ALBERT

Description: Publication date: Available online 9 July 2016 Source: Geodesy and Geodynamics Author(s): Ruisha Li, Xi Zhang, Shouwen Gong, Hongtao Tang, Peng Jia The equation for determining cross-fault representative value is calculated based on hanging wall and foot wall reference level surfaces. The cross-fault data reliability are analyzed base on the stability of reference datum and observation points, thereby facilitating plotting of the representative value curves after removing interference. The spatial and temporal characteristics of fault deformation abnormalities before the 2016 Menyuan M s6.4 earthquake, as well as the fault-movement characteristics reflected by representative value, are summarized. The results show that many site trends had changed 1–3 years before the Menyuan M s6.4 earthquake in the Qilian Fault, reflecting certain background abnormalities. The short-term abnormalities centrally had appeared in the 6 months to 1 year period before the earthquake near and in the neighborhood of the source region, demonstrating a significantly increased number of short-term abnormalities. Many sites near and in the neighborhood of the source region had strengthened inverse activities or had changed from positive to inverse activities in the most recent 2–3 years, which reflect stress-field enhancements or adjustment features.

Description: Publication date: 19 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports, Volume 16, Issue 3 Author(s): Sandra Malmgren Hill, Xinxin Hao, Johan Grönvall, Stephanie Spikings-Nordby, Per O. Widlund, Triana Amen, Anna Jörhov, Rebecca Josefson, Daniel Kaganovich, Beidong Liu, Thomas Nyström Age can be reset during mitosis in both yeast and stem cells to generate a young daughter cell from an aged and deteriorated one. This phenomenon requires asymmetry-generating genes (AGGs) that govern the asymmetrical inheritance of aggregated proteins. Using a genome-wide imaging screen to identify AGGs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae , we discovered a previously unknown role for endocytosis, vacuole fusion, and the myosin-dependent adaptor protein Vac17 in asymmetrical inheritance of misfolded proteins. Overproduction of Vac17 increases deposition of aggregates into cytoprotective vacuole-associated sites, counteracts age-related breakdown of endocytosis and vacuole integrity, and extends replicative lifespan. The link between damage asymmetry and vesicle trafficking can be explained by a direct interaction between aggregates and vesicles. We also show that the protein disaggregase Hsp104 interacts physically with endocytic vesicle-associated proteins, such as the dynamin-like protein, Vps1, which was also shown to be required for Vac17-dependent sequestration of protein aggregates. These data demonstrate that two physiognomies of aging—reduced endocytosis and protein aggregation—are interconnected and regulated by Vac17. Graphical abstract Teaser Cellular rejuvenation is enabled by asymmetrical inheritance of damaged proteins. Using a genome-wide imaging screen to identify asymmetry-generating genes, Hill et al. demonstrate a role for vesicle trafficking, membrane fusion, and the myosin-dependent adaptor protein Vac17 in the asymmetric inheritance of misfolded proteins and consequently in the regulation of lifespan.

Description: Publication date: Available online 18 July 2016 Source: Journal of Asian Ceramic Societies Author(s): J. Raj Mohamed, L. Amalraj The present work investigates the effect of precursor concentration ( m c ) on the structural, optical, morphological and electrical conductivity properties of In 2 S 3 thin films grown on amorphous glass substrates by nebulized spray pyrolysis (NSP) technique. The mixed phase of cubic and tetragonal structure of In 2 S 3 thin films at higher concentration has been observed by X-ray diffraction pattern. The reduced strain by increasing the precursor concentration increased the average crystallite from 17.8 to 28.9 nm. The energy dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDAX) studies confirmed the presence of In and S. The transmittance, optical direct band gap energy, Urbach energy and skin depth of In 2 S 3 films have been analyzed by optical absorption spectra. The better conductivity and mobility noticed at m c = 0.15 M are explained by carrier concentration and crystallite. Better optical and electrical conductivity behaviour of In 2 S 3 thin film sample proposes for effective solar cell fabrication.

Description: Publication date: November 2016 Source: Energy Reports, Volume 2 Author(s): Sangram Bana, R.P. Saini In order to predict the performance of a PV system, a reliable and accurate simulation design of PV systems before being installed is a necessity. The present study concerns the development of single and double diode model of solar PV system and ensures the best suited model under specific environmental condition for accurate performance prediction. The information provided in the manufacturers’ data sheet is not sufficient for developing a Simulink based single and double diode models of PV module. These parameters are crucial to predict accurate performance of a PV module. These parameters of the proposed solar PV models have been calculated using an efficient iterative technique. This paper compares the simulation results of both the models with manufacturer’s data sheet to investigate the accuracy and validity. A MATLAB/Simulink based comparative performance analysis of these models under inconsistent atmospheric conditions and the effect of variations in model parameters has been carried out. Despite the simplicity, these models are highly sensitive and respond to a slight variation in temperature and insolation. It is observed that double diode PV model is more accurate under low intensity insolation or shading condition. The performance evaluation of the models under present study will be helpful to understand the I-V curves, which will enable us in predicting the solar PV system power production under variable input conditions.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Lina Mtwana Nordlund How do you, as a university lecturer, change from teacher-centered teaching to a more student-centered, active teaching? This paper aims to inspire you to make a change, big or small, to increase your students’ engagement and learning, by presenting suggestions on what you can do. The ideas and suggestions synthesized here are based on several different teaching philosophies and methods, which are well tested and shown to be effective in the right setting. The selection of suggestions is believed to be specifically suitable for ecology. The paper includes suggestions on how to plan a course or a lecture by setting a good learning environment. Both pre-lecture activities and during lecture activities are included, with a focus on activities to engage students and encourage increased discussion and reflections, as well as what to think about when choosing learning activities and how and why it is important to teach students to think and act like professionals in ecology. While changing teaching methods takes investment of time, time that is limited for many researchers, even small changes in your teaching can make big differences in learning, and the investment will hopefully pay back by making teaching more fun and rewarding. The suggestions presented are understandable without being be conversant in the ‘education literature’, but will provide you with a vocabulary of teaching activities that will be useful if you are inspired to find more information and learn more about teaching.

