Evaluation of parameters for monitoring an anaerobic co-digestion process

The system investigated in this study is an anaerobic digester at a municipal wastewater treatment plant operating on sludge from the wastewater treatment, co-digested with carbohydrate-rich food-processing waste. The digester is run below maximum capacity to prevent overload. Process monitoring at present is not extensive, even for the measurement of on-line gas production rate and off-line pH. Much could be gained if a better program for monitoring and control was developed, so that the full capacity of the system could be utilised without the risk of overload. The only limit presently set for correct process operation is that the pH should be above 6.8. In the present investigation, the pH was compared with alkalinity, gas production rate, gas composition and the concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA). Changes in organic load were monitored in the full-scale anaerobic digester and in laboratory-scale models of the plant. Gas-phase parameters showed a slow response to changes in load. The VFA concentrations were superior for indicating overload of the microbial system, but alkalinity and pH also proved to be good monitoring parameters. The possibility of using pH as a process indicator is, however, strongly dependent on the buffering capacity. In this study, a minor change in the amount of carbohydrates in the substrate had drastic effects on the buffering effect of the system. Received: 21 January 2000 / Received revision: 10 July 2000 / Accepted: 16 July 2000     

Seasonal changes in migratory and predatory activity of two species of gadoid preying on inshore northern shrimp Pandalus borealis

The interaction between two species of gadoid and a shrimp stock was studied in a 40 km long two-armed fjord in north-west Iceland. On the basis of acoustic and trawl surveys in 2005 and 2006, immature cod Gadus morhua and haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus were found to migrate to the inner part of the fjord in late summer, concurrent with rising temperatures. At the same time, the local northern shrimp Pandalus borealis stock retreated into the north-east arm of the fjord. Vertical distribution of acoustic targets indicated that a significant and temporally variable fraction of the gadoids was inaccessible to the trawl. Shrimp was a significant part of the diet of immature G. morhua, except in June 2006 when euphausiids comprised most of the diet of both G. morhua and M. aeglefinus. Shrimp was only a minor part of the diet of M. aeglefinus. An on-off relationship was observed in the catches of gadoids and shrimp. In hauls with large catches of gadoids, few shrimp were found and vice versa, indicating avoidance reaction at this spatial scale. The cooling in winter may have driven the gadoids to the outer parts of the fjord, which in turn may have aided in the dispersal of the shrimp stock in the following months.     

Daily endocrine profiles in parr and smolt Atlantic salmon

To elucidate possible mechanisms behind the endocrine control of parr–smolt transformation, the daily plasma profiles in thyroid hormones (TH; free thyroxine (FT₄), total thyroxine (TT₄), and total 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (TT₃)), growth hormone (GH) and cortisol were studied in Atlantic salmon parr and smolts under simulated-natural winter (8 L:16D) and spring (16.5 L:7.5D) photoperiods, respectively. Overall, TT₄, TT₃ and GH levels were higher in smolts than in parr, whereas FT₄ levels fluctuated within the same range in parr and smolts. Significant diurnal changes in plasma TH were present in parr. Both FT₄ and TT₄ levels increased during the photophase and decreased during the scotophase, while TT₃ levels followed an inverse pattern. Growth hormone showed no significant changes in parr. Changes in FT₄, TT₄, GH, and cortisol, but not TT₃, levels, were observed in smolts with peak levels during both the photophase and scotophase for FT₄, TT₄ and GH. Plasma cortisol was not assayed in parr but in smolts the peaks were associated with dusk and dawn. In addition to the general increases in TH, GH and cortisol, the distinct endocrine differences in nighttime levels between parr in the winter and smolts in the spring suggest different interactions between TH, GH, cortisol and melatonin at these different time points. These spring scotophase endocrine profiles may represent synergistic hormone interactions that promote smolt development, similar to the synergistic endocrine interactions shown to accelerate anuran metamorphosis. The variations in these diurnal rhythms between parr and smolts may represent part of the endocrine mechanism for the translation of seasonal information during salmon smoltification.     

