Optimization of subsurface vertical flow constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) use the same processes that occur in natural wetlands to improve water quality and are used worldwide to treat different qualities of water. This paper shows the results of an Austrian research project having the main goals to optimize vertical flow beds in terms of surface area requirement and nutrient removal, respectively. It could be shown that a subsurface vertical flow constructed wetland (SSVFCW) operated with an organic load of 20 g COD x m(-2) x d(-1) (corresponding to a specific surface area demand of 4 m2 per person) can fulfil the requirements of the Austrian standard regarding effluent concentrations and removal efficiencies.

Prediction of humic acid content and respiration activity of biogenic waste by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and partial least squares regression (PLS-R) models.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been proven to be an appropriate analytical method for the qualitative assessment of compost stability. This study focuses on quantitative determination of two time-consuming parameters: humic acid (HA) contents and respiration activity. Reactivity/stability and humification were quantified by respiration activities (oxygen uptake) and humic acid contents.

Doubling the organic loading rate in the co-digestion of energy crops and manure--a full scale case study.

In the present study the increase of the organic loading rate from 2.11 to 4.25 kg VS m(-3) d(-1) in a two stage, agricultural biogas plant was investigated.

Potentials for the prevention of municipal solid waste.

Waste prevention has been assigned the highest priority under European waste management law. However, the initiatives which have been taken so far have not reduced the regular annual increase in total waste arising across Europe. The purpose of this paper is to quantify and analyze in depth the prevention potential for selected case studies (advertising material, beverage packaging, diapers, food waste, waste from events).

Disruption of the aspartate to heme ester linkage in human myeloperoxidase: impact on ligand binding, redox chemistry, and interconversion of redox intermediates.

In human heme peroxidases the prosthetic group is covalently attached to the protein via two ester linkages between conserved glutamate and aspartate residues and modified methyl groups on pyrrole rings A and C. Here, monomeric recombinant myeloperoxidase (MPO) and the variants D94V and D94N were produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines. Disruption of the Asp(94) to heme ester bond decreased the one-electron reduction potential E'(0) [Fe(III)/Fe(II)] from 1 to -55 mV at pH 7.

Sucrose supply to nematode-induced syncytia depends on the apoplasmic and symplasmic pathways.

The plant parasitic nematode Heterodera schachtii induces syncytial feeding structures in the roots of host plants. Nematode-induced syncytia become strong sink tissues in the plant solute circulation system as the parasites start withdrawing nutrients. In the present work, the expression pattern of the phloem-specific sucrose transporter AtSUC4 (also described as AtSUT4) is analysed in syncytia induced by H.

The vinyl-sulfonium bond in human myeloperoxidase: impact on compound I formation and reduction by halides and thiocyanate.

In human myeloperoxidase (MPO) the heme is covalently attached to the protein via two ester linkages and a unique sulfonium ion linkage between the sulfur atom of Met243 and the beta-carbon of the vinyl ring on pyrrole ring A. Here, we have investigated the variant Met243Val produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells in order to elucidate the role of the electron withdrawing sulfonium bond in compound I formation and reduction. Disruption of this MPO-typical bond causes a blue-shifted UV-vis spectrum and an increase in the heme flexibility.

Modelling municipal solid waste generation: a review.

The objective of this paper is to review previously published models of municipal solid waste generation and to propose an implementation guideline which will provide a compromise between information gain and cost-efficient model development. The 45 modelling approaches identified in a systematic literature review aim at explaining or estimating the present or future waste generation using economic, socio-demographic or management-orientated data. A classification was developed in order to categorise these highly heterogeneous models according to the following criteria--the regional scale, the modelled waste streams, the hypothesised independent variables and the modelling method.

Antibiotic susceptibility of Bifidobacterium thermophilum and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum isolates from animal sources.

The widespread use of antimicrobial substances has led to resistant populations of microorganisms in several ecosystems. In animal husbandry, the application of antibiotics has contributed to resistance development in pathogenic and commensal bacteria. These strains or their resistance genes can be spread along several ecological routes, including the food chain.

Comparison of production systems and selection criteria of Ankole cattle by breeders in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

A survey in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda was conducted in order to determine the different production systems under which Ankole cattle are currently kept. Additionally, selection criteria of livestock keepers were documented. In Burundi, Rwanda and parts of Uganda, livestock keepers are sedentary and herds are small, whereas in the other areas Ankole cattle are kept in large herds, some of them still under a (semi-)nomadic system.

Redox intermediates in the catalase cycle of catalase-peroxidases from Synechocystis PCC 6803, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Monofunctional catalases (EC 1.11.1.

Horizontal and vertical transmission of a Nosema sp. (Microsporidia) from Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae).

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera, Lymantriidae), a serious defoliator of deciduous trees, is an economically important pest when population densities are high. Outbreaking populations are, however, subject to some moderating influences in the form of entomopathogens, including several species of microsporidia.

Properties of pyranose dehydrogenase purified from the litter-degrading fungus Agaricus xanthoderma.

We purified an extracellular pyranose dehydrogenase (PDH) from the basidiomycete fungus Agaricus xanthoderma using ammonium sulfate fractionation and ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The native enzyme is a monomeric glycoprotein (5% carbohydrate) containing a covalently bound FAD as its prosthetic group. The PDH polypeptide consists of 575 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 65 400 Da as determined by MALDI MS.

Characterisation of microbial biocoenosis in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

In this study a quantitative description of the microbial biocoenosis in subsurface vertical flow constructed wetlands fed with municipal wastewater was carried out. Three different methods (substrate induced respiration, ATP measurement and fumigation-extraction) were applied to measure the microbial biomass at different depths of planted and unplanted systems. Additionally, bacterial biomass was determined by epifluorescence microscopy and productivity was measured via (14)C leucine incorporation into bacterial biomass.

