An extracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase produced by a thermotolerant fungal soil isolate, Aspergillus fumigatus 202, was purified and characterized. Maximum PHB depolymerase production was obtained at the end of 48 h with initial medium
pH 7.0 and 45 °C in Bushnell Haas Minerals medium containing PHB as sole source of carbon. The PHB depolymerase was purified
using size exclusion chromatography to a fold purification of 20.62 and 61.62% yield. SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing revealed
the molecular weight and pI of the purified enzyme as 63,744 Da and 4.2, respectively. N-terminal amino acid sequence of purified
enzyme was HAXDAYLVK. This non-glycosylated enzyme was most active at pH 9.0 and 45 °C. Purified enzyme was inactivated by
N-bromosuccinimide and dithiothreitol suggesting the involvement of tryptophan residues and disulfide bonds at its active
site. Nonionic detergents like Tween 20, Tween 80 and Triton X-100 inhibited the enzyme activity. Ions like Ca+2 and Mg+2 (5 mM) increased the enzyme activity 1.5 times. Fe+2 effectively inhibited the enzyme activity to 88% whereas Hg+2 completely inhibited the enzyme. 相似文献
Objective: Risky driving behaviors among adolescents, such as riding with a drinking or impaired driver (RWID) or driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, are significant public health concerns. Few studies have examined associations of RWID and DUI with future substance use and problems after controlling for baseline substance use. Given that the DUI/RWDD event may be a teachable moment to prevent future consequences (e.g., when injured or arrested), it is important to understand how this risk behavior relates to subsequent use and problems. This study therefore examined characteristics of adolescents who reported DUI and RWID and assessed their risk of future alcohol and marijuana use and consequences 6 months later.Methods: Participants were 668 adolescents aged 12 to 18 (inclusive) recruited at 1 of 4 primary care clinics in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles as part of a larger randomized controlled trial. They completed surveys about their health behaviors at baseline and 6 months after baseline. We examined baseline characteristics of adolescents who reported DUI and RWID and then assessed whether past-year DUI and RWID at baseline were associated with alcohol and marijuana use and consequences 6 months after baseline.Results: Fifty-eight percent of participants were female, 56% were Hispanic, 23% were Black, 14% were White, 7% were multiethnic or other, and the average age was 16 years (SD?=?1.9). At baseline, participants who reported RWID or DUI were more likely to be older, report past-year use of alcohol and marijuana, and more likely to have an alcohol use disorder or cannabis use disorder versus those who did not report RWID or DUI, respectively. At 6-month follow-up and after controlling for baseline demographics and baseline alcohol use, RWID was associated with more frequent drinking episodes in the past 3 months and greater number of drinks in the past month when they drank heavily. DUI at baseline was associated with more frequent heavy drinking episodes and alcohol and marijuana consequences 6 months later.Conclusions: RWID and DUI are significantly associated with greater alcohol and marijuana use over time. This study highlights that teens may be at higher risk for problem substance use in the future even if they ride with someone who is impaired. Prevention and intervention efforts for adolescents need to address both driving under the influence and riding with an impaired driver to prevent downstream consequences. 相似文献
An attempt was made to judge the environmental compatibility, the governing leaching mechanism, and mobility patterns in a
waste–cement solidified/stabilized matrix after 21 days of curing. The mixed sludge from a steel pickling facility was stabilized
by ordinary Portland cement. Iron was the major leachable metal, along with Pb, Zn, and Mn. To characterize the leaching behavior,
the mobility and mechanism of leaching were determined by diffusion leaching tests. In the solidified/stabilized matrix, the
mobility of all the elements studied was reduced, and average to low mobility was observed. Values for the negative log of
the effective diffusion coefficient of more than 12.5 were obtained for the metals. The dominant leaching mechanisms were
surface wash off in the initial stage, followed by diffusion. The environmental performance of the solidified/stabilized product
when considered in terms of mass leached over 64 days was found to be satisfactory for consideration for the safe disposal
and reuse of waste. 相似文献
A new approach for easy synthesis of Bacillus pseudomycoides immobilized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/glutaraldehyde (GA) hydrogel for application in a wastewater treatment system is reported. Optimization studies revealed that GA/PVA mass ratio of 0.03 and acidic pH of 2 were required for hydrogel synthesis and eventually for bacterial cell immobilization. The synthesized crosslinked matrix possessed a pore size suitable for microbial cell entrapment while maintaining cell accessibility to external environment for bioremediation. Possible crosslinking and bacterial cell immobilization in the hydrogel were evidenced by FTIR, XRD, and SEM studies, respectively. Further, the extent of crosslinking of GA with PVA was investigated and confirmed by transmittance and permeability experiments. The viability and proliferation of hydrogel embedded cells (after 25 days) was confirmed by confocal fluorescence microscopy which also indicated that acidic pH of polymer solution did not affect the immobilized live cells. B. pseudomycoides immobilized hydrogel were demonstrated to be effective for treatment of municipal wastewater and reduced biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and protein content below the recommended levels. Overall, the results from this bench-scale work show that employing bacteria-embedded PVA/GA hydrogel for the treatment of municipal wastewater yield promising results which should be further explored in pilot/field-scale studies.
The sludge from a steel processing unit bearing zinc, lead, iron, and manganese was solidified with ordinary Portland cement. The waste was stabilized in the specimens with a waste/binder ratio range of 0.16–4.0. On the basis of the available leaching and unconfined compressive strength, the performance of the solidified/stabilized waste was compared for different numbers of curing days. It was found that curing up to 28 days resulted in a performance improvement, as shown by less leaching of heavy metals and the increased unconfined compressive strength of the specimen. The treatment effectiveness of the solidification/stabilization process was assessed for the metals Pb, Zn, Fe, and Mn, and was found to be 89%, 95%, 74%, and 90%, respectively, for an optimum ratio of 4.0 after 28 days of curing. 相似文献
Dimethoate, a moderately toxic insecticide, has a wide range of agricultural and domestic applications. Like other organophosphates, dimethoate has anticholinesterase activity. Fish are non-target organisms, inadvertently exposed to pesticides and their metabolic products. The present study includes short-term (96 h) and long-term (36 d) effects of dimethoate exposure on some serum electrolytes Ca2+, Mg2+, and Pi in the freshwater air-breathing catfish Heteropneustes fossilis. The concentration of dimethoate for short-term exposure was 2.24 mg L?1 (75% of 96 h LC50) and for long-term exposure 0.75 mg L?1 (25% of 96 h LC50). The study includes the recovery pattern in serum electrolytes after placing the fish in pesticide-free water. Fish show hypocalcemia, hypermagnesemia, and hyperphosphatemia after short-term and long-term exposure to dimethoate. When placed in pesticide-free water, these electrolytes exhibit recovery towards normalization, indicating significant (p < 0.05) recovery. 相似文献
Environmental contamination by pesticides has been documented in biotic and abiotic components. These persistent organic pollutants are lipid soluble, nonbiodegradable, and endocrine disrupters. The present study was therefore planned to determine whether the levels of these pesticides like DDT and its metabolites DDD and DDE, dieldrin, heptachlor, and HCH and its isomers (alpha, beta, and gamma) were higher in blood of breast cancer patients when compared with normal women who did not suffer from major diseases like blood pressure, tuberculosis, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, arthritis, cancer, etc. and had not undergone any major surgery. The results indicated that organochlorine pesticides taken for analysis were found significantly high in breast cancer patients irrespective of age, diet, and geographic distribution. 相似文献
Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Algae are an enormous source of polysaccharides and have gained much interest in human flourishing as organic drugs. Algal polysaccharides have aroused... 相似文献