Bioaugmentation of UASB reactors with immobilized Sulfurospirillum barnesii for simultaneous selenate and nitrate removal

Whole-cell immobilization of selenate-respiring Sulfurospirillum barnesii in polyacrylamide gels was investigated to allow the treatment of selenate contaminated (790¿µg Se¿×¿L-1) synthetic wastewater with a high molar excess of nitrate (1,500 times) and sulfate (200 times). Gel-immobilized S. barnesii cells were used to inoculate a mesophilic (30°C) bioreactor fed with lactate as electron donor at an organic loading rate of 5 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)¿×¿L-1 day-1. Selenate was reduced efficiently (>97%) in the nitrate and sulfate fed bioreactor, and a minimal effluent concentration of 39¿µg Se¿×¿L-1 was obtained. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM–EDX) analysis revealed spherical bioprecipitates of =2¿µm diameter mostly on the gel surface, consisting of selenium with a minor contribution of sulfur. To validate the bioaugmentation success under microbial competition, gel cubes with immobilized S. barnesii cells were added to an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed (UASB) reactor, resulting in earlier selenate (24 hydraulic retention times (HRTs)) and sulfate (44 HRTs) removal and higher nitrate/nitrite removal efficiencies compared to a non-bioaugmented control reactor. S. barnesii was efficiently immobilized inside the UASB bioreactors as the selenate-reducing activity was maintained during long-term operation (58 days), and molecular analysis showed that S. barnesii was present in both the sludge bed and the effluent. This demonstrates that gel immobilization of specialized bacterial strains can supersede wash-out and out-competition of newly introduced strains in continuous bioaugmented systems. Eventually, proliferation of a selenium-respiring specialist occurred in the non-bioaugmented control reactor, resulting in simultaneous nitrate and selenate removal during a later phase of operatio

Maps of random walks on complex networks reveal community structure

To comprehend the multipartite organization of large-scale biological and social systems, we introduce a new information theoretic approach that reveals community structure in weighted and directed networks. The method decomposes a network into modules by optimally compressing a description of information flows on the network. The result is a map that both simplifies and highlights the regularities in the structure and their relationships. We illustrate the method by making a map of scientific communication as captured in the citation patterns of more than 6000 journals. We discover a multicentric organization with fields that vary dramatically in size and degree of integration into the network of science. Along the backbone of the network -- including physics, chemistry, molecular biology, and medicine -- information flows bidirectionally, but the map reveals a directional pattern of citation from the applied fields to the basic sciences.Comment: 7 pages and 4 figures plus supporting material. For associated source code, see http://www.tp.umu.se/~rosvall

Prediction of 24-hour milk yield and composition in dairy cows from a single part-day yield and sample

peer-reviewedTeagasc PublicationIrish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research | Volume 58: Issue 1 Prediction of 24-hour milk yield and composition in dairy cows from a single part-day yield and sample S. McParlandemail , B. Coughlan , B. Enright , M. O’Keeffe , R. O’Connor , L. Feeney and D.P. Berry DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijafr-2019-0007 | Published online: 09 Aug 2019 PDF Abstract Article PDF References Recommendations Abstract The objective was to evaluate the accuracy of predicting 24-hour milk yield and composition from a single morning (AM) or evening (PM) milk weight and composition. A calibration dataset of 37,481 test-day records with both AM and PM yields and composition was used to generate the prediction equations; equations were validated using 4,644 test-day records. Prediction models were developed within stage of lactation and parity while accounting for the inter-milking time interval. The mean correlation between the predicted 24-hour yields and composition of milk, fat and protein and the respective actual values was 0.97 when based on just an AM milk yield and composition with a mean correlation of 0.95 when based on just a PM milk yield and composition. The regression of predicted 24-hour yield and composition on the respective actual values varied from 0.97 to 1.01 with the exception of 24-hour fat percentage predicted from a PM sample (1.06). A single AM sample is useful to predict 24-hour milk yield and composition when the milking interval is known

Sex distribution of offspring-parents obesity: Angel's hypothesis revisited

This study, which is based on two cross sectional surveys' data, aims to establish any effect of parental obesity sex distribution of offspring and to replicate the results that led to the hypothesis that obesity may be associated with sex-linked recessive lethal gene. A representative sample of 4,064 couples living in Renfrew/Paisley, Scotland was surveyed 1972-1976. A total of 2,338 offspring from 1,477 of the couples screened in 1972-1976, living in Paisley, were surveyed in 1996. In this study, males represented 47.7% among the total offspring of the couples screened in 1972-1976. In the first survey there was a higher male proportion of offspring (53%, p < 0.05) from parents who were both obese, yet this was not significant after adjustment for age of parents. Also, there were no other significant differences in sex distribution of offspring according to body mass index, age, or social class of parents. The conditions of the original 1949 study of Angel (1949) (which proposed a sex-linked lethal recessive gene) were simulated by selecting couples with at least one obese daughter. In this subset, (n = 409), obesity in fathers and mothers was associated with 26% of offspring being male compared with 19% of offspring from a non-obese father and obese mother. Finally we conclude that families with an obese father have a higher proportion of male offspring. These results do not support the long-established hypotheses of a sex-linked recessive lethal gene in the etiology of obesity

Perspectives of autistic adolescent girls and women on the determinants of their mental health and social and emotional well-being: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of lived experience

