| 1. |
- Anderson, Craig, 1976, et al.
(author)
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Influence of in situ biofilm coverage on the radionuclide adsorption capacity of subsurface granite
- 2007
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In: Environmental Science & Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 41:3, s. 830-836
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Any migration of radionuclides from nuclear waste repositories is expected to be mitigated by adsorption to the host rocks surrounding hydraulically conductive fractures. Fluid rock interfaces are considered to be important barriers for nuclear waste disposal schemes but their adsorptive capacity can be affected by the growth of microbial biofilms. This study indicates that biofilms growing on fracture surfaces decrease the rocks adsorption capacity for migrating radionuclides except for trivalent species. Potential suppression of adsorption by biofilms should, therefore, be accounted for in performance safety assessment models. In this study, the adsorptive capacity of in situ anaerobic biofilms grown 450 m underground on either glass or granite slides was compared to the capacity of the same surfaces without biofilms. Surfaces were exposed to the radiotracers Co-60(II), Pm-147(III), Am-241(III), Th-234(IV), and Np-237(V) for a period of 660 h in a pH neutral anaerobic synthetic groundwater. Adsorption was investigated at multiple time points over the 660 h using liquid scintillation and ICP-MS. Results indicate that these surfaces adsorb between 0 and 85% of the added tracers under the conditions of the specific experiments. After 660 h, the distribution coefficients, R (ratio between what is sorbed and what is left in the aqueous phase), approached 3 x 10(4) m for Co-60, 3 x 10(5) m for Pm-147 and 24 'Am, I x 106 m for 234Th, and 1 x 103 m for 237Np. The highest rate of adsorption was during the first 200 h of the adsorption experiments and started to approach equilibrium after 500 h. Adsorption to colloids and precipitates contributed to decreases of up to 20% in the available Co-60, Pm-147, Am-241, and Np-237 in the adsorption systems. In the 234Th system 95% of the aqueous 234Th was removed by adsorbing to colloids. Although the range of R values for each surface tested generally overlapped, the biofilms consistently demonstrated lower R values except for the trivalant Pm-147 and Am-241 adsorption systems.
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| 2. |
- Clark, Andrew G., et al.
(author)
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Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny
- 2007
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 450:7167, s. 203-218
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Comparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species.
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| 3. |
- Fernström, Maria, et al.
(author)
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The potential for mitochondrial fat oxidation in human skeletal muscle influences whole body fat oxidation during low-intensity exercise
- 2007
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In: American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism. - : American Physiological Society. - 0193-1849 .- 1522-1555. ; 292:1, s. E223-30
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to investigate fatty acid (FA) oxidation in isolated mitochondrial vesicles (mit) and its relation to training status, fiber type composition, and whole body FA oxidation. Trained (Vo(2 peak) 60.7 +/- 1.6, n = 8) and untrained subjects (39.5 +/- 2.0 ml.min(-1).kg(-1), n = 5) cycled at 40, 80, and 120 W, and whole body relative FA oxidation was assessed from respiratory exchange ratio (RER). Mit were isolated from muscle biopsies, and maximal ADP stimulated respiration was measured with carbohydrate-derived substrate [pyruvate + malate (Pyr)] and FA-derived substrate [palmitoyl-l-carnitine + malate (PC)]. Fiber type composition was determined from analysis of myosin heavy-chain (MHC) composition. The rate of mit oxidation was lower with PC than with Pyr, and the ratio between PC and Pyr oxidation (MFO) varied greatly between subjects (49-93%). MFO was significantly correlated to muscle fiber type distribution, i.e., %MHC I (r = 0.62, P = 0.03), but was not different between trained (62 +/- 5%) and untrained subjects (72 +/- 2%). MFO was correlated to RER during submaximal exercise at 80 (r = -0.62, P = 0.02) and 120 W (r = -0.71, P = 0.007) and interpolated 35% Vo(2 peak) (r = -0.74, P = 0.004). ADP sensitivity of mit respiration was significantly higher with PC than with Pyr. It is concluded that MFO is influenced by fiber type composition but not by training status. The inverse correlation between RER and MFO implies that intrinsic mit characteristics are of importance for whole body FA oxidation during low-intensity exercise. The higher ADP sensitivity with PC than that with Pyr may influence fuel utilization at low rate of respiration.
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| 4. |
- Zetterberg, Henrik, 1973, et al.
(author)
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Intra-individual stability of CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease over two years
- 2007
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. - 1387-2877. ; 12:3, s. 255-60
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study examines the intra-individual stability of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) over 2 years in 83 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 17 cognitively healthy control individuals. All participants underwent clinical and neuropsychological evaluation and lumbar puncture at baseline and after 2 years at a university hospital memory clinic. CSF was analyzed for total tau (T-tau), phospho-tau(181) (P-tau(181)) and amyloid-beta(1-42) (Abeta(1-42)). During the 2-year observational time, 12 MCI patients progressed to AD and 3 progressed to vascular dementia, while 68 remained stable. Baseline T-tau and P-tau(181) levels were elevated in the MCI-AD group as compared to the stable MCI patients and the control group (p<0.01), while baseline Abeta(1-42) levels were lower (p<0.001). Stable MCI patients were biochemically indistinguishable from controls. The biomarker levels at baseline and after 2 years showed Pearson R values between 0.81 and 0.91 (p<0.001) and coefficients of variation of 7.2 to 8.7%. In conclusion, intra-individual biomarker levels are remarkably stable over 2 years. Thus, even minor biochemical changes induced by treatment against AD should be detectable using these biomarkers, which bodes well for their usefulness as surrogate markers for drug efficacy in clinical trials.
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