Description: Publication date: Available online 22 July 2016 Source: Advances in Climate Change Research Author(s): H.E. Jian-Kun The Paris Agreement establishes a new mechanism for post-2020 global climate governance, and sets long-term goals for global response to climate change, which will accelerate worldwide low-carbon transformation of economic development pattern, promote the revolutionary reform of energy system, boost a fundamental change in the mode of social production and consumption, and further the civilization of human society from industrial civilization to eco-civilization. The urgency of global low-carbon transition will reshape the competition situation of world’s economy, trade and technology. Taking the construction of eco-civilization as a guide, China explores green and low-carbon development paths, establishes ambitious intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) targets and action plans, advances energy production and consumption revolution, and speeds up the transformation of economic development pattern. These strategies and actions not only confirm to the trend of the world low-carbon transition, but also meet the intrinsic requirements for easing the domestic resources and environment constraints and realizing sustainable development. They are multi-win-win strategies for promotion of economic development and environmental protection and mitigation of carbon emissions. China should take the global long-term emission reduction targets as a guide, and formulate medium and long-term low-carbon development strategy, build the core competitiveness of low-carbon advanced technology and development pattern, and take an in-depth part in global governance so as to reflect the responsibility of China as a great power in constructing a community of common destiny for all mankind and addressing global ecological crisis.

Description: The area covered by boreal forests accounts for ∼16% of the global and 22% of the Northern Hemisphere landmass. Changes in the productivity and functioning of this circumpolar biome not only have strong effects on species composition and diversity at regional to larger scales, but also on the Earth’s carbon cycle. Although temporal inconsistency in the response of tree growth to temperature has been reported from some locations at the higher northern latitudes, a systematic dendroecological network assessment is still missing for most of the boreal zone. Here, we analyze the geographical patterns of changes in summer temperature and precipitation across northern Eurasia 〉60 °N since 1951 AD, as well as the growth trends and climate responses of 445 Pinus , Larix and Picea ring width chronologies in the same area and period. In contrast to widespread summer warming, fluctuations in precipitation and tree growth are spatially more diverse and overall less di...

Description: The representation of land surface processes and fluxes in climate models critically affects the simulation of near-surface climate over land. Here we present an evaluation of COSMO-CLM 2 , a model which couples the COSMO-CLM Regional Climate Model to the Community Land Model (CLM4.0). CLM4.0 provides a more detailed representation of land processes compared to the native land surface scheme in COSMO-CLM. We perform historical reanalysis-driven simulations over Europe with COSMO-CLM 2 following the EURO-CORDEX intercomparison protocol. We then evaluate simulations performed with COSMO-CLM 2 , the standard COSMO-CLM and other EURO-CORDEX RCMs against various observational datasets of temperature, precipitation and surface fluxes. Overall, the results indicate that COSMO-CLM 2 outperforms both the standard COSMO-CLM and the other EURO-CORDEX models in simulating sensible, latent and surface radiative fluxes as well as 2-meter temperature acros...

Description: Field measurements, satellite observations, and models document a thinning trend in seasonal Arctic lake ice growth, causing a shift from bedfast to floating ice conditions. September sea ice concentrations in the Arctic Ocean since 1991 correlate well ( r = +0.69, p 