Cloning and characterization of the ribosomal protein L3 (RPL3) gene family from Triticum aestivum.

Plant pathogenic fungi of the genus Fusarium can cause severe diseases on small grain cereals and maize. The contamination of harvested grain with Fusarium mycotoxins is a threat to human and animal health. In wheat production of the toxin deoxynivalenol (DON), which inhibits eukaryotic protein biosynthesis, is a virulence factor of Fusarium, and resistance against DON is considered to be part of Fusarium resistance.

Simulation of the treatment performance of outdoor subsurface flow constructed wetlands in temperate climates.

Numerical models are a means to increase the understanding of the processes occurring in the "black box" constructed wetland. Once reliable models for constructed wetlands are available they can be also used for evaluating and improving existing design criteria. The paper shows simulation results for outdoor experimental subsurface vertical flow constructed wetlands using CW2D, a multi-component reactive transport module developed to simulate transport and reactions of the organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

Toxin-dependent utilization of engineered ribosomal protein L3 limits trichothecene resistance in transgenic plants.

The contamination of agricultural products with Fusarium mycotoxins is a problem of world-wide importance. Fusarium graminearum and related species, which are important pathogens of small grain cereals and maize, produce an economically important and structurally diverse class of toxins designated trichothecenes. Trichothecenes inhibit eukaryotic protein synthesis.

Use of blast furnace granulated slag as a substrate in vertical flow reed beds: field application.

Research was conducted at Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey in 2000 to determine whether a reed bed filled with an economical Turkish fill media that has high phosphorus (P) sorption capacity, could be implemented and operated successfully under field conditions. In batch-scale P-sorption experiments, the P-sorption capacity of the blast furnace granulated slag (BFGS) of KARDEMIR Iron and Steel Ltd., Co.

Individual-based assessment of population structure and admixture in Austrian, Croatian and German draught horses.

All over Europe, the number of draught horses has decreased drastically during the last 50 years. As a prerequisite for efficient management decisions, we analysed the conservation status in Austrian (Noriker Carinthia - NC, Noriker Salzburg - NS), Croatian (Croatian Coldblood - C, Posavina horse - P) and German (Altmaerkisch Coldblood - A, Black Forest horse - BF, Mecklenburg Coldblood - M, Rhenish German Draught horse - R, Saxon Thuringa Coldblood - ST, Schleswig Draught horse - Sch, South German Coldblood - SG) draught horses (434) using multilocus genotypic information from 30 (effectively 27) microsatellite loci. Populations located in areas with less intensive agricultural production (C, NC, NS, P and SG) had greater diversity within the population and estimated effective population size than A, BF, Sch, M, R and ST populations.

Lactose hydrolysis and formation of galactooligosaccharides by a novel immobilized beta-galactosidase from the thermophilic fungus Talaromyces thermophilus.

beta-Galactosidase from the fungus Talaromyces thermophilus CBS 236.58 was immobilized by covalent attachment onto the insoluble carrier Eupergit C with a high binding efficiency of 95%. Immobilization increased both activity and stability at higher pH values and temperature when compared with the free enzyme.

Formation of galacto-oligosaccharides during lactose hydrolysis by a novel beta-galactosidase from the moderately thermophilic fungus Talaromyces thermophilus.

Discontinuous and continuous processes of lactose hydrolysis and concomitant galacto-oligosaccharide (GalOS) formation were studied. To this end a wide experimental range of the main variables was evaluated, including the initial lactose concentration, the degree of lactose conversion, the pH value and the temperature for discontinuous transformations, while the initial lactose concentration and the feed rate were varied for the continuous process. For both processes a high-initial lactose concentration proved to be advantageous for the formation of GalOS.

Modelling the contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to plant phosphate uptake.

In this paper, we investigate the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plant phosphorus nutrition. We develop a mathematical model which quantitatively assesses the contribution of external fungal hyphae to plant phosphate uptake. We derive an equation for solute uptake by a growing fungal mycelium which we couple with a model for root uptake.

Self-heating of anaerobic digesters using energy crops.

With the increasing application of energy crops in agricultural biogas plants and increasing digester volumes, the phenomenon of self-heating in anaerobic digesters appeared in some cases. Until now this development was just known from aerobic systems. To obtain an idea of the thermodynamics inside an anaerobic digester, a detailed analysis of all heat fluxes in a full-scale agricultural biogas plant was carried out.

Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis UDP-glucosyltransferases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of zearalenone-4-O-glucoside.

Zearalenone, a secondary metabolite produced by several plant-pathogenic fungi of the genus Fusarium, has high estrogenic activity in vertebrates. We developed a Saccharomyces cerevisiae bioassay strain that we used to identify plant genes encoding UDP-glucosyltransferases that can convert zearalenone into zearalenone-4-O-glucoside (ZON-4-O-Glc). Attachment of the glucose moiety to zearalenone prevented the interaction of the mycotoxin with the human estrogen receptor.

Development of a competitive exclusion product for poultry meeting the regulatory requirements for registration in the European Union.

Competitive exclusion treatment is able to increase the pathogen colonization resistance of day-old chicks by applying probiotic bacteria stabilizing the indigenous microflora. In order to develop a safe microbial feed additive, various bacterial strains were isolated out of the gastrointestinal tract of healthy chickens. One hundred twenty-one representatives were selected based on differences in whole-cell protein patterns and screened for antagonistic properties.