Monitoring and assessing variation of sewage quality and microbial functional groups in a trunk sewer line

In this study, the variation of sewage quality was investigated and the active fraction of different microbial functional groups in biofilm was quantified in a 5.6-km trunk sewer line. The sewage quality including suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, total chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen were measured and compared with the values in literatures. The results indicated that since the wastewater treatment plant was not operated at its full capacity, the concentrations of different compounds were lower compared with the values in literatures. The values of heterotrophic growth rate constant lay between 5.6 and 8.6 day(-1). Its average value was 7.7 day(-1). The values of heterotrophic lysis rate constant lay between 0.2 and 0.4 day(-1). The active heterotrophic biomass in biofilm varied from 240 to 800 mg COD m(-2) and average value was 497 mg COD m(-2). The biofilm mass varied from 880 to 1,080 mg m(-2). The percentage of heterotroph to biofilm mass fall within the range of 24.0-90.9% and average value was 52.9%. In the oxygen uptake rate batch tests, the biomass, growth rate constant, and lysis rate constant of autotroph could not be determined because the fraction of autotroph in biofilm was relatively few. It revealed that the degradation of organic matters, nitrification, and denitrification occurred in the trunk sewer line. But the results indicate that the condition seem favorable for nitrification.

Discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms in <i>FABP3</i> and <i>leptin</i> gene in pig (Brief Report)

Abstract. Knowledge about structural variations in genes and proteins relevant for fat traits is very important information to improve selection of breeding lines and preserve genetic variability in pig industry. The classical proteomics is a useful tool to separate and measure differentially expressed proteins in fat tissue of phenotypic different individual pigs. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the swine adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) and leptin gene (LEP) were related to adipocyte accumulation and associated with meat quality in pigs (NECHTELBERGER et al. 2001, KULIG et al. 2001, KMIEC et al. 2003).

Genetic variants in the repeat region of MHC class I for miniature pig (Brief Report)

Abstract. Recently, miniature pigs have been issued for xenotransplantation studies (CHARON et al. 2000) to verify what major factors are critical matters for immune responses in human. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) knowing for high rate of mutations and responsible for systematic immune responses is essential to understand swine immunology. Numerous studies have documented the influence of swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) genes on immune responses, organ and cell transplantation success and disease resistance (SMITH et al. 2004). The satellite region in MHC can be used to identify individuals as well as breeds, and it is important to characterize and breed unique miniature pig lines for supporting organ transplantation studies. Up to the present moment, genetic variants including repeat units (CA14-20) located between the SLA-1 and SLA-5 genes are available with GenBank acc. no. AJ131112, AP009559, AP009558, AP009556, AP009555, and CU311184, but miniature pigs have not been reported.