Microbiology of solar salt ponds

Solar salt ponds are shallow ponds of brines that range in salinity from that of normal seawater (3.4 percent) through NaCl saturation. Some salterns evaporate brines to the potash stage of concentration (bitterns). All the brines (except the bitterns, which are devoid of life) harbor high concentrations of microorganisms. The high concentrations of microorganisms and their adaptation to life in the salt pond are discussed

Sulfur reduction in sediments of marine and evaporite environments

Transformations of sulfur in sediments of ponds ranging in salinities from that of normal seawater to those of brines saturated with sodium chloride were examined. The chemistry of the sediment and pore waters were focused on with emphasis on the fate of sulfate reduction. The effects of increasing salinity on both forms of sulfur and microbial activity were determined. A unique set of chemical profiles and sulfate-reducing activity was found for the sediments of each of the sites examined. The quantity of organic matter in the salt pond sediments was significantly greater than that occurring in the adjacent intertidal site. The total quantitative and qualitative distribution of volatile fatty acids was also greater in the salt ponds. Volatile fatty acids increased with salinity

Marshall Space Flight Center Electromagnetic Compatibility Design and Interference Control (MEDIC) handbook

The purpose of the MEDIC Handbook is to provide practical and helpful information in the design of electrical equipment for electromagnetic compatibility (EMS). Included is the definition of electromagnetic interference (EMI) terms and units as well as an explanation of the basic EMI interactions. An overview of typical NASA EMI test requirements and associated test setups is given. General design techniques to minimize the risk of EMI and EMI suppression techniques at the board and equipment interface levels are presented. The Handbook contains specific EMI test compliance design techniques and retrofit fixes for noncompliant equipment. Also presented are special tests that are useful in the design process or in instances of specification noncompliance

Low and high beta band activity in the primary sensorimotor cortex is diminished by ipsilateral subthalamic stimulation in Parkinsonian patients [Abstract]

Objective: We analyzed how change of the low and high beta power in the primary sensorimotor cortex relates to different levels of subthalamic stimulation; we hypothesized that it is a suitable biomarker for a closed-loop system. Background: Beta power in the motor system is shown to indicate the kinetic state in Parkinson’s disease. Method: We recruited 20 Parkinsonian patients. Bradykinesia of the most affected hand was measured first with Kinesia motion sensor system (Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies) in medication withdrawal; and four levels of contralateral stimulation (0: OFF, 1-3: decreasing symptoms to ON state) was individually selected. We performed 64-channel electroencephalography (EEG) measurement during a resting state with the four levels of stimulation settings mentioned above. We stimulated the usually used contacts during the whole study, and the ipsilateral stimulation remained ON and unchanged. The 2 minutes long EEG segments were cleaned from DBS artifacts by in-house algorithms. We performed line-noise removal; eye blinks and muscle artifacts were eliminated using ICA analyses. We calculated spectral power at the low (13-20Hz) and high (21-30Hz) beta frequency bands at the sensorimotor cortical region both sides using a beamformer algorithm called the Dynamic Imaging of Coherent Sources. We used repeated measures ANOVA to compare power values in the different locations and stimulation conditions in the two frequency bands. The Medical Research Council in Hungary provided ethical approval. (080958/2015/OTIG). Results: Resting state low- and high-frequency beta power in the primary sensorimotor cortex gradually decreased with the elevation of the ipsilateral stimulation level. In the continuously stimulated contralateral hemisphere, beta power remained at the baseline level. The beta power values measured in the two hemispheres were significantly different in stimulation levels 0-2 but not in level 3 (p < 0.05) both in the low- and high-frequency bands. Conclusion: The change of beta power in the primary sensorimotor cortex during STN-DBS is strictly ipsilateral, and depends on the level of stimulation. Beta power in the sensorimotor cortex could be a potential biomarker for closed-loop DBS. The support of Medtronic Inc. for this project is gratefully acknowledged

Is there a common water-activity limit for the three domains of life?