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Mahesh S. Padanad, Georgia Konstantinidou, Niranjan Venkateswaran, Margherita Melegari, Smita Rindhe, Matthew Mitsche, Chendong Yang, Kimberly Batten, Kenneth E. Huffman, Jingwen Liu, Ximing Tang, Jaime Rodriguez-Canales, Neda Kalhor, Jerry W. Shay, John D. Minna, Jeffrey McDonald, Ignacio I. Wistuba, Ralph J. DeBerardinis, Pier Paolo Scaglioni KRAS is one of the most commonly mutated oncogenes in human cancer. Mutant KRAS aberrantly regulates metabolic networks. However, the contribution of cellular metabolism to mutant KRAS tumorigenesis is not completely understood. We report that mutant KRAS regulates intracellular fatty acid metabolism through Acyl-coenzyme A ( CoA ) synthetase long-chain family member 3 ( ACSL3 ), which converts fatty acids into fatty Acyl-CoA esters, the substrates for lipid synthesis and β - oxidation. ACSL3 suppression is associated with depletion of cellular ATP and causes the death of lung cancer cells. Furthermore, mutant KRAS promotes the cellular uptake, retention, accumulation, and β-oxidation of fatty acids in lung cancer cells in an ACSL3 -dependent manner. Finally, ACSL3 is essential for mutant KRAS lung cancer tumorigenesis in vivo and is highly expressed in human lung cancer. Our data demonstrate that mutant KRAS reprograms lipid homeostasis, establishing a metabolic requirement that could be exploited for therapeutic gain. Graphical abstract Teaser In Brief: Padanad et al. find that ACSL3 is the critical enzyme required for viability of mutant KRAS lung cancer cells in vitro and for lung cancer initiation and progression in vivo. ACSL3 mediates survival and tumorigenesis of mutant KRAS lung cancer cells by promoting uptake, retention, and β-oxidation of fatty acids.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Junghee Jin, Seung-Nam Kim, Xuqing Liu, Haijun Zhang, Chao Zhang, Ji-Seon Seo, Yong Kim, Tao Sun Emerging evidence has shown that noncoding RNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), contribute to the pathogenesis of mood and anxiety disorders, although the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that altered levels of miR-17-92 in adult hippocampal neural progenitors have a significant impact on neurogenesis and anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in mice. miR-17-92 deletion in adult neural progenitors decreases neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus, while its overexpression increases neurogenesis. miR-17-92 affects neurogenesis by regulating genes in the glucocorticoid pathway, especially serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible protein kinase-1 (Sgk1). miR-17-92 knockout mice show anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, whereas miR-17-92 overexpressing mice exhibit anxiolytic and antidepression-like behaviors. Furthermore, we show that miR-17-92 expression in the adult mouse hippocampus responds to chronic stress, and miR-17-92 rescues proliferation defects induced by corticosterone in hippocampal neural progenitors. Our study uncovers a crucial role for miR-17-92 in adult neural progenitors through regulation of neurogenesis and anxiety- and depression-like behaviors. Graphical abstract Teaser The molecular pathogenesis of anxiety and depression disorders is poorly understood. Jin et al. show that microRNA miR-17-92 plays a critical role in regulating adult hippocampal neurogenesis and anxiety- and depression-like behaviors by modifying expression of genes in the glucocorticoid pathway.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Feng Jiang, Xia Wang, Bei Wang, Lihong Chen, Zhendong Zhao, Nicholas R. Waterfield, Guowei Yang, Qi Jin Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that regularly causes nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients. The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is responsible for the secretion of numerous virulence effector proteins that can both interfere with competing microbes and manipulate host cells. Here, we report a detailed investigation of a P. aeruginosa H2-T6SS-dependent phospholipase effector, TplE, which acts as a trans-kingdom toxin. Delivery of TplE to the periplasmic space of rival bacteria leads to growth inhibition. Importantly, TplE, also contains a eukaryotic PGAP1-like domain, which targets the host ER apparatus, ultimately leading to disruption of the ER. TplE activity leads to the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) through the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway, enhancing autophagic flux. These findings indicate that this T6SS-delivered phospholipase effector is active against both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cellular targets, highlighting the T6SS as a versatile weapon in the Pseudomonas arsenal. Graphical abstract Teaser Jiang et al. report that the P. aeruginosa T6SS PGAP1-like phospholipase effector (TplE) targets the periplasm of competing bacteria to inhibit their growth. TplE can also target and disrupt the ER of eukaryotic cells, leading to ER stress and autophagic flux in the host cells.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Seung-Hye Lee, Claire E. Le Pichon, Oskar Adolfsson, Valérie Gafner, Maria Pihlgren, Han Lin, Hilda Solanoy, Robert Brendza, Hai Ngu, Oded Foreman, Ruby Chan, James A. Ernst, Danielle DiCara, Isidro Hotzel, Karpagam Srinivasan, David V. Hansen, Jasvinder Atwal, Yanmei Lu, Daniela Bumbaca, Andrea Pfeifer, Ryan J. Watts, Andreas Muhs, Kimberly Scearce-Levie, Gai Ayalon The spread of tau pathology correlates with cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. In vitro, tau antibodies can block cell-to-cell tau spreading. Although mechanisms of anti-tau function in vivo are unknown, effector function might promote microglia-mediated clearance. In this study, we investigated whether antibody effector function is required for targeting tau. We compared efficacy in vivo and in vitro of two versions of the same tau antibody, with and without effector function, measuring tau pathology, neuron health, and microglial function. Both antibodies reduced accumulation of tau pathology in Tau-P301L transgenic mice and protected cultured neurons against extracellular tau-induced toxicity. Only the full-effector antibody enhanced tau uptake in cultured microglia, which promoted release of proinflammatory cytokines. In neuron-microglia co-cultures, only effectorless anti-tau protected neurons, suggesting full-effector tau antibodies can induce indirect toxicity via microglia. We conclude that effector function is not required for efficacy, and effectorless tau antibodies may represent a safer approach to targeting tau. Graphical abstract Teaser Lee et al. report that antibody effector function is not required for targeting tau with antibodies in vivo and in cultured neurons. The authors propose that reducing anti-tau effector function may offer a safer approach for targeting tau by avoiding engagement of microglia that may induce inflammatory responses.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Rotem Ben-Tov Perry, Ida Rishal, Ella Doron-Mandel, Ashley L. Kalinski, Katalin F. Medzihradszky, Marco Terenzio, Stefanie Alber, Sandip Koley, Albina Lin, Meir Rozenbaum, Dmitry Yudin, Pabitra K. Sahoo, Cynthia Gomes, Vera Shinder, Wasim Geraisy, Eric A. Huebner, Clifford J. Woolf, Avraham Yaron, Alma L. Burlingame, Jeffery L. Twiss, Mike Fainzilber How can cells sense their own size to coordinate biosynthesis and metabolism with their growth needs? We recently proposed a motor-dependent bidirectional transport mechanism for axon length and cell size sensing, but the nature of the motor-transported size signals remained elusive. Here, we show that motor-dependent mRNA localization regulates neuronal growth and cycling cell size. We found that the RNA-binding protein nucleolin is associated with importin β1 mRNA in axons. Perturbation of nucleolin association with kinesins reduces its levels in axons, with a concomitant reduction in axonal importin β1 mRNA and protein levels. Strikingly, subcellular sequestration of nucleolin or importin β1 enhances axonal growth and causes a subcellular shift in protein synthesis. Similar findings were obtained in fibroblasts. Thus, subcellular mRNA localization regulates size and growth in both neurons and cycling cells. Graphical abstract Teaser Perry et al. show that motor-dependent mRNA localization regulates neuronal growth and cycling cell size. They implicate the RNA-binding protein nucleolin in importin β1 mRNA transport to neuronal axons and to the cellular periphery in fibroblasts. Perturbation of this mechanism affects growth and shifts protein synthesis, regulating axon length and cell size.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Anna Prudova, Vasilena Gocheva, Ulrich auf dem Keller, Ulrich Eckhard, Oakley C. Olson, Leila Akkari, Georgina S. Butler, Nikolaus Fortelny, Philipp F. Lange, Jennifer C. Mark, Johanna A. Joyce, Christopher M. Overall Deregulated cathepsin proteolysis occurs across numerous cancers, but in vivo substrates mediating tumorigenesis remain ill-defined. Applying 8-plex iTRAQ terminal amine isotopic labeling of substrates (TAILS), a systems-level N-terminome degradomics approach, we identified cathepsin B, H, L, S, and Z in vivo substrates and cleavage sites with the use of six different cathepsin knockout genotypes in the Rip1-Tag2 mouse model of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumorigenesis. Among 1,935 proteins and 1,114 N termini identified by TAILS, stable proteolytic products were identified in wild-type tumors compared with one or more different cathepsin knockouts (17%–44% of 139 cleavages). This suggests a lack of compensation at the substrate level by other cathepsins. The majority of neo-N termini (56%–83%) for all cathepsins was consistent with protein degradation. We validated substrates, including the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 associated with the Warburg effect, the ER chaperone GRP78, and the oncoprotein prothymosin-alpha. Thus, the identification of cathepsin substrates in tumorigenesis improves the understanding of cathepsin functions in normal physiology and cancer. Graphical abstract Teaser Cathepsin proteases play a significant role in carcinogenesis, yet their in vivo substrates remain ill-defined. By using systems-level 8-plex TAILS proteomics, Prudova et al. demonstrate that, in the Rip1-Tag2 model of pancreatic cancer, degradation roles for cathepsins predominate, yet many proteins, mostly extracellular ones, are processed to produce stable cleavage products.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 July 2016 Source: Geoscience Frontiers Author(s): Yusuke Imaeda, Toshikazu Ebisuzaki In the tandem planet formation regime, planets form at two distinct sites where solid particles are densely accumulated due to the on/off state of the magnetorotational instability (MRI).We found that tandem planet formation can reproduce the solid component distribution of the Solar System and tends to produce a smaller number of large planets through continuous pebble ow into the planet formation sites. In the present paper, we investigate the dependence of tandem planet formation on the vertical magnetic field of the protoplanetary disk. We calculated two cases of B z = 3 . 4 × 10 -3 G and B z = 3 . 4 × 10 -5 G at 100 AU as well as the canonical case of B z = 3 . 4 × 10 -4 G. We found that tandem planet formation holds up well in the case of the strong magnetic _eld ( B z = 3 . 4 × 10 -3 G). On the other hand, in the case of a weak magnetic _eld ( B z = 3 . 4 × 10 -5 G) at 100 AU, a new regime of planetary growth is realized: the planets grow independently at different places in the dispersed area of the MRI-suppressed region of r = 8 - 30 AU at a lower accretion rate of Ṁ 〈 10 -7 . 4 M⊙ yr -1 . We call this the "dispersed planet formation" regime. This may lead to a system with a larger number Graphical abstract

