Portion Of Activity Research Articles

Changes in vagal afferent drive alter tracheobronchial coughing in anesthetized cats

Unilateral cooling of the vagus nerve (<5°C, blocking mainly conductivity of myelinated fibers) and unilateral vagotomy were employed to reduce cough afferent drive in order to evaluate the effects of these interventions on the temporal features of the cough reflex. Twenty pentobarbitone anesthetized, spontaneously breathing cats were used. Cough was induced by mechanical stimulation of the tracheobronchial airways. The number of coughs during vagal cooling was significantly decreased (p<0.001). Inspiratory cough efforts were reduced by approximately 30% (p<0.001) and expiratory motor drive by more than 80% (p<0.001). Temporal analysis showed prolonged inspiratory and expiratory phases, the total cycle duration, its active portion, and the interval between maxima of the diaphragm and the abdominal activity during coughing (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the average effects on the cough reflex between cooling of the left or the right vagus nerve. Compared to control, vagal cooling produced no significant difference in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure (p>0.05), however, cold block of vagal conduction reduced respiratory rate (p<0.001). Unilateral vagotomy significantly reduced cough number, cough-related diaphragmatic activity, and relative values of maximum expiratory esophageal pressure (all p<0.05). Our results indicate that reduced cough afferent drive (lower responsiveness) markedly attenuates the motor drive to respiratory pump muscles during coughing and alters cough temporal features. Differences in the effects of unilateral vagal cooling and vagotomy on coughing support an inhibitory role of sensory afferents that are relatively unaffected by cooling of the vagus nerve to 5°C on mechanically induced cough.

Enhanced performance of an air-assisted electrostatic nozzle: Role of electrode material and its dimensional considerations in spray charging

The development of reliable means of charging for finely divided particulate matter is among the major portion of the research activities in electrostatic spraying. This paper presents the role of electrode material and engineering aspects in spray charging with emphasis on theoretical considerations of selection of electrode material and its dimensional shape and size. It reveals the charge-to-mass ratio dependency on variables such as electrode material, shape and geometrical specifications, which is in good agreement with the theoretical considerations. For the particular designed electrostatic nozzle, it is found that optimum electrode position is in the range of 2.0–3.0 mm from the nozzle tip. The copper electroplated with nickel as a charging electrode material can be plausible alternative for spray charging as excellent charge-to-mass ratio 2.8 mC/kg is attained for improved efficacy and efficiency of the electrostatic spraying processes. Possible limitations requiring further research includes the design for maximum charge injection rate, which is thought to be limited by corona breakdown, again a trade-off in air media between charging electrode and liquid sheet.

Improving People’s Lives: Hope Is Not a Strategy … But Without Hope, There Is No Strategy

President's column A great benefit of being the SPE president is the chance to interact with students and young professionals around the world. Many are anxious about the future, but not panicked. I have been asked if this is the worst time ever in the oil business, a question that made me smile. For some reason, it is natural to try and “scale” a current calamity with past ones. For example, financial recessions are compared with the Great Depression of the 1930s during which the worldwide gross domestic product (GDP) dropped 15% in 3 years. In comparison, the recession of 2008– 2009 saw a 1% drop in worldwide GDP but certainly felt huge. WTI crude oil prices dropped from USD 145.31/bbl on 3 July 2008 to USD 30.28/bbl in less than 5 months. The US rig count followed suit, dropping from 1,987 in August 2008 to 895 by mid-2009. It certainly was not good, but it was relatively short-lived. Fig. 1 compares US rotary rig activity during the four most recent significant downturns. Leo Tolstoy’s quote about families may be paraphrased to apply to downturns: “Each oil price downturn is unhappy in its own way,” and each downturn and recovery had different causes. In Fig. 1, I have started with the peak US rig activity immediately prior to the beginning of the downturn and normalized subsequent weekly activity to this peak. Each prior downturn recovered to about 80% of peak activity within approximately 2 years after dropping from 45% to 55% of peak activity. We are currently at less than 25% of the prior peak activity level and at an all-time low for the Baker Hughes reported US rig count dating to 1944. Compare this with the 1980s. In late 1981, rig activity peaked at 4,530 rigs and in the subsequent “ice age,” the rig count dropped to 663, less than 15% of the peak. While this was a steeper drop from the peak level, current rig activity is now approximately 70% of that ice age bottom, and future drops are certainly possible. Current rig activity is lower than what the US has seen in a very long time. Is the Current US Rig Count the Lowest Ever? I have been looking at historical rig activity measures. The Baker Hughes rig count data from 1944 include only rotary rigs. Before the 1950s, cable tool rigs accounted for a significant portion of drilling activity. Cable tool drilling dates to 1806 with horse-powered rigs. These were replaced in the 1830s by steam engines to provide rig power, and in 1860 when J.C. Rathbone used a steam-powered cable tool rig to drill a 100-B/D producer in West Virginia, cable tool activity took off. During the US Civil War, many hundreds of cable tool rigs were drilling, primarily in West Virginia, California, and Pennsylvania. If we include cable tool rigs, total US rig activity has exceeded 500 rigs since Abraham Lincoln was the US president, making the rig activity of 464 as of 24 March this year a truly historic low.

