Accelerated in situ bioremediation of groundwater

In situ bioremediation, as applied in this project, is based on the principal of biostimulation: supplying nutrients to indigenous microbes to stimulate their metabolic activity and subsequent degradation of contaminants. Typically, a network of injection and extraction wells are used to recirculate groundwater into which amendments are added and distributed within the aquifer. The objective of the in situ process is to create in the aquifer a microbially active zone that maximizes contaminant destruction while controlling the distribution of microbial growth. It is important to control microbial growth to avoid plugging the aquifer near the injection well and to establish and sustain maximum treatment zones for each injection well. Figure I illustrates this concept for in situ bioremediation. The technology described herein is innovative in its use of the computer-based Accelerated Bioremediation Design Tool (ABDT) to aid in selecting appropriate system designs and to determine optimal operating strategies. In addition, numerical simulations within the design tool proved to be valuable during remediation operations to determine appropriate changes in the` operating strategy as the bioremediation process progressed. This is particularly important because in situ bioremediation is not a steady- state process, and corrective actions to operating parameters are typically needed to maintain both rapid destruction rates and hydraulic containment

A screen for hoxb1-regulated genes identifies ppp1r14al as a regulator of the rhombomere 4 Fgf-signaling center

AbstractSegmentation of the vertebrate hindbrain into multiple rhombomeres is essential for proper formation of the cerebellum, cranial nerves and cranial neural crest. Paralog group 1 (PG1) hox genes are expressed early in the caudal hindbrain and are required for rhombomere formation. Accordingly, loss of PG1 hox function disrupts development of caudal rhombomeres in model organisms and causes brainstem defects, associated with cognitive impairment, in humans. In spite of this important role for PG1 hox genes, transcriptional targets of PG1 proteins are not well characterized. Here we use ectopic expression together with embryonic dissection to identify novel targets of the zebrafish PG1 gene hoxb1b. Of 100 genes up-regulated by hoxb1b, 54 were examined and 25 were found to represent novel hoxb1b regulated hindbrain genes. The ppp1r14al gene was analyzed in greater detail and our results indicate that Hoxb1b is likely to directly regulate ppp1r14al expression in rhombomere 4. Furthermore, ppp1r14al is essential for establishment of the earliest hindbrain signaling-center in rhombomere 4 by regulating expression of fgf3

Lingual kinematic strategies used to increase speech rate: Comparisons between younger and older adults

The primary objective of this study was to assess the lingual kinematic strategies used by younger and older adults to increase rate of speech. It was hypothesised that the strategies used by the older adults would differ from the young adults either as a direct result of, or in response to a need to compensate for, age-related changes in the tongue. Electromagnetic articulography was used to examine the tongue movements of eight young (M526.7 years) and eight older (M567.1 years) females during repetitions of /ta/ and /ka/ at a controlled moderate rate and then as fast as possible. The younger and older adults were found to significantly reduce consonant durations and increase syllable repetition rate by similar proportions. To achieve these reduced durations both groups appeared to use the same strategy, that of reducing the distances travelled by the tongue. Further comparisons at each rate, however, suggested a speed-accuracy trade-off and increased speech monitoring in the older adults. The results may assist in differentiating articulatory changes associated with normal aging from pathological changes found in disorders that affect the older population

Tunable hybrid plasma decomposition of dilute concentrations of CC14 in air

At the Department of Energy Hanford site, a large quantity of the industrial solvent carbon tetrachloride (CC14) was used and subsequently disposed of in leaching fields. Efforts under the Volatile Organic Compound - Arid Integrated Demonstration Program (VOC-Arid ID) are directed at vapor extraction of carbon tetrachloride from the ground and its subsequent decomposition in the contaminated humid air stream. We are developing a mobile electron-beam driven plasma reactor for versatile efficient on-site decomposition of CC14 and other VOCs in carrier gases at atmospheric pressure. The decomposition of the VOCs could result in the generation of CO[sub 2], light hydrocarbons, and reactive chlorine compounds. The latter dissolve and/or dissociate in aqueous solutions