The Use of Ultrasonics in the Treatment of Waste Activated Sludge

The present paper reports on extensive investigations using an ultrasonic treatment of WAS, to study its po-tential to meet one or all of four objectives: (1) reduce WAS quantities; (2) achieve a better dewaterability; (3) provoke a release of COD from the biosolids, preferably transformed into biodegradable organics and (4) possibly destroy the fila-mentous micro-organisms responsible for sludge bulking. The experiments are carried out in a batch reactor of volume up to 2.3L. The ultrasonic apparatus consisted of a generator, a converter and a sonotrode, supplied by Alpha Ultrasonics under the brand name of Telsonic. Three different sludge kinds were tested, at approximate concentration (DS/WAS) be-tween 3.5 and 20g·L-1. The release of COD from the WAS-phase into the filtrate phase is a function of the specific en-ergy-input SE with yields of about 30% achievable at SE-values of 30000 kJ·kg-1. A major fraction of the COD is trans-formed into biodegradable organics (BOD). The reduction of DS-fraction of the sludge is equivalent to the COD-release rates. Although the dry solids content (DS) is reduced, the dewaterability of the sludge is not improved. This reflects itself in a slightly decreased dryness of the filter cake using vacuum filtration, and in increased values of the capillary suction time (CST). This more difficult dewaterability is the result of considerably reduced floc sizes, offering an extended sur-face area. More surface water is bound (CST increases) and the filterability decreases due to clogging of the cake. To reach the same dryness as the untreated cake, the required dosage of poly-electrolyte increases proportionally with the level of ultrasound energy supplied. The ultrasonic reduction of filamentous WAS organisms is not conclusive and very little effect is seen at low intensities and short treatment durations. Microscopic analysis of the WAS identified the domi-nant presence of Actynomyces. Especially the release of COD and its transformation into BOD certainly merit further re-search.

In vitro evaluation of anti-acetylcholinesterase and free radical scavenging potential of leaf extracts of some selected medicinal plants

Objective: To evaluate the phytochemical present in various solvent extracts from leaves of Ocimum sanctum(L.), Swertia chirayita(L.), Butea monosperma(Lam.) and Stevia rebaudiana(Bert.) as well as antioxidant and anticholinergic activities employing different in vitro models. Methods: Total phenol content of diethyl ether, chloroform and methanolic extracts obtained from leaves of different medicinal plants was determined by Folin-Ciocalteau's spectrophotometric method. Moreover, antioxidant and anticholinergic studies were conducted by four different in vitro methods which included diphenyl picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbezoline-6-sulphonic acid), reducing activity by ferrous reduced antioxidant power and anti-acetylcholinesterase assay, in order to ensure pharmacological potential of the plants. Results: The methanolic leaf extract of Ocimum sanctum showed the highest total phenol content which was(21.13±1.04) GAE/g DW and antioxidant activities compared to other plants with the IC50 value of 40.43 μg/mL in diphenyl picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay and 53.5 μg/mL in 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbezoline-6-sulphonic acid) assay as well as metal ion reduced by(78.22±0.38) TE/g DW in ferrous reduced antioxidant power assay. The inhibition percentage of the anti-acetylcholinesterase assay was(94.22±0.26)%. Conclusions: The results of our current study show that Ocimum sanctum leaf is the most significant source of phytochemicals that possesses antioxidant and anticholinergic properties. However, further investigation on isolation and characterization of active compound which is responsible for the pharmacological potential is needed.

Solubilization of potassium containing minerals by high temperature resistant Streptomyces sp.isolated from earthworm's gut

A potassium solubilizing bacterial strain designated EGT, which is tolerant of high temperature, was isolated from an earthworm's gut to obtain a bacterium that can weather potassium-bearing rock effectively through solid-state fermentation. Molecular phylogeny and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated the bacterial strain was a member of the Streptomyces genus. To assess its potential to release potassium from silicate minerals,this strain was used to degrade potassium-bearing rock powder by solid-state fermentation. After fermentation, the amount of water-soluble Al, Fe and K of the substrate with active inoculum was higher than those of the control,which had autoclaved inoculum, and those of the fresh substrate. The result indicated that the strain had the ability to weather potassium-bearing rock and could be used as an inoculum in the production of potassium bio-fertilizer, due to its potassium release activity from rock and tolerance to high temperature.

