bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of Potential Regulatory Elements in the 5′ and 3′ UTRs of 12 Translationally Regulated mRNAs in Mammalian Spermatids by Comparative Genomics
Authors: Chowdhury Tamzid A. , Kleene Kenneth C.
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: To facilitate identifying translational control elements by studies of mutations in transgenic mice, a database of orthologous 5′ and 3′ ends of 12 messenger RNA (mRNA) species from 13 to 23 mammals that undergo delayed translational activation in spermatids was constructed for the Acev2, Akap3, Akap4v2, Gapdhs, Odf1, Prm1, Prm2, Prm3, Smcp, Spata18, Tnp1, and Tnp2 mRNAs. This database, available here, was searched for conserved sequences in conserved positions and known translational control elements. Numerous potential mRNA‐specific elements were identified, including upstream open reading frames, conserved sequences upstream and downstream of the poly(A) signal, and noncanonical and multiple poly(A) signals. RNA electrophoresis mobility shift assays demonstrate that Y‐box proteins bind 30 of the 36 permutations of the degenerate Y‐box recognition sequence (YRS), [UAC][CA]CA[UC]C[ACU], and this information was used to identify hundreds of YRSs in the untranslated region (UTR) database. Collectively, these findings suggest that the distal ends of both UTRs are particularly well conserved, implying that translation of each mRNA is regulated by mechanisms involving the poly(A) binding protein and the closed loop. In addition, the 5′ flanking regions of all 12 genes have conserved, gene‐specific sequences and configurations of elements that resemble the binding site of the testis‐specific isoform of cyclic AMP response element modulator, and all 12 genes lack retrogene paralogues, demonstrating the efficacy of mechanisms that limit the proliferation of retroposons in the male germ line. This study illustrates the power of comparative genomics in identifying novel hypothetical regulatory elements for analysis with biochemical and in vivo genetic approaches.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Azoospermia Resulting From Testicular Sarcoidosis
Authors: Kovac Jason R. , Flood Diane , Mullen J. Brendan , Fischer Marc Anthony
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: Genitourinary sarcoidosis is uncommon, with only rare documented cases of testicular involvement reported. We detail the case of a 37‐year‐old male who initially presented for azoospermia and secondary infertility. A testicular biopsy revealed nonnecrotizing granulomas and a chest x‐ray identified perihilar lymphadenopathy and granulomatous lung nodules. A corticosteroid regimen was administered, and routine semen analyses were conducted. Significant improvements were noted after prednisone treatments. A successful in vivo fertilization was obtained. This is the first known case of testicular sarcoidosis diagnosed during investigations into azoospermia and secondary infertility which, after treatment with corticosteroids, resulted in natural fertilization.
Multiple Penile Schwannomas and Their Magnetic Resonance Imaging Characteristics
Authors: Lee Chiao‐Hua , Wu Ching‐Jiunn , Chen Yen‐Lin , Huang Guo‐Shu , Tang Shou‐Hung
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: Penile schwannoma is a rare encapsulated nerve sheath tumor of the peripheral nerve in the penis. Here, we report a case of multiple, painful, beadlike, nodular tumors in the penis of a 40‐year‐old man. The nodules showed well‐defined margins and hypoechoic areas on gray‐scale ultrasonograms. They showed high signal intensity on fat‐saturated T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intense enhancement on gadolinium‐enhanced T1‐weighted MRI, compatible with their myxoid content. The nodules pressed against the tunica albuginea and some caused inward indentation, which we considered as indirect evidence of the tumor location. In conclusion, the MRI characteristics and location of the nodules together enable presurgical diagnosis of penile schwannomas, which is especially useful in asymptomatic patients and those unwilling to undergo surgery.
Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Endothelial Microparticles in Patients With Arterial Erectile Dysfunction and Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: La Vignera Sandro , Condorelli Rosita , Vicari Enzo , D'Agata Rosario , Calogero Aldo E.
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: Blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and microparticles (EMP) have been proposed as markers of endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate both EPCs and EMPs in patients with arterial erectile dysfunction (ED) and metabolic syndrome (MetS). To accomplish this, 100 patients (ages 45–60 years) with ED and MetS (Adult Treatment Panel III [ATP III] 1999 criteria) and 17 healthy men (ages 44–57 years) were selected. EPC (CD45neg/CD34pos/CD144pos) and EMP (CD45neg/CD144pos/Annexin Vpos) blood concentrations were evaluated by flow cytometry, before and after administration of tadalafil (20 mg) on demand for 3 months. Before treatment, EPCs and EMPs were significantly higher in patients compared with healthy men. EPCs increased significantly after tadalafil administration, whereas EMPs did not differ significantly. EPCs correlated positively or negatively with body mass index and with some cavernous artery indices, both before and after tadalafil administration. EMPs showed only positive correlations with body mass index and some cavernous artery indices, both before and after tadalafil administration. Patients with arterial ED and MetS have higher EPCs and EMPs compared with healthy men; hence, these cells may be regarded as markers of cavernous artery dysfunction. Tadalafil administration increased EPCs but not EMPs, suggesting that this compound may play a role in the endothelial repair response.
Ethnic Variation in Allele Distribution of the Androgen Receptor (AR) (CAG)n Repeat
Authors: Ackerman Christine M. , Lowe Lynn P. , Lee Hoon , Hayes M. Geoffrey , Dyer Alan R. , Metzger Boyd E. , Lowe William L. , Urbanek Margrit ,   The Hapo Study Cooperative Research Group
