19 research outputs found
Report from Mongolia – How much do we know about the incidence of rare cases in less developed countries: a case series
Quantitative image analysis for the characterization of microbial aggregates in biological wastewater treatment : a review
Quantitative image analysis techniques have gained an undeniable role in several fields of research during the last decade. In the field of biological wastewater treatment (WWT) processes, several computer applications have been developed for monitoring microbial entities, either as individual cells or in different types of aggregates. New descriptors have been defined that are more reliable, objective, and useful than the subjective and time-consuming parameters classically used to monitor biological WWT processes. Examples of this application include the objective prediction of filamentous bulking, known to be one of the most problematic phenomena occurring in activated sludge technology. It also demonstrated its usefulness in classifying protozoa and metazoa populations. In high-rate anaerobic processes, based on granular sludge, aggregation times and fragmentation phenomena could be detected during critical events, e.g., toxic and organic overloads. Currently, the major efforts and needs are in the development of quantitative image analysis techniques focusing on its application coupled with stained samples, either by classical or fluorescent-based techniques. The use of quantitative morphological parameters in process control and online applications is also being investigated. This work reviews the major advances of quantitative image analysis applied to biological WWT processes.The authors acknowledge the financial support to the project PTDC/EBB-EBI/103147/2008 and the grant SFRH/BPD/48962/2008 provided by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (Portugal)
Recombinant Miltenberger I and II human blood group antigens: the role of glycosylation in cell surface expression and antigenicity of glycophorin A
Recombinant Miltenberger I and II human blood group antigens: the role of glycosylation in cell surface expression and antigenicity of glycophorin A
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome: Emerging insights for vascular integrity
Simultaneous Camouflage of Major and Minor Antigens on Red Blood Cell Surface With Activated mPEGs
Campylobacter-Associated Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Associated with Pulmonary-Renal Syndrome
Maternal alloimmunization against the rare platelet-specific antigen HPA-9b (Maxa) is an important cause of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia
Rapid screening of waterborne pathogens using phage-mediated separation coupled with real-time PCR detection
A metabolic model for members of the genus Tetrasphaera involved in enhanced biological phosphorus removal
Members of the genus Tetrasphaera are considered to be putative polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) from wastewater. Although abundant in Danish full-scale wastewater EBPR plants, how similar their ecophysiology is to 'Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis' is unclear, although they may occupy different ecological niches in EBPR communities. The genomes of four Tetrasphaera isolates (T. australiensis, T. japonica, T. elongata and T. jenkinsii) were sequenced and annotated, and the data used to construct metabolic models. These models incorporate central aspects of carbon and phosphorus metabolism critical to understanding their behavior under the alternating anaerobic/aerobic conditions encountered in EBPR systems. Key features of these metabolic pathways were investigated in pure cultures, although poor growth limited their analyses to T. japonica and T. elongata. Based on the models, we propose that under anaerobic conditions the Tetrasphaera-related PAOs take up glucose and ferment this to succinate and other components. They also synthesize glycogen as a storage polymer, using energy generated from the degradation of stored polyphosphate and substrate fermentation. During the aerobic phase, the stored glycogen is catabolized to provide energy for growth and to replenish the intracellular polyphosphate reserves needed for subsequent anaerobic metabolism. They are also able to denitrify. This physiology is markedly different to that displayed by 'Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis', and reveals Tetrasphaera populations to be unusual and physiologically versatile PAOs carrying out denitrification, fermentation and polyphosphate accumulation