Ammonia Inhibition of Anaerobic Volatile Fatty Acid Degrading Microbial Communities

Ammonia inhibition is an important reason for reactor failures and economic losses in anaerobic digestion. Its impact on acetic acid degradation is well-studied, while its effect on propionic and butyric acid degradation has received little attention and is consequently not considered in the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1). To compare ammonia inhibition of the degradation of these three volatile fatty acids (VFAs), we fed a mixture of them as sole carbon source to three continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) and increased ammonium bicarbonate concentrations in the influent from 52 to 277 mM. The use of this synthetic substrate allowed for the determination of degradation efficiencies for the individual acids. While butyric acid degradation was hardly affected by the increase of ammonia concentration, propionic acid degradation turned out to be even more inhibited than acetic acid degradation with degradation efficiencies dropping to 31 and 65% for propionic and acetic acid, respectively. The inhibited reactors acclimatized and approximated pre-disturbance degradation efficiencies toward the end of the experiment, which was accompanied by strong microbial community shifts, as observed by amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of mcrA genes. The acetoclastic methanogen Methanosaeta was completely replaced by Methanosarcina. The propionic acid degrading genus Syntrophobacter was replaced by yet unknown propionic acid degraders. The butyric acid degrading genus Syntrophomonas and hydrogenotrophic Methanomicrobiaceae were hardly affected. We hypothesized that the ammonia sensitivity of the initially dominating taxa Methanosaeta and Syntrophobacter led to a stronger inhibition of the acetic and propionic acid degradation compared to butyric acid degradation and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, which were facilitated by the ammonia tolerant taxa Syntrophomonas and Methanomicrobiaceae. We implemented this hypothesis into a multi-taxa extension of ADM1, which was able to simulate the dynamics of both microbial community composition and VFA concentration in the experiment. It is thus plausible that the effect of ammonia on VFA degradation strongly depends on the ammonia sensitivity of the dominating taxa, for syntrophic propionate degraders as much as for acetoclastic methanogens

Determination of Microbial Maintenance in Acetogenesis and Methanogenesis by Experimental and Modeling Techniques

For biogas-producing continuous stirred tank reactors, an increase in dilution rate increases the methane production rate as long as substrate input can be converted fully. However, higher dilution rates necessitate higher specific microbial growth rates, which are assumed to have a strong impact on the apparent microbial biomass yield due to cellular maintenance. To test this, we operated two reactors at 37°C in parallel at dilution rates of 0.18 and 0.07 days-1 (hydraulic retention times of 5.5 and 14 days, doubling times of 3.9 and 9.9 days in steady state) with identical inoculum and a mixture of volatile fatty acids as sole carbon sources. We evaluated the performance of the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1), a thermodynamic black box approach (TBA), and dynamic flux balance analysis (dFBA), to describe the experimental observations. All models overestimated the impact of dilution rate on the apparent microbial biomass yield when using default parameter values. Based on our analysis, a maintenance coefficient value below 0.2 kJ per carbon mole of microbial biomass per hour should be used for the TBA, corresponding to 0.12 mmol ATP per gram dry weight per hour for dFBA, which strongly deviates from the value of 9.8 kJ Cmol h-1 that has been suggested to apply to all anaerobic microorganisms at 37°C. We hypothesized that a decrease in dilution rate might select taxa with minimized maintenance expenditure. However, no major differences in the dominating taxa between the reactors were observed based on amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of mcrA genes. Surprisingly, Methanosaeta dominated over Methanosarcina even at a dilution rate of 0.18 days-1, which contradicts previous model expectations. Furthermore, only 23–49% of the bacterial reads could be assigned to known syntrophic fatty acid oxidizers, indicating that unknown members of this functional group remain to be discovered. In conclusion, microbial maintenance was found to be much lower for acetogenesis and methanogenesis than previously assumed, likely due to the exceptionally low growth rates in anaerobic digestion. This finding might also be relevant for other microbial systems operating at similarly low growth rates

Flow of bottom water in the northwestern Weddell Sea

The Weddell Sea is known to feed recently formed deep and bottom water into the Antarctic circumpolar water belt, from whence it spreads into the basins of the world ocean. The rates are still a matter of debate. To quantify the flow of bottom water in the northwestern Weddell Sea data obtained during five cruises with R/V Polarstern between October 1989 and May 1998 were used. During the cruises in the Weddell Sea, five hydrographic surveys were carried out to measure water mass properties, and moored instruments were deployed over a time period of 8.5 years to obtain quasi-continuous time series. The average flow in the bottom water plume in the northwestern Weddell Sea deduced from the combined conductivity-temperature-depth and moored observations is 1.3±0.4 Sv. Intensive fluctuations of a wide range of timescales including annual and interannual variations are superimposed. The variations are partly induced by fluctuations in the formation rates and partly by current velocity fluctuations related to the large-scale circulation. Taking into account entrainment of modified Warm Deep Water and Weddell Sea Deep Water during the descent of the plume along the slope, between 0.5 Sv and 1.3 Sv of surface-ventilated water is supplied to the deep sea. This is significantly less than the widely accepted ventilation rates of the deep sea. If there are no other significant sources of newly ventilated water in the Weddell Sea, either the dominant role of Weddell Sea Bottom Water in the Southern Ocean or the global ventilation rates have to be reconsidered

Efectos del entrenamiento de la musculatura respiratoria sobre el rendimiento.

