Performance of an innovative multi-stage anaerobic reactor during start-up period

Start-up of an anaerobic reactor is a relatively delicate process and depends on various factors such as wastewater composition, available inoculum, operating conditions and reactor configuration. Accordingly, systematized operational procedures are important, mainly during the start-up of an anaerobic reactor. In this paper, the start-up performance of an innovative multi-stage anaerobic reactor using synthetic wastewater at various organic loading rates (OLRs) was investigated. In Phase 1 of the experimental study, the reactor was operated at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day with corresponding OLR of 1.07 kg COD.m-3.d-1. Thereafter, the reactor was operated at intermittent feeding (Phase 2), with HRT of 1.4 day and OLR of 0.82 to 2.45 kg COD.m-3.d-1. Results showed up to 71% COD reduction in the Phase 1 of the experimental study. However, in Phase 2, when the reactor was operated at intermittent feeding, the COD removal efficiency increased from 75 to 92%. It can be concluded that the multi-stage anaerobic reactor system performed better at intermittent feeding, indicating that the reactor required low loading rate and sufficient HRT for gradual acclimatization for reactor start-up. The reduction of the period necessary for the start-up and improved operational control are important factors to increase the efficiency the reactor system.Key words: Anaerobic reactor start-up, biomass, glucose wastewater, intermittent feeding, multi-stage anaerobic reactor

DNA Characterization and Polymorphism of KISS1 Gene in Egyptian Small Ruminant Breeds

Genetic information especially of the Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) which affect different performance traits is considered one of the most effective tools in the breeding programs of livestock. Several genes were reported as candidate genes that effect litter size performance and one of these genes is the KISS1 which is considered as a regulator of puberty onset. The polymorphisms of KISS1 gene have some relationships with high prolific and sexual precocity. The objective of this study was the detection of the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of KISS1 gene in six major Egyptian small ruminant breeds. The primers used in this study flanked a 377 bp fragment from intron 1 of KISS1 gene in sheep and goat. These PCR amplified fragments were digested with XmnI endonuclease. According to the presence or absence of the restriction site (GAANN^NNTTC) at position 121^122, we genotyped the 122 tested animals as AT (54.92%) and TT (45.08) with the absence of AA genotype. The overall frequencies of alleles A and T were 27.46 and 72.54%, respectively. The sequence analysis of purified PCR products representing these two detected genotypes declared the presence of a SNP (T→A) at position 125 in the amplified fragment which is responsible for the elimination of the restriction site and consequently the presence of two different alleles T and A. The nucleotide sequences of sheep KISS1 alleles T and A as well as goat KISS1 alleles T and A were submitted to GenBank database and have accession numbers: KP835797, KP835798, KP835799 and KP835800, respectively. It is concluded that small ruminant breeds have high frequency of KISS1 allele T which was associated with greater litter size. We recommend to increase this allele in Egyptian small ruminant breeds and also to select the animals which possess TT genotypes of KISS1 gene and enter them in breeding programs of Egyptian small ruminants to increase their fecundity traits.Keywords: Sheep, Goat, KISS1, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs

Use of alcoholic beverages in VA medical centers

BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepines are the first-line choice for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. However, several hospitals continue to provide alcoholic beverages through their formulary for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal. While there are data on the prevalence of this practice in academic medical centers, there are no data on the availability of alcoholic beverages at the formularies of the hospitals operated by the department of Veteran's Affairs. METHODS: In this study, we surveyed the Pharmacy managers at 112 Veterans' Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) to ascertain the availability of alcohol on the VAMC formularies, and presence or lack of a policy on the use of alcoholic beverages in their VA Medical Center. RESULTS: Of the pharmacy directors contacted, 81 responded. 8 did not allow their use, while 20 allowed their use. There was a lack of a consistent policy across the VA medical centers on availability and use of alcoholic beverages for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. CONCLUSION: There is lack of uniform policy on the availability of alcoholic beverages across the VAMCs, which may create potential problems with difference in the standards of care

Effect of Hookworm Infection on Wheat Challenge in Celiac Disease – A Randomised Double-Blinded Placebo Controlled Trial

