Potential for up-scaling Nimr reed bed facilities, Oman : feasibility study

This report describes the findings of a feasibility study to treat oil contaminated water using reed beds, and consume the treated saline water using forestry. The feasibility study focused on the social, technical and economical feasibility of a project designed to process 45,000 m3 of water per day. Possible effects of a large scale operation on interactions between Petroleum Development Oman and local population are listed, and suggestions on the social processes involved are made. The economics of reed bed water treatment and water consumption through the use of forestry are determined and compared with the current practise of deep well disposal. The economics of the treatment-forestry system are more favorable than the economics of the deep well disposal. The technical analysis shows that the reed beds are able to treat water to remove hydrocarbons, and suggestions for management, design and development of the system are given

Utilizing shallow ground water

Presented at Contemporary challenges for irrigation and drainage: proceedings from the USCID 14th technical conference on irrigation, drainage and flood control held on June 3-6, 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona.Includes bibliographical references.Shallow ground water in arid irrigated areas has generally been treated as a waste product of irrigation which was to be discharged into an available water course for ultimate disposal in an ocean. This practice is no longer environmentally acceptable and means need to be developed to minimize the environmental impact of uncontrolled discharge of drainage water from irrigated lands. This paper presents the results of field and theoretical studies which demonstrate methods to reduce and minimize the volume of drainage water for disposal. The field studies demonstrated the use of subsurface drip irrigation with modified crop coefficients to increase the water use from shallow ground water, and the use of control structures on drainage systems to control the depth to shallow ground water to improve the water use by the crop from shallow ground water. Application of these techniques resulted in significant use of ground water by cotton and tomato. The theoretical studies demonstrated that using new drainage design criteria will result in less drainage discharge and lower salt loads. Improved irrigation efficiency will have the largest impact on reducing total drainage discharge

Место и роль ценностей в механизме социализации

В статье рассматривается специфика механизма социализации и проблема ценностных ориентаций в условиях социокультурных трансформаций украинского общества. Определяются ценностные ориентиры гражданского общества как приоритетного для Украины.У статті розглядається специфика механізму соціалізації і проблема цінностних орієнтацій в умовах соціокультурних трансформацій українського суспільства. Визначаються цінностні орієнтири громадянського суспільства як приоритетного для України.The article deals with peculiarities of socialization and the problem of value ori-entation under the conditions of socio-cultural transformations of the Ukrainian society. We also define value orientation of the civil society as optimal for Ukraine

Redox changes during the cell cycle in the embryonic root meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana

Aims: The aim of this study was to characterize redox changes in the nuclei and cytosol occurring during the mitotic cell cycle in the embryonic roots of germinating Arabidopsis seedlings, and to determine how redox cycling was modified in mutants with a decreased capacity for ascorbate synthesis. Results: Using an in vivo reduction-oxidation (redox) reporter (roGFP2), we show that transient oxidation of the cytosol and the nuclei occurred at G1 in the synchronized dividing cells of the Arabidopsis root apical meristem, with reduction at G2 and mitosis. This redox cycle was absent from low ascorbate mutants in which nuclei were significantly more oxidized than controls. The cell cycle-dependent increase in nuclear size was impaired in the ascorbate-deficient mutants, which had fewer cells per unit area in the root proliferation zone. The transcript profile of the dry seeds and size of the imbibed seeds was strongly influenced by low ascorbate but germination, dormancy release and seed aging characteristics were unaffected. Innovation: These data demonstrate the presence of a redox cycle within the plant cell cycle and that the redox state of the nuclei is an important factor in cell cycle progression. Conclusions: Controlled oxidation is a key feature of the early stages of the plant cell cycle. However, sustained mild oxidation restricts nuclear functions and impairs progression through the cell cycle leading to fewer cells in the root apical meristem

Changes in Global Gene Expression in Response to Chemical and Genetic Perturbation of Chromatin Structure

