Change in the chemical composition of infalling gas forming a disk around a protostar.

IRAS 04368+2557 is a solar-type (low-mass) protostar embedded in a protostellar core (L1527) in the Taurus molecular cloud, which is only 140 parsecs away from Earth, making it the closest large star-forming region. The protostellar envelope has a flattened shape with a diameter of a thousand astronomical units (1 AU is the distance from Earth to the Sun), and is infalling and rotating. It also has a protostellar disk with a radius of 90 AU (ref. 6), from which a planetary system is expected to form. The interstellar gas, mainly consisting of hydrogen molecules, undergoes a change in density of about three orders of magnitude as it collapses from the envelope into the disk, while being heated from 10 kelvin to over 100 kelvin in the mid-plane, but it has hitherto not been possible to explore changes in chemical composition associated with this collapse. Here we report that the unsaturated hydrocarbon molecule cyclic-C3H2 resides in the infalling rotating envelope, whereas sulphur monoxide (SO) is enhanced in the transition zone at the radius of the centrifugal barrier (100 ± 20 AU), which is the radius at which the kinetic energy of the infalling gas is converted to rotational energy. Such a drastic change in chemistry at the centrifugal barrier was not anticipated, but is probably caused by the discontinuous infalling motion at the centrifugal barrier and local heating processes there.

Proteins causing membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors.

In this study, the details of proteins causing membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) treating real municipal wastewater were investigated. Two separate pilot-scale MBRs were continuously operated under significantly different operating conditions; one MBR was a submerged type whereas the other was a side-stream type. The submerged and side-stream MBRs were operated for 20 and 10 days, respectively. At the end of continuous operation, the foulants were extracted from the fouled membranes. The proteins contained in the extracted foulants were enriched by using the combination of crude concentration with an ultrafiltration membrane and trichloroacetic acid precipitation, and then separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE). The N-terminal amino acid sequencing analysis of the proteins which formed intensive spots on the 2D-PAGE gels allowed us to partially identify one protein (OmpA family protein originated from genus Brevundimonas or Riemerella anatipestifer) from the foulant obtained from the submerged MBR, and two proteins (OprD and OprF originated from genus Pseudomonas) from that obtained from the side-stream MBR. Despite the significant difference in operating conditions of the two MBRs, all proteins identified in this study belong to ß-barrel protein. These findings strongly suggest the importance of ß-barrel proteins in developing membrane fouling in MBRs.

Influence of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) produced by two different green unicellular algae on membrane filtration in an algae-based biofuel production process.

In the present study, two strains of green algae named S1 and S2, categorized as the same species of Pseudo-coccomyxa ellipsoidea but showing 99% homology, were cultivated under the same conditions and filtrated with a microfiltration membrane. On the basis of the results of the extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) characteristics of these two green algae and the degree of fouling, the influence of these characteristics on the performance of membrane filtration was investigated. There was no difference in the specific growth rate between the S1 and S2 strains; however, large differences were seen in the amount and quality of EPS between S1 and S2. When the S1 and S2 strains were filtered with a membrane, the trend in the increase in transmembrane pressure (TMP) was quite different. The filtration of the S1 strain showed a rapid increase in TMP, whereas the TMP of the filtration of the S2 strain did not increase at all during the operation. This clearly demonstrated that the characteristics of each strain affect the development of membrane fouling. On the basis of the detailed characterization of solved-EPS (s-EPS) and bound-EPS (b-EPS), it was clarified that s-EPS mainly contributed to irreversible fouling for both operations and the biopolymer-like organic matter contained in b-EPS mainly contributed to reversible fouling.

Acute effects of a sarin-like organophosphorus agent, bis(isopropyl methyl)phosphonate, on cardiovascular parameters in anaesthetized, artificially ventilated rats.

