A novel technique towards deployment of hydrostatic pressure based level sensor in nuclear fuel reprocessing facility.

A novel approach towards deployment of a hydrostatic pressure based level monitoring device is presented for continuous monitoring of liquid level in a reservoir with high resolution and precision. Some of the major drawbacks such as spurious information of measured level due to change in ambient temperature, requirement of high resolution pressure sensor, and bubbling effect by passing air or any gaseous fluid into the liquid are overcome by using such a newly designed hydrostatic pressure based level monitoring device. The technique involves precise measurement of hydrostatic pressure exerted by the process liquid using a high sensitive pulsating-type differential pressure sensor (capacitive type differential pressure sensor using a specially designed oil manometer) and correlating it to the liquid level. In order to avoid strong influence of temperature on liquid level, a temperature compensation methodology is derived and used in the system. A wireless data acquisition feature has also been provided in the level monitoring device in order to work in a remote area such as a radioactive environment. At the outset, a prototype level measurement system for a 1 m tank is constructed and its test performance has been well studied. The precision, accuracy, resolution, uncertainty, sensitivity, and response time of the prototype level measurement system are found to be less than 1.1 mm in the entire range, 1%, 3 mm, <1%, 10 Hz/mm, and ∼4 s, respectively.

EDTA enhanced phytoremediation of copper contaminated soils using chickpea (Cicer aeritinum L.).

The goal of this research was to determine whether or not chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), commonly known as Garbanzo beans, is a hyper accumulator for copper (Cu) in contaminated soils amended with EDTA. Statistical analysis (2 tailed Pearson Correlation) revealed significant correlations between: Translocation index and stem biomass (r = 0.859**; p < 0.01); Tolerance index and stem biomass (r = 0.762**; p < 0.01); and bioconcentration factor of stem/soil and soil Cu concentration (r = -0.545*; p < 0.05). Therefore, C. arietinum seems to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly hyperaccumulator for Cu at 100 ppm Cu and 10 mM EDTA.

Bacterial and archaea community present in the Pine Barrens Forest of Long Island, NY: unusually high percentage of ammonia oxidizing bacteria.

Of the few preserved areas in the northeast of United States, the soil in the Pine Barrens Forests presents a harsh environment for the microorganisms to grow and survive. In the current study we report the use of clustering methods to scientifically select the sampling locations that would represent the entire forest and also report the microbial diversity present in various horizons of the soil. Sixty six sampling locations were selected across the forest and soils were collected from three horizons (sampling depths). The three horizons were 0-10 cm (Horizon O); 11-25 cm (Horizon A) and 26-40 cm (Horizon B). Based on the total microbial substrate utilization pattern and K-means clustering analysis, the soil in the Pine Barrens Forest can be classified into four distinct clusters at each of the three horizons. One soil sample from each of the four clusters were selected and archaeal and bacterial populations within the soil studied using pyrosequencing method. The results show the microbial communities present in each of these clusters are different. Within the microbial communities present, microorganisms involved in nitrogen cycle occupy a major fraction of microbial community in the soil. High level of diversity was observed for nitrogen fixing bacteria. In contrast, Nitrosovibrio and Nitrosocaldus spp are the single bacterial and archaeal population respectively carrying out ammonia oxidation in the soil.

Morphological and physiological responses of morning glory (Ipomoea lacunosa L.) grown in a lead- and chelate-amended soil.