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: The androgen receptor (AR) is important in reproductive organ development, as well as tissue homeostasis of the pancreas, liver, and skeletal muscle in adulthood. The trinucleotide (CAG)n repeat polymorphism in exon 1 of the AR gene is thought to regulate AR activity, with longer alleles conferring reduced receptor activity. Therefore, the evaluation of the allelic distribution of the AR (CAG)n repeat in various ethnic groups is crucial in understanding the interindividual variability in AR activity. We evaluated ethnic variation of this AR polymorphism by genotyping individuals from the multiethnic Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome study cohort. We genotyped 4421 Caucasian mothers and 3365 offspring of European ancestry; 1494 Thai mothers and 1742 offspring; 1119 Afro‐Caribbean mothers and 1142 offspring; and 780 Hispanic mothers and 770 offspring of Mexican ancestry from Bellflower, California. The distributions of (CAG)n alleles among all 4 ethnic groups are significantly different (P < .0001). Pairwise tests confirmed significant differences between each pair of ethnicities tested (P < 10−28). The relative AR (CAG)n repeat length in the different groups was as follows: Afro‐Caribbean (shortest repeat lengths and greatest predicted AR activity) < Caucasian < Hispanic < Thai (longest repeat length and lowest predicted AR activity). Significant interethnic differences in the allele frequencies of the AR exon 1 (CAG)n polymorphism exist. Our results suggest that there may be potential ethnic differences in androgenic pathway activity and androgen sensitivity.
Paternal DNA Damage Resulting From Various Sperm Treatments Persists After Fertilization and Is Similar Before and After DNA Replication
Authors: Yamauchi Yasuhiro , Riel Jonathan M. , Ward Monika A.
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: In spite of its highly condensed state, sperm DNA is vulnerable to damage that can originate from oxidative stress, the activity of sperm‐specific nucleases, or both. After fertilization, in the oocyte, paternal chromatin undergoes dramatic changes, and during this extensive remodeling, it can be both repaired and degraded, and these processes can be linked to DNA synthesis. Here, we analyzed sperm response to damage‐inducing treatments both before and after fertilization and before or after zygotic DNA replication. Epididymal mouse spermatozoa were either frozen without cryoprotection (FT) or treated with detergent Triton X‐100 coupled with dithiothreitol (TX+DTT) to induce DNA damage. Fresh, untreated sperm served as control. Immediately after preparation, spermatozoa from 3 groups were taken for comet assay, or for intracytoplasmic sperm injection into prometaphase I oocytes to visualize prematurely condensed single‐chromatid chromosomes, or into mature metaphase II oocytes to visualize chromosomes after DNA replication. Comet assay revealed increased DNA fragmentation in treated sperm when compared with control, with FT sperm more severely affected. Chromosome analysis demonstrated paternal DNA damage in oocytes injected with treated, but not with fresh, sperm, with FT and TX+DTT groups now yielding similar damage. There were no differences in the incidence of abnormal paternal karyoplates before and after DNA synthesis in all examined groups. This study provides evidence that subjecting sperm to DNA damage–inducing treatments results in degradation of highly condensed sperm chromatin when it is still packed within the sperm head, and that this DNA damage persists after fertilization. The difference in DNA damage in sperm subjected to 2 treatments was ameliorated in the fertilized oocytes, suggesting that some chromatin repair might have occurred. This process, however, was independent of DNA synthesis and took place during oocyte maturation.
Physical Activity and Erectile Dysfunction in Middle‐Aged Men
Authors: La Vignera Sandro , Condorelli Rosita , Vicari Enzo , D'Agata Rosario , Calogero Aldo E.
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: The prevalence of erectile dysfunction is high in men of all ages and increases greatly in the elderly. In particular, severity and prevalence both increase with aging. Because erectile dysfunction is a symptom, physicians should diagnose underlying pathologies that might lead to it instead of focusing only on finding a viable treatment. Physical inactivity negatively impacts on erectile function; experimental and clinical exercise interventions have been shown to improve sexual responses and overall cardiovascular health. Several studies have confirmed that combining 2 interventions (Mediterranean diet and physical activity) provides additional benefit to erectile function, likely via reduced metabolic disturbances (eg, inflammatory markers, insulin resistance), decreased visceral adipose tissue, and improvement in vascular function (eg, increased endothelial function). This brief review shows the main clinical evidence of benefits induced by physical activity on erectile and endothelial dysfunction. The literature shows that erectile dysfunction in middle‐aged men is often an early event in endothelial damage, and physical activity is able to improve both erectile and endothelial dysfunction. There are conflicting data regarding the effects of exercise on androgen status. In clinical practice it would be recommended to add regular physical activity to balanced diet and drugs to achieve better therapeutic results.
Modeling Prostate Cancer in Mice: Limitations and Opportunities
Authors: Hensley Patrick J. , Kyprianou Natasha
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT: The complex dynamics of the tumor microenvironment and prostate cancer heterogeneity have confounded efforts to establish suitable preclinical mouse models to represent human cancer progression from early proliferative phenotypes to aggressive, androgen‐independent, and invasive metastatic tumors. Current models have been successful in capitulating individual characteristics of the aggressive tumors. However, none of these models comprehensively mimics human cancer progression, establishing the challenge in their exploitation to study human disease. The ability to tailor phenotypic outcomes in mice by compounding mutations to target specific molecular pathways provides a powerful tool toward disruption of signaling pathways contributing to the initiation and progression of castration‐resistant prostate cancer. Each model is characterized by unique features contributing to the understanding of prostate tumorigenesis, as well as limitations challenging our knowledge of the mechanisms of cancer development and progression. Emerging strategies utilize genomic manipulation technology to circumvent these limitations toward the formulation of attractive, physiologically relevant models of prostate cancer progression to advanced disease. This review discusses the current value of the widely used and well‐characterized mouse models of prostate cancer progression to metastasis, as well as the opportunities begging exploitation for the development of new models for testing the antitumor efficacy of therapeutic strategies and identifying new biomarkers of disease progression.
Comparative assessment of water markets: insights from the Murray–Darling Basin of Australia and the Western USA
Authors: Grafton R. Quentin , Libecap Gary D. , Edwards Eric C. , O'Brien R. J. (Bob) , Landry Clay
Published: January 2012