Phylogenetic analysis and biological characteristic tests of marine bacteria isolated from Southern Ocean(Indian sector)water

Fifty-seven bacteria were isolated from Southern Ocean （Indian sector） water samples which were collected from different latitude and longitude of the ocean. All the isolates were able to grow at 4℃, 20℃, 37℃ and tolerable NaCI concentration up to 13.5% （w/v）. 29 out of 57 isolates were identified using 16S rDNA amplification and the sequences were submitted to National Center for Biotechnology Information （NCBI）. All the isolates were classified by using Ribosomal Database Project （RDP） and found that isolates belongs to Proteobacteria and Bacteriodes. The average G＋C content was 56.4%. The isolates were screened for the presence of extracellular enzymes, viz. amylase, catalase, urease, esterase, lipase and protease. The disc diffusion method is used to screen antibiotic production by the isolates against four pathogenic bacteria, viz. Salmonella typhimurium （NCIM 2501）, Staphylococcus aureus （NCIM 2122）, Bacillus subtilis （NCIM 2193）, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa （NCIM 2036）. Nine out of 29 were found to be antibiotic producer.

Antenna Design and SAR Analysis on Human Head Phantom Simulation for Future Clinical Applications

Background: The rapid development of a variety of devices that emit Radiofrequency Electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) has sparked growing interest in their interaction with biological systems and the beneficial effects on human health. As a result, investigations have been driven by the potential for therapeutic applications, as well as concern for any possible negative health implications of these EM energies [1-4]. Recent results have indicated specific tuning of experimental and clinical RF exposure may lead to their clinical application toward beneficial health outcomes [5]. Method: In the current study, a mathematical and computer simulation model to analyze a specific RF-EMF exposure on a human head model was developed. Impetus for this research was derived from results of our previous experiments which revealed that Repeated Electromagnetic Field Stimulation (REMFS) decreased the toxic levels of beta amyloid (Aβ) in neuronal cells, thereby suggesting a new potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Throughout development of the proposed device, experimental variables such as the EM frequency range, specific absorption rate (SAR), penetration depth, and innate properties of different tissues have been carefully considered. Results: RF-EMF exposure to the human head phantom was performed utilizing a Yagi-Uda antenna type possessing high gain (in the order of 10 dbs) at a frequency of 64 MHz and SAR of 0.6 W/Kg. In order to maximize the EM power transmission in one direction, directors were placed in front of the driven element and reflectors were placed behind the driven element. So as to strategically direct the EM field into the center of the brain tissue, while providing field linearity, our analysis considered the field distribution for one versus four antennas. Within the provided dimensions of a typical human brain, results of the Bioheat equation within COMSOL Multiphysics version 5.2a software demonstrated less than a 1 m°K increase from the absorbed EM power.

Spatiotemporal Input Control:Leveraging Temporal Variation in Network Dynamics

The number of available control sources is a limiting factor to many network control tasks.A lack of input sources can result in compromised controllability and/or sub-optimal network performance,as noted in engineering applications such as the smart grids.The mechanism can be explained by a linear timeinvariant model,where structural controllability sets a lower bound on the number of required sources.Inspired by the ubiquity of time-varying topologies in the real world,we propose the strategy of spatiotemporal input control to overcome the source-related limit by exploiting temporal variation of the network topology.We theoretically prove that under this regime,the required number of sources can always be reduced to 2.It is further shown that the cost of control depends on two hyperparameters,the numbers of sources and intervals,in a trade-off fashion.As a demonstration,we achieve controllability over a complex network resembling the nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans using as few as 6%of the sources predicted by a static control model.This example underlines the potential of utilizing topological variation in complex network control problems.

Fluorogenic Detection of Duck Tembusu Virus( DTMUV ) by Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification(LAMP)

This study was to develop an efficient and simple method for the detection of duck Tembusu virus( DTMUV) by loop-mediated isothermal amplification( LAMP). Six pairs of LAMP primers were designed according to the conserved region of the DTMUV E gene sequence in Gen Bank,which were then used for the optimization of various reaction components and reaction system of specific LAMP for DTMUV. Further the fluorescent reagent SYBR Green I and a certain proportion of calcium and manganese ion were used to determin the color development of products for visible analysis instead of agarose gel electrophoresis. The results showed that the sensitivity SYBR Green I as the fluorescent reagent was 10 copies viruses per μL,which is 100 times higher than normal PCR method,while the detection limit of combined use of calcium and manganese ion was 1 000 copies viruses per μL. Although the sensitivity of mixture of calcium and manganese ion is lower than SYBR Green I,it can avoid the aerosol contamination. The fluorogenic analysis-based LAMP system established in our study has a high sensitivity and avoid the cross contamination,which is of huge potential in research institutions,grass-roots laboratories and field testing and can provide effective means to completely curb the occurrence and spreading of DTMUV.