Description: Publication date: Available online 29 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Kimberly A. Dowd, Christina R. DeMaso, Rebecca S. Pelc, Scott D. Speer, Alexander R.Y. Smith, Leslie Goo, Derek J. Platt, John R. Mascola, Barney S. Graham, Mark J. Mulligan, Michael S. Diamond, Julie E. Ledgerwood, Theodore C. Pierson Recent epidemics of Zika virus (ZIKV) have been associated with congenital malformation during pregnancy and Guillain-Barré syndrome. There are two ZIKV lineages (African and Asian) that share >95% amino acid identity. Little is known regarding the ability of neutralizing antibodies elicited against one lineage to protect against the other. We investigated the breadth of the neutralizing antibody response following ZIKV infection by measuring the sensitivity of six ZIKV strains to neutralization by ZIKV-confirmed convalescent human serum or plasma samples. Contemporary Asian and early African ZIKV strains were similarly sensitive to neutralization regardless of the cellular source of virus. Furthermore, mouse immune serum generated after infection with African or Asian ZIKV strains was capable of neutralizing homologous and heterologous ZIKV strains equivalently. Because our study only defines a single ZIKV serotype, vaccine candidates eliciting robust neutralizing antibody responses should inhibit infection of both ZIKV lineages, including strains circulating in the Americas. Graphical abstract Teaser Dowd et al. investigate the breadth of the neutralizing antibody response to ZIKV. They demonstrate that contemporary South American, Asian, and early African ZIKV strains are similarly sensitive to neutralization by ZIKV-confirmed convalescent human serum.

Description: Publication date: Available online 19 July 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Aref al-Swaidani, Ibrahim Hammoud, Ayman Meziab Clayey soils in Syria cover a total area of more than 20,000 km 2 of the country, most of which are located in the southwestern region. In many places of the country, the clayey soils caused severe damage to infrastructures. Extensive studies have been carried out on the stabilization of clayey soils using lime. Syria is rich in both lime and natural pozzolana. However, few works have been conducted to investigate the influence of adding natural pozzolana on the geotechnical properties of lime-treated clayey soils. The aim of this paper is to understand the effect of adding natural pozzolana on some geotechnical properties of lime-stabilized clayey soils. Natural pozzolana and lime are added to soil within the range of 0%−20% and 0%−8%, respectively. Consistency, compaction, California bearing ratio (CBR) and linear shrinkage properties are particularly investigated. The test results show that the investigated properties of lime-treated clayey soils can be considerably enhanced when the natural pozzolana is added as a stabilizing agent. Analysis results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) show significant changes in the microstructure of the treated clayey soil. A better flocculation of clayey particles and further formation of cementing materials in the natural pozzolana-lime-treated clayey soil are clearly observed.

