Evolution of several soil properties following amendment with olive mill wastewater

Occurrences of olive mill wastewater (OMW) amendment on several chemical and biochemical properties of soil were investigated. Compared to the control, soils amended with untreated and treated OMW (by an integrated process based on aerobic fungal pre-treatment using Phanerochaete chrysosporium DSMZ 6909 followed by anaerobic treatment) showed high levels of organic and mineral matters. Soil amended with untreated OMW presented low levels of total and inorganic nitrogen (0.38 and 0.08 mg g⁻¹ dry soil). Treated OMW contained little content of pollutants (COD = 4 g l⁻¹; phenolic compounds = 0.6 g l⁻¹); so, organic matter brought by these residues was rapidly mineralized in the soil. The number of heterotrophic bacteria was increased (from 54 × 10⁵ CFU g⁻¹ dry soil in control soil to 123 × 10⁵ CFU g⁻¹ dry soil) in response to the OMW amendment, mainly after C/N ratio correction. Untreated OMW application improved the soil carbon content (2.18 times higher), while the specific respiration remained very low. However, the treated OMW application positively affected the soil-specific respiration that increased from 6.1 in control soil to 9.75 in soil amended with treated OMW. This phenomenon was accompanied by an enhancement of nitrifiers number, urease and ammonium oxidases activities.     

The Complex Dynamics of Hepatitis B Infected Individuals with Optimal Control

This paper proposes various stages of the hepatitis B virus(HBV) besides its transmissibility and nonlinear incidence rate to develop an epidemic model. The authors plan the model, and then prove some basic results for the well-posedness in term of boundedness and positivity. Moreover, the authors find the threshold parameter R0, called the basic/effective reproductive number and carry out local sensitive analysis. Furthermore, the authors examine stability and hence condition for stability in terms of R0. By using sensitivity analysis, the authors formulate a control problem in order to eradicate HBV from the population and proved that the control problem actually exists. The complete characterization of the optimum system was achieved by using the 4~(th)-order Runge-Kutta procedure.     

Optimization of cultural conditions for thermostable β-1,3-1,4-glucanase production by Bacillus subtilis ZJF-IA5

The optimization of cultural conditions for β-glucanase production by Bacillus subtilis ZJF-1A5 was investigated in flask trials. Temperature had great effect on β-glucanasc production which maximized atoptimal temperature of 37℃ and decreased significantly when temperature was over 37℃ . Charge quantity affected β-glucanasc production significantly. Adding oxygen vector N-dodecanc or acetic ether benefited β-glucanasc production, but it depended on the concentration and charge quantity. The results of fractional factorialdesign showed that age and size of inoculum and shaking speed were the key factors affecting β-glueanase production and the cultivation time span to reach the highest β-glucanasc activity. The optimal cultural conditionsfor p-glucanase production obtained with CCD were as follows: inoculum age and size (16 h, 3.82% (v/v)),shaking speed 210 r/rain, charge quantity of 30 mL in 250 mL flask and initial pH 7.0, cultured at 37℃ for 50 h. Repeated experimental results accorded with those predicted by a second-order polynomial model. The amount of p-glucanase, a-amylase and neutral protease produced by B subtills ZJF-1A5 was associated partially with cell growth. Those three enzymes‘ activities increased following the cell growth and increased signifi-cantly when cells entered the stationary phase.     

Effect of SrCO3 addition on the dynamic compressive strength of ZTA

Ceramic parts usually experience dynamic load in armor applications. Therefore, studying the dynamic behaviors of ceramics is important. Limited data are available on the dynamic behaviors of ceramics;thus, it is helpful to predict the dynamic strength of ceramics on the basis of their mechanical properties. In this paper, the addition of SrCO3 into zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) was demonstrated to improve the fracture toughness of ZTA due to the formation of the SrAl12O19 (SA6) phase. The porosity of ZTA was found to be increased by the addition of SrCO3. These newly formed pores served as the nucleation sites of cracks under dynamic load;these cracks eventually coalesced to form damaged zones in the samples. Although the KIC values of the samples were improved, the dynamic strength was not en-hanced because of the increase in porosity;in fact, the dynamic strength of ZTA ceramics decreased with the addition of SrCO3.     