Water markets in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) and the western USA are compared in terms of their ability to allocate scarce water resources. The study finds that the gains from trade in the MDB are worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year (note that all monetary units of dollars in this article are treated as US$ because Australian$ are converted at par). Total market turnover in water rights exceeds US$2 billion per year while the volume of trade exceeds over 20% of surface water extractions. In Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas, trades of committed water annually range between 5 and 15% of total state freshwater diversions with over US$4.3 billion (2008 US$; monetary units in dollars are expressed in their value in US$ in 2008) spent or committed by urban buyers between 1987 and 2008. The two-market comparison suggests that policy attention should be directed towards ways of promoting water trade while simultaneously mitigating the legitimate third party concerns about how and where water is used, especially in conflicts between consumptive and in situ uses of water. The study finds that institutional innovation is feasible in both countries and that further understanding about the size, duration and distribution of third party effects from water trade and how these effects might be regulated, can improve water markets' ability to manage water scarcity better.
Potential water savings associated with agricultural water efficiency improvements: a case study of California, USA
Authors: Christian-Smith Juliet , Cooley Heather , Gleick Peter H.
Published: January 2012

This study analyzes the potential for water savings from irrigation efficiency improvements in California, USA. We model water savings associated with three efficiency scenarios in wet, average and dry water years. The ‘efficient irrigation technology’ scenario shifts a fraction of the crops from flood irrigation to sprinkler and drip systems; the ‘improved irrigation scheduling’ scenario uses local climate and soil information to more precisely meet crop water needs; and the ‘regulated deficit irrigation’ applies less water to crops during drought-tolerant growth stages to save water and improve crop quality or yield. The three scenarios evaluated here each conservatively show the potential for significant water savings. Their combined potential applied water savings are between 5.6 × 109 m3 (4.5 million acre-feet (MAF)) in a wet year and 7.4 × 109 m3 (6.0 MAF) in a dry year. In total, these scenarios could reduce water applied to California agriculture by 17% or reduce water consumed by California agriculture by 13%. The results also indicate that water conservation and efficiency improvements are particularly effective in dry years, when agricultural water demand is greater and conflicts over scarce water resources are more severe. These approaches can reduce vulnerability to increasingly uncertain water supplies.
International water sharing: examining the Montana–Alberta dispute in the context of the century-old Boundary Waters Treaty
Authors: Klein K. K. , Le Roy Danny G. , Cook Tatiana
Published: January 2012

The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 set out the terms and conditions by which citizens in Canada and the United States would be permitted to access and use trans-national surface water resources. In 2003, the Governor of Montana claimed that Montanans were not receiving their collective entitlement of the boundary waters that flowed into Alberta and requested the International Joint Commission (IJC) to investigate. After more than eight years of study, meetings, task forces and negotiations, the IJC has successfully cooled emotions but a definitive solution to the dispute has not been found. Although water users in Alberta have been receiving more water than those in Montana, it has been determined that users in both countries have been receiving less water than their legal entitlements. This result has been due more to differences in diversion, conveyance and storage infrastructure on each side of the border than to any inherent unfairness in the treaty itself.
Challenges of local water governance: the extent, nature and intensity of local water-related conflict and cooperation
Authors: Ravnborg Helle Munk , Bustamante Rocio , Cissé Abdoulaye , Cold-Ravnkilde Signe M. , Cossio Vladimir , Djiré Moussa , Funder Mikkel , Gómez Ligia I. , Le Phuong , Mweemba Carol , Nyambe Imasiku , Paz Tania , Pham Huong , Rivas Roberto , Skielboe Thomas , Yen Nguyen T. B.
Published: January 2012

