Spatial Patterns of Iron- and Methane-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities in an Irregularly Flooded, Riparian Wetland

Iron- and methane-cycling are important processes in wetlands with one connected to plant growth and the other to greenhouse gas emission, respectively. In contrast to acidic habitats, there is scarce information on the ecology of microbes oxidizing ferrous iron at circumneutral pH. The latter is mainly due to the lack of isolated representatives and molecular detection techniques. Recently, we developed PCR–DGGE and qPCR assays to detect and enumerate Gallionella-related neutrophilic iron-oxidizers (Ga-FeOB) enabling the assessment of controlling physical as well as biological factors in various ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of Ga-FeOB in co-occurrence with methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) in a riparian wetland. Soil samples were collected at different spatial scales (ranging from meters to centimeters) representing a hydrological gradient. The diversity of Ga-FeOB was assessed using PCR–DGGE and the abundance of both Ga-FeOB and MOB by qPCR. Geostatistical methods were applied to visualize the spatial distribution of both groups. Spatial distribution as well as abundance of Ga-FeOB and MOB was clearly correlated to the hydrological gradient as expressed in moisture content of the soil. Ga-FeOB outnumbered the MOB subgroups suggesting their competitiveness or the prevalence of Fe2+ over CH4 oxidation in this floodplain

Sensory testing in leprosy:Comparison of ballpoint pen and monofilaments

The 10 g monofilament has been replaced by the ballpoint pen in routine sensory testing of nerves in leprosy control in Ethiopia. Results of sensory testing between the ballpoint pen and different monofilaments on hands and feet were compared. Ballpoint pen underdiagnosis of loss of sensation was defined to occur when the pen was felt and the monofilament was not. Differences were evaluated both for individual test points (test point level) and for the test points of extremities collectively (extremity level). An extremity (either a hand or a foot) was defined as having sensory nerve function impairment (SNFI) if a supplying nerve had SNFI, which was the case when sensation was absent in two or more test points in the area supplied by that nerve. At test point level, the percentages with ballpoint pen underdiagnosis relative to the 2, 10, 20 and 50 g monofilaments were 40, 21, 9 and 7%, respectively, in the hands, and 47, 30, 15 and 7% in the feet. Ballpoint pen underdiagnosis percentages of SNFI at extremity level were 32, 18, 8 and 9% in the hands, and 37, 26, 14 and 6% in the feet. The risk of ballpoint pen underdiagnosis appears to be higher in extremities without visible damage. In conclusion, substantial levels of underdiagnosis of sensory loss with the ballpoint pen were observed. However, the consequences for the prognosis of treatment with corticosteroids in patients with the more subtle sensation loss noted here need to be established. Development and testing of guidelines is a prerequisite for the use of the ballpoint pen

Sensory testing in leprosy:Comparison of ballpoint pen and monofilaments

The 10 g monofilament has been replaced by the ballpoint pen in routine sensory testing of nerves in leprosy control in Ethiopia. Results of sensory testing between the ballpoint pen and different monofilaments on hands and feet were compared. Ballpoint pen underdiagnosis of loss of sensation was defined to occur when the pen was felt and the monofilament was not. Differences were evaluated both for individual test points (test point level) and for the test points of extremities collectively (extremity level). An extremity (either a hand or a foot) was defined as having sensory nerve function impairment (SNFI) if a supplying nerve had SNFI, which was the case when sensation was absent in two or more test points in the area supplied by that nerve. At test point level, the percentages with ballpoint pen underdiagnosis relative to the 2, 10, 20 and 50 g monofilaments were 40, 21, 9 and 7%, respectively, in the hands, and 47, 30, 15 and 7% in the feet. Ballpoint pen underdiagnosis percentages of SNFI at extremity level were 32, 18, 8 and 9% in the hands, and 37, 26, 14 and 6% in the feet. The risk of ballpoint pen underdiagnosis appears to be higher in extremities without visible damage. In conclusion, substantial levels of underdiagnosis of sensory loss with the ballpoint pen were observed. However, the consequences for the prognosis of treatment with corticosteroids in patients with the more subtle sensation loss noted here need to be established. Development and testing of guidelines is a prerequisite for the use of the ballpoint pen

Compositional and functional stability of aerobic methane consuming communities in drained and rewetted peat meadows

The restoration of peatlands is an important strategy to counteract subsidence and loss of biodiversity. However, responses of important microbial soil processes are poorly understood. We assessed functioning, diversity and spatial organization of methanotrophic communities in drained and rewetted peat meadows with different water table management and agricultural practice. Results show that the methanotrophic diversity was similar between drained and rewetted sites with a remarkable dominance of the genus Methylocystis. Enzyme kinetics depicted no major differences, indicating flexibility in the methane (CH4) concentrations that can be used by the methanotrophic community. Short-term flooding led to temporary elevated CH4 emission but to neither major changes in abundances of methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) nor major changes in CH4 consumption kinetics in drained agriculturally used peat meadows. Radiolabeling and autoradiographic imaging of intact soil cores revealed a markedly different spatial arrangement of the CH4 consuming zone in cores exposed to near-atmospheric and elevated CH4. The observed spatial patterns of CH4 consumption in drained peat meadows with and without short-term flooding highlighted the spatial complexity and responsiveness of the CH4 consuming zone upon environmental change. The methanotrophic microbial community is not generally altered and harbors MOB that can cover a large range of CH4 concentrations offered due to water-table fluctuations, effectively mitigating CH4 emission

Updated full range of Eliciting Dose values for Cow’s milk for use in food allergen risk assessment