DELAY MANAGEMENT IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Construction projects are one-time endeavors with three strong constraints i.e., time, cost and quality. Construction management pursues success through the balanced accomplishment of the target levels of these. Since construction management has been and is still being performed to some extent by architects, AIA’s guidance has a strong influence on the profession. Thus, AIA’s “A201-2007 General Conditions of the Contract for Construction” is widely preferred among owners and contractors in the U.S. In Turkey, on the other hand, the government is the owner of a large number of public building projects with a total contract value that accounts for a sizeable portion of the national construction activity. Thus, the “General Conditions for Construction” that is issued by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization is widely used in the industry. Delays have an important effect on both the owner and the contractor; while the owner experiences cost overruns as a direct result of delays, contractors suffer from excessive overhead. A201-2007 addresses the issue in “Article 8-Time”; the Turkish General Conditions addresses it in “Clause 30-Job Duration and Time Extension”. A literature review is performed in this paper to understand the importance of the deviations from the project duration specified in the contract. The objective of this study is to determine the similarities/differences in the management of delays, as mandated by the general conditions commonly used in the U.S. and Turkey. Recommendations are made in the light of the findings to improve delay management.

Model of multicomponent mass transfer in a turbulent bubbling bed based on the concept of an active site

The concept of active input portion is considered in vigorous bubbling mode on mass transfer plates of the cross flow. Using active site parameters and the Landau–Levich model of the diffusion boundary layer, equations are obtained and the algorithm is given for calculating the coefficients of mass transfer in liquid and gas phases in multicomponent distillation of mixtures with close thermophysical properties. The results of calculating the mass transfer and mass transport coefficients are compared with the experimental data of various authors. Their satisfactory agreement is established.

The course of lung inflation alters the central pattern of tracheobronchial cough in cat—The evidence for volume feedback during cough

The effect of volume-related feedback and output airflow resistance on the cough motor pattern was studied in 17 pentobarbital anesthetized spontaneously-breathing cats. Lung inflation during tracheobronchial cough was ventilator controlled and triggered by the diaphragm electromyographic (EMG) signal. Altered lung inflations during cough resulted in modified cough motor drive and temporal features of coughing. When tidal volume was delivered (via the ventilator) there was a significant increase in the inspiratory and expiratory cough drive (esophageal pressures and EMG amplitudes), inspiratory phase duration (CTI), total cough cycle duration, and the duration of all cough related EMGs (Tactive). When the cough volume was delivered (via the ventilator) during the first half of inspiratory period (at CTI/2—early over inflation), there was a significant reduction in the inspiratory and expiratory EMG amplitude, peak inspiratory esophageal pressure, CTI, and the overlap between inspiratory and expiratory EMG activity. Additionally, there was significant increase in the interval between the maximum inspiratory and expiratory EMG activity and the active portion of the expiratory phase (CTE1). Control inflations coughs and control coughs with additional expiratory resistance had increased maximum expiratory esophageal pressure and prolonged CTE1, the duration of cough abdominal activity, and Tactive. There was no significant difference in control coughing and/or control coughing when sham ventilation was employed. In conclusion, modified lung inflations during coughing and/or additional expiratory airflow resistance altered the spatio-temporal features of cough motor pattern via the volume related feedback mechanism similar to that in breathing.

