Biological Treatment of Hazardous Waste Sludges in Suspended Growth Systems for Removal of Benzo(a)pyrene and Other Polynuclear Aromatics.

The scope of this research project was to develop a bioremediation process for accelerated oxidation of bioresistant hazardous waste sludges in continuous flow sludge reactors. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) was selected as the target compound due its strong bioresistance, highly carcinogenic nature, extremely low aqueous solubility, and extremely low allowable release limits for land disposal. BaP is often a major hazardous organic component in many hazardous waste impoundments when source wastes have originated from either petroleum refining or associated petrochemical facilities. There is evidence that the biodegradation rate of high molecular weight polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PNA\u27s) is the rate limiting step in liquid-solids contact systems in spite of the low solubilities of these compounds (Sherman et al., 1989). The biological half-lives reported in the technical journals for low concentrations of high molecular weight PNA\u27s typically varies from 1-3 years for land disposal, 1-3 days in static batch reactors, and 2-3 days in mixed batch reactors. There is virtually no published data for successful treatment of high concentrations of PNA\u27s in high-solids suspended growth reactors. The recalcitrance of the PNA\u27s is believed due to the lack of suitable co-substrates containing primary source carbon which would permit rapid acceleration of the biodegradation process and foster fortuitous transformation of BaP and other PNA\u27s. Bench-scale pulsed-flow continuous sludge reactors feeding petrochemical sludge containing 8,700-35,000 mg BaP/kg of dry feed solids averaged 90% w/w destruction at equilibrium conditions. The biological half-life of BaP varied from 0.8-1.4 days and demonstrated that an enhanced environment increased the destruction of BaP at rates up to 2.5 times faster than mixed batch reactors, and 300-1000 times faster than land treatment. Steady state models were developed which predicted total suspended solids, BaP substrate, and oil co-substrate concentrations. The rapid contact bioremediation process (RCBP) developed in this dissertation research, has demonstrated that destruction of the anthropogenic-source annual production and existing accumulations of bioresistant toxic hydrocarbons is a practical goal. This research describes how indigenous microbial consortia can adapt to new strategies for destruction of bioresistant compounds if the microbial environment is appropriately enhanced

Reproducibility of Ba/Ca variations recorded by northeast Pacific bamboo corals

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Paleoceanography 32 (2017): 966–979, doi:10.1002/2017PA003178.Trace elemental ratios preserved in the calcitic skeleton of bamboo corals have been shown to serve as archives of past ocean conditions. The concentration of dissolved barium (BaSW), a bioactive nutrientlike element, is linked to biogeochemical processes such as the cycling and export of nutrients. Recent work has calibrated bamboo coral Ba/Ca, a new BaSW proxy, using corals spanning the oxygen minimum zone beneath the California Current System. However, it was previously unclear whether Ba/Cacoral records were internally reproducible. Here we investigate the accuracy of using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for Ba/Cacoral analyses and test the internal reproducibility of Ba/Ca among replicate radial transects in the calcite of nine bamboo corals collected from the Gulf of Alaska (643–720 m) and the California margin (870–2054 m). Data from replicate Ba/Ca transects were aligned using visible growth bands to account for nonconcentric growth; smoothed data were reproducible within ~4% for eight corals (n = 3 radii/coral). This intracoral reproducibility further validates using bamboo coral Ba/Ca for BaSW reconstructions. Sections of the Ba/Ca records that were potentially influenced by noncarbonate bound Ba phases occurred in regions where elevated Mg/Ca or Pb/Ca and coincided with anomalous regions on photomicrographs. After removing these regions of the records, increased Ba/Cacoral variability was evident in corals between ~800 and 1500 m. These findings support additional proxy validation to understand BaSW variability on interannual timescales, which could lead to new insights into deep sea biogeochemistry over the past several centuries.NSF Grant Number: OCE-1420984; NOAA/OE Grant Number: NA16RP2637; MIT-WHOI Joint Program; American Geophysical Union Travel Grant; UC Davis President's Undergraduate Fellowship; Bowdoin College Gibbons Summer Research Fellowship2018-03-1

Inhibition of caveolar uptake, SV40 infection, and β1-integrin signaling by a nonnatural glycosphingolipid stereoisomer