Factors Influence on the Broaching Hammering Sound during Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background: The aim of this study is to identify the factors influence on the broaching hammering sound character during cementless total hip arthroplasty. Methods: We analyzed frequency spectrum of the hammering sound for 49 cases of uncomplicated cementless THAs using two types of proximal-coated stem performed by experienced surgeons. Normalized sound pressure (NSP) of each 0.5 kHz frequency band in final stage of broach procedure was determined by the fast Fourier transform analysis. The relationships between those sound characteristics and femoral morphology such as canal calcar ratio (CCR), Canal flare index (CFI), morphological cortical index (MCI) and femoral shaft length (FSL) in different cementless stem were investigated. Results: In Accolade 2, CCR was positively related to NSP in several bands [Frequency band (kHz);r: 2.0 - 2.5;0.37, 4.5 - 5.0;0.37, 9.5 - 10.0;0.44], and negatively related to 7.5 - 8.0 kHz (r = -0.39). Negative correlations were observed among CFI and MCI in specific frequency bands (4.5 - 5.0, 5.0 - 5.5, and 7.5 - 8.0 kHz). In Taperloc Microplasty, strong correlations were found between FSL and the NSP of 7.5. - 8.0 kHz (r = 0.78) and CCR and the 7.5 - 8.0 kHz bands. There was significant difference of NSPs between high and low group divided by morphological parameters. Acoustic characteristics of NSPs between Accolade 2 and Microplasty were significantly different in 9 frequency bands. Conclusions: The hammering sound correlated with four parameters of the femoral morphology and differed in different types of proximal-coated stem. Those novel five factors are important to consider when to predict complications using acoustic analysis.

A New Cerebroside, Asperiamide A, from Marine Fungus Asperillus sp.

Cerebrosides and ceramides[1] have been isolated from a number of marine organisms such as sea stars, sea anemones, gorgonians, sponges, tunicates, dinoflagellates, and green algae. Some cerebroside and ceramides exhibited cytotoxic, antitumor,[2,3] immunostimulatory,[4] antifungal,[5] and antiviral[6] activites. In the search for bioactive components,two water soluble constituents, asperiamide A and adenosine, were isolated from the marine fungus Asperillus sp. The current report describes the structural elucidation of a new compound, aspefiamide A (1) and a known one, adenosine (2).……

Three Novel Rhusouyangins A～Ｃ from the Roots of Rhus semialata

The root of Rhus semialata (Anacardiaceae) was a folk herb for treating diarrhea, spermatorrhea and malaria.[1,2]Recently, it was found to have other activity of inhibitors of Iκ Bα kinase.[3] inhibited human cell proliferation activated by IL-1β and IL-6, antifungal activity and antithrombin activity. The roots of it, collected from the island of Taiwan, was extracted with MeOH. The n-BuOH-soluble materials of the extract were subjected to Sephadex LH-20 (H2O/MeOH)column chromatography and then separated by RP-18 and Silica gel to yield rhusouyangins A (1), B (2), and C (3) as colorless amorphous solids, together with 2,3-cis-3,4-trans-4',7-dihydroxyflavan-3,4-diol, 2,3-trans-3,4-cis-4',7-dihydroxyflavan-3,4-diol, 3',5,5',7-tetrahydroxyflavanone.……

Effect of intraplaque angiogenesis to atherosclerotic rupture-prone plaque induced by high shear stress in rabbit model

Atherosclerotic prone-rupture plaque is mainly localized in the region of the entrance to the stenosiswith high shear stress and the reasons are largely unknown. Our hypothesis is that such a distributionof cells in atherosclerotic plaque may depend on the angiogenesis. Silastic collars inducedregions of high shear stress (20.6865.27 dynes/cm2) in the upstream flow and low shear stress(12.2561.28 dynes/cm2) in the downstream flow in carotid arteries. Compared with the low shearstress region, plaques in the high shear stress region showed more intraplaque haemorrhaging,less collagen and higher apoptotic rates of vascular smooth muscle cells;endothelial cells (ECs) inthe high shear stress region were characterized with integrity and high endothelial nitric oxidesynthase (eNOS) expression (1570.36345.5% vs 172.9649.9%). The number of intraplaque microvesselsis very high in the high shear stress region (1561.8 n/mm2 vs 3.560.4 n/mm2), and themicrovessels in the plaque show ECs were abnormal, with membrane blebs, intracytoplasmic vacuolesand leukocyte infiltration. Our current study reveals that the integrity of the endothelium andthe vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques are simultaneously localized in high shear stress regions,and we provide evidence for the first time that microvessels in the intraplaque maybe responsiblefor rupture-prone plaque formation in the high shear stress region.