Determining shoreline response to sea level rise

The Bruun rule is the most widely used method for determining shoreline response to sea level rise. It assumes that the active portion of an offshore profile rises with rising sea level, and the sand required to raise the profile is transported from the shoreline. It is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of the Bruun rule because sea level rise often has a lesser effect on shoreline change than that produced by sand sources, sinks, and longshore transport gradients. In addition, some shorelines have advanced seaward with rising sea level. Dean (1987) showed that equilibrium profile theory predicts that rising sea levels produce landward sand movement forced by nonlinear waves. This paper presents an equation with terms representing all phenomena affecting shoreline change including Bruun-rule recession, onshore sand transport, sand sources and sinks, and longshore transport gradients. As an example of its use, rates of onshore transport are determined along the 275-km Florida southwest coast, USA, and a 19-km portion of this coast using known values for sand sources, sinks, and longshore transport gradients. Then future shoreline changes are projected for both coasts from 2015 to 2065 and for the southwest coast from 2015 to 2100, using sea level rise projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Beach nourishment is shown to be a very effective adaptation strategy for sea level rise with shoreline change projections useful to estimate required rates of beach nourishment to counter sea level rise.

Areas activated during naturalistic reading comprehension overlap topological visual, auditory, and somatotomotor maps.

Cortical mapping techniques using fMRI have been instrumental in identifying the boundaries of topological (neighbor‐preserving) maps in early sensory areas. The presence of topological maps beyond early sensory areas raises the possibility that they might play a significant role in other cognitive systems, and that topological mapping might help to delineate areas involved in higher cognitive processes. In this study, we combine surface‐based visual, auditory, and somatomotor mapping methods with a naturalistic reading comprehension task in the same group of subjects to provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the cortical overlap between sensory‐motor maps in all major sensory modalities, and reading processing regions. Our results suggest that cortical activation during naturalistic reading comprehension overlaps more extensively with topological sensory‐motor maps than has been heretofore appreciated. Reading activation in regions adjacent to occipital lobe and inferior parietal lobe almost completely overlaps visual maps, whereas a significant portion of frontal activation for reading in dorsolateral and ventral prefrontal cortex overlaps both visual and auditory maps. Even classical language regions in superior temporal cortex are partially overlapped by topological visual and auditory maps. By contrast, the main overlap with somatomotor maps is restricted to a small region on the anterior bank of the central sulcus near the border between the face and hand representations of M‐I. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2784–2810, 2016. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of Periodic Imposed Heat Flux on Three-Dimensional Natural Convection in a Partially Heated Cubical Enclosure

The three-dimensional numerical study of natural convection in a cubical enclosure, discretely heated, was carried out in this study. Two heating square sections, similar to the integrated electronic components, are placed on the vertical wall of the enclosure. The imposed heating fluxes vary sinusoidally with time, in phase and in opposition of phase. The temperature of the opposite vertical wall is maintained at a cold uniform temperature and the other walls are adiabatic. The governing equations are solved using Control volume method by SIMPLEC algorithm. The sections dimension ε = D / H and the Rayleigh number Ra were fixed respectively at 0,35 and 106. The average heat transfer and the maximum temperature on the active portions will be examined for a given set of the governing parameters, namely the amplitude of the variable temperatures a and their period τp. The obtained results show significant changes in terms of heat transfer, by proper choice of the heating mode and the governing parameters.

Trademark Use Doctrine in the European Union and Japan

The scope of the regulatory power of trademark law in the market-place is constantly being tested against the new developments in technology. Today, the rights arising from the trademarks increasingly cover large portion of activities going beyond the mere misrepresentation of goods and services. Market transparency is not anymore the sole goal of trademark law. In this comparative study, we will contrast European and Japanese approach to the doctrine of trademark use, i.e. doctrine that decides whether the trademark laws extend rights to regulate a particular use of a sign prior to any considerations of confusion or unfair advantage. Evolution of the law in the two countries illustratively shows the gradual departure from origins of trademark protection, still persisting in Japan, to more advanced, but not necessarily better, systems of protection in the European Union. By comparing the trademark law of two economies, the paper aims to demonstrate how the doctrine of trademark use itself facilitates the spill-over of the extended protection – initially offered only to well-known trademarks – also to ordinary trademarks and thus leads to overall expansion of the trademark law.

FN1-EGF gene fusions are recurrent in calcifying aponeurotic fibroma.