This article presents the results of comprehensive inventories made of water-related conflict and cooperation occurring in five districts in Africa, Asia and Latin America between 1997 and 2007. Following a description of the conceptual and methodological framework developed for undertaking these inventories, the article documents the extent, nature and intensity of water-related conflict and cooperation in the five districts. The article concludes by identifying three challenges relating to the magnitude, complexity and invisibility of local-level conflict and cooperation about water, which efforts to improve local water governance would have to address.
Vertical microbiological variation of a coastal aquifer in southern China
Authors: Huang X. L. , Chen J. Y. , Zhou S. N. , Xie L. C. , Jiang H. B. , Dong L. Y.
Published: January 2012

Microbial communities in a coastal aquifer in the Zhuhai region of southern China were investigated by culture-independent molecular approaches. Four 16S rRNA gene libraries of three groundwater samples from varied depths and one seawater sample were constructed and analysed by the amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis technique (ARDRA). The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the 16S rDNA of clones presenting dominant ARDRA patterns were most similar to Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, and candidate divisions OPx (such as OP3, OP8, and OP11). In samples extracted from wells of 5-, 20-, and 35-m depth (i.e., D1, D5, and D6) Proteobacteria made up 32.3, 34.3, and 46.7% of the microbial communities, respectively. The same samples from D1, D5, and D6 also consisted of 5.0, 11.2, and 6.5% Bacteroidetes and 5.4, 6.6, and 7.8% Actinobacteria, respectively. In contrast, the seawater clone library had a predominant number of Proteobacteria (32.8%), while Bacteroidetes and Planctomycetes both accounted for 9.3%. Total microbial diversity remained relatively constant over the top layer to a depth of approximately 35 m, significant community vertical and horizontal (seawater-groundwater) shifts were observed for certain bacterial populations.
Industrial wastewater platform: upgrading of the biological process and operative configurations for best performance
Authors: Laura Eusebi Anna , Massi Alessandro , Sablone Emiliano , Santinelli Martina , Battistoni Paolo
Published: January 2012

The treatment of industrial liquid wastes is placed in a wide context of technologies and is related to the high variability of the influent physical–chemical characteristics. In this condition, the achievement of satisfactory biological unit efficiency could be complicated. An alternate process (AC) with aerobic and anoxic phases fed in a continuous way was evaluated as an operative solution to optimize the performance of the biological reactor in a platform for the treatment of industrial liquid wastes. The process application has determined a stable quality effluent with an average concentration of 25 mg TN L−1, according to the law limits. The use of discharged wastewaters as rapid carbon sources to support the anoxic phase of the alternate cycle, realizes a reduction of TN of 95% without impact on the total operative costs. The evaluation of the micro-pollutants behaviour has highlighted a bio-adsorption phenomenon in the first reactor. The implementation of the process defined 31% of energy saving during period 1 and 19% for the periods 2, 3 and 4.
Determination of brominated flame retardants in Jukskei River catchment area in Gauteng, South Africa
Authors: Olukunle O. I. , Okonkwo O. J. , Kefeni K. K. , Lupankwa M.
Published: January 2012

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are considered to be environmental pollutants due to their toxicity, persistence and ubiquity in the environment. Little information is known about the presence of brominated flame retardants in South Africa's water systems. Therefore, this study examined and compared different extraction methods (liquid–liquid (LL) vs. solid phase (SP) for water, Soxhlet extraction (SE) vs. ultrasonic for sediment) for extraction efficiencies in the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) in water and sediment from Jukskei River. Clean-up of sample extracts was performed using disposable Pasteur pipettes containing neutral, acidified and basic silica gel. Final extracts, after concentration and dilution to 200 μL were analyzed by injecting 1 μL in the GC-ECD and GC-MS. Results obtained showed good recoveries for most of the tested analytes in water; for LLE, values ranged between 80.5 ± 10.22% and 126.6 ± 1.94%; SPE, 70.41 ± 2.01%–124.78 ± 3.78% (n = 3) and for sediment (73–114%, with an RSD <17%) using SE. The ultrasonic extraction method gave less than 50% recovery for most of the congeners. The concentrations of the BFRs in water samples were less than the detection limit while the concentrations in sediment ranged from 1.95 to 36.61 ng g−1 dry weight for Σ11 BFRs. Dichloromethane and n-hexane : acetone (2 : 1, v/v) gave optimum value of recovery for water and sediment respectively.
Removal improvement of bacteria (Escherichia coli and enterococci) in maturation ponds using baffles
Authors: Ouali A. , Jupsin H. , Vasel J. L. , Marouani L. , Ghrabi A.
Published: January 2012

