Inoculum selection influences the biochemical methane potential of agro-industrial substrates

Obtaining a reliable estimation of the methane potential of organic waste streams in anaerobic digestion, for which a biochemical methane potential (BMP) test is often used, is of high importance. Standardization of this BMP test is required to ensure inter-laboratory repeatability and accuracy of the BMP results. Therefore, guidelines were set out; yet, these do not provide sufficient information concerning origin of and the microbial community in the test inoculum. Here, the specific contribution of the methanogenic community on the BMP test results was evaluated. The biomethane potential of four different substrates (molasses, bio-refinery waste, liquid manure and high-rate activated sludge) was determined by means of four different inocula from full-scale anaerobic digestion plants. A significant effect of the selected inoculum on the BMP result was observed for two out of four substrates. This inoculum effect could be attributed to the abundance of methanogens and a potential inhibiting effect in the inoculum itself, demonstrating the importance of inoculum selection for BMP testing. We recommend the application of granular sludge as an inoculum, because of its higher methanogenic abundance and activity, and protection from bulk solutions, compared with other inocula

IL28B SNP screening and distribution in the French Canadian population using a rapid PCR-based test

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the proximity of the interleukin-28B (IL28B) gene can predict spontaneous resolution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and response to interferon therapy. Screening for this polymorphism has become part of the standard criteria for the management of HCV-infected patients, hence the need for a rapid, cost-effective screening method. Here, we describe a rapid PCR-based test to screen for two IL28B SNPs (rs12979860 and rs8099917). We used this test to investigate IL28B polymorphism and prevalence in a cohort of French Canadian injection drug users who are part of a unique population known to have a strong genetic founder effect. This population had lower linkage disequilibrium between the two tested SNPs as compared to other cohorts (|d′| = 0.68, r = 0.59). The special genetic makeup should be considered in the management of HCV-infected patients within that population

Stochastic simulation of precipitation-consistent daily reference evapotranspiration using vine copulas

Evapotranspiration is an important process in the water cycle that represents a considerable amount of moisture lost to the atmosphere through evaporation from the soil and wet surfaces, and transpiration from plants. Therefore, several water management methods, such as irrigation scheduling and hydrological impact analysis, rely on an accurate estimation of evapotranspiration rates. Often, daily reference evapotranspiration is modelled based on the Penman, Priestley–Taylor or Hargraeves equation. However, each of these models requires extensive input data, such as daily mean temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and solar radiation. Yet, in design studies, such data may be unavailable and therefore, another approach may be needed that is based on stochastically generated time series. More specifically, when rainfall-runoff models are used, these evapotranspiration data need to be consistent with the accompanying (stochastically generated) precipitation time series data. In this paper, such an approach is presented in which the statistical dependence between evapotranspiration, precipitation and temperature is described by three- and four-dimensional vine copulas. Based on a case study of 72 years of evapotranspiration, temperature and precipitation data, observed in Uccle, Belgium, it is shown that canonical vine copulas (C-vines) perform very well in preserving the dependences between variables

Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B with Interferon: Long Term Follow-Up

The aim of treatment of chronic hepatitis B with interferon is to induce a transition from the replicative phase of the disease to a nonreplicative state, with loss of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA, seroconversion from hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive to anti-HBe antibody-positive, and normalization of liver enzymes. The authors’ experience in 22 patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with recombinant human interferon alpha-2b (5 MU/m2 subcutaneously three times/week for 16 weeks) is reported. Before treatment all patients had been positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBeAg for at least six months, had abnormal serum aminotransferases, had no evidence of hepatitis D or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and had compensated liver disease. Eleven of 22 patients (50%) responded to treatment with loss of HBeAg and appearance of anti-HBe antibodies, and normalization of serum aminotransferases within six months of interferon cessation. Patients were followed for 3.4±1.2 years after treatment. Ten of 11 responders remained negative for HBeAg and HBV-DNA; one patient relapsed and responded to a second course of interferon with loss of HBeAg and HBV-DNA. Seven of the 11 nonresponders underwent spontaneous (n=5) or retreatment-induced (n=2) seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe and loss of HBV-DNA during follow-up. The other four nonresponders remained positive for HBeAg and HBV-DNA; three of the four progressed to decompensated liver disease. It is concluded that interferon is an effective treatment of chronic hepatitis B in 50% of patients with features similar to those used as selection criteria in the present study. These criteria probably also identify patients who have a high likelihood of spontaneous HBeAg to anti-HBe seroconversion, and it is possible that the benefit of interferon is its acceleration of this seroconversion

Stability of thermophilic pig manure mono-digestion : effect of thermal pre-treatment and separation

Anaerobic pig manure digestion holds potential to contribute to a bio-based economy. This work assesses the stability of the thermophilic mono-digestion process. Thermophilic mono-digestion experiments with (i) fresh liquid pig manure and (ii) the fresh fecal fraction from source separation by a pig housing construction were conducted in semi pilot-scale continuous stirred tank reactors. The effect of separation on the digestion stability was studied by comparing thermophilic mono-digestion of fresh liquid (unseparated) and fresh source separated pig manure. Influencing factors and inhibitors were identified during the experiments. An unstable thermophilic mono-digestion process was observed for fresh liquid pig manure at a digester retention time of 60 days, due to high levels of ammonia and sulfur-containing components. Thermophilic mono-digestion of the fresh fecal fraction was more promising in terms of stability, provided enough time for digestion. In addition, the effect of low temperature (70 degrees C) thermal pre-treatment of manure on the digestion stability was investigated. In the case of liquid pig manure, no improvement in the digestion stability was noted upon thermal pre-treatment. For the fecal fraction, the stability of the thermophilic mono-digestion process did improve. Moreover, thermal treatment and subsequent thermophilic mono-digestion of the fresh fecal fractions from two different farms with a similar pig housing construction suggested an effect of the (organic) dry matter content on the process stability