Calcifying aponeurotic fibroma (CAF) is a soft tissue neoplasm with a predilection for the hands and feet in children and adolescents. Its molecular basis is unknown. We used chromosome banding analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq), RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry to characterize a series of CAFs. An insertion ins(2;4)(q35;q25q?) was identified in the index case. Fusion of the FN1 and EGF genes, mapping to the breakpoint regions on chromosomes 2 and 4, respectively, was detected by RNA-seq and confirmed by RT-PCR in the index case and two additional cases. FISH on five additional tumours identified FN1-EGF fusions in all cases. CAFs analysed by RT-PCR showed that FN1 exon 23, 27 or 42 was fused to EGF exon 17 or 19. High-level expression of the entire FN1 gene in CAF suggests that strong FN1 promoter activity drives inappropriate expression of the biologically active portion of EGF, which was detected immunohistochemically in 8/9 cases. The FN1-EGF fusion, which has not been observed in any other neoplasm, appears to be the main driver mutation in CAF. Although further functional studies are required to understand the exact pathogenesis of CAF, the composition of the chimera suggests an autocrine/paracrine mechanism of transformation. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An International Standard for holotranscobalamin (holoTC): international collaborative study to assign a holoTC value to the International Standard for vitamin B12 and serum folate.

Investigation of possible B12 and folate deficiencies requires measurement of these vitamins in serum. There is evidence that holotranscobalamin (holoTC), the active portion of B12 available to cells, is a more specific marker of early B12 deficiency than total B12. The availability of immunoassays for holoTC prompted an international collaborative study to assign a holoTC value to the World Health Organization (WHO) 1st International Standard (IS) for vitamin B12 and serum folate, 03/178. The IS, 03/178, and three serum samples with different holoTC levels were assayed by 12 laboratories in eight countries using manual and automated immunoassays for holoTC; one laboratory additionally performed an in-house assay. Fourteen sets of data were analysed. Overall, the IS, 03/178, and the three serum samples demonstrated assay linearity and parallelism. An overall geometric mean (GM) holoTC value of 106.8 pmol/L was obtained for 03/178, with an inter-laboratory geometric coefficient of variation (GCV) of 10.5%. There was a reduction in inter-laboratory variability when the holoTC levels in the serum samples were determined relative to the IS with an assigned holoTC value rather than to the assays' calibration. Accelerated degradation studies showed that 03/178 was sufficiently stable to serve as an IS for holoTC. The WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization endorsed the proposal to assign a holoTC value of 107 pmol/L to 03/178, corresponding to 0.107 pmol per ampoule, for use as the 1st IS for vitamin B12, serum folate, and holoTC.

Carnosine Reduces Oxidative Stress and Reverses Attenuation of Righting and Postural Reflexes in Rats with Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Failure.

Cerebral oxidative stress (OS) contributes to the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Existing evidence suggests that systemic administration of l-histidine (His) attenuates OS in brain of HE animal models, but the underlying mechanism is complex and not sufficiently understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that dipeptide carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine, Car) may be neuroprotective in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver failure in rats and that, being His metabolite, may mediate the well documented anti-OS activity of His. Amino acids [His or Car (100 mg/kg)] were administrated 2 h before TAA (i.p., 300 mg/kg 3× in 24 h intervals) injection into Sprague–Dawley rats. The animals were thus tested for: (i) brain prefrontal cortex and blood contents of Car and His, (ii) amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), GSSG/GSH ratio and thioredoxin reductase (TRx) activity, and (iii) behavioral changes (several models were used, i.e. tests for reflexes, open field, grip test, Rotarod). Brain level of Car was reduced in TAA rats, and His administration significantly elevated Car levels in control and TAA rats. Car partly attenuated TAA-induced ROS production and reduced GSH/GSSG ratio, whereas the increase of TRx activity in TAA brain was not significantly modulated by Car. Further, Car improved TAA-affected behavioral functions in rats, as was shown by the tests of righting and postural reflexes. Collectively, the results support the hypothesis that (i) Car may be added to the list of neuroprotective compounds of therapeutic potential on HE and that (ii) Car mediates at least a portion of the OS-attenuating activity of His in the setting of TAA-induced liver failure.