Description: Publication date: Available online 15 July 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Sadok Benmebarek, Samir Attallaoui, Naïma Benmebarek Back-to-back mechanically stabilized earth walls (BBMSEWs) are encountered in bridge approaches, ramp ways, rockfall protection systems, earth dams, levees and noise barriers. However, available design guidelines for BBMSEWs are limited and not applicable to numerical modeling when back-to-back walls interact with each other. The objective of this paper is to investigate, using PLAXIS code, the effects of the reduction in the distance between BBMSEW, the reinforcement length, the quality of backfill material and the connection of reinforcements in the middle, when the back-to-back walls are close. The results indicate that each of the BBMSEWs behaves independently if the width of the embankment between mechanically stabilized earth walls is greater than that of the active zone. This is in good agreement with the result of FHWA design guideline. However, the results show that the FHWA design guideline underestimates the lateral earth pressure when back-to-back walls interact with each other. Moreover, for closer BBMSEWs, FHWA design guideline strongly overestimates the maximum tensile force in the reinforcement. The investigation of the quality of backfill material shows that the minor increase in embankment cohesion can lead to significant reductions in both the lateral earth pressure and the maximum tensile force in geosynthetic. When the distance between the two earth walls is close to zero, the connection of reinforcement between back-to-back walls significantly improves the factor of safety.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 June 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Hossein Mola-Abasi, Issa Shooshpasha It is well known that the cemented sand is one of economic and environmental topics in soil stabilization. In this instance, a blend of sand, cement and other materials such as fiber, glass, nanoparticle and zeolite can be commercially available and effectively used in soil stabilization in road construction. However, the influence and effectiveness of zeolite on the properties of cemented sand systems have not been completely explored. In this study, based on an experimental program, the effects of zeolite on the characteristics of cemented sands are investigated. Stabilizing agent includes Portland cement of type II and zeolite. Results show the improvements of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and failure properties of cemented sand when the cement is replaced by zeolite at an optimum proportion of 30% after 28 days. The rate of strength improvement is approximately between 20% and 78%. The efficiency of using zeolite increases with the increases in cement amount and porosity. Finally, a power function of void-cement ratio and zeolite content is demonstrated to be an appropriate method to assess UCS of zeolite-cemented mixtures.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 June 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Atsushi Sainoki, Hani S. Mitri Fault-slip taking place in underground mines occasionally causes severe damage to mine openings as a result of strong ground motion induced by seismic waves arising from fault-slip. It is indicated from previous studies that intense seismic waves could be generated with the shock unloading of fault surface asperities during fault-slip. This study investigates the shock unloading with numerical simulation. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model with idealized asperities is constructed with the help of discrete element code 3DEC. The idealization is conducted to particularly focus on simulating the shock unloading that previous numerical models, which replicate asperity degradation and crack development during the shear behavior of a joint surface in previous studies, fail to capture and simulate. With the numerical model, static and dynamic analyses are carried out to simulate unloading of asperities in the course of fault-slip. The results obtained from the dynamic analysis show that gradual stress release takes place around the center of the asperity tip at a rate of 45 MPa/ms for the base case, while an instantaneous stress release greater than 80 MPa occurs near the periphery of the asperity tip when the contact between the upper and lower asperities is lost. The instantaneous stress release becomes more intense in the vicinity of the asperity tip, causing tensile stress more than 20 MPa. It is deduced that the tensile stress could further increase if the numerical model is discretized more densely and analysis is carried out under stress conditions at a great depth. A model parametric study shows that in-situ stress state has a significant influence on the magnitude of the generated tensile stress. The results imply that the rapid stress release generating extremely high tensile stress on the asperity tip can cause intense seismic waves when it occurs at a great depth.

Description: Publication date: Available online 18 June 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Morteza Esmaeili, Hamid Khajehei Deep mixed column (DMC) is known as one of the effective methods for stabilizing the natural earth beneath road or railway embankments to control stability and settlements under traffic loads. The load distribution mechanism of embankment overlying on loose subgrades stabilized with DMCs considerably depends on the columns' mechanical and geometrical specifications. The present study uses the laboratory investigation to understand the behavior of embankments lying on loose sandy subgrade in three different conditions: (1) subgrade without reinforcement, (2) subgrade reinforced with DMCs in a triangular pattern and horizontal plan, and (3) subgrade reinforced with DMCs in a square pattern and horizontal plan. For this purpose, by adopting the scale factor of 1:10, a reference embankment with 20 cm height, 250 cm length, and 93% maximum dry density achieved in standard Proctor compaction test was constructed over a 70 cm thick loose sandy bed with the relative density of 50% in a loading chamber, and its load-displacement behavior was evaluated until the failure occurred. In the next two tests, DMCs (with 10 cm diameter, 40 cm length, and 25 cm center-to-center spacing) were placed in groups in two different patterns (square and triangular) in the same sandy bed beneath the embankment and, consequently, the embankments were constructed over the reinforced subgrades and gradually loaded until the failure happened. In all the three tests, the load-displacement behaviors of the embankment and the selected DMCs were instrumented for monitoring purpose. The obtained results implied 64% increase in failure load and 40% decrease in embankment crest settlement when using the square pattern of DMCs compared with those of the reference embankment, while these values were 63% and 12%, respectively, for DMCs in triangular pattern. This confirmed generally better performance of DMCs with a triangular pattern.

