The effect of supplementation of the soil-like substrate with wheat straw mineralized to different degrees on wheat productivity in closed ecosystems.

Successful incorporation of soil-like substrate (SLS) into biotechnical life support systems is often complicated by the necessity to maintain the balance between flows of mineral elements taken up from the substrate by growing plants and mineral elements added to the SLS as components of mineralized plant inedible biomass. An imbalance between these two flows can be caused by the addition of recalcitrant plant waste such as wheat straw. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the availability of essential nutrients to be taken up by the roots of the wheat plants grown on the SLS could be enhanced by supplementing the SLS with the products derived from wheat straw subjected to different levels of physicochemical mineralization in the aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide.

Accumulation of elements by submerged (Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Börner) and emergent (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.) macrophytes under different salinity levels.

Accumulation of essential/beneficial and non-essential chemical elements by submerged (Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Börner) and emergent (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin.

Benefit-risk ratio of canned pacific saury (Cololabis saira) intake: Essential fatty acids vs. heavy metals.

Fatty acid (FA) and element contents were studied in 14 brands of canned (in its own juice and with sunflower oil) saury (Cololabis saira), a popular product of Russian market. Canned saury is a valuable source of essential polyunsaturated FA - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). To obtain personal daily dose of EPA + DHA of 1 g for prevention of cardiovascular diseases, neural and inflammatory disorders one needs to intake from 26 to 76 g of canned saury, as was calculated for studied brands.

[ESTIMATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HYPOLIPIDEMIC THERAPY WITH ROSUVASTATIN IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE DEPENDING ON THE GENOTYPE OF LIPOPROTEIN LIPASE].

Taking into account the genetic heterogeneity of hyperlipidemias, polymorphic genes involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism may explain differences in the efficacy of hypolipidemic therapy. In the present prospective and randomized study, we have investigated the efficacy of rosuvastatin (10 mg/day) in the therapy of atherogenic hyperlipidemias in a group of 62 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), depending on the genotype of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The pharmacological correction was carried out during one year under control of lipid metabolism parameters (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, HDL-unrelated cholesterol, triglycerides, atherogenic index) at the baseline and on 4th, 8th, 24th and 48th week.

Some methods for human liquid and solid waste utilization in bioregenerative life-support systems.

Bioregenerative life-support systems (BLSS) are studied for developing the technology for a future biological life-support system for long-term manned space missions. Ways to utilize human liquid and solid wastes to increase the closure degree of BLSS were investigated. First, urine and faeces underwent oxidation by Kudenko's physicochemical method.

Influence of high concentrations of mineral salts on production process and NaCl accumulation by Salicornia europaea plants as a constituent of the LSS phototroph link.

Use of halophytes (salt-tolerant vegetation), in a particular vegetable Salicornia europaea plants which are capable of utilizing NaCl in rather high concentrations, is one of possible means of NaCl incorporation into mass exchange of bioregenerative life support systems. In preliminary experiments it was shown that S. europaea plants, basically, could grow on urine pretreated with physicochemical processing and urease-enzyme decomposing of urea with the subsequent ammonia distillation.

Biological and physiochemical methods for utilization of plant wastes and human exometabolites for increasing internal cycling and closure of life support systems.

Wheat was cultivated on soil-like substrate (SLS) produced by the action of worms and microflora from the inedible biomass of wheat. After the growth of the wheat crop, the inedible biomass was restored in SLS and exposed to decomposition ("biological" combustion) and its mineral compounds were assimilated by plants. Grain was returned to the SLS in the amount equivalent to human solid waste produced by consumption of the grain.

Synthesis of biomass and utilization of plants wastes in a physical model of biological life-support system.

The paper considers problems of biosynthesis of higher plants' biomass and "biological incineration" of plant wastes in a working physical model of biological LSS. The plant wastes are "biologically incinerated" in a special heterotrophic block involving Californian worms, mushrooms and straw. The block processes plant wastes (straw, haulms) to produce soil-like substrate (SLS) on which plants (wheat, radish) are grown.

Light intensity and production parameters of phytocenoses cultivated on soil-like substrate under controlled [correction of controled] environment conditions.