Background and Aims: The association between hygiene and prevalence of autoimmune disease has been attributed in part to enteric helminth infection. A pilot study of experimental infection with the hookworm Necator americanus was undertaken among a group of otherwise healthy people with celiac disease to test the potential of the helminth to suppress the immunopathology induced by gluten

Nomenclature and listing of celiac disease relevant gluten T-cell epitopes restricted by HLA-DQ molecules

Celiac disease is caused by an abnormal intestinal T-cell response to gluten proteins of wheat, barley and rye. Over the last few years, a number of gluten T-cell epitopes restricted by celiac disease associated HLA-DQ molecules have been characterized. In this work, we give an overview of these epitopes and suggest a comprehensive, new nomenclature

A Universal Approach to Eliminate Antigenic Properties of Alpha-Gliadin Peptides in Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is caused by an uncontrolled immune response to gluten, a heterogeneous mixture of wheat storage proteins, including the α-gliadins. It has been shown that α-gliadins harbor several major epitopes involved in the disease pathogenesis. A major step towards elimination of gluten toxicity for celiac disease patients would thus be the elimination of such epitopes from α-gliadins. We have analyzed over 3,000 expressed α-gliadin sequences from 11 bread wheat cultivars to determine whether they encode for peptides potentially involved in celiac disease. All identified epitope variants were synthesized as peptides and tested for binding to the disease-associated HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 molecules and for recognition by patient-derived α-gliadin specific T cell clones. Several specific naturally occurring amino acid substitutions were identified for each of the α-gliadin derived peptides involved in celiac disease that eliminate the antigenic properties of the epitope variants. Finally, we provide proof of principle at the peptide level that through the systematic introduction of such naturally occurring variations α-gliadins genes can be generated that no longer encode antigenic peptides. This forms a crucial step in the development of strategies to modify gluten genes in wheat so that it becomes safe for celiac disease patients. It also provides the information to design and introduce safe gluten genes in other cereals, which would exhibit improved quality while remaining safe for consumption by celiac disease patients

The DRUID study: racism and self-assessed health status in an indigenous population

BackgroundThere is now considerable evidence from around the world that racism is associated with both mental and physical ill-health. However, little is known about the mediating factors between racism and ill-health. This paper investigates relationships between racism and self-assessed mental and physical health among Indigenous Australians as well as potential mediators of these relationships.MethodsA total of 164 adults in the Darwin Region Urban Indigenous Diabetes (DRUID) study completed a validated instrument assessing interpersonal racism and a separate item on discrimination-related stress. Self-assessed health status was measured using the SF-12. Stress, optimism, lack of control, social connections, cultural identity and reactions/responses to interpersonal racism were considered as mediators and moderators of the relationship between racism/discrimination and self-assessed health status.ResultsAfter adjusting for socio-demographic factors, interpersonal racism was significantly associated with the SF-12 mental (but not the physical) health component. Stress, lack of control and feeling powerless as a reaction to racism emerged as significant mediators of the relationship between racism and general mental health. Similar findings emerged for discrimination-related stress.ConclusionsRacism/discrimination is significantly associated with poor general mental health among this indigenous population. The mediating factors between racism and mental health identified in this study suggest new approaches to ameliorating the detrimental effects of racism on health. In particular, the importance of reducing racism-related stress, enhancing general levels of mastery, and minimising negative social connections in order to ameliorate the negative consequences of racism

Search for dark matter at √s=13 TeV in final states containing an energetic photon and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for physics beyond the Standard Model in events containing an energetic photon and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. As the number of events observed in data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, is in agreement with the Standard Model expectations, model-independent limits are set on the fiducial cross section for the production of events in this final state. Exclusion limits are also placed in models where dark-matter candidates are pair-produced. For dark-matter production via an axial-vector or a vector mediator in the s-channel, this search excludes mediator masses below 750–1200 GeV for dark-matter candidate masses below 230–480 GeV at 95% confidence level, depending on the couplings. In an effective theory of dark-matter production, the limits restrict the value of the suppression scale M∗ to be above 790 GeV at 95% confidence level. A limit is also reported on the production of a high-mass scalar resonance by processes beyond the Standard Model, in which the resonance decays to Zγ and the Z boson subsequently decays into neutrinos