Autistic girls and women experience more mental health difficulties and poorer well-being than their non-autistic peers. Little emphasis has been placed on the perspectives of the girls and women within the literature. This review aims to provide an overview of the factors that impact autistic females’ emotional and social well-being and mental health, as described in self-report qualitative studies. The protocol for the present review was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020184983), and this article follows Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PsycInfo, Academic Search Complete and MEDLINE were systematically searched using a pre-defined search string. This yielded 877 unique records, which were systematically screened by two reviewers, resulting in 52 eligible studies. Structured data extraction and quality appraisal were completed. The present review presents the perspectives of 973 autistic females aged 13–70+. Thematic synthesis identified three themes and nine subthemes. Our findings suggest that autistic girls’ and women’s experiences can be conceptualised within a social model, where biological and psychological factors (‘The Autistic Neurotype’) are experienced through the lens of social factors (‘The Neurotypical World’ and ‘Stigma’), together shaping well-being and mental health outcomes. Lay abstract Difficulties with mental health and low levels of well-being are more common among autistic girls and women than non-autistic people, but we do not fully understand why. Research does not focus enough on what autistic girls and women could tell us about this. This review aims to summarise the studies where autistic girls and women explain things that affect their mental health and well-being to help us understand how to prevent these difficulties from developing. Three research databases were searched to find possibly relevant studies. There were 877 studies found, which two researchers screened according to particular criteria. They found 52 studies that could be included in this review. One researcher evaluated the quality of these studies and extracted the key information from them. This review summarises the views of 973 autistic girls and women aged between 13 and 70+. The findings from the 52 studies were analysed, and we found many factors that affect the mental health and well-being of autistic girls and women. These factors fall into two categories: (1) difficulties living in a world not designed for autistic people and (2) the impact of stigma due to being autistic

Defining forgiveness: Christian clergy and general population perspectives.

The lack of any consensual definition of forgiveness is a serious weakness in the research literature (McCullough, Pargament &amp; Thoresen, 2000). As forgiveness is at the core of Christianity, this study returns to the Christian source of the concept to explore the meaning of forgiveness for practicing Christian clergy. Comparisons are made with a general population sample and social science definitions of forgiveness to ensure that a shared meaning of forgiveness is articulated. Anglican and Roman Catholic clergy (N = 209) and a general population sample (N = 159) completed a postal questionnaire about forgiveness. There is agreement on the existence of individual differences in forgiveness. Clergy and the general population perceive reconciliation as necessary for forgiveness while there is no consensus within psychology. The clergy suggests that forgiveness is limitless and that repentance is unnecessary while the general population suggests that there are limits and that repentance is necessary. Psychological definitions do not conceptualize repentance as necessary for forgiveness and the question of limits has not been addressed although within therapy the implicit assumption is that forgiveness is limitless.</p

Marine Archeological Survey of the Proposed Bolivar Ferry Dredge Spoil Pile Expansion Area, Galveston County, Texas

Archeologists from AmaTerra Environmental, Inc. (AmaTerra) and Southeastern Archaeological Research, Inc. (SEARCH; collectively the Team) conducted intensive underwater archeological remote sensing survey on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on a proposed dredge spoil expansion area south of the Bolivar Peninsula at the mouth of Galveston Bay, Galveston County, Texas. The survey was required for compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, due to dredge permits to be issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Antiquities Code of Texas, due to its location on lands owned by a political subdivision of the State of Texas (the Texas General Land Office). Completed under Antiquities Permit 6272, the survey area includes the 51-acre dredge spoil expansion footprint and the original 16-acre dredge spoil pile (67 acres total). The archeologists utilized towed marine magnetometer and side-scan sonar survey along 12 parallel, 20-meter-interval transects to assess the full archeological Area of Potential Effects. The survey area was found to be littered with isolated modern metallic debris. Side-scan sonar imagery revealed a submerged surface that was generally flat with no indications of shipwrecks and a large oyster reef along the southwestern quarter. One large metallic feature located within the survey area (Anomaly M1) was identified as a fallen modern navigational sighting marker tower. None of the archeological survey data, sensor readings, or imagery from the proposed expansion area is consistent with expected signatures of historic-age shipwrecks. Archeologists did re-identify the previously-documented magnetic anomaly M44 that was recommended for avoidance or testing within the original dredge pile area. If the avoidance zone continues to be observed, it will not be impacted by the current undertaking. As such, the project is recommended to proceed with no Historic Properties, State Archeological Landmarks, or archeological sites impacted in accordance with guidelines outlined in 36 CFR 800 and 13 TAC 26. No sites were identified and no artifacts were collected during the course of the survey. Accordingly, all project-generated notes, forms, and other materials will be permanently curated at AmaTerra’s office in Austin, Texas and SEARCH’s office in Pensacola, Florida

Lattice Kinetics of Diffusion-Limited Coalescence and Annihilation with Sources

We study the 1D kinetics of diffusion-limited coalescence and annihilation with back reactions and different kinds of particle input. By considering the changes in occupation and parity of a given interval, we derive sets of hierarchical equations from which exact expressions for the lattice coverage and the particle concentration can be obtained. We compare the mean-field approximation and the continuum approximation to the exact solutions and we discuss their regime of validity.Comment: 24 pages and 3 eps figures, Revtex, accepted for publication in J. Phys.