Engineering of a Student Advisory Management System: Development Perspective

Web presence is gradually becoming an essential part of every learning institute. This is why a large portion of academic activities is becoming available online. However, despite the emerging growth in the use of information technology towards academics, it is still a challenge for part advisers to effectively monitor and mentor their students’ academic activities, progress and processes. This paper attempts to justify the need to bridge the gap between students and their advisers through the use of web based technology. The paper adopted the qualitative research approach and a face-to-face interview with 24 Part Advisers from seven (7) faculties of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. 120 students randomly selected from each faculty were also interviewed to know what their challenges and expectations are for such a system. Software development life cycle phases were strictly followed in the development process, and the Students Advisory Management System (SAMS) was implemented using web technologies. The system helps students stay up-to-date on their academic career by improving their level of communication with their assigned part advisers. It also helps part advisers better manage their students. The paper showed an enhancement to the SAMS from the development perspective. This will help overcome the various challenges encountered by different categories of learners in the learning process. Thus, the paper justified the need for knowledge suitable for learners, and provides advisers an automated platform for active interaction. The paper concludes that it is essential, therefore, that student’ advisers understand the learning process and know how to facilitate its application throughout their areas of responsibility in an academic system, while giving the students the opportunity to receive better monitoring and mentoring in the course of their academics.

Root distribution pattern of pomegranate in different soil types

Root distribution pattern forms the crux for optimum utilization irrigation, fertilizers and other inputs. Therefore, root distribution in terms of root weight and root activity (i.e. root length) in pomegranate cv. Bhagwa was studies in three different soil types on four-year-old trees of pomegranate. Roots were collected from six radial distances (0–30, 30–45, 45–60, 60–75, 75–90 and 90 cm and above) and seven depths (0–15, 15–30, 30–45, 45–60, 60–75, 75–90 and above 90 cm). It was observed that total quantity of feeder roots (diameter up to 5 mm) under shallow, medium deep and deep soil was 992.7, 1,100.0 and 1,176.3 g, respectively. Cumulative root length (activity) was the highest in medium deep soils (2,722.8 m) followed by shallow (2,332.4 m) and the lowest in deep soil (2,084.0 m). On weight basis, contribution of small roots (2 < to < 5 mm) in total weight was the highest whereas, on the basis of root length, contribution of very fine roots (< 0.5 mm) was exceptionally high compared to other categories of the roots. Root growth or root activity of pomegranate plants was better in shallow, light textured soils compared to deep, clayey soils. In these soils major portion of the root activity was observed in 0–60 cm radial distance and 0–45 cm vertical distance. In deep, clayey soils more or less uniform distribution of roots was observed up to 90 cm distance.

Simulation-Augmented Methods for Safe and Efficient Manoeuvres in Harbour Areas

Safety of navigation is especially challenging and critical when a ship approaches and manoeuvres in harbour areas. Improving the safety especially in the first and last phase of a voyage is crucial and requires measures addressing both the human and technical‐technological elements including support systems that shall provide human operators with information relevant for decision making. The present situation is characterized by the introduction of numerous sophisticated technical and support systems often integrated with several components becoming increasingly complex. On the users end, changes are not that obvious and not that rapid as for technology. However, new approaches are under development or already in use. They are characterized by applying and adapting solutions from other transport modes. In this way, tasks and procedures on ships, that are highly safety‐relevant and containing high portions of manoeuvring activities have been changed to high back‐up procedures as in air planes. For port manoeuvres e.g. the system of pilot/co‐pilot was introduced on ferries in a sense that one officer is operating and the other is monitoring and checking the safe performance. In cruise shipping, new structures replacing the traditional rank‐based with a flexible system based on job functions. This system creates a kind of a safety net around the person conning the vessel. Each operation is cross checked before execution by one or two other persons. The first obvious consequence is higher costs due to doubling personnel. On the other hand there is also a need for a technology appropriately supporting the checking officer by enabling her or him to monitor what the conning officer is doing. Fast‐Time Manoeuvring Simulation Technology (FTS) developed at the Institute for Innovative Ship Simulation and Maritime Systems (ISSIMS) has huge potential to fulfil this task. FTS calculates within one second of computing time up to 1000 seconds of real manoeuvring time by a very complex ship‐dynamic simulation model for rudder, engine and thruster manoeuvres. It enables prompt prediction of all manoeuvres carried out by the conning officer for the observing officer, too. Predictions of path and motion status allow all officers to see whether the manoeuvring actions have at least the correct tendency or indicating the need for corrections. This new type of support is called Simulation‐Augmented Manoeuvring Design and Monitoring (SAMMON) - it allows not only overlooking the next manoeuvring segment ahead but also for the following or even for series of manoeuvring segments. This technology has been used within two research projects: COSINUS (Co‐operative Ship Operation in Integrated Maritime Traffic Systems) set out for implementing FTS into integrated ship bridges and to also communicate the manoeuvre plans and display it to VTS centres. Within the European project MUNIN (Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks) this technology has been used to investigate if it is possible to steer autonomous ships, in case it would be necessary. Language: en

