IMMOBILIZED-LIPOSOME SENSOR SYSTEM FOR DETECTION OF DAMAGED PROTEINS

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

Current progress on removal of recalcitrance coloured particles from anaerobically treated effluent using coagulation–flocculation

The palm oil industry is the most important agro industries in Malaysia and most of the mills adopt anaerobic digestion as their primary treatment for palm oil mill effluent (POME). Due to the public concern, decolourisation of anaerobically treated POME (AnPOME) is becoming a great concern. Presence of recalcitrant-coloured particles hinders biological processes and coagulation–flocculation may able to remove these coloured particles. Several types of inorganic and polymers-based coagulant/flocculant aids for coagulation–flocculation of AnPOME have been reviewed. Researchers are currently interested in using natural coagulant and flocculant aids. Modification of the properties of natural coagulant and flocculant aids enhanced coagulation–flocculation performance. Modelling and optimization of the coagulation–flocculation process have also been reviewed. Chemical sludge has the potential for plant growth that can be evaluated through pot trials and phytotoxicity test

Anàlisi de l'empresa a partir de l'estat de fluxos d'efectiu

La finalitat bàsica d’aquesta tesi doctoral ha consistit en determinar d’una banda la rellevància de l’Estat de fluxos d’efectiu (EFE), dins de l’anàlisi d’estats comptables, demostrant que per poder realitzar una anàlisi complet de la situació patrimonial, econòmica i financera de l’empresa és imprescindible l’estudi i anàlisi de l’EFE i d’altra banda fer una proposta metodològica amb la finalitat de millorar l’actual estructura de l’EFE que ens presenta el Pla general de comptabilitat actual. Els objectius secundaris d’aquest treball d’investigació han estat determinar la importància de l’EFE en l’anàlisi de la situació financera a curt termini; demostrar la importància de l’activitat econòmica en l’estudi d’aquest document; i per últim demostrar la vàlua de la informació que aquest document aporta de forma individualitzada de les diferents activitats que l’empresa desenvolupa i sobre el grau d’interrelació existent entre elles.La finalidad básica de esta tesis doctoral ha consistido en determinar la relevancia del Estado de flujos de efectivo (EFE), dentro del análisis de estados contables, demostrando que para poder realizar un análisis completo de la situación patrimonial, económica y financiera de la empresa es imprescindible el estudio y análisis del EFE y por otro lado hacer una propuesta metodológica con el fin de mejorar la actual estructura del EFE que nos presenta el Plan general de contabilidad actual. Los objetivos secundarios de este trabajo de investigación han sido determinar la importancia del EFE en el análisis de la situación financiera a corto plazo; demostrar la importancia de la actividad económica en el estudio de este documento; y por último demostrar la importancia de la información que este documento aporta de forma individualizada de las diferentes actividades que la empresa desarrolla y sobre el grado de interrelación existente entre ellas

A bright, dust-obscured, millimetre-selected galaxy beyond the Bullet Cluster (1E0657−56)

This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2008 G. W. Wilson et al. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Deep 1.1 mm continuum observations of 1E0657−56 (the ‘Bullet Cluster’) taken with the millimeter-wavelength camera AzTEC on the 10-m Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE), have revealed an extremely bright (S1.1 mm= 15.9 mJy) unresolved source. This source, MMJ065837−5557.0, lies close to a maximum in the density of underlying mass distribution, towards the larger of the two interacting clusters as traced by the weak-lensing analysis of Clowe et al. Using optical–infrared (IR) colours, we argue that MMJ065837−5557.0 lies at a redshift of z= 2.7 ± 0.2. A lensing-derived mass model for the Bullet Cluster shows a critical line (caustic) of magnification within a few arcsec of the AzTEC source, sufficient to amplify the intrinsic millimetre-wavelength flux of the AzTEC galaxy by a factor of ≫20. After subtraction of the foreground cluster emission at 1.1 mm due to the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, and correcting for the magnification, the rest-frame far-IR luminosity of MMJ065837−5557.0 is ≤1012L⊙, characteristic of a luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG). We explore various scenarios to explain the colours, morphologies and positional offsets between the potential optical and IR counterparts, and their relationship with MMJ065837−5557.0. Until higher resolution and more sensitive (sub)millimetre observations are available, the detection of background galaxies close to the caustics of massive lensing clusters offers the only opportunity to study this intrinsically faint millimetre-galaxy population

Bioavailability in soils

The consumption of locally-produced vegetables by humans may be an important exposure pathway for soil contaminants in many urban settings and for agricultural land use. Hence, prediction of metal and metalloid uptake by vegetables from contaminated soils is an important part of the Human Health Risk Assessment procedure. The behaviour of metals (cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc) and metalloids (arsenic, boron and selenium) in contaminated soils depends to a large extent on the intrinsic charge, valence and speciation of the contaminant ion, and soil properties such as pH, redox status and contents of clay and/or organic matter. However, chemistry and behaviour of the contaminant in soil alone cannot predict soil-to-plant transfer. Root uptake, root selectivity, ion interactions, rhizosphere processes, leaf uptake from the atmosphere, and plant partitioning are important processes that ultimately govern the accumulation ofmetals and metalloids in edible vegetable tissues. Mechanistic models to accurately describe all these processes have not yet been developed, let alone validated under field conditions. Hence, to estimate risks by vegetable consumption, empirical models have been used to correlate concentrations of metals and metalloids in contaminated soils, soil physico-chemical characteristics, and concentrations of elements in vegetable tissues. These models should only be used within the bounds of their calibration, and often need to be re-calibrated or validated using local soil and environmental conditions on a regional or site-specific basis.Mike J. McLaughlin, Erik Smolders, Fien Degryse, and Rene Rietr

Purification and In Situ Immobilization of Papain with Aqueous Two-Phase System

Papain was purified from spray-dried Carica papaya latex using aqueous two-phase system (ATPS). Then it was recovered from PEG phase by in situ immobilization or preparing cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs). The Plackett-Burman design and the central composite design (CCD) together with the response surface methodology (RSM) were used to optimize the APTS processes. The highly purified papain (96–100%) was achieved under the optimized conditions: 40% (w/w) 15 mg/ml enzyme solution, 14.33–17.65% (w/w) PEG 6000, 14.27–14.42% (w/w) NaH2PO4/K2HPO4 and pH 5.77–6.30 at 20°C. An in situ enzyme immobilization approach, carried out by directly dispersing aminated supports and chitosan beads into the PEG phase, was investigated to recover papain, in which a high immobilization yield (>90%) and activity recovery (>40%) was obtained. Moreover, CLEAs were successfully used in recovering papain from PEG phase with a hydrolytic activity hundreds times higher than the carrier-bound immobilized papain

Comparative study of fungal cell disruption—scope and limitations of the methods

Simple and effective protocols of cell wall disruption were elaborated for tested fungal strains: Penicillium citrinum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhodotorula gracilis. Several techniques of cell wall disintegration were studied, including ultrasound disintegration, homogenization in bead mill, application of chemicals of various types, and osmotic shock. The release of proteins from fungal cells and the activity of a cytosolic enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, in the crude extracts were assayed to determine and compare the efficacy of each method. The presented studies allowed adjusting the particular method to a particular strain. The mechanical methods of disintegration appeared to be the most effective for the disintegration of yeast, R. gracilis, and filamentous fungi, A. fumigatus and P. citrinum. Ultrasonication and bead milling led to obtaining fungal cell-free extracts containing high concentrations of soluble proteins and active glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase systems