Methane Production Characteristics of an Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Pig Manure and Fermented Liquid Feed.

Methane production characteristics of anaerobic co-digestion of pig manure (PM) and fermented liquid feed (FLF) were investigated in a continuous digester under mesophilic conditions. The experiment followed three phases. PM alone was digested in phase I.

Complete Genome Sequence of sp. Strain Kuro-4, a Thermophilic Anaerobe Isolated from a Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion Reactor Treating Poly(L-Lactic Acid).

Strain Kuro-4 was isolated as a novel member of the genus from a thermophilic anaerobic digestion reactor treating poly(l-lactic acid). Here, we report a 2,880,462-bp complete circular genome sequence of Kuro-4, with a G+C content of 61.9%.

Trade-Off Relation between Fungicide Sensitivity and Melanin Biosynthesis in Plant Pathogenic Fungi.

Circumventing the emergence of fungicide-resistant strains is a crucial issue for robust disease management in agriculture. The agricultural fungicide ferimzone has been used for the control of rice diseases including rice blast. The emergence of ferimzone-resistant strains in rice fields has not been reported.

Manganese Treatment Alleviates Zinc Deficiency Symptoms in Arabidopsis Seedlings.

Plant phenotypes caused by mineral deficiencies differ depending on growth conditions. We recently reported that the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana was severely inhibited on MGRL-based zinc (Zn)-deficient medium but not on Murashige-Skoog-based Zn-deficient medium. Here, we explored the underlying reason for the phenotypic differences in Arabidopsis grown on the different media.

Nitrate removal performance and diversity of active denitrifying bacteria in denitrification reactors using poly(L-lactic acid) with enhanced chemical hydrolyzability.

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) can be used as an external electron donor in denitrification reactors to treat drinking water, aquaculture water, and industrial wastewater with an imbalanced carbon/nitrogen ratio. However, for PLLA to function in these applications, its chemical hydrolyzability requires improvement. Although the adjustment of the crystallinity (X) is effective in improving the hydrolyzability of PLLA, the condition for the X of PLLA, in which a sufficient amount of lactic acid is released for denitrification, must be clarified.

Draft Genome Sequence of sp. Strain Kuro-1, a Thermophilic, Lactate-Degrading Anaerobe Isolated from a Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion Reactor.

sp. strain Kuro-1, newly isolated from a thermophilic anaerobic digestion reactor, is a thermophilic anaerobe that can utilize l-lactic acid in fermentation, sulfate respiration, and cocultivation with hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Here, we report its draft genome sequence, consisting of a 1.

Prokaryotic Community Structures in a Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion Reactor Converting Poly(l-Lactic Acid) for a Long Period Revealed by 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing.

Little information on poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) treatment-associated microbiota in thermophilic anaerobic digestion reactors is available. Here, we provide 16S rRNA gene sequence data on microbiota in a thermophilic anaerobic digestion reactor converting PLLA to methane for 336 days. Data comprising 99,566 total high-quality reads were tabulated at the taxonomic class level.

Improvement of methanogenic activity of anaerobic digestion using poly(l-lactic acid) with enhanced chemical hydrolyzability based on physicochemical parameters.

Because packing bags and disposable items of poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) waste are discharged together with other organic waste including garbage, anaerobic co-digestion of PLLA and other organic waste is required. However, because of low hydrolyzability of PLLA products, the chemical hydrolyzability must be improved for PLLA treatment during anaerobic digestion. This study aimed to assess weight-average molecular weight (M) and crystallinity (X), to determine the chemical hydrolyzability of PLLA, for PLLA treatment during anaerobic digestion.

Draft Genome Sequence of Moorella sp. Strain Hama-1, a Novel Acetogenic Bacterium Isolated from a Thermophilic Digestion Reactor.

sp. strain Hama-1 was isolated from a thermophilic anaerobic digestion reactor treating poly(l-lactic acid). The strain is a thermophilic acetogen capable of lactate oxidation under anaerobic conditions.

Supercritical fluid extraction of bacterial and archaeal lipid biomarkers from anaerobically digested sludge.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was used in the analysis of bacterial respiratory quinone (RQ), bacterial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), and archaeal phospholipid ether lipid (PLEL) from anaerobically digested sludge. Bacterial RQ were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Determination of bacterial PLFA and archaeal PLEL was simultaneously performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Supercritical fluid extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography of respiratory quinones for microbial community analysis in environmental and biological samples.

Microbial community structure plays a significant role in environmental assessment and animal health management. The development of a superior analytical strategy for the characterization of microbial community structure is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we developed an effective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method for the analysis of bacterial respiratory quinones (RQ) in environmental and biological samples.