Lead (Pb) is one of the most toxic metals in the environment and may cause drastic morphological and physiological deformities in Ipomoea lacunosa. The goal of this research was to evaluate some morphological and physiological responses of morning glory grown on a Pb- and chelate-amended soil. Soil samples were analyzed, at Mississippi State University Soil Laboratory, for physico-chemical parameters, such as soil texture (73% sand, 23% silt, 4.4% clay), organic matter (6.24 +/- 0.60%), and pH (7.95 +/- 0.03), to establish soil conditions at the beginning of the experiments. Five EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5mM) and four lead (0, 500, 1000, 2000mg/L) treatments were arranged in factorial in a Randomized Complete Block (RCB) design with five replications. Duncan's multiple comparison range test showed that the mean difference values of stomatal density were significant between 500 and 1000mg/L Pb and between 1000 and 2000mg/L Pb. Two way ANOVA (at 1% level) indicated that interaction between Pb and EDTA had a significant effect on the stomatal density and photosynthetic rates, and at 5% level Pb had a significant effect on chlorophyll concentrations. Lowest concentrations of chlorophyll were recorded at 2000mg/L Pb and 5mM EDTA and exhibited a decreasing trend specifically in the ranges of 1000 and 2000mg/L Pb and 1.0 and 5.0mM EDTA. Duncan's multiple comparison range test confirmed that mean differences between the control treatment vs. 2000mg/L Pb, and 500mg/L vs. 2000mg/L Pb were significantly different atp>0.05. There was a decrease in leaf net photosynthetic rate with increasing concentrations of Pb from 0 to 2000mg/L. In conclusion, I. lacunosa L. plants were grown to maturity in all treatments with no significant and/or apparent morphological disorders, which indicated that this species might be highly tolerant even at 2000mg/L Pb concentrations in the soil.

Return to fertility after extended chemical castration with a GnRH antagonist.

BACKGROUND: Antagonistic analogues of GnRH for the treatment of prostate cancer may be used clinically in persons for whom return to fertility after such treatment is important or desirable. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the effects of a long term treatment with orntide, a GnRH antagonist, on testosterone levels and fertility in male rats. METHODS: Two groups of male rats received either 120-day orntide microspheres (8.8 mg orntide/kg/120 days) or vehicle alone (control group). Serum orntide and testosterone levels in both groups were monitored at certain intervals for 9 months from the initiation of treatment. After recovery of normal serum testosterone levels in the treated animals, each rat was housed with two proven breeder, but drug-naive, females. RESULTS: All mates of treated rats achieved pregnancy as rapidly as the mates of control rats although two of the control rats did not sire a litter with either female and one sired only one litter. The mean size of the litters of treated (12.3 offspring per litter) and control (10.6 offspring per litter) were similar. All offspring were grossly normal morphologically and behaviorally during the time to weaning. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that lack of fertility due to testosterone suppression is reversible after cessation of treatment with this GnRH antagonist.

Linkage disequilibrium mapping of the Nova Scotia variant of Niemann-Pick disease.

Niemann-Pick type D (NPD) disease is a severe degenerative disorder of the nervous system characterized by the accumulation of tissue cholesterol and sphingomyelin. Because of a founder effect, it is unusually common in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. We have confirmed that almost all patients from 20 affected sibships descended on both sides from a small group of Acadians who settled in this region in about the year 1767. Previously using classic linkage analysis of this large kindred, we defined the critical gene region to a 13-cM chromosome segment between D18S869 and D18S66. Seven ESTs have been positioned within this interval. Carstea et al. (Niemann Pick C disease gene: homology to mediators of cholesterol homeostasis. Science 1997: 277: 232-235) recently demonstrated that one of these ESTs is the Niemann-Pick type C (NPCI) gene, the gene disrupted in most patients with NPC disease, and we have shown that a G3097-->T mutation in the NPC1 gene is also responsible for NPD. Here we report the development of five new polymorphic microsatellite markers and the testing for complete linkage disequilibrium in our single large NPD kindred that allowed us to reduce the NPD critical region to a 1-cM (1.3-1.6 Mb) interval between D18S1398 and D18S1108. In contrast, Carstea et al., using classic linkage analysis, required more than 18 unrelated NPC families to reduce the NPC1 critical region to a 5-cM interval. Our work supports the finding that NPD is an allelic variant of NPC1, and illustrates the power of large kindreds, which are common in Atlantic Canada and other relatively isolated areas, for gene mapping and identification.

Spectrophotometric methods for the determination of omeprazole in bulk form and pharmaceutical formulations.