The organophosphorus compound sarin irreversibly inhibits acetylcholinesterase. We examined the acute cardiovascular effects of a sarin-like organophosphorus agent, bis(isopropyl methyl)phosphonate (BIMP), in anaesthetized, artificially ventilated rats. Intravenous administration of BIMP (0.8mg/kg; the LD50 value) induced a long-lasting increase in blood pressure and tended to increase heart rate. In rats pretreated with the non-selective muscarinic-receptor antagonist atropine, BIMP significantly increased both heart rate and blood pressure. In atropine-treated rats, hexamethonium (antagonist of ganglionic nicotinic receptors) greatly attenuated the BIMP-induced increase in blood pressure without changing the BIMP-induced increase in heart rate. In rats treated with atropine plus hexamethonium, intravenous phentolamine (non-selective α-adrenergic receptor antagonist) plus propranolol (non-selective ß-adrenergic receptor antagonist) completely blocked the BIMP-induced increases in blood pressure and heart rate. In atropine-treated rats, the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine (1mg/kg) induced a transient increase in blood pressure, but had no effect on heart rate. These results suggest that in anaesthetized rats, BIMP induces powerful stimulation of sympathetic as well as parasympathetic nerves and thereby modulates heart rate and blood pressure. They may also indicate that an action independent of acetylcholinesterase inhibition contributes to the acute cardiovascular responses induced by BIMP.

Evaluation of whole wastewater effluent impacts on HepG2 using DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis.

DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis with human hepatoma HepG2 cells was applied to evaluate the impacts of whole wastewater effluents from the membrane bioreactors (MBRs) and the activated sludge process (AS). In addition, the conventional bioassays (i.e., cytotoxicity tests and bioluminescence inhibition test), which were well-established for the evaluation of the overall effluent toxicity, were also performed for the same samples. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 2 to 926 genes, which were categorized to 0 to 225 biological processes, were differentially expressed after exposure to the effluents and the raw wastewater. Among the tested effluents, the effluent from a MBR operated at a relatively long solid retention time (i.e., 40 days) and small membrane pore size (i.e., 0.03 µm) showed the least impacts on the HepG2 even at the level comparable to tap water. The observed gene expression responses were in good agreement with the results of cytotoxicity tests, and provided additional molecular mechanistic information on adverse effects occurred in the sublethal region. Furthermore, the genes related to "lipid metabolism", "response to endogenous stimulus", and "response to inorganic substance" were selected as potential genetic markers, and their expression levels were quantified to evaluate the cellular impacts and treatability of wastewater effluents. Although the harmful impacts and innocuous impacts could not be distinguished at present, the results demonstrated that the DNA microarray-based transcriptome analysis with human HepG2 cells was a powerful tool to rapidly and comprehensively evaluate impacts of whole wastewater effluents.

Permeability decline in nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membranes fed with municipal wastewater treated by a membrane bioreactor.

Decline in the permeability in nanofiltration (NF)/reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that filtered effluents from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater was investigated in this study. Four different 2-inch spiral-wound NF/RO membrane elements were continuously operated for 40 days. The results showed that the amount of deposits on the membrane surface did not affect the degree of permeability decline. Laboratory-scale filtration tests with coupons obtained from the fouled membranes also revealed that the contribution of the gel/cake layer to total filtration resistance was minor. Rather, constituents that were strongly bound to the membranes were mainly responsible for permeability decline. Chemical cleaning of the fouled membranes carried out after removal of the cake showed that silica played an important role in the decline in permeability. A considerable amount of organic matter which was mainly composed of carbohydrates and proteins was also desorbed from the fouled membranes.

4-Phenyl-diazenyl-2-[(R)-(1-phenyl-ethyl)imino-meth-yl]phenol.

The title chiral photochromic Schiff base compound, C(21)H(19)N(3)O, was synthesized from (R)-1-phenyl-ethyl-amine and the salicylaldehyde of an azobenzene derivative. The mol-ecule corresponds to the phenol-imine tautomer, the C=N and N-C bond distances being 1.279 (3) and 1.477 (3) Å, respectively. An intra-molecular O-H⋯N hydrogen bond occurs. The diazenyl group adopts a trans form with an N=N distance of 1.243 (3) Å.

Changes in characteristics of soluble microbial products in membrane bioreactors associated with different solid retention times: Relation to membrane fouling.

