Identification of Contractile Vacuole Proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi

Contractile vacuole complexes are critical components of cell volume regulation and have been shown to have other functional roles in several free-living protists. However, very little is known about the functions of the contractile vacuole complex of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, other than a role in osmoregulation. Identification of the protein composition of these organelles is important for understanding their physiological roles. We applied a combined proteomic and bioinfomatic approach to identify proteins localized to the contractile vacuole. Proteomic analysis of a T. cruzi fraction enriched for contractile vacuoles and analyzed by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis and LC-MS/MS resulted in the addition of 109 newly detected proteins to the group of expressed proteins of epimastigotes. We also identified different peptides that map to at least 39 members of the dispersed gene family 1 (DGF-1) providing evidence that many members of this family are simultaneously expressed in epimastigotes. Of the proteins present in the fraction we selected several homologues with known localizations in contractile vacuoles of other organisms and others that we expected to be present in these vacuoles on the basis of their potential roles. We determined the localization of each by expression as GFP-fusion proteins or with specific antibodies. Six of these putative proteins (Rab11, Rab32, AP180, ATPase subunit B, VAMP1, and phosphate transporter) predominantly localized to the vacuole bladder. TcSNARE2.1, TcSNARE2.2, and calmodulin localized to the spongiome. Calmodulin was also cytosolic. Our results demonstrate the utility of combining subcellular fractionation, proteomic analysis, and bioinformatic approaches for localization of organellar proteins that are difficult to detect with whole cell methodologies. The CV localization of the proteins investigated revealed potential novel roles of these organelles in phosphate metabolism and provided information on the potential participation of adaptor protein complexes in their biogenesis

Controlled anaerobic digestion of settled olive-oil wastewater

A study was undertaken to investigate controlled mesophilic anaerobic digestion of both the supernatant and the sludge from settled olive-oil wastewater. Two different types of anaerobic digesters were used, a fixed-bed type for the supernatant and a plug-flow type for the sludge. Concentrated aqueous ammonia and sodium carbonate were added to adjust the C/N ratio and the pH of the solution in each digester. In both digesters, biogas production and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction exceeded the rates mentioned in the literature for diluted raw olive-oil wastewaters. In the digester fed with the supernatant, biogas production rate was stabilised at a mean value of 1·86 litres/litre working volume (average of 24 biogas values) with a COD reduction of 90·91%. In the digester fed with the settled sludge, biogas production rate was stabilised at a mean value of 2·75 litres/litre working volume (average of 12 biogas values) with a COD reduction of 94·95%. These values expressed for the total olive-oil wastewater resulted in an overall biogas production of 2·28 litres/litre working volume and in an overall COD reduction of 94·02% with a final COD concentration of 4000 mg/litre olive-oil wastewater. The results indicated that a total reactor volume of 9·2 litres/ litre wastewater was required, 4·08 litres for the fixed-bed and 5·12 litres for the plug-flow digesters. In this way, the anaerobic-digestion system suggested is of reduced size and becomes cost-effective compared with other digestion systems suggested in the literature for such wastes. © 1993

La ética y la moral en el profesional de REGES

22 p.En este trabajo investigativo se va a investigar más ampliamente el tema de la ética y la moral en el Departamento de REGES. Se explicará resumidamente la importancia que tiene el personal del Departamento de REGES en cuanto a la confidencialidad de un expediente clínico de un paciente. Para comprender un poco más el tema se ha puesto de manifiesto algunos conceptos como el de ética, la moral y el código de ética. Se explicará resumidamente todo lo que conlleva el Departamento de REGES en una Instalación de salud; en cuanto a los archivos, expediente clínico de cada paciente, la confidencialidad de los mismos, la atención a los pacientes, la responsabilidad que implica custodiar un expediente clínico y en general la ética que debe tener el personal no solo en el Departamento de REGES, sino también en cualquier Departamento de la Instalación de Salud