Four simple and sensitive methods for the assay of omeprazole (OMZ) were developed. These methods are based on the formation of colored species by treating OMZ with 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone (MBTH) following oxidation with ferric chloride (method A) or m-aminophenol following oxidation with chloramine-T (CAT) (method B) or Folin-Ciocalteau reagent (FC) (method D), or by oxidizing OMZ with excess N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and determining the consumed NBS with a decrease in color intensity of Celestine blue (CB) (method C). All variables have been optimized. Regression analysis of Beer's plots showed good correlation in the concentration range of 1.0-10, 2.0-32, 0.4-2.4 and 0.8-10 mug ml(-1) for methods A, B, C and D, respectively. No interference was observed for formulation additives and the validity of each method was tested by analysing capsules containing OMZ. Recoveries were 98.7-100.1%.

Exclusion of temperature bacteriophage P22 by virulent bacteriophage MB78 of Salmonella typhimurium: competition for association with the replication complex.

MB78, a virulent bacteriophage of S. typhimurium does not allow other bacteriophages like P22 and 9NA to multiply in its presence. The exclusion of P22 by MB78 is found to be due to competition for common binding site(s) in the host cell membrane. As a result, P22 DNA fails to replicate in presence of MB78 DNA. Further, the sedimentation profile of P22 DNA in cells infected simultaneously with P22 and MB78 suggested fragmentation of P22 DNA. This may also contribute to the exclusion phenomenon.

Construction of a cloning vector from a naturally occurring plasmid of Salmonella typhimurium.

A naturally occurring plasmid isolated from a drug-resistant strain of Salmonella typhimurium (993) has been used to construct a plasmid vector for cloning in a wild strain of Salmonella. The strain (993) contains at least two plasmids. The smaller plasmid (9 kb) contains an ampicillin-resistant marker, while the larger one (25 kb) is cryptic. Physical mapping of the 9-kb plasmid and construction of a 3.5-kb derivative have been carried out. This plasmid has been used for cloning in a restriction+modification+strain of S. typhimurium using a conventional calcium chloride method. It exhibited better efficiency of transformation than other commonly used plasmids such as pBR322 or its derivatives and transformants were found to be stable in the absence of antibiotic selection. The vector is compatible with pBR322 and can be used to study the expression of cloned genes in minicells.

Child demographics and DSM diagnosis: a multi-axis study.

Using all five axes of the DSM-III, this study explored variations by gender, race age, and socioeconomic status in diagnoses given to children at an outpatient child guidance clinic. Overall, boys, minorities, and low income children were more likely to receive the more serious diagnoses on the DSM-III and to be given the diagnoses that are least likely to go into remission with the passage of time. Alternative explanations for these findings of differences are discussed, and implications for practice and research are identified.

Aerosol speckle effects on atmospheric pulsed lidar backscattered signals.

The effects of refractive turbulence along the path on the aerosol speckle field propagation and on the decorrelation time are studied for coherent pulsed lidar systems.

Spectrophotometric determinations of isoniazid with metol and vanadate, ferricyanide or iron(III).

Three spectrophotometric methods for the assay of isoniazid with metol and vanadate, iron(III) or ferricyanide have been developed. The common excipients in pharmaceutical preparations do not interfere. The recovery and precision are similar to those of the official B.P. method.

A study of drug resistance among Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi A in an endemic area, 1977-79.

Tests for antibiotic resistance were carried out on 198 strains of Salmonella typhi and S. paratyphi A isolated from cases of enteric fevers. Their minimal inhibitory concentrations for streptomycin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, furazolidine and co-trimoxazole were estimated by plate dilution technique. Four strains of S. typhi and one strain of S. paratyphi A were found to show multiple resistance with a set pattern of resistance to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamide, tetracycline and spectinomycin. All the five strains carried R-factors. Three of the resistant S. typhi belonged to Phage type 'O' and one was in Phage type 'A'. The single resistant S. paratyphi A belonged to Phage type '2'.