Korba wastewater treatment plant is a conventional activated sludge followed by three maturation ponds (MP1, MP2, MP3) in series acting as a tertiary treatment. The first study of wastewater treatment plants showed that the effluent concentration of Escherichia coli and enterococci at the outlet of the (MP3) varies between 103 and 104CFU/100 ml. After the hydrodynamic study conducted by Rhodamine WT which showed short-circuiting in the MP1, two baffles were introduced in the first maturation pond (MP1) to improve the hydrodynamic and the sanitary performances. The second hydraulic study showed that the dispersion number ‘d’ was reduced from 1.45 to 0.43 by this engineering intervention and the Peclet number was raised from 0.69 to 2.32. The hydraulic retention time was increased by 14 h. Because of well-designed baffles, the removal efficiency of E. coli and enterococci was raised between 0.2 and 0.7 log units for the first maturation pond.
Recovery of methane from anaerobic process effluent using poly-di-methyl-siloxane membrane contactors
Authors: Cookney J. , Cartmell E. , Jefferson B. , McAdam E. J.
Published: January 2012

This paper demonstrates the potential for recovering dissolved methane from low temperature anaerobic processes treating domestic wastewater. In the absence of methane recovery, ca. 45% of the produced methane is released as a fugitive emission which results in a net carbon footprint of −0.47 kg CO2e m−3. A poly-di-methyl-siloxane (PDMS) membrane contactor was applied to support sweep gas desorption of dissolved methane using nitrogen. The dense membrane structure controlled gaseous mass transfer thus recovery was maximised at low liquid velocities. At the lowest liquid velocity, VL, of 0.0025 m s−1, 72% of the dissolved methane was recovered. A vacuum was also trialled as an alternative to sweep-gas operation. At vacuum pressures below 30 mbar, reasonable methane recovery was observed at an intermediate VL of 0.0056 m s−1. Results from this study demonstrate that dissolved methane recovery could increase net electrical production from low temperature anaerobic processes by ca. +0.043 kWhe m−3 and reduce the net carbon footprint to +0.01 kg CO2e m−3. However, further experimental work to optimise the gas-side hydrodynamics is required as well as validation of the long-term impacts of biofouling on process performance.
Lognormal behaviour of untreated and treated wastewater constituents
Authors: Oliveira S. C. , Souki I. , von Sperling M.
Published: January 2012

This article presents an extensive study to select the theoretical probability distribution that represents the concentrations of major constituents from 35 wastewater treatment plants located in Brazil, as well as to verify the influence of the adopted treatment technology on the data distributions. Due to the lack of a solid basis for selecting the distributions that best fit the data, various distributions had to be tried and the choice was based on statistical tests and visual techniques, comprising a total of 3,444 tests undertaken. While comparing suitability of five distributions (normal, lognormal, gamma, exponential and rectangular) for analysis of data (influent and effluent biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, thermotolerant coliforms and flow), it was observed that the lognormal distribution was the most suitable, which is in agreement with the findings from other research studies. This conclusion requires a different position from the one currently adopted when analysing plant performance, in which symmetry of the data is generally implied, which has been shown not to be the case with the large array of data sets investigated.
Adsorption of allura red dye by cross-linked chitosan from shrimp waste
Authors: Sánchez-Duarte Reyna G. , Sánchez-Machado Dalia I. , López-Cervantes Jaime , Correa-Murrieta Ma. A.
Published: January 2012

The present study was designed to evaluate the chitosan, which has been obtained by deacetylation of chitin, as a biosorbent. The chitin was isolated from fermented shrimp waste by an important local industrial food biopolymer. The aim of this work was the characterization of chitosan and preparation of cross-linked chitosan- tripolyphosphate (chitosan-TPP) beads for the removal of allura red food dye from aqueous solutions. Conditions of batch adsorption such as pH, time and adsorbent dose were examined. The effectiveness of cross-linked chitosan beads for dye removal was found to be higher for pH 2 (98%, percentage of dye removal) and tends to decrease at pHs of 3 to 11 (up to 49%). The values of percentage removal show that the adsorption capacity increases with time of contact and dosage of chitosan-TPP, but red dye adsorption is mainly influenced by pH level. The cross-linked chitosan-TPP beads can significantly adsorb allura red monoazo dye from aqueous solutions even at acidic pHs unlike raw chitosan beads that tend to dissolve in acidic solutions. Consequently, this modified chitosan has characteristics that allow minimization of environmental pollution and widening the valorization of shrimp waste.
Potential impacts of on-site greywater reuse in landscape irrigation
Authors: Alfiya Y. , Damti O. , Stoler-Katz A. , Zoubi A. , Shaviv A. , Friedler E.
Published: January 2012

This study investigated the effects of irrigation with different types of waters on soil, plants, and public health. The test plant was ryegrass grown in 12 planters filled with sandy loam soil and irrigated with three types of waters (4 planters for each type): freshwater, raw domestic light greywater (GW), and treated domestic light GW. The sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), EC, pH and alkalinity of the three types of irrigation waters did not differ significantly, suggesting that raw or treated light GW should not exhibit negative effects. Concentrations of anionic and cationic surfactants in the freshwater and the treated GW were about the same, while their concentrations in the raw GW were higher. Surfactant levels in the three drainage water types were low. Some accumulation of surfactants occurred in planters irrigated with raw and treated GW. The COD of the drainage water of planters irrigated with raw GW was higher than the COD of other two drainage water types. Although raw and treated GW contained faecal coliforms, they were hardly detected in the drainage waters. All plants did not show any signs of stress. This may be due to the fact that the GW originated mainly from showers and washbasins.
Performance evaluation of subsurface wastewater infiltration system in treating domestic sewage
Authors: Li Ying-Hua , Li Hai-Bo , Pan Jing , Wang Xin , Sun Tie-Heng
Published: January 2012

