Kinetic studies of overlapping pyrolysis reactions in industrial waste activated sludge

A sludge pyrolytic kinetics model was established in this study. Two types of sewage sludge from different industrial wastewater treatment plant produced different DTG (Derivative Thermogravimetry) shapes with an overlapping pattern. The multi-heating rate method was conducted to evaluate the kinetics for obtaining reasonable pyrolysis mechanisms and DTG curves were divided into several peaks using the Lorentz fitting method based on the composition of the sludge and the desire for precision. The peaks formed corresponded to the pyrolysis reactions of volatile matter, microbe cells, proteins, inorganic substances and char respectively, which can be reasonably explained based on the results from the flue gas analyzer and the chemical analysis. Two types of sewage sludge were found to have similar pyrolysis mechanisms. Reasonable reasons were also given to explain the distortion and lag observed in the DTG curves and pyrolysis mechanism.     

Carriage, quantification, and predominance of methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria in faecal samples

AIMS: To determine carriage rates and densities of methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria in adults and children using molecular methods, and to also determine if a reciprocal relationship exists between these organisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Real-time PCR was used to detect and quantify methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Real-time PCR was more sensitive than breath methane measurements. Real-time PCR assays were applied to faecal DNA samples collected from 40 children and 12 adults. Methanogens were present in 25% of the children and 42% of the adults studied, and sulfate-reducing bacteria were detected in 15% of the children and 58% of the adults. High levels of sulfate-reducing bacteria were found in two methanogenic adults. CONCLUSIONS: Carriage rates and densities of methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria are greater in adults than in children. Competition does not necessarily lead to the predominance of one group in the faecal microflora. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study describes sensitive, molecular assays that could be used to monitor these organisms in gastrointestinal disease. Therapeutic exclusion of one group from the bowel would not necessarily lead to the expansion of the other, as there does not appear to be a reciprocal relationship between these groups.     

生物样本库的建立与管理

目的:探讨医学研究中样本库的建库条件,样本的采集、保存和质量控制,以及样本库的信息化管理等问题。方法:流行病学现场采集人群的全血、血浆等标本,按分子生物学实验要求分装处理,于液氮或-80℃低温冷冻保存;建立了一套信息管理软件应用于样本库的管理。结果:2004年7月至2009年12月收集维吾尔族、哈萨克族、汉族人群的各类样本达2万余份,并且已应用于新疆民族高发性疾病的研究,效果良好。结论:生物标本库的建立,有利于合理有效地利用资源。     

Stochasticity,spikes and decoding: sufficiency and utility of order statistics

For over 75 years it has been clear that the number of spikes in a neural response is an important part of the neuronal code. Starting as early as the 1950’s with MacKay and McCullough, there has been speculation over whether each spike and its exact time of occurrence carry information. Although it is obvious that the firing rate carries information it has been less clear as to whether there is information in exactly timed patterns, when they arise from the dynamics of the neurons and networks, as opposed to when they represent some strong external drive that entrains them. One strong null hypothesis that can be applied is that spike trains arise from stochastic sampling of an underlying deterministic temporally modulated rate function, that is, there is a time-varying rate function. In this view, order statistics seem to provide a sufficient theoretical construct to both generate simulated spike trains that are indistinguishable from those observed experimentally, and to evaluate (decode) the data recovered from experiments. It remains to learn whether there are physiologically important signals that are not described by such a null hypothesis. This article is part of a special issue on Neuronal Dynamics of Sensory Coding.     

An Isaria fumosorosea SCAR marker for evaluation of soil,insect, and airborne samples

Molecular detection markers are needed for ecological studies of entomopathogenic fungi. In this study, a sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker of Isaria fumosorosea was used to detect the fungus in soil, insects, and airborne samples. These were artificially added with different fungal conidial concentrations. Specificity and sensitivity were tested with semi-nested PCR using oligonucleotides E-AA/M-CTA₁₂₄ F and E-AA/M-CTA₁₂₄ R for the first amplification and E-AA/M-CTA₁₂₄ F and E-AA/M-CTA₁₀₃ R for the second amplification. Specificity assays showed a specific band of 103 bp for DNA samples from 10 I. fumosorosea strains used. Negative results were observed for DNA samples from other species of Isaria, including I. amoene-rosea, I. farinosa, and Paecilomyces carneus as well as with other entomopathogens such as Metarhizium acridum, M. anisopliae, M. majus, M. flavoviride Type E, and Lecanicillium lecanii. Sensitivity assays showed that the specific SCAR marker detected 10⁴ conidia from I. fumosorosea EH-511/3 that were artificially mixed with soil, from 1 to 10⁴ conidia artificially mixed with Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and from 10 to 10⁵ conidia in Melinex tape for airborne samples. The marker was also able to detect conidia in airborne samples from cotton wicks in a mini wind tunnel. These SCAR markers for I. fumosorosea had excellent specificity and sensitivity and are relevant tools for ecological studies of this fungus.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of magnesium ions in water,ampoule, and suspension samples using a fluorescent azothiazol-benzenesulfonamide derivative