Nitric Oxide Exposure of CC531 Rat Colon Carcinoma Cells Induces γ-glutamyltransferase which May Counteract Glutathione Depletion and Cell Death

&#110 -Glutamyltransferase (GGT) has a central role in glutathione homeostasis by initiating the breakdown of extracellular GSH. We investigated in the present study whether nitric oxide exposure of CC531 rat colon carcinoma cells modulates GGT and how the activity of the enzyme affects the level of intracellular GSH. The data show that GGT activity was induced in a dose-related manner by two NO-donors (spermineNONOate and nitrosoglutathione) and that antioxidants partly inhibited the induction. SpermineNONOate lowered intracellular GSH and induced apoptosis. Cultivating the cells in cystine-depleted medium also resulted in a 50% lowering of GSH, but this was avoided when GSH was added to the medium. This effect was mediated by the activity of GGT and shown after inhibiting GGT activity with acivicin and cyst(e)ine transporters with alanine and homocysteic acid. This shows that the cells benefit from GGT in maintaining the intracellular GSH level. Cells with induced GGT activity obtained after NO incubation showed a higher uptake rate of cysteine (2-fold), measured by incubating the cells with 35 S-radiolabeled GSH. The enzyme was also induced by interferon- &#110 and tumor necrosis factor- &#102, but this induction was not connected to activation of the endogenous nitric oxide synthase, as the addition of aminoguanidine, a NO-synthase inhibitor, did not affect the induction. The present study shows that the activity of GGT is upregulated by NO-donors and that the colon carcinoma cells, when cultivated in cystine-depleted medium, benefit from the enzyme in maintaining the intracellular level of GSH. Thus, the enzyme will add to the protective measures of the tumor cells during nitrosative stress.     

Increased daylength stimulates plasma growth hormone and gill Na+, K+-ATPase in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Atlantic salmon juveniles reared at constant temperature (9–10°C) were exposed to four photoperiod treatment and sampled every 2 weeks from January through May. Fish reared under normal photoperiod exhibited eight-and three fold increases in plasma growth hormone and gill Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity, respectively, between January and April. Fish exposed to abrupt increases in daylength (LD 15:9) in February or March responded with earlier increases in plasma growth hormone and gill Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity, and earlier decreases in condition factor relative to fish in the normal photoperiod group. Fish maintained under short daylength (LD 9:15) from January to May exhibited delayed and muted increases in plasma growth hormone and gill Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity. Plasma thyroxine exhibited a 2.5-fold increase from February to late March in the normal photoperiod group, was generally lower in the LD 9:15 group, but exhibited no obvious response to abrupt increases in daylength. There was an increase in plasma 3,5,3-triiodo-l-thyronine with time in all groups (43–80%) but no significant response to photoperiod. Plasma levels of somatostatin-25 were highest in the LD 9:15 group, but there was no detectable response to increased daylength in any of the photoperiod treatments. The results indicate that plasma growth hormone is responsive to increased daylength and may be causally related to subsequent increases in gill Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase.Abbreviations ANOVA two-way analysis of variance - BCA bicinchoninic acid - BSA Bovine serum albumin - EDTA ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid - ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - EST eastern standard time - GH growth hormone - GLU Glucagen - IgG Immunoglobulin G - INS Insulin - LDN Simulated natural photoperiod - RIA radio immuno assay - RIA radio immuno assay - SEI Sucrose EDTA imidazole - SS-25 somatostatin-25 - SW sea water - T ₃ 3,5,3 triiodo-l-thyronine - T ₄ thyroxine     

The influence of predator regime on reproductive traits in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gammarus</Emphasis> <Emphasis Type="Italic">pulex</Emphasis> populations

Selection on traits conferring reduced predation may be opposed by selection on other traits associated with reproduction. Here, we examined the hypothesis that traits associated with reproduction in Gammarus pulex are driven by predation. We studied G. pulex originating from ponds with two different kinds of predator regimes: (1) ponds with fish—often large, non-gap-limited predators and (2) ponds without fish where invertebrates are the dominant predators—often small, gap-limited predators with a much more restricted prey size range. We examined the body size of males and females in G. pulex amplexus pairs originating from fish and fishless ponds. We also examined, in the laboratory, their mating success, the number of offspring per female and offspring mortality under different rearing conditions, with or without fish cue. Mating success, defined as the percentage of amplexus pairs that produced live offspring, was higher for G. pulex from fishless ponds independent of rearing condition. Individuals from fish ponds were larger and they produced a higher number of offspring which tended to be related to female body size. Offspring mortality was higher in populations from fish ponds compared to populations from fishless ponds. Despite the higher offspring mortality, females from fish ponds had a higher number of offspring alive after 13 weeks, which is the approximate time it takes for G. pulex to reach maturity. Our data imply that no trade-off between reducing body size to reduce mortality caused by fish and maximising reproductive success exist in G. pulex from fish ponds. The strategy with many offspring may be the correct strategy in fishponds where predation pressure generally is higher than in fishless ponds.     