Caveolar endocytosis is an important mechanism for the uptake of certain pathogens and toxins and also plays a role in the internalization of some plasma membrane (PM) lipids and proteins. However, the regulation of caveolar endocytosis is not well understood. We previously demonstrated that caveolar endocytosis and β1-integrin signaling are stimulated by exogenous glycosphingolipids (GSLs). In this study, we show that a synthetic GSL with nonnatural stereochemistry, β-d-lactosyl-N-octanoyl-l-threo-sphingosine, (1) selectively inhibits caveolar endocytosis and SV40 virus infection, (2) blocks the clustering of lipids and proteins into GSLs and cholesterol-enriched microdomains (rafts) at the PM, and (3) inhibits β1-integrin activation and downstream signaling. Finally, we show that small interfering RNA knockdown of β1 integrin in human skin fibroblasts blocks caveolar endocytosis and the stimulation of signaling by a GSL with natural stereochemistry. These experiments identify a new compound that can interfere with biological processes by inhibiting microdomain formation and also identify β1 integrin as a potential mediator of signaling by GSLs

Multistakeholder partnerships with the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea to improve childhood immunisation: A perspective from global health equity and political determinants of health equity.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the current partnerships to improve the childhood immunisation programme in the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the context of the political determinants of health equity. METHODS: A literature search was conducted to identify public health collaborations with the DPRK government. Based on the amount of publicly accessible data and a shared approach in health system strengthening among the partners in immunisation programmes, the search focused on these partnerships. RESULTS: The efforts by WHO, UNICEF, GAVI and IVI with the DPRK government improved the delivery of childhood vaccines (e.g. pentavalent vaccines, inactivated polio vaccine, two-dose measles vaccine and Japanese encephalitis vaccine) and strengthened the DPRK health system by equipping health centres, and training all levels of public health personnel for VPD surveillance and immunisation service delivery. CONCLUSION: The VPD-focused programmatic activities in the DPRK have improved the delivery of childhood immunisation and have created dialogue and contact with the people of the DPRK. These efforts are likely to ameliorate the political isolation of the people of the DPRK and potentially improve global health equity

Instances and connectors : issues for a second generation process language

This work is supported by UK EPSRC grants GR/L34433 and GR/L32699Over the past decade a variety of process languages have been defined, used and evaluated. It is now possible to consider second generation languages based on this experience. Rather than develop a second generation wish list this position paper explores two issues: instances and connectors. Instances relate to the relationship between a process model as a description and the, possibly multiple, enacting instances which are created from it. Connectors refers to the issue of concurrency control and achieving a higher level of abstraction in how parts of a model interact. We believe that these issues are key to developing systems which can effectively support business processes, and that they have not received sufficient attention within the process modelling community. Through exploring these issues we also illustrate our approach to designing a second generation process language.Postprin

Diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin reduces blood transfusion in noncardiac surgery: a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial.

UNLABELLED: In this randomized, prospective, double-blinded clinical trial, we sought to investigate whether diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin (DCLHb) can reduce the perioperative use of allogeneic blood transfusion. One-hundred-eighty-one elective surgical patients were enrolled at 19 clinical sites from 1996 to 1998. Selection criteria included anticipated transfusion of 2-4 blood units, aortic repair, and major joint or abdomino-pelvic surgery. Once a decision to transfuse had been made, patients received initially up to 3 250-mL infusions of 10% DCLHb (n = 92) or 3 U of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (n = 89). DCLHb was infused during a 36-h perioperative window. On the day of surgery, 58 of 92 (64%; confidence interval [CI], 54%-74%) DCLHb-treated patients received no allogeneic PRBC transfusions. On Day 1, this number was 44 of 92 (48%; CI, 37%-58%) and decreased further until Day 7, when it was 21 of 92 (23%; CI, 15%-33%). During the 7-day period, 2 (1-4) units of PRBC per patient were used in the DCLHb group compared with 3 (2-4) units in the control patients (P = 0.002; medians and 25th and 75th percentiles). Mortality (4% and 3%, respectively) and incidence of suffering at least one serious adverse event (21% and 15%, respectively) were similar in DCLHb and PRBC groups. The incidence of jaundice, urinary side effects, and pancreatitis were more frequent in DCLHb patients. The study was terminated early because of safety concerns. Whereas the side-effect profile of modified hemoglobin solutions needs to be improved, our data show that hemoglobin solutions can be effective at reducing exposure to allogeneic blood for elective surgery. IMPLICATIONS: In a randomized, double-blinded red blood cell controlled, multicenter trial, diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin spared allogeneic transfusion in 23% of patients undergoing elective noncardiac surgery. The observed side-effect profile indicates a need for improvement in hemoglobin development