Archaea and Bacteria constitute a majority of life systems on Earth but have long been considered inferior to Eukarya in terms of solute tolerance. Whereas the most halophilic prokaryotes are known for an ability to multiply at saturated NaCl (water activity (a w) 0.755) some xerophilic fungi can germinate, usually at high-sugar concentrations, at values as low as 0.650-0.605 a w. Here, we present evidence that halophilic prokayotes can grow down to water activities of <0.755 for Halanaerobium lacusrosei (0.748), Halobacterium strain 004.1 (0.728), Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 and Halococcus morrhuae (0.717), Haloquadratum walsbyi (0.709), Halococcus salifodinae (0.693), Halobacterium noricense (0.687), Natrinema pallidum (0.681) and haloarchaeal strains GN-2 and GN-5 (0.635 a w). Furthermore, extrapolation of growth curves (prone to giving conservative estimates) indicated theoretical minima down to 0.611 a w for extreme, obligately halophilic Archaea and Bacteria. These were compared with minima for the most solute-tolerant Bacteria in high-sugar (or other non-saline) media (Mycobacterium spp., Tetragenococcus halophilus, Saccharibacter floricola, Staphylococcus aureus and so on) and eukaryotic microbes in saline (Wallemia spp., Basipetospora halophila, Dunaliella spp. and so on) and high-sugar substrates (for example, Xeromyces bisporus, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Aspergillus and Eurotium spp.). We also manipulated the balance of chaotropic and kosmotropic stressors for the extreme, xerophilic fungi Aspergillus penicilloides and X. bisporus and, via this approach, their established water-activity limits for mycelial growth (∼0.65) were reduced to 0.640. Furthermore, extrapolations indicated theoretical limits of 0.632 and 0.636 a w for A. penicilloides and X. bisporus, respectively. Collectively, these findings suggest that there is a common water-activity limit that is determined by physicochemical constraints for the three domains of life

Sinteza i antihipoksično djelovanje alifatskih i arilalifatskih amida kofein-8-tioglikolne kiseline

The synthesis of some aliphatic and arylaliphatic amides of caffeine-8-thioglycolic acid was studied. The structures of synthesized compounds were proved by microanalyses, IR- and 1H NMR data. Values of acute p.o. and i.p. toxicity in mice show lower toxicity compared to caffeine. Declines in spontaneous locomotor activity support the idea of depressive CNS activity of the compounds. Two compounds exhibited brain antihypoxic activity (5a and 5b against haemic and circulatory hypoxia, respectively).U radu je opisana sinteza alifatskih i arilalifatskih amida kofein-8-tioglikolne kiseline i njihova karakterizacija elementarnom analizom, IR- i 1H NMR spektroskopijom. Testiranja na miševima pokazuju da su sintetizirani spojevi primijenjeni p.o. i i.p. manje toksični od kofeina. Smanjenje lokomotoričke aktivnosti podupire ideju o njihovom depresivnom djelovanju na SŽS. Spojevi 5a i 5b djeluju antihipoksički u uvjetima krvne i cirkulacijske hipoksije u mozgu

Intakes of fruits and vegetables, carotenoids and vitamins A, E, C in relation to the risk of bladder cancer in the ATBC cohort study

We examined the relation between dietary fruit and vegetables, carotenoids and vitamin intakes and the risk of bladder cancer among male smokers in a prospective cohort study. Over a median of 11 years, we followed 27 111 male smokers aged 50–69 years who were initially enrolled in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study. During this period, 344 men developed bladder cancer. All of these men had completed a 276-food item dietary questionnaire at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the relative risks and 95% confidence intervals and to simultaneously adjust for age, smoking history, energy intake and intervention group. Consumption of fruits and vegetables was not associated with the risk of bladder cancer (relative risk=1.28; 95% confidence intervals CI: 0.89–1.84, for highest vs lowest quintile). Similarly, no associations were observed for groups of fruits or vegetables (berries and cruciferous vegetables), or for specific fruits and vegetables. Dietary intakes of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein/zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, vitamins A, E, and C, and folate were not related to the risk of bladder cancer. These findings suggest that fruit and vegetable intakes are not likely to be associated with bladder cancer risk. However, these results may not be generalisable to non-smokers

Morphological and Structural Aspects of the Extremely Halophilic Archaeon Haloquadratum walsbyi

Ultrathin square cell Haloquadratum walsbyi from the Archaea domain are the most abundant microorganisms in the hypersaline water of coastal salterns and continental salt lakes. In this work, we explore the cell surface of these microorganisms using amplitude-modulation atomic-force microscopy in nearly physiological conditions. We demonstrate the presence of a regular corrugation with a periodicity of 16–20 nm attributed to the surface layer (S-layer) protein lattice, striped domains asymmetrically distributed on the cell faces and peculiar bulges correlated with the presence of intracellular granules. Besides, subsequent images of cell evolution during the drying process indicate the presence of an external capsule that might correspond to the giant protein halomucin, predicted by the genome but never before observed by other microscopy studies