• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• 제11권1호
• /
• pp.79-85
• /
• 2020

A single-stage deammonification with a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) that simultaneous nitritation, anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox), and denitrification (SNAD) occur in one reactor has been widely applied for sidestream of wastewater treatment plant. For the stable and well-balanced SNAD, a feeding strategy of influent wastewater is one of the most important operating factors in the single-stage deammonification SBR. In this study, single-stage deammonification SBR (working volume 30L) was operated to treat a high-strength ammonium wastewater (1200 mg NH₄⁺-N/L) with different feeding strategies (single feeding and nine-step feeding) under the condition without COD. Each cycle of the step feeding involved 6 sub-cycles consisted of aerobic and anoxic periods for partial nitritation (PN) and anammox, respectively. Contrary to unstable performance in the single feeding, the step feeding showed better deammonification performance (0.565 kg-N/m³/day). Under the condition with COD, however, the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) decreased to 0.403 kg-N/m³/day when the Nine-step feeding strategies had an additional denitrification period before sub-cycles for PN and anammox. The NRR was recovered to 0.518 kg-N/m³/day by introducing an enhanced multiple-step feeding strategy. The strategy had 50 cycles consisted of feed, denitrification, PN, and anammox, instead of repeated sub-cycles for PN and anammox. The multiple-step feeding strategy without sub-cycle showed the most stable and excellent deammonification performance: high nitrogen removal efficiency (98.6%), COD removal rate (0.131 kg-COD/m³/day), and COD removal efficiency (78.8%). This seemed to be caused by that the elimination of the sub-cycles might reduce COD oxidation during aerobic condition but increase the COD utilization for denitrification period. In addition, among various sensor values, the ORP pattern appeared to be applicable to monitor and control each reaction step for deammonification in the multiple-step feeding strategy without sub-cycle. Further study to optimize the number of multiple-step feeding is still needed but these results show that the multiple-step feeding strategy can contribute to a well-balanced SNAD for deammonification when treating high-strength ammonium wastewater with COD in the single-stage deammonification SBR.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• 제19권2호
• /
• pp.145-150
• /
• 2008

In this work we have studied the antifouling properties of the hydrophobic sol-gel modified sensing membrane and its optical properties for sensor application. E. coli JM109, B. cereus 318 and P. pastoris X-33 were cultivated in confocal cultivation dishes with glass surface, respectively. The glass surface was coated with the hydrophobic sol-gels prepared by the dimethoxy-dimethyl-silane (DiMe-DMOS) and tetramethyl-orthosilicate (TMOS). After cultivation, microorganisms adhered on the surface coated with sol-gels and glass surface were dyed by gram-staining method and the numbers of microorganisms were analyzed based on the image data of the scanning electronic microscope (SEM). A great number of microorganisms, about $2{\sim}3{\times}10^4/mm^2$, was adhered on the glass surfaces which no hydrophobic sol-gels were coated. But, the antifouling effect of the hydrophobic sol-gels was large, that microorganisms of less than $200{\sim}300/mm^2$ were adhered on the coated glass surface. The performance of the sensing membranes for detection of pH and dissolved oxygen was enhanced by recoating the light insulation layer prepared with the mixture of the hydrophobic sol-gel and graphite particles.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• 제26권3호
• /
• pp.402-409
• /
• 2006

Although microorganisms are, in fact, the most diverse and abundant type of organism on Earth, the ecological functions of microbial populations remains poorly understood. A variety of bacteria including marine Vibrios encounter numerous ecological challenges, such as UV light, predation, competition, and seasonal variations in seawater including pH, salinity, nutrient levels, temperature and so forth. In order to survive and proliferate under variable conditions, they have to develop elaborate means of communication to meet the challenges to which they are exposed. In bacteria, a range of biological functions have recently been found to be regulated by a population density-dependent cell-cell signaling mechanism known as quorum-sensing (QS). In other words, bacterial cells sense population density by monitoring the presence of self-produced extracellular autoinducers (AI). N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-dependent quorum-sensing was first discovered in two luminescent marine bacteria, Vibrio fischeri and Vibrio harveyi. The LuxI/R system of V. fischeriis the paradigm of Gram-negative quorum-sensing systems. At high population density, the accumulated signalstrigger the expression of target genes and thereby initiate a new set of biological activities. Several QS systems have been identified so far. Among them, an AHL-dependent QS system has been found to control biofilm formation in several bacterial species, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophila, Burkholderia cepacia, and Serratia liquefaciens. Bacterial biofilm is a structured community of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymeric matrix that adheres to an inert or living surface. Extracellular signal molecules have been implicated in biofilm formation. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain NT1(traR, tra::lacZ749) and Chromobacterium violaceum strain CV026 are used as biosensors to detect AHL signals. Quorum sensing in lactic acid bacteria involves peptides that are directly sensed by membrane-located histidine kinases, after which the signal is transmitted to an intracellular regulator. In the nisin autoregulation process in Lactococcus lactis, the NisK protein acts as the sensor for nisin, and NisR protein as the response regulator activatingthe transcription of target genes. For control over growth and survival in bacterial communities, various strategies need to be developed by which receptors of the signal molecules are interfered with or the synthesis and release of the molecules is controlled. However, much is still unknown about the metabolic processes involved in such signal transduction and whether or not various foods and food ingredients may affect communication between spoilage or pathogenic bacteria. In five to ten years, we will be able to discover new signal molecules, some of which may have applications in food preservation to inhibit the growth of pathogens on foods.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• 제33권1호
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2006