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a promising wastewater treatment technology, but there is a need for efficient control of membrane fouling, which increases operational and maintenance costs. Soluble microbial products (SMP) have been reported to act as major foulants in the operation of MBRs used for wastewater treatment. In this study, SMP in MBRs operated with different sludge retention times (SRTs) were investigated by means of various analytical techniques and their relations to the evolution of membrane fouling were considered. Bench-scale filtration experiments were carried out in a laboratory with synthetic wastewater to eliminate fluctuations that would occur with the use of real wastewater and that would lead to fluctuations in compositions of SMP. Three identical submerged MBRs were operated for about 50 days under the same conditions except for SRT (17, 51 and 102 days). Accumulation of SMP in the MBRs estimated by conventional analytical methods (i.e., the phenol-sulfuric acid method and the Lowry method) was significant in the cases of short SRTs. However, the degrees of membrane fouling in the MBRs were not directly related to the concentrations of SMP in the reactors estimated by the conventional analytical methods. Non-conventional analytical methods such as excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that characteristics of SMP in the three reactors considerably differed depending on SRT. Foulants were extracted from the fouled membranes at the end of the operation and were compared with SMP in each MBR. It was clearly shown that characteristics of the foulants were different depending on SRT, and similarities between SMP and the extracted foulants were recognized in each MBR on the basis of results of EEM measurements. However, such similarities were not found on the basis of results obtained by using the conventional methods for analysis of SMP. The results of this study suggest that the use of conventional methods for analysis of SMP is not appropriate for investigation of membrane fouling in MBRs.

Diaqua-bis(2,4-dichloro-6-formyl-phenolato)zinc(II)-bis-(µ-2,4-dichloro-6-formyl-phenolato)bis-[aqua-(2,4-dichloro-6-formyl-phenolato)zinc(II)] (2/1).

The crystal of the title compound, [Zn(C(7)H(3)Cl(2)O(2))(2)(H(2)O)(2)](2)·[Zn(2)(C(7)H(3)Cl(2)O(2))(4)(H(2)O)(2)], consists of monomeric and dimeric Zn(II) complexes. Both complexes afford a six-coordinated coordination environment about the Zn atoms with cis-configuration ligands. The deprotonated hydr-oxy groups of the 3,5-dichloro-salicylaldehyde ligands bridge two metal cations, forming a centrosymmetric dimeric complex. Inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding occurs between the coordinated water mol-ecules and deprotonated hydr-oxy groups in the crystal structure.

Solid-phase fluorescence excitation emission matrix for in-situ monitoring of membrane fouling during microfiltration using a polyvinylidene fluoride hollow fiber membrane.

Controlling membrane fouling is challenging and information regarding the causes of fouling is critical for this. While liquid-phase fluorescence spectroscopy excitation emission matrix (LPF-EEM) has previously been applied to identify the characteristics of membrane foulants, we applied EEM measurements to solid samples to identify foulants accumulated on the membrane. This solid-phase fluorescence EEM (SPF-EEM) enables sensitive and nondestructive identification of different organic solids. LPF-EEMs and SPF-EEMs were used on natural organic matter (NOM) isolated from secondary-treated wastewater, which revealed differences in peak positions and in spectral shapes. SPF-EEMs and LPF-EEMs of hydrophobic (HPO), transphilic (TPI) and hydrophilic (HPI) fractions showed that peaks of HPO fraction disappeared while those of TPI and HPI fractions shifted to a longer excitation and emission position through solidification. Then, the surface of the membrane fiber was continuously monitored using SPF-EEM during filtration. Three peaks appeared as expected during membrane fouling progression, indicating that in-situ monitoring of foulants was successful. Comparison of the EEM peaks between foulants and isolated NOM fractions shows the presence of both liquid-phase proteinaceous substances and gels formed from HPI and TPI fractions. Changes in peak intensity confirmed that the former proteinaceous substances were responsible for both reversible and irreversible fouling, while the latter gels mainly contributed to the irreversible fouling. We demonstrated the functionality of the SPF-EEM as an in-situ fouling monitoring tool.

Digestion performance and contributions of organic and inorganic fouling in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating waste activated sludge.

This study evaluates the performance of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) digesting waste activated sludge. A digestion reactor equipped with an external hollow fiber microfiltration membrane module was operated in continuous-mode for 248 days. The system demonstrated 56% volatile solids degradation at an organic loading rate of 0.40 g-VS/(L·d) in 15 days of hydraulic retention time. The average methane content in the biogas produced was 76% which is considerably high compared to that from a typical continuously stirred tank reactor. The transmembrane pressure remained under 12 kPa without membrane cleaning during the experimental period due to low filtration flux (0.01-0.07 m/d) and cross-flow-mode filtration. Ex situ membrane cleaning revealed that physically irreversible fouling was the dominant form of membrane fouling. Inorganic and organic fouling accounted for 16% and 45% of total membrane fouling, respectively.