Description: Publication date: Available online 15 July 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Brian G. Sexton, Bryan A. McCabe, Minna Karstunen, Nallathamby Sivasithamparam The recently developed elasto-viscoplastic Creep-SCLAY1S model has been used in conjunction with PLAXIS 2D to investigate the effectiveness of vibro-replacement in a creep-prone clay. The Creep-SCLAY1S model accounts for anisotropy, bonding, and destructuration, and uses the concept of a constant rate of viscoplastic multiplier to calculate creep strain rate. A comparison of settlement improvement factors with and without creep indicates that ‘total’ settlement improvement factors (primary plus creep) are lower than their ‘primary’ counterparts (primary settlement only). The lowest settlement improvement factors arise for analyses incorporating the effect of bonding and destructuration. Examination of the variations of vertical stress with time and depth has indicated that vertical stress is transferred from the soil to the column as the soil creeps. This results in additional column yielding. In addition, the radial and hoop stresses in the soil are lower for the ‘creep’ case. The reduced radial stresses lead to additional column bulging and hence more settlement, whereas the hoop stress reductions appear to be a secondary effect, caused by additional plastic deformation for the ‘creep’ case.

Description: Publication date: Available online 27 July 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Xudong Wang, Qinlin Guo, Shanlong Yang, Dexuan Zhang, Yanwu Wang arthen sites are widely distributed throughout China, and most of them belong to archaeological sites with significant values, which not only directly witness the origin, formation and development of Chinese civilization, but also possess important values for conservation and exhibition. Many researches and practices on their conservation and consolidation have been carried out; however, the consolidation effect is mainly judged by visual observation and expert evaluation. Scientific assessment of conservation and consolidation effects is a challenging issue. Many instruments in other fields cannot be directly applied to the conservation of cultural relics due to their peculiarity. In order to assess the effects of field conservation experiments, this paper tries to understand the consolidation effects at Liangzhu site using nondestructive or micro-damage methods, including thermo-physical parameters testing, infrared thermal imaging, high-density microelectrode resistivity testing, portable microscope observation, and hydrophilic and hydrophobic testing, and thereby explores the practicable methods for evaluating the properties of consolidation materials for earthen sites treatment.

Description: Publication date: Available online 25 June 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Hongwei Wang, Yaodong Jiang, Sheng Xue, Lingtao Mao, Zhinan Lin, Daixin Deng, Dengqiang Zhang This paper presents an investigation on the characteristics of overlying strata collapse and mining-induced pressure in fault-influenced zone by employing the physical modeling in consideration of fault structure. The precursory information of fault slip during the underground mining activities is studied as well. Based on the physical modeling, the optimization of roadway support design and the field verification in fault-influenced zone are conducted. Physical modeling results show that, due to the combined effect of mining activities and fault slip, the mining-induced pressure and the extent of damaged rock masses in the fault-influenced zone are greater than those in the uninfluenced zone. The sharp increase and the succeeding stabilization of stress or steady increase in displacement can be identified as the precursory information of fault slip. Considering the larger mining-induced pressure in the fault-influenced zone, the new support design utilizing cables is proposed. The optimization of roadway support design suggests that the cables can be anchored in the stable surrounding rocks and can effectively mobilize the load bearing capacity of the stable surrounding rocks. The field observation indicates that the roadway is in good condition with the optimized roadway support design.

Description: Publication date: Available online 18 June 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Aiqing Wu, Jimin Wang, Zhong Zhou, Shuling Huang, Xiuli Ding, Zhihong Dong, Yuting Zhang Based on the analyses of data obtained from the underground powerhouse at Jinping I hydropower station, a comprehensive review of engineering rock mechanics practice in the underground powerhouse is first conducted. The distribution of strata, lithology, and initial geo-stress, the excavation process and corresponding rock mass support measures, the deformation and failure characteristics of the surrounding rock mass, the stress characteristics of anchorage structures in the cavern complex, and numerical simulations of surrounding rock mass stability and anchor support performance are presented. The results indicate that the underground powerhouse of Jinping I hydropower station is characterized by high to extremely high geo-stresses during rock excavation. Excessive surrounding rock mass deformation and high stress of anchorage structures, surrounding rock mass unloading damage, and local cracking failure of surrounding rock masses, etc., are mainly caused by rock mass excavation. Deformations of surrounding rock masses and stresses in anchorage structures here are larger than those found elsewhere: 20% of extensometers in the main powerhouse record more than 50 mm with the maximum at around 250 mm observed in the downstream sidewall of the transformer hall. There are about 25% of the anchor bolts having recorded stresses of more than 200 MPa. Jinping I hydropower plant is the first to have an underground powerhouse construction conducted in host rocks under extremely high geo-stress conditions, with the ratio of rock mass strength to geo-stress of less than 2.0. The results can provide a reference to underground powerhouse construction in similar geological conditions.