This study was to investigate domestic treatment efficiency of a subsurface wastewater infiltration (SWI) system over time. The performances of a young SWI system (in Shenyang University, China, fully operated for one year) and a mature SWI system (in Shenyang Normal University, China, fully operated for seven years) under the same operation mode were contrasted through field-scale experiments for one year. The performance assessment for these systems is based on physical and chemical parameters collected. The removal efficiencies within the young system were relatively high if compared with the mature one: for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and total phosphorus (TP) were 95.0, 89.1, 98.1, 87.6 and 98.4%, respectively. However, the removal efficiencies decreased over time. The mean removal efficiencies for the mature SWI system were as follows: BOD (89.6%), COD (87.2%), SS (82.6%), NH3-N (69.1%) and TP (74.4%). The results indicate that the mature SWI system successfully removed traditional pollutants such as BOD from domestic wastewater. However, the nutrient reduction efficiencies (including NH3-N and TP) decreased after seven years of operation of the mature SWI system. Meanwhile, the SWI system did not decrease the receiving surface water quality.
Tracer studies on an aerated lagoon
Authors: Broughton Alistair , Shilton Andy
Published: January 2012

The city of Palmerston North, New Zealand, has two aerated lagoons as its secondary treatment facility. Interest about treatment efficiency led to an investigation into the hydraulics in the second lagoon to determine if further optimisation was viable. A tracer study using rhodamine WT was undertaken to ascertain the stimulus response output. Samples were also taken at 24 points within the lagoon to determine the tracer concentration profile throughout the lagoon. The mean residence time was determined to be 39.9 h compared with a theoretical residence time of 55.4 h. Peak concentration of the tracer at the outlet occurred at 0.44 of the mean residence time. The results of the tracer study pointed to 28% of volume being dead space. A subsequent sludge survey indicated that 26% of the design volume of the lagoon was filled with sludge. While the curved geometry of the lagoon did not appear to impact the hydraulics the fact that the first aerator is confined in a relatively smaller area will have locally boosted the mixing energy input in this inlet zone. From interpretation of the tracer response and the tracer distribution profiles it appears that the aerators are mixing the influent into the bulk flow effectively in the front end of the lagoon and that there was no evidence of any substantive short-circuiting path of concentrated tracer around to the outlet. The tracer distribution profiles gave direct insight as to how the tracer was being transported within the pond and should be used more often when conducting tracer studies. Comparison with the literature indicated that the lagoon's hydraulic efficiency was on par with a baffled pond system and it would be expected that addition of several baffles to the lagoon would provide minimal further improvement.
Electrically enhanced MBR system for total nutrient removal in remote northern applications
Authors: Wei V. , Elektorowicz M. , Oleszkiewicz J. A.
Published: January 2012

Thousands of sparsely populated communities scatter in the remote areas of northern Canada. It is economically preferable to adopt the decentralized systems to treat the domestic wastewater because of the vast human inhabitant distribution and cold climatic conditions. Electro-technologies such as electrofiltration, elctrofloatation, electrocoagulation and electrokinetic separation have been applied in water and conventional wastewater treatment for decades due to the minimum requirements of chemicals as well as ease of operation. The membrane bioreactor (MBR) is gaining popularity in recent years as an alternative water/wastewater treatment technology. However, few studies have been conducted to hyphenate these two technologies. The purpose of this work is to design a novel electrically enhanced membrane bioreactor (EMBR) as an alternative decentralized wastewater treatment system with improved nutrient removal and reduced membrane fouling. Two identical submerged membranes (GE ZW-1 hollow fiber module) were used for the experiment, with one as a control. The EMBR and control MBR were operated for 4 months at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C) with synthetic feed and 2 months at 10 °C with real sewage. The following results were observed: (1) the transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased significantly more slowly in the EMBR and the interval between the cleaning cycles of the EMBR increased at least twice; (2) the dissolved chemical oxygen demand (COD) or total organic carbon (TOC) in the EMBR biomass was reduced from 30 to 51%, correspondingly, concentrations of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), the major suspicious membrane foulants, decreased by 26–46% in the EMBR; (3) both control and EMBR removed >99% of ammonium-N and >95% of dissolved COD, in addition, ortho-P removal in the EMBR was >90%, compared with 47–61% of ortho-P removal in the MBR; and (4) the advantage of the EMBR over the conventional MBR in terms of membrane fouling retardation and phosphorus removal was further demonstrated at an operating temperature of 10 °C when fed with real sewage. The EMBR system has the potential for highly automated control and minimal maintenance, which is particularly suitable for remote northern applications.
Combination of hydrodechlorination and biodegradation for the abatement of chlorophenols
Authors: Zhou Shiwei , Jin Xin , Sun Feifei , Zhou Hao , Yang Cuiyun , Xia Chuanhai
Published: January 2012