In this study, a fluorescence azothiazol-benzenesulfonamide derivative (M-sensor) was prepared for the determination of Mg²⁺ ions in different samples. The utilized M-sensor exhibited an emission fluorescence activity at 587 nm upon excitation at 537 nm. The developed method was based on the quenching effect of Mg²⁺ ions on the fluorescence intensity of the M-sensor with the above-mentioned fluorescence features. Furthermore, the utilized M-sensor was complexed with Mg²⁺ ions in the molar ratio of 1:1 (Mg²⁺ to M-sensor) and the selectivity of M-sensor toward Mg²⁺ against other metals ions, and the reversibility and reusability of the sensor were studied and verified. After optimization of the fluorometric detection, the quenching effect was directly proportional to the increase in the concentration of Mg²⁺ in the linear range 100–600 ng ml⁻¹ with a limit of detection value of 18 ng ml⁻¹. The fluorescence sensor was successfully applied with good recovery for the determination of Mg²⁺ in water samples and different pharmaceutical samples (ampoules and suspension) without any interference from aluminium.     

Millimeter wave power density in aqueous biological samples

Power density distribution inside a water sample placed between two parallel lossy dielectric plates (Polystyrene) was calculated using Fresnel equations for the frequency range of 42.25-53.57 GHz. Due to the multiple internal reflections from the sample boundaries, the distribution of the power density within the thin sample is more uniform than that within a semi-infinite medium. The power density in a sample depends on the thicknesses of the sample and the adjacent dielectric plates. For the given frequency range the sample thickness optimal for power density uniformity varies between 0.28 and 0.33 mm. The front plate has a significant effect on the magnitude of the power density within the sample but little effect on the power density distribution. The thicker the rear plate, the greater is the non uniformity of the power density distribution within the sample. Based on the calculated data, we determined the dimension of an exposure chamber providing the optimal power density distribution uniformity for mm-wave irradiation.     

Detection of Legionella pneumophila in water samples by species-specific real-time and nested PCR assays

AIMS: Legionella pneumophila is a contaminant of man-made water systems, including potable water, cooling towers, water systems of large buildings, etc. It is the most common causative agent of legionellosis, a respiratory infection, which may give rise to restricted outbreaks. To survey environmental water samples from hospitals and private habitations in Bologna, we developed a species-specific nested and a TaqMan real-time PCR for the detection of L. pneumophila. We compared the two assays and both to cultural isolation. METHODS AND RESULTS: The targeted gene was macrophage infectivity potentiator (mip), conserved in L. pneumophila, and divergent in other legionellae. One assay was based on a nested PCR and the other on a TaqMan real-time PCR protocol. Their sensitivities were 14 % or 5% higher than that of cultural isolation respectively. The detection limits were 1-2 genome equivalents per 50-microl reaction. Specificity was assessed using DNA from nine target and 20 nontarget organisms. CONCLUSIONS: When applied to water samples, both assays detected L. pneumophila at 80% or higher frequency. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The species-specific molecular diagnosis of L. pneumophila by means of nested PCR does not require a specific instrumentation, exhibits a high sensitivity, and is advantageous over the cultural isolation and real-time PCR detection. It allows to quickly monitor water samples for the risk assessment of environmental contaminations.     

Summary statistics of neutral mutations in longitudinal DNA samples

Longitudinal samples of DNA sequences are the DNA sequences sampled from the same population at different time points. For fast evolving organisms, e.g. RNA virus, these kind of samples have increasingly been used to study the evolutionary process in action. Longitudinal samples provide some interesting new summary statistics of genetic variation, such as the frequency of mutation of size i in one sample and size j in another, the average number of mutations accumulated since the common ancestor of two sequences each from a different sample, and number of private, shared and fixed mutations within samples. To make the results more applicable, we used in this study a general two-sample model, which assumes two longitudinal samples were taken from the same measurably evolving population. Inspired by the HIV study, we also studied a two-sample-two-stage model, which is a special case of two-sample model and assumes a treatment after the first sampling instantaneously changes the population size. We derived the formulas for calculating statistical properties, e.g. expectations, variances and covariances, of these new summary statistics under the two models. Potential applications of these results were discussed.     

Structure-activity relationships of bifunctional cyclic disulfide peptides based on overlapping pharmacophores at opioid and cholecystokinin receptors

Prolonged opioid exposure increases the expression of cholecystokinin (CCK) and its receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), where CCK may attenuate the antinociceptive effects of opioids. The complex interactions between opioid and CCK may play a role in the development of opioid tolerance. We designed and synthesized cyclic disulfide peptides and determined their agonist properties at opioid receptors and antagonist properties at CCK receptors. Compound 1 (Tyr-c[d-Cys-Gly-Trp-Cys]-Asp-Phe-NH(2)) showed potent binding and agonist activities at delta and mu opioid receptors but weak binding to CCK receptors. The NMR structure of the lead compound displayed similar conformational features of opioid and CCK ligands.