Description: Publication date: 2 August 2016 Source: Cell Reports, Volume 16, Issue 5 Author(s): Megan Chastain, Qing Zhou, Olga Shiva, Leanne Whitmore, Pingping Jia, Xueyu Dai, Chenhui Huang, Maria Fadri-Moskwik, Ping Ye, Weihang Chai The telomeric CTC1/STN1/TEN1 (CST) complex has been implicated in promoting replication recovery under replication stress at genomic regions, yet its precise role is unclear. Here, we report that STN1 is enriched at GC-rich repetitive sequences genome-wide in response to hydroxyurea (HU)-induced replication stress. STN1 deficiency exacerbates the fragility of these sequences under replication stress, resulting in chromosome fragmentation. We find that upon fork stalling, CST proteins form distinct nuclear foci that colocalize with RAD51. Furthermore, replication stress induces physical association of CST with RAD51 in an ATR-dependent manner. Strikingly, CST deficiency diminishes HU-induced RAD51 foci formation and reduces RAD51 recruitment to telomeres and non-telomeric GC-rich fragile sequences. Collectively, our findings establish that CST promotes RAD51 recruitment to GC-rich repetitive sequences in response to replication stress to facilitate replication restart, thereby providing insights into the mechanism underlying genome stability maintenance. Graphical abstract Teaser Chastain et al. find that under replication stress, the telomeric complex CST interacts with RAD51 and is enriched at GC-rich repetitive fragile sites. CST suppression inhibits RAD51 recruitment to fragile sites, resulting in genome instability.

Description: Publication date: Available online 4 August 2016 Source: Advances in Climate Change Research Author(s): Matthew Jenkins, Susan Kaspari, Kang Shi-Chang, Bjorn Grigholm, Paul A. Mayewski Black carbon (BC) deposited on snow and glacier surfaces can reduce albedo and lead to accelerated melt. An ice core recovered from Guoqu glacier on Mt. Geladaindong and analyzed using a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) provides the first long-term (1843‒1982) record of BC from the central Tibetan Plateau. Post 1940 the record is characterized by an increased occurrence of years with above average BC, and the highest BC values of the record. The BC increase in recent decades is likely caused by a combination of increased emissions from regional BC sources, and a reduction in snow accumulation. Guoqu glacier has received no net ice accumulation since the 1980s, and is a potential example of a glacier where an increase in the equilibrium line altitude is exposing buried high impurity layers. That BC concentrations in the uppermost layers of the Geladaindong ice core are not substantially higher relative to deeper in the ice core suggests that some of the BC that must have been deposited on Guoqu glacier via wet or dry deposition between 1983 and 2005 has been removed from the surface of the glacier, potentially via supraglacial or englacial meltwater.