To increase the degree of closure of biological life support systems of a new generation, we used vermicomposting to involve inedible phytomass in the intra-system mass exchange. The resulting product was a soil-like substrate, which was quite suitable for growing plants (Manukovsky et al. 1996, 1997).

Mass exchange in an experimental new-generation life support system model based on biological regeneration of environment.

An experimental model of a biological life support system was used to evaluate qualitative and quantitative parameters of the internal mass exchange. The photosynthesizing unit included the higher plant component (wheat and radish), and the heterotrophic unit consisted of a soil-like substrate, California worms, mushrooms and microbial microflora. The gas mass exchange involved evolution of oxygen by the photosynthesizing component and its uptake by the heterotroph component along with the formation and maintaining of the SLS structure, growth of mushrooms and California worms, human respiration, and some other processes.

Physical-chemical treatment of wastes: a way to close turnover of elements in LSS.

"Man-plants-physical-chemical unit" system designed for space stations or terrestrial ecohabitats to close steady-state mineral, water and gas exchange is proposed. The physical-chemical unit is to mineralize all inedible plant wastes and physiological human wastes (feces, urine, gray water) by electromagnetically activated hydrogen peroxide in an oxidation reactor. The final product is a mineralized solution containing all elements balanced for plants' requirements.

Content of metals in compartments of ecosystem of a siberian pond.

During three field seasons (June--September) of 1997--99 contents of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Al, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Pb were determined in compartments of ecosystem (surrounding soils, bottom sediments, water, zoobenthos, macrophytes, and fish) of a fish and recreation pond situated at the edge of Krasnoyarsk City (Siberia, Russia). Contents of most parts of metals in soils, water, and macrophytes significantly correlated with each other. As concluded, their contents were determined by natural, general, geochemical peculiarities of the region.

Two-stage biohumus production from inedible potato biomass.

The feasibility of a two-stage bioconversion of inedible potato biomass into biohumus by oyster mushroom followed by worms was tested. As a raw material for biohumus production the inedible potato biomass in certain properties ranked below wheat straw. The most feasible method to convert the potato wastes into biohumus was to mix them with wheat straw at the mass ratio of 1:3 and then treat with mushrooms followed by worms.

Mineralization of wastes of human vital activity and plants to be used in a Life Support System.

Available methods for mineralizing wastes of human activity and inedible biomass of plants used in this country and abroad are divided into two types: dry mineralization at high temperatures up to 1270 K with subsequent partial dissolution of the ash and the other--wet oxidation by acids. In this case mineralization is performed at a temperature of 470-460 K and a pressure of 220-270 atmospheres in pure oxygen with the output of mineral solution and dissoluble sediments in the form of scale. The drawback of the first method is the formation of dioxins, CO, SO2, NO2 and other toxic compounds.

Element exchange in a water- and gas-closed biological Life Support System.

Liquid human wastes and household water used for nutrition of wheat made possible to realize 24% closure for the mineral exchange in an experiment with a 2-component version of "Bios-3" life support system (LSS) Input-output balances of revealed, that elements (primarily trace elements) within the system. The structural materials (steel, titanium), expanded clay aggregate, and catalytic furnace catalysts. By the end of experiment, the permanent nutrient solution, plants, and the human diet gradually built up Ni, Cr, Al, Fe, V, Zn, Cu, and Mo.

Direct utilization of human liquid wastes by plants in a closed ecosystem.

Model experiments in phytotrons have shown that urea is able to cover 70% of the demand in nitrogen of the conveyer cultivated wheat. At the same time wheat plants can directly utilize human liquid wastes. In this article by human liquid wastes the authors mean human urine only.

Extraction of mineral elements from inedible wastes of biological components of a life-support system and their utilization for plant nutrition.

Two methods of extracting mineral elements from otherwise deadlock products of a life-support system are presented. We describe first optimum conditions for recovering elements by water extraction from dry wastes of plants, biomass ash, and solid human wastes after passing them through the catalytic furnace; and, second, we describe acid extracts of biogenous elements by 1N and 2N HNO3 from these products. Ways to use the extracts of elements in plant nutrition are considered in order to increase the extent to which the mineral loop of a life-support system can be closed.