La ?tica y la moral en el profesional de REGES

22 p.En este trabajo investigativo se va a investigar m?s ampliamente el tema de la ?tica y la moral en el Departamento de REGES. Se explicar? resumidamente la importancia que tiene el personal del Departamento de REGES en cuanto a la confidencialidad de un expediente cl?nico de un paciente. Para comprender un poco m?s el tema se ha puesto de manifiesto algunos conceptos como el de ?tica, la moral y el c?digo de ?tica. Se explicar? resumidamente todo lo que conlleva el Departamento de REGES en una Instalaci?n de salud; en cuanto a los archivos, expediente cl?nico de cada paciente, la confidencialidad de los mismos, la atenci?n a los pacientes, la responsabilidad que implica custodiar un expediente cl?nico y en general la ?tica que debe tener el personal no solo en el Departamento de REGES, sino tambi?n en cualquier Departamento de la Instalaci?n de Salud

Anaerobic digestion of total raw olive-oil wastewater in a two-stage pilot-plant (up-flow and fixed-bed bioreactors)

A study was undertaken to evaluate the anaerobic digestion of total raw olive-oil wastewater in a two stage pilot-plant with reactors connected in series. Two different types of anaerobic digesters were used, an up-flow type and a fixed-bed type. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of an up-flow-type reactor working in series with a fixed-bed-type reactor which was used as a complementary treatment. The pilot-plant system operated in the mesophillic range (35 ± 1°C) during approximately 390 days, and with organic loading levels that ranged between 2.8 and 12.7 g COD/l.day. Concentrated aqueous ammonia was added to the total raw wastewater to adjust the C/N ratio to the optimum value of 20/1, and this also achieved stabilisation of the pH values in the digesters within a range about neutrality. In a series of seven consecutive experiments, for the first stage (up-flow digester) optimum values of specific biogas production rate stabilised at a value of 2.1 litres/litre digester.day with a very satisfactory COD reduction of 83% (with a volumetric load of 11g COD/l.day). For the second stage (fixed-bed digester), the biogas production rare stabilised at a value of 0.22 litres/litre digester:day with a COD reduction of 8% (with a volumetric load of 0.19 g COD/l.d). According to the results reported in the literature for total raw wastewater the performance of the applied system is amongst the best for biogas production, COD reduction and loading rate reported so far, especially for the up-flow digester. Phenols were greatly reduced during the anaerobic digestion process in both digesters, with a concentration reduction which reached 75% in the up-flow digester; with the use of the second stage (fixed-bed reactor) a further reduction of 45% was obtained. With the above encouraging results we may suggest the employment of the up-flow type digester as an economical and effective treatment for significantly reducing the organic load of total raw wastewater. More satisfactory results might be expected from the use of a fixed-bed-type digester connected in series with a previous one, as a second treatment stage

Near-Infrared Fluorescence from Silicon- and Nickel- Based Color Centers in High-Pressure High-Temperature Diamond Micro- and Nanoparticles

Fluorescent color centers in diamond are invaluable room temperature quantum systems in fundamental scientific studies and vital for many emerging applications from inertial navigation to quantum sensing in biology. Yet, controlled production of specific color centers in synthetic diamond at scale remains challenging. Characteristics of silicon- and nickel-based defects with strong fluorescence in the 700–950 nm spectral region formed in Si- and Ni-doped diamond, created via high-pressure high-temperature synthesis in commercial quantities without irradiation, are reported. Using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy, the presence of defects including the negatively charged silicon-vacancy (SiV−), silicon-boron (SiB) and positively charged substitutional nickel center (Nis+) in micrometer-sized particles is identified and quantified. The color centers’ optical properties are investigated via time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy below 10 K and at room temperature. In ensemble measurements, the particles show no detectable signals from nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) defects. The particles’ relative fluorescence brightness is quantified and compared to particles containing ≈1 ppm NV− centers. It is demonstrated that the Nis+ centerfluorescence characteristics are preserved in 50 nm nanoparticles. The work paves the way for the use of fluorescent nanodiamonds in the firstnear-infrared biological window between 700 nm and 950 nm in biomedicalapplications