Alteration of the serine protease PRSS56 causes angle-closure glaucoma in mice and posterior microphthalmia in humans and mice

Angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) is a subset of glaucoma affecting 16 million people. Although 4 million people are bilaterally blind from ACG, the causative molecular mechanisms of ACG remain to be defined. High intraocular pressure induces glaucoma in ACG. High intraocular pressure traditionally was suggested to result from the iris blocking or closing the angle of the eye, thereby limiting aqueous humor drainage. Eyes from individuals with ACG often have a modestly decreased axial length, shallow anterior chamber and relatively large lens, features that predispose to angle closure. Here we show that genetic alteration of a previously unidentified serine protease (PRSS56) alters axial length and causes a mouse phenotype resembling ACG. Mutations affecting this protease also cause a severe decrease of axial length in individuals with posterior microphthalmia. Together, these data suggest that alterations of this serine protease may contribute to a spectrum of human ocular conditions including reduced ocular size and ACG.     

Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for IgA nephropathy

We carried out a genome-wide association study of IgA nephropathy, a major cause of kidney failure worldwide. We studied 1,194 cases and 902 controls of Chinese Han ancestry, with targeted follow up in Chinese and European cohorts comprising 1,950 cases and 1,920 controls. We identified three independent loci in the major histocompatibility complex, as well as a common deletion of CFHR1 and CFHR3 at chromosome 1q32 and a locus at chromosome 22q12 that each surpassed genome-wide significance (P values for association between 1.59 × 10?2? and 4.84 × 10?? and minor allele odds ratios of 0.63-0.80). These five loci explain 4-7% of the disease variance and up to a tenfold variation in interindividual risk. Many of the alleles that protect against IgA nephropathy impart increased risk for other autoimmune or infectious diseases, and IgA nephropathy risk allele frequencies closely parallel the variation in disease prevalence among Asian, European and African populations, suggesting complex selective pressures.     

Mutations in the gene encoding the 3'-5' DNA exonuclease TREX1 cause Aicardi-Goutières syndrome at the AGS1 locus

Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) presents as a severe neurological brain disease and is a genetic mimic of the sequelae of transplacentally acquired viral infection. Evidence exists for a perturbation of innate immunity as a primary pathogenic event in the disease phenotype. Here, we show that TREX1, encoding the major mammalian 3' --> 5' DNA exonuclease, is the AGS1 gene, and AGS-causing mutations result in abrogation of TREX1 enzyme activity. Similar loss of function in the Trex1(-/-) mouse leads to an inflammatory phenotype. Our findings suggest an unanticipated role for TREX1 in processing or clearing anomalous DNA structures, failure of which results in the triggering of an abnormal innate immune response.     

Evolution and biology of supernumerary B chromosomes

B chromosomes (Bs) are dispensable components of the genome exhibiting non-Mendelian inheritance and have been widely reported on over several thousand eukaryotes, but still remain an evolutionary mystery ever since their first discovery over a century ago [1]. Recent advances in genome analysis have significantly improved our knowledge on the origin and composition of Bs in the last few years. In contrast to the prevalent view that Bs do not harbor genes, recent analysis revealed that Bs of sequenced species are rich in gene-derived sequences. We summarize the latest findings on supernumerary chromosomes with a special focus on the origin, DNA composition, and the non-Mendelian accumulation mechanism of Bs.     

Effect of Co substitution on the structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of Bi0.9La0.1FeO3 by sol-gel synthesis

Cobalt (Co)-doped Bi_0.9La_0.1FeO₃ multiferroics were synthesized by a sol-gel method based on the autocombustion technique. As-synthesized powder was examined using various characterization techniques to explore the effect of Co substitution on the properties of Bi_0.9La_0.1FeO₃. X-ray diffraction reveals that Co-doped Bi_0.9La_0.1FeO₃ preserves the perovskite-type rhombohedral structure of BiFeO₃, and the composition without Co preserves the original structure of the phase; however, a second-phase Bi₂Fe₄O₉ has been identified in all other compositions. Surface morphological studies were performed by scanning electron microscopy. Temperature-dependent resistivity of the samples reveals the characteristic insulating behavior of the multiferroic material. The resistivity is found to decrease with the increase both in temperature and Co content. Room temperature frequency-dependent dielectric measurements were also reported. Magnetic measurements show the enhancement in magnetization with the increase in Co content.