Actualmente, es aceptado por la comunidad científica que el sistema respiratorio puede limitar el ejercicio en personas con enfermedad pulmonar y/o cardiovascular. El objetivo del presente artículo es la revisión de algunos estudios realizados en relación al papel limitante del sistema respiratorio en el rendimiento físico de deportistas. Se realiza una breve descripción técnica de los dispositivos más utilizados para el entrenamiento de la musculatura respiratoria. Finalmente, se presentan los resultados más representativos, obtenidos por diversos investigadores y en distintas poblaciones, relacionados con el entrenamiento de la musculatura respiratoria y sus efectos en el rendimiento físico. Los resultados obtenidos en las distintas investigaciones consultadas sobre el entrenamiento de los músculos respiratorios son dispares, puesto que algunos han mostrado mejoras significativas, mientras otros no han mostrado grandes efectos en el rendimiento. En todos ellos se refleja cómo el sistema respiratorio es un factor limitante del rendimiento físico en deportistas y es preciso plantearse nuevas metodologías, protocolos y planificaciones en el entrenamiento deportivo. El entrenamiento de los músculos respiratorios, tanto mediante dispositivos umbral, de resistencia, o isocapnica, puede provocar mejoras en valores como la presión inspiratoria máxima y mejoras en el rendimiento de algunos deportes; sin embargo, son muy escasos los estudios que han encontrado mejoras en el consumo máximo de oxígeno (VO2max). Las discrepancias entre los estudios analizados pueden estar provocadas por diferencias en las intensidades y duración de los ejercicios utilizados, así como por diferencias en el diseño experimental y el nivel de condición física de los sujetos

Environmental factors in early childhood are associated with multiple sclerosis: a case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with increasing incidence mainly in high-income countries. One explanation of this phenomenon may be a higher prevalence of allergic and autoimmune diseases in industrialized countries as a consequence of otherwise beneficial advances in sanitation (hygiene hypothesis). We investigated environmental factors in early childhood associated with MS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A case-control study was performed of 245 MS patients and 296 population-based controls in Berlin. The study participants completed a standardized questionnaire on environmental factors in childhood and youth, including aspects of personal and community hygiene. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate factors in childhood and youth associated with the occurrence of MS.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean age was 46 years (range, 20-80) in the MS group and 42 years (range 18-80) in the control group, of which 73.9% in the MS and 61.5% in the control group were female. The multivariable analysis showed that having at least two older siblings (OR 0.54; p = 0.05, for individuals with two older siblings compared to individuals without older siblings), attending a day-care center (OR 0.5; p = 0.004) and growing up in an urban center with more than 100, 000 inhabitants (OR 0.43; p = 0.009) were factors independently associated with a lower chance for MS.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The hygiene hypothesis may play a role in the occurrence of MS and could explain disease distribution and increasing incidence.</p

Mutation analysis of 18 nephronophthisis associated ciliopathy disease genes using a DNA pooling and next generation sequencing strategy

Background Nephronophthisis associated ciliopathies (NPHP-AC) comprise a group of autosomal recessive cystic kidney diseases that includes nephronophthisis (NPHP), Senior-Loken syndrome (SLS), Joubert syndrome (JBTS), and Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MKS). To date, causative mutations in NPHP-AC have been described for 18 different genes, rendering mutation analysis tedious and expensive. To overcome the broad genetic locus heterogeneity, a strategy of DNA pooling with consecutive massively parallel resequencing (MPR) was devised.Methods In 120 patients with severe NPHP-AC phenotypes, five pools of genomic DNA with 24 patients each were prepared which were used as templates in order to PCR amplify all 376 exons of 18 NPHP-AC genes (NPHP1, INVS, NPHP3, NPHP4, IQCB1, CEP290, GLIS2, RPGRIP1L, NEK8, TMEM67, INPP5E, TMEM216, AHI1, ARL13B, CC2D2A, TTC21B, MKS1, and XPNPEP3). PCR products were then subjected to MPR on an Illumina Genome-Analyser and mutations were subsequently assigned to their respective mutation carrier via CEL I endonuclease based heteroduplex screening and confirmed by Sanger sequencing.Results For proof of principle, DNA from patients with known mutations was used and detection of 22 out of 24 different alleles (92% sensitivity) was demonstrated. MPR led to the molecular diagnosis in 30/120 patients (25%) and 54 pathogenic mutations (27 novel) were identified in seven different NPHP-AC genes. Additionally, in 24 patients only single heterozygous variants of unknown significance were found.Conclusions The combined approach of DNA pooling followed by MPR strongly facilitates mutation analysis in broadly heterogeneous single gene disorders. The lack of mutations in 75% of patients in this cohort indicates further extensive heterogeneity in NPHP-AC

Internetmarketing bei Immobilienunternehmen

Das Internet wird mehr und mehr zu einem unverzichtbaren Instrumentarium inder Unternehmenswelt. Obwohl die Begriffe Internet, Marketing und Immobilienauf den ersten Blick nicht unbedingt zueinander passen, so sind sie doch, beinäherer Betrachtung, unweigerlich miteinander verbunden.Das Internet ist auch für die Immobilienbranche zu einem geschätzten und unverzichtbarenMedien-Instrument geworden.Die Nachfrage nach Immobilienportalen im Internet ist vorhanden. Das Internetist eindeutig ein Markt der Zukunft und auch Immobilienunternehmen müssenversuchen diesen Markt zu erobern