DNA methylation is important for controlling gene expression in all eukaryotes. Microarray analysis of mutant and chemically-treated Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings with reduced DNA methylation revealed an altered gene expression profile after treatment with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-aza-2′ deoxycytidine (5-AC), which included the upregulation of expression of many transposable elements. DNA damage-response genes were also coordinately upregulated by 5-AC treatment. In the ddm1 mutant, more specific changes in gene expression were observed, in particular for genes predicted to encode transposable elements in centromeric and pericentromeric locations. These results confirm that DDM1 has a very specific role in maintaining transcriptional silence of transposable elements, while chemical inhibitors of DNA methylation can affect gene expression at a global level

Novel HBsAg mutations correlate with hepatocellular carcinoma, hamper HBsAg secretion and promote cell proliferation in vitro

An impaired HBsAg-secretion can increase HBV oncogenic-properties. Here, we investigate genetic-determinants in HBsAg correlated with HBV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and their impact on HBsAg-secretion and cell-proliferation

Arabidopsis thaliana telomeres exhibit euchromatic features

Telomere function is influenced by chromatin structure and organization, which usually involves epigenetic modifications. We describe here the chromatin structure of Arabidopsis thaliana telomeres. Based on the study of six different epigenetic marks we show that Arabidopsis telomeres exhibit euchromatic features. In contrast, subtelomeric regions and telomeric sequences present at interstitial chromosomal loci are heterochromatic. Histone methyltransferases and the chromatin remodeling protein DDM1 control subtelomeric heterochromatin formation. Whereas histone methyltransferases are required for histone H3K92Me and non-CpG DNA methylation, DDM1 directs CpG methylation but not H3K92Me or non-CpG methylation. These results argue that both kinds of proteins participate in different pathways to reinforce subtelomeric heterochromatin formation

Ceramic Water Filter for Point-Of-Use Water Treatment in Developing Countries: Principles, Challenges and Opportunities

Drinking water source contamination poses a great threat to human health in developing countries. Point-of-use (POU) water treatment techniques, which improve drinking water quality at the household level, offer an affordable and convenient way to obtain safe drinking water and thus can reduce the outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Ceramic water filters (CWFs), fabricated from locally sourced materials and manufactured by local labor, are one of the most socially acceptable POU water treatment technologies because of their effectiveness, low-cost and ease of use. This review concisely summarizes the critical factors that influence the performance of CWFs, including (1) CWF manufacturing process (raw material selection, firing process, silver impregnation), and (2) source water quality. Then, an in-depth discussion is presented with emphasis on key research efforts to address two major challenges of conventional CWFs, including (1) simultaneous increase of filter flow rate and bacterial removal efficiency, and (2) removal of various concerning pollutants, such as viruses and metal(loid)s. To promote the application of CWFs, future research directions can focus on: (1) investigation of pore size distribution and pore structure to achieve higher flow rates and effective pathogen removal by elucidating pathogen transport in porous ceramic and adjusting manufacture parameters; and (2) exploration of new surface modification approaches with enhanced interaction between a variety of contaminants and ceramic surfaces

Induction of epigenetic variation in Arabidopsis by over-expression of DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (MET1)

Epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation and histone modification can vary among plant accessions creating epi-alleles with different levels of expression competence. Mutations in epigenetic pathway functions are powerful tools to induce epigenetic variation. As an alternative approach, we investigated the potential of over-expressing an epigenetic function, using DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (MET1) for proof-of-concept. In Arabidopsis thaliana, MET1 controls maintenance of cytosine methylation at symmetrical CG positions. At some loci, which contain dense DNA methylation in CG- and non-CG context, loss of MET1 causes joint loss of all cytosines methylation marks. We find that over-expression of both catalytically active and inactive versions of MET1 stochastically generates new epi-alleles at loci encoding transposable elements, non-coding RNAs and proteins, which results for most loci in an increase in expression. Individual transformants share some common phenotypes and genes with altered gene expression. Altered expression states can be transmitted to the next generation, which does not require the continuous presence of the MET1 transgene. Long-term stability and epigenetic features differ for individual loci. Our data show that over-expression of MET1, and potentially of other genes encoding epigenetic factors, offers an alternative strategy to identify epigenetic target genes and to create novel epi-alleles