Comparison of fouling characteristics of two different poly-vinylidene fluoride microfiltration membranes in a pilot-scale drinking water treatment system using pre-coagulation/sedimentation, sand filtration, and chlorination.

Two pilot-scale hybrid water treatment systems using two different poly-vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration (MF) membranes (i.e. symmetric and composite) were operated at a constant permeate flux of 104.2l m(-2)h(-1) (=2.5 md(-1)) with a pre-coagulation/sedimentation, sand filtration (SF), and chlorination to produce potable water from surface water. Turbidity was removed completely. And humic substances, Al, and Fe were removed very well by the pilot-scale membrane system. To control microbial growth and mitigate membrane fouling, a NaOCl solution was injected into the effluent from SF before reaching the two membranes (pre-chlorination). However, it adversely affected membrane fouling due to the oxidization and adsorption of inorganic substances such as Al, Fe, and Mn. In the next run, the NaOCl was introduced during backwash (post-chlorination). As compared with the result of pre-chlorination, this change increased the operating period of the symmetric and the composite membranes from about 10 and 50 days to about 60 and 200 days, respectively.

Baffled membrane bioreactor (BMBR) for efficient nutrient removal from municipal wastewater.

Submerged membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are now widely used for various types of wastewater treatment. One drawback of submerged MBRs is the difficulty in removing nitrogen because intensive aeration is usually carried out in the tank and the MBRs must therefore be operated under aerobic conditions. In this study, the feasibility of treating municipal wastewater by a baffled membrane bioreactor (BMBR), particularly in terms of nitrogen removal, was examined. Simultaneous nitrification/denitrification in a single and small reaction tank was possible by inserting baffles into a normal submerged MBR as long as wastewater was fed in the appropriate way. To examine the applicability of the BMBR, pilot-scale experiments were carried out using real municipal wastewater. Although neither external carbon addition nor mixed liquor circulation was carried out in the operation of the BMBR, average removal rates of total organic carbon (TOC), total phosphorus (T-P) and total nitrogen (T-N) reached 85%, 97% and 77%, respectively, with the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 4.7h. Permeability of the membrane could be maintained at a high level throughout the operation. It was found that denitrification was the limiting step in removal of nitrogen in the BMBR in this study. Various types of monitoring carried out in the BMBR also demonstrated the possibility of further improvements in its performance.

Changes in the physical properties of the dynamic layer and its correlation with permeate quality in a self-forming dynamic membrane bioreactor.

The self-forming dynamic membrane bioreactor (SFDMBR) is a biological wastewater treatment technology based on the conventional membrane bioreactor (MBR) with membrane material modification to a large pore size (30-100 µm). This modification requires a dynamic layer formed by activated sludge to provide effective filtration function for high-quality permeate production. The properties of the dynamic layer are therefore important for permeate quality in SFDMBRs. The interaction between the structure of the dynamic layer and the performance of SFDMBRs is little known but understandably complex. To elucidate the interaction, a lab-scale SFDMBR system coupled with a nylon woven mesh as the supporting material was operated. After development of a mature dynamic layer, excellent solid-liquid separation was achieved, as evidenced by a low permeate turbidity of less than 2 NTU. The permeate turbidity stayed below this level for nearly 80 days. In the fouling phase, the dynamic layer was compressed with an increase in the trans-membrane pressure and the quality of the permeate kept deteriorating until the turbidity exceeded 10 NTU. The investigation revealed that the majority of permeate particles were dissociated from the dynamic layer on the back surface of the supporting material, which is caused by the compression, breakdown, and dissociation of the dynamic layer. This phenomenon was observed directly in experiment instead of model prediction or conjecture for the first time.

Differences in behaviour of three biopolymer constituents in coagulation with polyaluminium chloride: Implications for the optimisation of a coagulation-membrane filtration process.