A theoretical investigation of the low lying electronic structure of poly(p-phenylene vinylene)

The two-state molecular orbital model of the one-dimensional phenyl-based semiconductors is applied to poly(p-phenylene vinylene). The energies of the low-lying excited states are calculated using the density matrix renormalization group method. Calculations of both the exciton size and the charge gap show that there are both Bu and Ag excitonic levels below the band threshold. The energy of the 1Bu exciton extrapolates to 2.60 eV in the limit of infinite polymers, while the energy of the 2Ag exciton extrapolates to 2.94 eV. The calculated binding energy of the 1Bu exciton is 0.9 eV for a 13 phenylene unit chain and 0.6 eV for an infinite polymer. This is expected to decrease due to solvation effects. The lowest triplet state is calculated to be at ca. 1.6 eV, with the triplet-triplet gap being ca. 1.6 eV. A comparison between theory, and two-photon absorption and electroabsorption is made, leading to a consistent picture of the essential states responsible for most of the third-order nonlinear optical properties. An interpretation of the experimental nonlinear optical spectroscopies suggests an energy difference of ca. 0.4 eV between the vertical energy and ca. 0.8 eV between the relaxed energy, of the 1Bu exciton and the band gap, respectively.Comment: LaTeX, 19 pages, 7 eps figures included using epsf. To appear in Physical Review B, 199

Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory - Preliminary Design Report

The DUSEL Project has produced the Preliminary Design of the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) at the rehabilitated former Homestake mine in South Dakota. The Facility design calls for, on the surface, two new buildings - one a visitor and education center, the other an experiment assembly hall - and multiple repurposed existing buildings. To support underground research activities, the design includes two laboratory modules and additional spaces at a level 4,850 feet underground for physics, biology, engineering, and Earth science experiments. On the same level, the design includes a Department of Energy-shepherded Large Cavity supporting the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment. At the 7,400-feet level, the design incorporates one laboratory module and additional spaces for physics and Earth science efforts. With input from some 25 science and engineering collaborations, the Project has designed critical experimental space and infrastructure needs, including space for a suite of multidisciplinary experiments in a laboratory whose projected life span is at least 30 years. From these experiments, a critical suite of experiments is outlined, whose construction will be funded along with the facility. The Facility design permits expansion and evolution, as may be driven by future science requirements, and enables participation by other agencies. The design leverages South Dakota's substantial investment in facility infrastructure, risk retirement, and operation of its Sanford Laboratory at Homestake. The Project is planning education and outreach programs, and has initiated efforts to establish regional partnerships with underserved populations - regional American Indian and rural populations

The α(1,3)fucosyltransferases FucT-IV and FucT-VII Exert Collaborative Control over Selectin-Dependent Leukocyte Recruitment and Lymphocyte Homing

AbstractE-, P-, and L-selectin counterreceptor activities, leukocyte trafficking, and lymphocyte homing are controlled prominently but incompletely by α(1,3)fucosyltransferase FucT-VII-dependent fucosylation. Molecular determinants for FucT-VII-independent leukocyte trafficking are not defined, and evidence for contributions by or requirements for other FucTs in leukocyte recruitment is contradictory and incomplete. We show here that inflammation-dependent leukocyte recruitment retained in FucT-VII deficiency is extinguished in FucT-IV−/−/FucT-VII−/− mice. Double deficiency yields an extreme leukocytosis characterized by decreased neutrophil turnover and increased neutrophil production. FucT-IV also contributes to HEV-born L-selectin ligands, since lymphocyte homing retained in FucT-VII−/− mice is revoked in FucT-IV−/−/FucT-VII−/− mice. These observations reveal essential FucT-IV-dependent contributions to E-, P-, and L-selectin ligand synthesis and to the control of leukocyte recruitment and lymphocyte homing