Adipose tissue extracts plasma ammonia after sprint exercise in women and men.

This study evaluates a possible contribution of adipose tissue to the elimination of plasma ammonia (NH(3)) after high-intensity sprint exercise. In 14 healthy men and women, repeated blood samples for plasma NH(3) analyses were obtained from brachial artery and from a subcutaneous abdominal vein before and after three repeated 30-s cycle sprints separated by 20 min of recovery. Biopsies from subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue were obtained and analyzed for glutamine and glutamate content. After exercise, both arterial and abdominal venous plasma NH(3) concentrations were lower in women than in men (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). All postexercise measurements showed sex-independent positive arterio-subcutaneous abdominal venous plasma NH(3) concentration differences (a-v(abd)), indicating a net uptake of NH(3) from blood to adipose tissue. However, the fractional extraction (a-v(abd)/a) of NH(3) was higher in women than in men (P < 0.05). The glutamine-to-glutamate ratio in adipose tissue was increased after the second and third bout of sprint exercise (2.2 +/- 0.7 and 1.6 +/- 0.8, respectively) compared with the value at rest (1.2 +/- 0.6), suggesting a reaction of the extracted NH(3) with glutamate resulting in its conversion to glutamine. Adipose tissue may thus play an important physiological role in eliminating plasma NH(3) and thereby reducing the risk of NH(3) intoxication after high-intensity exercise.     

Biogas production from crop residues on a farm-scale level in Sweden: scale, choice of substrate and utilisation rate most important parameters for financial feasibility

Anaerobic digestion would enable the energy potential of agricultural crop residues such as ley crops and sugar beet tops to be harnessed in Sweden. In the present study, the financial prospects of single-stage fed-batch high-solids digestion on three different scales, 51, 67, and 201 kW, were calculated on the basis of experimental results and observations. In addition to scale, the effects of methane yield and fertiliser recovery (compared to green manuring) was investigated by testing different substrate mixtures. The biogas was disposed as heat, combined heat and power, or as vehicle fuel. Besides the positive effect of scale, the results indicate the importance of choosing substrates with a high methane yield and high nitrogen content, and the necessity of fully utilising both the capacity of the equipment installed and the energy carriers produced. Net unit costs of 5.3 and 8.1 €ct/kWh were achieved (201 kW), heat and vehicle fuel, respectively.Parts of this work originally presented at the 4th international symposium on Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Waste, Copenhagen 2005.     

Analytical decomposition can help to interpret ankle joint moment-angle relationship

Moment-angle relationship (dynamic joint stiffness)--the relationship between changes in joint moment and changes in joint angle--is useful for demonstrating interaction of kinematics and kinetics during gait. However, the individual contributors of dynamic joint stiffness are not well studied and understood, which has thus far limited its clinical application. In this study, ankle dynamic joint stiffness was analyzed and decomposed into three components in thirty able-bodied children during the stance phase of the gait. To verify the accuracy of the decomposition, the sum of decomposed components was compared to stiffness computed from experimental data, and good to very good agreement was found. Component 1, the term associated with changes in ground reaction force moment, was the dominant contribution to ankle dynamic joint stiffness. Retrospective data from eight children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and idiopathic toe-walking was examined to explore the potential utility of analytical decomposition in pathological gait. Compared to controls, component 1 was the source of highest deviation in both pathological groups. Specifically, ankle dynamic joint stiffness differences can be further identified via two sub-components of component 1 which are based on magnitudes and rates of change of the ground reaction force and of its moment arm, and differences between the two patient groups and controls were most evident and interpretable here. Findings of the current study indicate that analytical decomposition can help identify the individual contributors to joint stiffness and clarify the sources of differences in patient groups.