Ecology of microalgae in a high rate pond for piggery effluent purification in Singapore

Summary An integrated system for the collection, treatment and utilisation of piggery wastewater has been developed in Singapore which uses the cultivation of microalgae in high rate ponds to achieve reduction of BOD₅ and COD₅ of the effluent as well as producing single cell protein. A wide range of algal flora occurs in the ponds;Oocystis, Micratinium, Scenedesmus, Ankistrodesmus, Chlorella andOscillatoria spp were identified. Total algal counts, recorded from 1979 to 1981, ranged up to 10⁷ per ml of pond water. There were considerable variations in the algal population and in the predominating species. No discernible pattern was evident. Consequently pond operations were frequently disturbed by these fluctuations in population which in turn was attributed to the heterogeneous composition of the piggery waste, to variable weather conditions and to predation by larger organisms particularlyMoina. After passing through the ponds, the total suspended solids were removed by a novel dissolved air flotation method which gave a clear effluent showing an 87% reduction in BOD₅ value.

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Resumen En Singapur se ha desrrollado un sistema integrado para le recogida, tratamiento y utilización de aguas residuales de pocilgas. Este sistema usa el cultivo de microalgas en estanques, de caudal rápido afin de reducir las DBO₅ y DCO₅ del efluencte produciendo asimismo proteínas celulares. La flora de algas producida en estos estanques es amplia y variada, habiendose identificado:Oocystis, Micratinium, Scenesdemus, Ankistrodesmus, Chlorella y Oscillatoria. Los recuentos totales de algas tomados desde 1979 a 1981 llegaron a alcanzar 10;⁷ por ml de agua del estanque. Se observaron variaciones considerables tanto en la población total de algas como en las especies predominantes sin que se pudiese, determinar un patrón de variación característico. Estas fluctuaciones en la población, causantes de frecuentes alteraciones en el funcionamiento del estanque, se atribuyeron a la composición heterogenea de los resuduos, a las variaciones climáticas y la predación por otros organismos particularmenteMoina Después de su paso por los estanque los solidos suspendidos totales se eliminaron mediante un nuevo método de flotación con aire disuelto, obteniendose un efluente limpio con una reducción de la DBO₅ del 87%.

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Résumé Un système intégré pour la collecte, le traitement et l'utilisation d'eaux résiduaires de porcherie a été développé à Singapoure. Il utilise la culture de micro-algues tant pour la réduction accélérée en lagune de la DBO₅ et de la DCO de l'effluent que pour la production de protéines uni-cellulaires. On trouve une large gamme de flore algale dans les lagunes; des espèces d'-Oocystis, deMicratinium, deScenedesmus, Ankistrodesmus, deChlorella etd'Oscillatoria out été identifiées. Les comptages totaux d'algues, enregistrées de 1979 à 1981, ont donné jusqu' à 10⁷ cellules par ml d'eau de la lagune. On a observé des variations considérables de population algale tant quantitatives que qualitatives. On ne discernait pas de spectres évidents. En conséquence, les opérations lagunaires ont été fréquemment perturbées par ces fermentations en population, qui, à leur tour, ont été attribuées à la composition hétérogène de l'effluent de porcherie, aux conditions atmosphériques et climatiques variables et à la prédation par des organismes plus conséquents, plus particulièrement desMoina. Après passage par les lagunes, les solides totaux en suspension ont été enlevés par une méthode nouvelle de flottation à l'air dissous, qui a donné un effluent limpide, présentant une réduction de DBO₅ de 87%.

     

Species preservations in an optimal harvest model with random prices

In this paper, we consider an optimal harvest model in which the objective is to maximize the expected return. The unit price of biomass is assumed constant until a random time when the price increases by a given amount. Furthermore, due to obvious environmental protection requirements, it is assumed that the fishery population is bounded from below for all time so as to reduce the danger of species extinction. Clearly, this problem is an optimal control problem in which a random parameter is involved. However, due to its special structure, it is shown that the problem is convertible into a deterministic optimal control problem and hence is solvable by an existing optimal control software package, MISER. The practical implication of several computed results obtained by this approach is discussed. They are also compared with other related results in the literature.     

Recent Advances in Understanding Proteins Involved in Lipid Droplet Formation,Growth and Fusion

Lipid droplets （LDs） were once viewed as simple, inert lipid micelles. However, they are now known to be organelles with a rich proteome involved in a myriad of cellular processes. LDs are heterogeneous in nature with different sizes and compositions of phospholipids, neutral lipids and proteins. This review takes a focused look at the roles of proteins involved in the regulation of LD formation, expansion, and morphology. The related proteins are summarized such as the fat-specific protein （Fsp27）, fat storage-inducing trans- membrane （FIT） proteins, seipin and ADP-ribosylation factor 1-coat protein complex I （Arf-COPI）. Finally, we present important challenges in LD biology for a deeper understanding of this dynamic organelle to be achieved.     

Nonvulnerability of ecosystems in unpredictable environments

One way to bracket the effects of a real environment on an ecosystem during a finite time interval is to use the concept of vulnerability. If a deterministic model ecosystem has a good Lyapunov function, it may be possible to derive simple and useful tests for the system to be nonvulnerable. For a subset of Lotka-Volterra models, the system is nonvulnerable if the smallest eigenvalue of a certain matrix is not only positive, but is greater than a positive number, which depends on a priori estimates for the bounds on the unpredictable forcing functions. The bounded but unknown functions which act on the Lotka-Volterra equations also can be interpreted as errors in the system's equations which can be tolerated without a qualitative change in the behaviour of its solutions.     

Functional and Molecular Surveillance of Helicobacter pylori Antibiotic Resistance in Kuala Lumpur

Background

Helicobacter pylori is the etiological agent for diseases ranging from chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer disease to gastric adenocarcinoma and primary gastric B-cell lymphoma. Emergence of resistance to antibiotics possesses a challenge to the effort to eradicate H. pylori using conventional antibiotic-based therapies. The molecular mechanisms that contribute to the resistance of these strains have yet to be identified and are important for understanding the evolutional pattern and selective pressure imposed by the environment.

Methods and Findings

H. pylori was isolated from 102 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal diseases, who underwent endoscopy at University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). The isolates were tested for their susceptibility on eleven antibiotics using Etest. Based on susceptibility test, 32.3% of the isolates were found to have primary metronidazole resistance; followed by clarithromycin (6.8%) and fluoroquinolones (6.8%). To further investigate the resistant strains, mutational patterns of gene rdxA, frxA, gyrA, gyrB, and 23S rRNA were studied. Consistent with the previous reports, metronidazole resistance was prevalent in the local population. However, clarithromycin, fluoroquinolone and multi-drug resistance were shown to be emerging. Molecular patterns correlated well with phenotypic data. Interestingly, multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains were found to be associated with higher minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) than their single-drug resistant (SDR) counterparts. Most importantly, clarithromycin-resistant strains were suggested to have a higher incidence for developing multi-drug resistance.

Conclusion

Data from this study highlighted the urgency to monitor closely the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the Malaysian population; especially that of clarithromycin and multi-drug resistance. Further study is needed to understand the molecular association between clarithromycin resistance and multi-drug resistance in H. pylori. The report serves a reminder that a strict antibiotic usage policy is needed in Malaysia and other developing countries (especially those where H. pylori prevalence remained high).