Re“modeling” College Algebra: An Active Learning Approach

In this paper, we discuss active learning in College Algebra at Georgia Gwinnett College. This approach has been used in more than 20 sections of College Algebra taught by the authors in the past four semesters. Students work in small, structured groups on guided inquiry activities after watching 15–20 minutes of videos before class. We discuss a portion of an in-class activity and a writing project used in the course. The results after one semester are that the students in this model did marginally better than students in the traditional lecture sections on common final exam questions.

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities.

A novel reactor design, coined a high density bioreactor (HDBR), is presented for the cultivation and study of high density microbial communities. Past studies have evaluated the performance of the reactor for the removal of COD(1) and nitrogen species(2-4) by heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria, respectively. The HDBR design eliminates the requirement for external flocculation/sedimentation processes while still yielding effluent containing low suspended solids. In this study, the HDBR is applied as a photobioreactor (PBR) in order to characterize the nitrogen removal characteristics of an algae-based photosynthetic microbial community. As previously reported for this HDBR design, a stable biomass zone was established with a clear delineation between the biologically active portion of the reactor and the recycling reactor fluid, which resulted in a low suspended solid effluent. The algal community in the HDBR was observed to remove 18.4% of total nitrogen species in the influent. Varying NH4(+) and NO3(-) concentrations in the feed did not have an effect on NH4(+) removal (n=44, p=0.993 and n=44, p=0.610 respectively) while NH4(+) feed concentration was found to be negatively related with NO3(-) removal (n=44, p=0.000) and NO3(-) feed concentration was found to be positively correlated with NO3(-) removal (n=44, p=0.000). Consistent removal of NH4(+), combined with the accumulation of oxidized nitrogen species at high NH4(+) fluxes indicates the presence of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria within the microbial community.

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities

A novel reactor design, coined a high density bioreactor (HDBR), is presented for the cultivation and study of high density microbial communities. Past studies have evaluated the performance of the reactor for the removal of COD1 and nitrogen species2-4 by heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria, respectively. The HDBR design eliminates the requirement for external flocculation/sedimentation processes while still yielding effluent containing low suspended solids. In this study, the HDBR is applied as a photobioreactor (PBR) in order to characterize the nitrogen removal characteristics of an algae-based photosynthetic microbial community. As previously reported for this HDBR design, a stable biomass zone was established with a clear delineation between the biologically active portion of the reactor and the recycling reactor fluid, which resulted in a low suspended solid effluent. The algal community in the HDBR was observed to remove 18.4% of total nitrogen species in the influent. Varying NH4+ and NO3- concentrations in the feed did not have an effect on NH4+ removal (n=44, p=0.993 and n=44, p=0.610 respectively) while NH4+ feed concentration was found to be negatively related with NO3- removal (n=44, p=0.000) and NO3- feed concentration was found to be positively correlated with NO3- removal (n=44, p=0.000). Consistent removal of NH4+, combined with the accumulation of oxidized nitrogen species at high NH4+ fluxes indicates the presence of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria within the microbial community.

Identification of active substances for dually modulating the renin–angiotensin system in Bidens pilosa by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry–based chemometrics

Bidens pilosa is used as a functional food and a traditional Chinese medicine to treat hypertensive disease. In this study, based on a bioactivity-guided fractionation of renin- and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activities, a method of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS)-based chemometrics analysis was used to identify bioactive compounds from the ethanol extract of B. pilosa. Polyphenol-containing fraction exhibited the highest dual inhibitions towards renin and ACE activities. A total 18 marker metabolites were positively or tentatively identified by LC–MS/MS, five of which contributed most to distinguishing between active and inactive portions and were confirmed to possess in vitro dual inhibitory activities against renin and ACE. This is the first study to demonstrate the active constituents of B. pilosa for dually regulating the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in vitro. This established method represents a rapid and effective method for the identification of bioactive compounds from functional foods and nutraceuticals.