A method for abatement for chlorophenols (CPs) in contaminated water based on successive steps of catalytic hydrodechlorination (HDC) over Pd/C at ambient temperature and pressure, followed by aerobic biodegradation using yeast Candida tropicalis (C. tropicalis) was studied. The results showed that 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) could be easily and completely dechlorinated under mild conditions, ultimately yielding phenol as product. Subsequently, phenol (0–900 mg L−1) could be completely degraded by C. tropicalis within 30 h. Moreover, during the biodegradation of phenol, definite mass of ethanol (≤0.5%) caused a modest increase in the duration of the lag phase, but led to a great increase in the maximum degradation rates. This means that CPs with higher concentration could be efficiently detoxified under mild conditions by a combination of HDC and biodegradation in water or water–ethanol systems.
Simple and efficient ion imprinted polymer for recovery of uranium from environmental samples
Authors: Pakade V. E. , Cukrowska E. M. , Darkwa J. , Darko G. , Torto N. , Chimuka L.
Published: January 2012

Ion imprinted polymer material (IIP) was prepared by forming ternary complexes of uranyl imprint ion with 1-(prop-2-en-1-yl)-4-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)piperazine and methacrylic acid followed by thermal copolymerization with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linking monomer in the presence of 1,1′-azobis(cyclohexanecarbonitrile) initiator and 2-methoxy ethanol porogenic solvent. HCl solution (5 mol/L) was used to leach out the uranyl template ion from the IIP particles. Similarly, the control polymer (CP) material was also prepared exactly under the same conditions as the IIP but without the uranyl ion template. Various parameters such as solution pH, initial concentration, aqueous phase volume, sorbent dosage, contact time and leaching solution volumes were investigated. SEM, IR and BET-surface area and pore size analysis were used for the characterization of IIP and CP materials. The extraction efficiency of the IIP and CP was compared using a batch and SPE mode of extraction. The optimal pH for quantitative removal is 4.0–8.0, sorbent amount is 20 mg, contact time is 20 min and the retention capacity is 120 mg of uranyl ion per g of IIP. The IIP prepared demonstrated superior selectivity towards coexisting cations and therefore it can be used for selective removal of uranium from complex matrices.
Enhanced Pd pillared clays by Rh inclusion for the catalytic hydrodechlorination of chlorophenols in water
Authors: Molina C. B. , Pizarro A. H. , Casas J. A. , Rodriguez J. J.
Published: January 2012

Bimetallic Pd–Rh catalysts supported on pillared clays have been prepared and tested for aqueous-phase hydrodechlorination (HDC) using 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) as target compound. These bimetallic catalysts combine the higher activity of Rh with the better stability of Pd found in previous works with monometallic catalysts. Different combinations of Pd and Rh amounting to 1 wt% total metal load were tested and the catalyst with 0.75 wt% Pd and 0.25 wt% Rh yielded the best results. Ecotoxicity and biodegradability (measured as BOD5/COD ratio) of the effluents were checked. A significant decrease of ecotoxicity was observed while biodegradability was dramatically improved from 0.02 for the initial 4-CP solution up to values higher than 0.6.
Imaging of Coronary Arteries Aid in Prevention of Atherosclerosis and
Clinical Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Kuller Lewis H. , Edmundowicz Daniel
Published: January 2012

Prevention of progression of atherosclerosis is the best approach to reduce incidence of myocardial infarction,
sudden coronary heart disease (CHD) death, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Research over the past 40 years has
identified the risk factors for atherosclerotic disease, noninvasive methods for measuring the extent of atherosclerosis in
multiple vascular beds and very efficacious therapy to reduce the level of risk factors and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Cardiovascular incidence and death rates have declined. Nevertheless, rates of CHD and other vascular disease remain
much higher in many countries and within select regions of certain countries than necessary. Prevention of atherosclerosis
depends on 4 key steps: 1) a much more aggressive effort to lower modifiable risk factors, especially apolipoprotein-B
(ApoB)-containing lipoproteins, low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, and
smoking during adolescence and young adult years; 2) identify and treat elevated ApoB lipoproteins, diabetes and
smoking cessation of very high risk young adults as early as possible; 3) use of imaging to identify atherosclerosis of
coronary and other arteries for appropriate segments of the adult population and treatment of risk factors for those with
identifiable atherosclerosis; and 4) improved approaches to deliver prevention of cardiovascular disease to large numbers
of asymptomatic individuals identified by non invasive imaging to maximize adherence to therapies. The major missing
piece is better methods to identify vulnerable coronary plaques on the verge of an atherothrombotic transition and better
treatments to prevent “acute” events. However, the four steps above will still lead to very substantial reductions in CHD
incidence and mortality.
Femoral Stem Displacement in a Patient Suffering Recurrent Dislocations After Hip Hemiarthroplasty: Case Report
Authors: Tsagozis Panagiotis , Henriksson Magnus , Ioannidis Ioannis
Published: January 2012