Access to Eliciting Doses (ED) for allergens enables advanced food allergen risk assessment. Previously, the full ED range for 14 allergenic foods, including milk, and recommendations for their use were provided (Houben et al., 2020). Additional food challenge studies with cow’s milk-allergic patients added 247 data points to the original dataset. Using the Stacked Model Averaging statistical method for interval-censored data on the 697 individual NOAELs and LOAELs for milk generated an updated full ED distribution. The ED01 and ED05, the doses at which 1% and 5% of the milk-allergic population would be predicted to experience any objective allergic reaction, were 0.3 and 3.2 mg milk protein for the discrete and 0.4 mg and 4.3 mg milk protein for the cumulative dose distribution, respectively. These values are slightly higher but remain within the 95% confidence interval of previously published EDs. We recommend using the updated EDs for future characterization of risks of exposure of milk-allergic individuals to milk protein. This paper contributes to the discussion on the Reference Dose for milk in the recent Ad hoc Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens. It will also benefit harmonization of food allergen risk assessment and risk management globally

The bdbDC operon of Bacillus subtilis encodes thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases required for competence development

The development of genetic competence in the Gram-positive eubacterium Bacillus subtilis is a complex postexponential process. Here we describe a new bicistronic operon, bdbDC, required for competence development, which was identified by the B. subtilis Systematic Gene Function Analysis program. Inactivation of either the bdbC or bdbD genes of this operon results in the loss of transformability without affecting recombination or the synthesis of ComK, the competence transcription factor. BdbC and BdbD are orthologs of enzymes known to be involved in extracytoplasmic disulfide bond formation. Consistent with this, BdbC and BdbD are needed for the secretion of theEscherichia coli disulfide bond-containing alkaline phosphatase, PhoA, by B. subtilis. Similarly, the amount of the disulfide bond-containing competence protein ComGC is severely reduced in bdbC or bdbD mutants. In contrast, the amounts of the competence proteins ComGA and ComEA remain unaffected by bdbDC mutations. Taken together, these observations imply that in the absence of either BdbC or BdbD, ComGC is unstable and that BdbC and BdbD catalyze the formation of disulfide bonds that are essential for the DNA binding and uptake machinery

Colocalization of the (Pro)renin receptor/Atp6ap2 with H+-AT pases in mouse kidney but prorenin does not acutely regulate intercalated cell H+-ATPase activity

The (Pro)renin receptor (P)RR/Atp6ap2 is a cell surface protein capable of binding and nonproteolytically activate prorenin. Additionally, (P)RR is associated with H+-ATPases and alternative functions in H+-ATPase regulation as well as inWnt signalling have been reported. Kidneys express very high levels of H+-ATPases which are involved in multiple functions such as endocytosis, membrane protein recycling as well as urinary acidification, bicarbonate reabsorption, and salt absorption. Here, we wanted to localize the (P)RR/Atp6ap2 along the murine nephron, exmaine whether the (P)RR/Atp6ap2 is co

Precision bond lengths for Rydberg Matter clusters KN (N = 19, 37, 61 and 91) in excitation levels n = 4 - 8 from rotational radio-frequency emission spectra

Clusters of the electronically excited condensed matter Rydberg Matter (RM) are planar and six-fold symmetric with magic numbers N = 7, 19, 37, 61 and 91. The bond distances in the clusters are known with a precision of +- 5% both from theory and Coulomb explosion experiments. Long series of up to 40 consecutive lines from rotational transitions in such clusters are now observed in emission in the radio-frequency range 7-90 MHz. The clusters are produced in five different vacuum chambers equipped with RM emitters. The most prominent series with B = 0.9292 +- 0.0001 MHz agrees accurately with expectation (within 2%) for the planar six-fold symmetric cluster K19 in excitation level n = 4. Other long series agree even better with K19 at n = 5 and 6. The ratio between the interatomic distance and the theoretical electron orbit radius (the dimensional ratio) for K19 in n = 4 is found to be 2.8470 +- 0.0003. For clusters K19 (n = 6) and K37 (n = 7 and 8) the dimensional ratio 2.90 is the highest value that is found, which happens to be exactly the theoretical value. Clusters K61 and K91 in n = 5 and 6 have slightly lower dimensional ratios. This is expected since the edge effects are smaller. Intensity alternations are observed of approximately 7:3. The nuclear spins interact strongly with the magnetic field from the orbiting electrons. Spin transitions are observed with energy differences corresponding accurately (within 0.6%) to transitions with apparent total (delta)F = -3 at excitation levels n = 5 and 6. The angular momentum coupling schemes in the clusters are complex but well understood.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figure

Laboratory study on the mobility of major species in fly ash–brine co-disposal systems: up-flow percolation test

Apart from the generation of fly ash, brine (hyper-saline wastewater) is also a waste material generated in South African power stations as a result of water re-use. These waste materials contain major species such as Al, Si, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl and SO4. The co-disposal of fly ash and brine has been practiced by some power stations in South Africa with the aim of utilizing the fly ash to capture the salts in brine. The effect of the chemical interaction of the species contained in both fly ash and brine, when co-disposed, on the mobility of species in the fly ash–brine systems is the focus of this study. The up-flow percolation test was employed to determine the mobility of some major species in the fly ash–brine systems. The results of the analysed eluates from the up-flow percolation tests revealed that some species such as Al, Ca and Na were leached from the fly ash into the brine solution while some species such as Mg, Cl and SO4 were removed to some extent from the brine solution during the interaction with fly ash. The pH of the up-flow percolation systems was observed to play a significant role on the mobility of major species from the fly ash–brine systems. The study showed that some major species such as Mg, Cl and SO4 could be removed from brine solution using fly ash when certain amount of brine percolates through the ash.Web of Scienc