Epigenetic modifications of the 35S promoter in cultured gentian cells.

Our previous studies found strict gene silencing associated with CaMV-35S promoter-specific de novo methylation in transgenic gentian plants. To dissect the de novo methylation machinery, especially in association with histone modification, 35S-driven sGFP-expressing and -silenced gentian cultured cell lines that originated from a single transformation event were produced and used for epigenetic analyses. A sGFP-expressing primarily induced cell suspension culture (PS) was hypomethylated in the 35S promoter region, although a low level of de novo methylation at the 35S enhancer region (-148 to -85) was detected.

Supercritical fluid extraction of microbial phospholipid fatty acids from activated sludge.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) extraction was applied for the determination of microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) in activated sludge. Quantification was performed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The highest extraction yields of PLFA, at a concentration of 7.

Strict de novo methylation of the 35S enhancer sequence in gentian.

A novel transgene silencing phenomenon was found in the ornamental plant, gentian (Gentiana triflora x G. scabra), in which the introduced Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter region was strictly methylated, irrespective of the transgene copy number and integrated loci. Transgenic tobacco having the same vector did not show the silencing behavior.

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of ubiquinones and menaquinones from activated sludge.

Supercritical CO2 (scCO2) extraction, with methanol as modifier, was applied to the determination of ubiquinones and menaquinones in activated sludge. Four ubiquinones and 12 menaquinones species were identified based on retention time and UV spectrum in 0.1g dried activated sludge.

Enhancement of CLAIM (clinical accounting information) for a localized Chinese version.

CLinical Accounting InforMation (CLAIM) is a standard for the exchange of data between patient accounting systems and electronic medical record (EMR) systems. It uses eXtensible Markup Language (XML) as a meta-language and was developed in Japan. CLAIM is subordinate to the Medical Markup Language (MML) standard, which allows the exchange of medical data between different medical institutions.

CLAIM (CLinical Accounting InforMation)--an XML-based data exchange standard for connecting electronic medical record systems to patient accounting systems.

With the evolving and diverse electronic medical record (EMR) systems, there appears to be an ever greater need to link EMR systems and patient accounting systems with a standardized data exchange format. To this end, the CLinical Accounting InforMation (CLAIM) data exchange standard was developed. CLAIM is subordinate to the Medical Markup Language (MML) standard, which allows the exchange of medical data among different medical institutions.

Application of modified supercritical carbon dioxide extraction to microbial quinone analysis.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) was applied to extract microbial quinones from activated sludge. Identification and analysis was then performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) detector and photodiode array detector (PDA). Extracted microbial quinones were trapped and separated as menaquinones (MK) and ubiquinones (Q) species using two Sep-Pak Plus Silica cartridges joined in series.

Metal elution from Ni- and Fe-based alloy reactors under hydrothermal conditions.

Elution of metals from Ni- and Fe-based alloy (i.e. Inconel 625 and SUS 316) under hydrothermal conditions was investigated.

Change of monochloroacetic acid to biodegradable organic acids by hydrothermal reaction.

The feasibility of biodegradability improvement induced from the structural conversion of refractory pollutants by hydrothermal reaction was investigated. Monochloroacetic acid (MCAA) was selected as a preliminary material represented for linear hydrocarbon structured refractory pollutants. Under the tested conditions, MCAA was partially destructed and then converted to biodegradable reaction products by hydrolysis, dehydration and thermal decomposition.

Qualitative investigation on hydrothermal treatment of Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) bark for production of useful chemicals.

Hydrothermal treatment of an outer layer of a bark of Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) tree was investigated qualitatively for the possibility of utilizing residual forest biomass to produce valuable chemicals. Experiments were carried out in a semibatch reactor apparatus that allows the study of the effect of reaction temperatures in a single run. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses show the presence of useful chemicals such as furfural, aromatic compounds (1,3-di-tert-butyl benzene and 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol), and fatty acids (myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid) in the products.

A new strategy for recycling and preparation of poly(L-lactic acid): hydrolysis in the melt.

Poly(L-lactide) [i.e., poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)] was hydrolyzed in the melt in high-temperature and high-pressure water at the temperature range of 180-350 degrees C for a period of 30 min, and formation, racemization, and decomposition of lactic acids and molecular weight change of PLLA were investigated.

Low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids produced from hydrothermal treatment of organic wastes.

This article reports production of low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids from the hydrothermal treatment of representative organic wastes and compounds (i.e. domestic sludge, proteinaceous, cellulosic and plastic wastes) with or without oxidant (H(2)O(2)).