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitously distributed and play important functions in diverse cellular signaling systems. The proteins are largely classified into three groups, such as typical 2-Cys Prx, atypical 2-Cys Prx, and 1-Cys Prx, that are distinguished by their catalytic mechanisms and number of Cys residues. From the three classes of Prxs, the typical 2-Cys Prx containing the two-conserved Cys residues at its N-terminus and C-terminus catalyzes $H_2O_2$ with the use of thioredoxin (Trx) as an electron donor. During the catalytic cycle, the N-terminal Cys residue undergoes a peroxide-dependent oxidation to sulfenic acid, which can be further oxidized to sulfinic acid at the presence of high concentrations of $H_2O_2$ and a Trx system containing Trx, Trx reductase, and NADPH. The sulfinic acid form of 2-Cys Prx is reduced by the action of sulfiredoxin which requires ATP as an energy source. Under the strong oxidative or heat shock stress conditions, 2-Cys Prx in eukaryotes rapidly switches its protein structure from low-molecular-weight species to high-molecular-weight protein structures. In accordance with its structural changes, the protein concomitantly triggers functional switching from a peroxidase to a molecular chaperone, which can protect its substrate denaturation from external stress. In addition to its N-terminal active site, the C-terminal domain including 'YF-motif' of 2-Cys Prx plays a critical role in the structural changes. Therefore, the C-terminal truncated 2-Cys Prxs are not able to regulate their protein structures and highly resistant to $H_2O_2$-dependent hyperoxidation, suggesting that the reaction is guided by the peroxidatic Cys residue. Based on the results, it may be concluded that the peroxidatic Cys of 2-Cys Prx acts as an '$H_2O_2$-sensor' in the cells. The oxidative stress-dependent regulation of 2-Cys Prx provides a means of defense systems in cells to adapt stress conditions by activating intracellular defense signaling pathways. Particularly, 2-Cys Prxs in plants are localized in chloroplasts with a dynamic protein structure. The protein undergoes conformational changes again oxidative stress. Depending on a redox-potential of the chloroplasts, the plant 2-Cys Prx forms super-molecular weight protein structures, which attach to the thylakoid membranes in a reversible manner.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• 제7권3호
• /
• pp.154-162
• /
• 1998

A planar Bi-Sb multijunction thermal converter with high thermal sensitivity and small ac-dc transfer error has been fabricated by preparing the bifilar thin film Pt-heater and the hot junctions of thin film Bi-Sb thermopile on the $Si_{3}N_{4}/SiO_{2}/Si_{3}N_{4}$-diaphragm, which functions as a thermal isolation layer, and the cold junctions on the dielectric membrane supported with the Si-substrate, which acts as a heat sink, and its ac-dc transfer characteristics were investigated with the fast reversed dc method. The respective thermal sensitivities of the converter with single bifilar heater were about 10.1 mV/mW and 14.8 mV/mW in the air and vacuum, and those of the converter with dual bifilar heater were about 5.1 mV/mW and 7.6 mV/mW, and about 5.3 mV/mW and 7.8 mV/mW in the air and vacuum for the inputs of inside and outside heaters, indicating that the thermal sensitivities in the vacuum, where there is rarely thermal loss caused by gas, are higher than those in the air. The ac-dc voltage and current transfer difference ranges of the converter with single bifilar heater were about ${\pm}1.80\;ppm$ and ${\pm}0.58\;ppm$, and those of the converter with dual bifilar heater were about ${\pm}0.63\;ppm$ and ${\pm}0.25\;ppm$, and about ${\pm}0.53\;ppm$ and ${\pm}0.27\;ppm$, respectively, for the inputs of inside and outside heaters, in the frequency range below 10 kHz and in the air.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• 제21권7호
• /
• pp.1032-1038
• /
• 2011

Recently identified Ciona intestinalis voltage sensor-containing phosphatase (Ci-VSP) consists of an ion channel-like transmembrane domain (VSD) and a phosphatase-like domain. Ci-VSP senses the change of membrane potential by its VSD and works as a phosphoinositide phosphatase by its phosphatase domain. In this study, we present the construction of His-tagged phosphatase-like domain of Ci-VSP, its recombinant expression and purification, and its enzymatic activity behavior in order to examine the biochemical behavior of phosphatase domain of Ci-VSP without interference. We found that Ci-VSP(248-576)-His can be eluted with an elution buffer containing 25 mM NaCl and 100 mM imidazole during His-tag purification. In addition, we found the proper measurement condition for kinetics study of Ci-VSP(248-576)-His against p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP). We measured the kinetic constant of Ci-VSP(248-576)-His at $37^{\circ}C$, pH 5.0 or 5.5, under 30 min of reaction time, and less than $2.0\;{\mu}g$ of protein amount. With these conditions, we acquired that Ci-VSP(248-576)-His has $K_m$ of $354{\pm}0.143\;{\mu}M$, $V_{max}$ of $0.0607{\pm}0.0137\;{\mu}mol$/min/mg and $k_{cat}$ of $0.359{\pm}0.009751\;min^{-1}$ for pNPP dephosphorylation. Therefore, we produced a pure form of Ci-VSP(248-576)-His, and this showed a higher activity against pNPP. This purified protein will provide the road to a structural investigation on an interesting protein, Ci-VSP.