescence detection, illustrated by different reaction strategies, electrogenerated chemiluminescence sensors, immunoassay or hybridization labels and electrogenerated chemiluminescence immunoassay or hybridization sensors. We discuss the analytical applications on the basis of validity, range and sensitivity, and draw some useful conclusions about the most sensitive approach in each type of application.
The NSABP B-32 trial is examining whether patients with initially negative sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) who have occult metastases detected on deeper levels and cytokeratin immunohistochemistry...Full Text Available
The phytomanagement of Se-polluted soil and water is one strategy that may be environmentally sustainable and cost-effective for soils and waters enriched with natural-occurring Se. Several plant species, including Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), pickleweed (Salicornia bigelovii), and other salt/S...
The authors report an extension of the source imaging method for analyzing three-dimensional sources from three-dimensional correlations. The technique consists of expanding the correlation data and the underlying source function in spherical harmonics and inverting the resulting system of one-dimensional integral equations. With this strategy, they can image the source function quickly, even with the extremely large data sets common in three-dimensional analyses.
... The male GM mosquitoes mate with normal females to produce larvae that die unless the antibiotic tetracycline is present. In tetracycline's absence an enzyme accumulates to a toxic level, killing the larvae. The developers hope the strategy could be combined with other mosquito control methods to reduce transmission in dengue-prone areas. Ricarda Steinbrecher, a geneticist and co-director of EcoNexus -a UK-based non-profit research organisation -expressed surprise ...
... The male GM mosquitoes mate with normal females to produce larvae that die unless the antibiotic tetracycline is present. In tetracycline's absence an enzyme accumulates to a toxic level, killing the larvae. The developers hope the strategy could be combined with other mosquito control methods to reduce transmission in dengue-prone areas. Ricarda Steinbrecher, a geneticist and co-director of EcoNexus - a UK-based non-profit research organization - ...
The workshop focused on strategies for promoting and developing engineering level transonic flutter prediction techniques. The technology of transonic aerodynamics is currently undergoing rapid development. Significant progress is being made to solve the inherently nonlinear equations describing unsteady motions of wings in transonic flow, while the availability of reliable and efficient computational methods will greatly enhance the ability to predict the aeroelastic behavior of modern aircraft operating under transonic flow conditions.
We prove that Formula Not Shown surface diffeomorphisms have symbolic extensions, i.e. topological extensions which are subshifts over a finite alphabet. Following the strategy of Downarowicz and Maass (Invent. Math. 176:617?636, 2009) we bound the local entropy of ergodic measures in terms of Lyapunov exponents. This is done by reparametrizing Bowen balls by contracting maps in a approach combining hyperbolic theory and Yomdin?s theory.
The present report outlines the background and issues supporting the national strategy which was developed to deploy U.S. Government resources most effectively to increase environmental technologies exports and to enhance the trade competitiveness of the U.S. environmental technologies sector. The document is a supplement to the strategic framework.
BackgroundMen who have sex with men (MSM) remain the group most at risk of acquiring HIV in the UK and new HIV prevention strategies are needed. In this paper, we examine what contact...Full Text Available
AGROSTER Co irradiates food packaging material and some types of spices for the meat industry. The step by step strategy of AGROSTER has been very successful. In the last year, its gamma facility was used as much as possible to irradiate food items. The government of Hungary has recognized the benefit of this technology and has given financial assistance to establish a large commercial gamma irradiator in Budapest.
Power devices such as MOSFETSs and IGBTs, include parasitic structures that can give rise to destructive failures such as breakdown and latch-up. To determine a suitable strategy for device radiation hardening, simulation software like MEDICI-2D can be used to model the effects of technological modifications and device parameters that are difficult to measure experimentally. (authors).
A heuristic algorithm that employs fuzzy logic is proposed to the power system transmission expansion planning problem. The algorithm is based on the divide to conquer strategy, which is controlled by the fuzzy system. The algorithm provides high quality solutions with the use of fuzzy decision making, which is based on nondeterministic criteria to guide the search. The fuzzy system provides a self-adjusting mechanism that eliminates the manual adjustment of parameters to each system being solved. (author)
We propose a basic strategy to obtain a consistent on-shell effective action of open-string tachyons, on the background where closed-string tachyons are already condensed. We use sigma-model approach, basically. We regard D-instanton-like objects with appropriate weight as closed-string tachyon tadpoles, and we insert them into worldsheets to analyze the effect of closed-string tachyons.
DescriptionRemote sensing of the sea surface from satellites in near-polar orbits has contributed greatly to our understanding of the links between physical and biological processes in marine systems. However most of this progress has been made in open oceanic waters or major upwelling areas, and many unresolved problems are encountered in coastal regions and shelf seas. In these optically complex waters, quantitative remote sensing requires a more sophisticated interpretation strategy than that implemente [continued...