Coagulation is often applied as a pre-treatment for membrane processes to reduce dissolved organic matter and to prevent membrane fouling. Biopolymers (BPs) have repeatedly been reported as major organic foulants, and coagulation conditions such as pH or dose have been optimised to minimise the remaining BPs. Optimisation however remains problematic because of the complex and heterogenetic nature of BP. In this study, the behaviour of several BP fractions in a coagulation process was investigated by excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) following liquid chromatography (LC)-fractionation. Using a series of jar tests, we found that BP removal depends on the type of source water, reflecting differences in charge neutralisation conditions in three samples of natural water despite nearly identical processes for removing humic substances. This result demonstrates the complexity of optimisation for BP coagulation. Fractionation of EEM-PARAFAC to BP by LC showed that at least three organic component groups (C1, C2 and C3) constitute BP. C1 is tryptophan-like organic matter that is often found in wastewater effluent, C2 is tyrosine-like organic matter that has a phenolic chemical structure, and C3 is a humic-like substance. C1 was removed thoroughly at acidic pH but not at neutral pH, while the removal of C2 was inefficient even with a significant change in pH or dose, indicating similar difficulties in a coagulation process. The difference in components C1 and C2 may partly explain the difference in efficiencies of removal of BP in water from different sources. Our investigation suggests that the optimisation or selection of appropriate pre-treatment processes for membrane systems should be substantially based on the composition of BPs (e.g., C1 and C2 components).

Mechanism underlying H2O2-induced inhibition of acetylcholine-induced contraction in rabbit tracheal smooth muscle.

The mechanism underlying the inhibition by H2O2 of acetylcholine-induced contraction was investigated in epithelium-denuded strips of rabbit trachea. Acetylcholine (10 microM) generated a phasic, followed by a tonic increase in both the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and force. Although the acetylcholine-induced tonic contraction was around 9 times the high K+ (80 mM)-induced one, the two stimulants induced similar [Ca2+]i increases (around 0.2 microM), indicating that acetylcholine generates tonic contraction via increases in both [Ca2+]i and myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity. H2O2 (30 microM) (a) enhanced the acetylcholine-induced tonic (not phasic) increase in [Ca2+]i but attenuated both phases of the acetylcholine-induced contraction and (b) enhanced the high K+-induced increase in [Ca2+]i but did not modify the high K+-induced contraction. In beta-escin-skinned strips, application of acetylcholine in the presence of GTP enhanced the contraction induced by 0.3 microM Ca2+ so that its amplitude became similar to that induced by 1 microM Ca2+. H2O2 (30 microM) attenuated the contraction induced by 0.3 microM Ca2+ (alone or in the presence of acetylcholine) but not those induced by higher concentrations of Ca2+ alone (0.5 microM and 1 microM). These results indicate that H2O2 acts directly on contractile proteins in rabbit tracheal smooth muscle to inhibit the contraction induced by low concentrations of Ca2+ (<0.5 microM). An action of H2O2 that increases [Ca2+]i (and thereby masks this reactive-oxygen-induced inhibition of myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity) is apparent in the presence of high K+ but not of acetylcholine. Thus, in rabbit tracheal smooth muscle H2O2 downregulates myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity more potently during acetylcholine-induced contraction than during high-K+-induced contraction, leading to an effective inhibition of the former contraction.

Endocytosis of extracellular superoxide dismutase into endothelial cells: role of the heparin-binding domain.