Displacement of the femoral component during attempt to closed reduction of a dislocated hip arthroplasty is an exceptionally rare, catastrophic event, which renders operative management obligatory. We report the proximal migration of a femoral stem during attempt to closed reduction in a patient with recurrent postoperative dislocations after hip hemiarthroplasty, and describe successful management by conversion to a standard total hip arthroplasty, retaining the same stem in the existing cement mantle. This illustrative case is reported not only as an extremely rare event, but also to highlight and discuss pitfalls and efficient measures in the management of this complex issue.
Phenomena and significance of intermediate spillover in electrocatalysis of oxygen and hydrogen electrode reactions
Authors: Jaksic Jelena , Labou Diamantoula , Papakonstantinou Georgos
Published: January 2012

Altervalent hypo-d-oxides of transition metal series impose spontaneous
dissociative adsorption of water molecules and pronounced membrane spillover
transferring properties instantaneously resulting with corresponding bronze
type (Pt/HxWO3) under cathodic, and/or its hydrated state (Pt/W(OH)6)
responsible for the primary oxide (Pt-OH) effusion, under anodic
polarization, this way establishing instantaneous reversibly revertible
alterpolar bronze features (Pt/H0.35WO3 Pt/W(OH)6), and substantially
advanced electrocatalytic properties of these composite interactive
electrocatalysts. As the consequence, the new striking and unpredictable
prospects both in law and medium temperature proton exchange membrane fuell
cell (L&MT PEMFC) and water electrolysis (WE) have been opened by the
interactive supported individual (Pt, Pd, Ni) or prevailing
hyper-d-electronic nanostructured intermetallic phase clusters (WPt3, NbPt3,
HfPd3, ZrNi3), grafted upon and within high altervalent capacity
hypo-d-oxides (WO3, Nb2O5, Ta2O5, TiO2) and their proper mixed valence
compounds, to create a novel type of alterpolar interchangeable composite
electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen electrode reactions. Whereas in
aqueous media Pt (Pt/C) features either chemisorbed catalytic surface
properties of H-adatoms (Pt-H), or surface oxide (Pt=O), missing any effusion
of other interacting species, new generation and selection of composite and
interactive strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) electrocatalysts in
condensed wet state primarily characterizes interchangeable extremely fast
reversible spillover of either H-adatoms, or the primary oxides (Pt-OH,
Au-OH), or the invertible bronze type behavior of these significant
interactive electrocatalytic ingredients. Such nanostructured type
electrocatalysts, even of mixed hypo-d-oxide structure (Pt/H0.35WO3/TiO2/C,
Pt/HxNbO3/TiO2/C), have for the first time been synthesized by the sol-gel
methods and shown rather high stability, electron conductivity and
non-exchanged initial pure mono-bronze spillover and catalytic properties.
The underpotential spillover double layer (DL) charging and discharging
properties of the primary oxide (M-OH), interrelated with the interactive
self-catalytic effect of dipole-oriented water molecules, has also been
proved and pointed out as the phenomenological appearance and aspect of the
interactive spillover featuring intermediates. In fact, phenomenological
aspects of spillover for the main reacting intermediate species in oxygen and
hydrogen electrode reactions along with earned and withdrawn theoretical
knowledge represent the basic concepts and aims of the present study.
Assessment of α-tocopherol content in cow and goat milk from the Serbian market
Authors: Sunaric Slavica , Zivkovic Jelena , Pavlovic Radmila , Kocic Gordana , Trutic Natasa , Zivanovic Slavoljub
Published: January 2012

The present paper reports determination of ?-tocopherol in commercial cow,
raw cow and goat milk, as well as estimation of its nutritive value based on
?-tocopherol content. Quantification was done by reversed-phase HPLC with
fluorescence detection (ex 295 nm, em 330 nm) and with UV detector set at 286
nm and 292 nm. The method of milk sample preparation consisted of alkaline
saponification with 30% KOH, denaturation of lipoproteins with methanol
followed by liquid-liquid extraction with diethyl-ether. Recovery values of
the extraction method were 78.5, 86.7 and 91.0% for three standard addition
levels. Analyzed commercial low-fat milk samples had significant lower
?-tocopherol levels than milk with higher fat content. ?-tocopherol
concentration below 0.30 ?g/ml in low-fat cow milk and 0.83-0.86 ?g/ml in
whole milk were detected. Raw goat milk had much more ?-tocopherol (1.25
?g/ml) compared with commercial and raw cow milk with similar fat content.
Haphazard Sampling: Selection Biases Induced by Control Listing Properties and the Estimation Consequences of these Biases
Authors: Hall Thomas W. , Higson Andrew W. , Pierce Bethane Jo , Price Kenneth H. , Skousen Christopher J.
Published: January 2012

Haphazard sampling is a nonstatistical technique used by auditors to simulate a variety of random sampling techniques when testing the error status of accounting populations. In this study, we compare the properties of haphazard samples selected from control listings with the properties of simple random samples. We hypothesize that control listing entries exhibit salience values that result from the effort required to locate entries and the visual properties of entries. We further hypothesize these salience values influence sample selections and result in sample properties that are different from those of simple random samples. To test these hypotheses, we examine the properties of haphazard samples selected by three participant groups. In each group, sample properties differ from those of simple random sampling and include a lack of independence across sample selections and biased sample inclusion probabilities. We also develop models showing how biased sample inclusion probabilities influence error projections and discuss the estimation consequences of these biases.

Data Availability: For information about data availability, please contact the first author.