OBJECTIVE: Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is a secreted antioxidant enzyme that binds to the outer plasma membrane and extracellular matrix through its heparin-binding domain (HBD). Carriers of a common genetic variant of EC-SOD (EC-SOD(R213G), within the HBD) have higher plasma concentration of EC-SOD and increased risk for vascular disease. In the present study, we used confocal fluorescence microscopy to examine mechanisms of endocytosis of EC-SOD to determine whether EC-SOD translocates to the nucleus of endothelial cells, and to test the hypothesis that EC-SOD, but not EC-SOD(R213G), is endocytosed into endothelial cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mouse endothelial cells (MS-1) were incubated with EC-SOD, EC-SOD(R213G), or HBD-deleted EC-SOD (EC-SODdeltaHBD). Binding to MS-1 was observed only with EC-SOD, but not EC-SOD(R213G) or EC-SODdeltaHBD. Endocytosis of EC-SODs was monitored after coincubation of MS-1 cells with EC-SODs and BSA-Texas Red (BSA-TR), which marks endosomes and lysosomes. Only EC-SOD was endocytosed, colocalizing with BSA-TR. EC-SOD also colocalized with early endosome antigen 1 (EEA-1), a specific marker for endocytosis. Endocytosis of EC-SOD was inhibited by chlorpromazine, but not by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin or nystatin, which suggests that endocytosis of EC-SOD is mediated by clathrin but not by caveolae. Minimal or no localization of EC-SOD in the nucleus of MS-1 cells was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that EC-SOD, but not EC-SOD(R213G), is endocytosed into endothelial cells through clathrin-mediated pathway, but does not translocate to the nucleus. We speculate that impairment of endocytosis may contribute to high plasma levels of EC-SOD(R213G) in R213G carriers.

Transition in fouling mechanism in microfiltration of a surface water.

The main disadvantage of membrane filtration is membrane fouling, which remains as the major obstacle for more efficient use of this technology. Information about the constituents that cause fouling is indispensable for more efficient operation. We examined the changes in both foulant characteristics and membrane morphology by performing the pilot-scale filtration test using one microfiltration membrane. During the operation, we cut the membrane fibers three times, and the components that caused irreversible fouling were extracted by acid or alkaline solution. We found that the characteristic of inorganic matter extracted by acid solution completely differed depending on the filtration period. A large amount of iron was extracted in the second chemical cleaning, while manganese was the dominant component of the extracted inorganic matter in the third chemical cleaning. The analysis of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and cross polarization magic angle spinning carbon-13 (CPMAS (13)C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) demonstrated that the contribution of humic substances and carbohydrate in the organic foulant had increased as fouling developed. The changes in the major foulant have no relation with the fluctuation in feed water. The analysis of membrane morphology illustrated that the cake layer started to build up after the blockage of membrane pores. Based on the above results, we hypothesized the following fouling mechanism: the pores were covered or narrowed with relatively large particles such as iron, carbohydrate or protein; small particles such as manganese or humic substances blocked the narrowed pores; and finally an irreversible cake layer started to build up on the membrane surface.

Bacterial community structures in MBRs treating municipal wastewater: relationship between community stability and reactor performance.

Bacterial community structures in pilot-scale conventional membrane bioreactors (CMBRs) and hybrid MBRs (HMBRs) which were combined with pre-coagulation/sedimentation were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques. The results were compared with the community structure in a full-scale activated sludge (AS) process treating the same municipal wastewater. The Dice index (Cs) of similarity analysis of DGGE banding patterns demonstrated that the microbial community in AS was more similar to those in CMBR1 and CMBR2 than HMBR1 and HMBR2. This suggested that influent wastewater composition had a larger impact on bacterial community structures. Long-term community structure changes in the HMBRs and CMBRs were monitored and analyzed over 240 days by Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis of DGGE banding patterns. The NMDS analysis revealed that both HMBRs and CMBRs had marked changes in community structures during the first about 100 days. Thereafter the perpetual fluctuations of bacterial community structures were observed in both HMBRs and CMBRs, even though the stable MBR performances (the performance was measured as membrane permeability and removal of dissolved organic carbon, DOC) were achieved. These results suggest that not only the stability, but also the adequate dynamics ("flexibility") of the bacterial community structure are important for the stable performance of the MBRs treating complex municipal wastewater.

Flocculation and me.

This paper is mainly a review of the author's previous research, which was aimed at establishing a theoretical protocol for the design and operation of flocculators based on data from experiments and simulations of the flocculation process. Flocculation is the main pretreatment process of the rapid sand filtration system, and the process produces settleable flocs in the sedimentation basin, reducing the solid load flowing to the sand filter. We tried to make the transition from empirical to theoretical approaches in the design and operation of flocculators by combining the three categories of flocculation research: floc characteristics, flocculation kinetics, and engineering aspects of flocculation. The floc density function and the floc strength function were proposed as important attributes of floc. The Levich's Equation, based on the assumption of viscous subrange diffusion control, represented the basic collision kinetics during flocculation. Finally, examples of engineering applications using our flocculation research were described.