Description: Publication date: Available online 3 August 2016 Source: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Author(s): Shengwu Song, Xuemin Feng, Chenggang Liao, Dewen Cai, Zhongxu Liu, Yunhao Yang The Jinping I hydropower station is a huge water conservancy project consisting of the highest concrete arch dam to date in the world and a highly complex and large underground powerhouse cavern. It is located on the right bank with extremely high in-situ stress and a few discontinuities observed in surrounding rock masses. The problems of rock mass deformation and failure result in considerable challenges related to project design and construction and have raised a wide range of concerns in the fields of rock mechanics and engineering. During the excavation of underground caverns, high in-situ stress and relatively low rock mass strength in combination with large excavation dimensions lead to large deformation of the surrounding rock mass and support. Existing experiences in excavation and support cannot deal with the large deformation of rock mass effectively, and further studies are needed. In this paper, the geological conditions, layout of caverns, and design of excavation and support are first introduced, and then detailed analyses of deformation and failure characteristics of rocks are presented. Based on this, the mechanisms of deformation and failure are discussed, and the support adjustments for controlling rock large deformation and subsequent excavation procedures are proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of support and excavation adjustments to maintain the stability of the rock mass is verified. The measures for controlling the large deformation of surrounding rocks enrich the practical experiences related to the design and construction of large underground openings, and the construction of caverns in the Jinping I hydropower station provides a good case study of large-scale excavation in highly stressed ground with complex geological structures, as well as a reference case for research on rock mechanics.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Sadhan Kumar Ghosh India generates nearly 62 million tons of MSW annually that creates huge problems in the environment. Small number of initiatives of waste treatment, e.g., incineration, pyrolysis, bio-refining & biogas plants, composting, recycling and SLFs are available in the country. For the sustainable Solid Waste Management (SWM), an inclusive improvement policy and paradigm shift is necessary. SBM (SBM), flagged off on October 2, 2014, is considered as a paradigm shift in Indian SWM movement. SBM is the country's biggest-ever cleanliness drive costing over 10,600 million USD for 5 years in 4,041 towns in which SWM considered as one of the six components. One of the stated objectives of SBM is to ensure door-to-door garbage collection and proper disposal of municipal solid waste in all the 83,000 wards in urban areas by 2019. Swachh Bharat citizen communities were formed subsequently to generate awareness and citizen participation. Since then, over a period of 12 months, over 335,000 citizens have become part of the various Swachh Bharat citizen communities across more than 100 cities of India. The study reviews the present status and sustainability of the activities undertaken and proposes some improvement scopes in the schemes under the SB mission for effective SWM in India. The study will definitely help in revisiting the scheme periodically for continual improvement.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): A.O. Coker, C.G. Achi, M.K.C. Sridhar, C.J. Donnett Waste generation is an intrinsic part of human existence. Waste materials are usually characterized by their nature, components and quality. Variations in quality, quantity and composition of solid waste can be linked to various factors such as cultural, economic, social and financial status of inhabitants of the particular space being studied. These distinct factors will also determine the best waste management practice to adopt. This paper captures the current institutional solid waste management in a Nigerian Private institution of higher learning. Using key-informant interview and personal field observations, the waste generation rate, pattern and characterization was made. Results showed that between 0.3 and 0.4 kg/capita/day was generated daily by the students in their respective halls of residence, with population ranging from 762 – 848 students in each of the halls. All the solid wastes generated were collected using appropriate waste collection bags and mobile bin positioned at strategic corners of the university premises. The waste materials after collection were segregated into plastics, bottles, nylon and organic materials by scavengers. After these non-bidegradables were sold in the secondary market, an estimated total sum of 639,900 naira (2908.6USD) was realized daily. At this rate a total sum of 230 million Naira (1,045,454.5 USD) is realizable yearly as wealth from waste. It was concluded that if all the organic waste streams from kitchens, cafeteria and animal houses are utilized for bioenergy and organic fertilizer, the wealth to be generated would be phenomenal.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Pawan Kumar Bharti, Bhupesh Sharma, R.K. Singh, A.K. Tyagi Antarctica is the coldest continent on the earth. The Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean surround the continent. Antarctic continent covers 10% of the earth surface and has a surface area of nearly 14 million square kilometer. It also has 70% of the world's fresh water resources in the form of ice sheets. Thick ice sheets cover the whole continent (almost 98%). As a result of the environmental conditions, the remaining (2%) fraction without ice cover is basically the barren soil and rocks. Many countries have set up scientific research stations in Antarctica. There are about 65 scientific research stations in summer and 30 research stations in winter, which are currently operating for scientific investigations. India has two permanent scientific research stations in the Antarctica located in Schirmacher Oasis in Central Dronning Maud Land and in Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. However, the activities due to operation and maintenance of the research station in Antarctica have impacts on the Antarctic environment. Besides, the scientific stations also generate waste materials and a significant part of it is discharged into the Antarctic environment, which may create impacts on the Antarctica. The assessment of waste materials emanating from various sources was carried out. The present paper attempts to highlight the environmental parameters observed during ISEA austral summer at Maitri and Bharti station, East Antarctica.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): A.S. Aremu, Ritesh Vijay Indigenous footpaths have been the major means of passage from origin to destination before the advent of cars and town planning. Over the years, these traditional areas have retained their original attributes with additional walking links to the motorable roads. In this study, footpaths to municipal solid waste bins were modelled in order to locate waste bins within an area in Ilorin, north central Nigeria. A network dataset was built in a standard GIS application (ArcMap 10) from the downloaded satellite image of the study area. The Location-Allocation tool in the Network Analyst window was then used to determine the optimal location of facilities based on cut-off walking distance which defines command area of a waste bin. The result of this analysis could act as a decision support tool for the determination of type, size and removal frequency of each waste bin based on estimates of waste generation from each command area.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Mustapha Bashir Kazaure A survey on solid waste management for sustainable development and public health in Dutse metropolis was conducted. One hundred (100) designed questionnaires were distributed across four major areas within the town which included Yadi, GidaDubu, Dan Masara and Mopol base quarters were twenty five (25) are distributed to each of the four sites. From the result, it was discovered that residence of Danmasara quarters discharge all their waste 100(100%) in government approve sites while Yadi quarters are the lowest in terms of discharging waste in government designated locations 6(24%). Based on flooding, Yadi recorded the highest rate of flooding 21(84%) while Dan masaraquartes recorded the lowest 9(36%). Proper waste discharge was also summarized according to educational status of individual respondents within the affected areas under study. It could be observed that people with secondary education had the highest of (47%) while informal education recorded the lowest (08%) in terms of proper waste discharge respectively. It is concluded that most of places in Dutse metropolis do not access to drainage system as well as government designed areas for waste disposal and hence, it is recommended that government should provide adequate waste disposal sites to each area within Dutse metropolis.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Pinky Chandran, Sandya Narayanan This paper studies the role of Dry Waste Collection Centers (DWCCs) in Municipal Solid Waste Management in Bangalore which were set up following LokAdalat's intervention directing the Municipality to set up these centers to enable ward level recycling. The Karnataka High Court further validated the direction by instructing the municipality to set up necessary infrastructures to facilitate ward level decentralized management of waste for all categories. The DWCC is a hallmark of the triple bottom line of sustainable business operations– people, planet and profit, and modeled on three corner- stones – Social Considerations, Economic Considerations and Environmental Impact. Based on a zero-subsidy model for operations, the DWCCs are envisioned to meet the environmental objective of managing the MSW recyclable waste stream through responsible recycling. They are also expected to be a hub for social inclusion of the informal sector in the process, and ensure economic viability through market driven delivery mechanisms. The paper traces the history of DWCCs and studies the operations of 32 DWCCs which have been in operation for more than a year and operated by the informal sector. In addition, the paper will also analyze the effect of dry waste diverted from landfills at the ward level and will provide recommendations to enhancing performance of these centers.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Subzar Bashir, Subhrangsu Goswami Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is one of the crucial urban basic services which influence the public health and environment of a town. While hill towns in India are already facing tremendous pressure due to lack of infrastructure, unfavourable climatic condition, difficult terrain, and public apathy towards waste management, Tourism induced challenges further aggravate the issue. Although in case of hill towns, tourism has a profound impact on the economy of the town, it comes with new challenges in terms of waste generation resulting into negative impacts on the sensitive hill environment. It is in this context, an effort has been made in this paper to examine the current issues and challenges in MSWM practice in Pahalgam, a small hill town located in the state of J&K, commonly known as “Mini Switzerland”, with special reference to impact of tourism on overall MSWM of the town. The methodology adopted includes review of case of SWM in other hill towns in India, and the legal and policy aspects at the national level. Primary survey of households and hotels was conducted by using stratified random sampling technique. Data was collected through structured questionnaire containing key information related to the issues and challenges in MSWM with special focus on tourism. Interview of city officials was conducted to capture institutional perspective. The study revealed that, in Pahalgam, tourism sector is the major generator of solid waste, Religious-touristic activities during the peak season. The study also finds crucial issues related to lack of capacity of the local body and the issues related to lack availability of plain land, improper location of waste collection infrastructure due to undulated terrain and inadequate collection capacity. The study also finds very strong correlation between unscientific disposal of MSW and degrading surface water quality and increasing occurrence of water borne diseases in the downstream during the peak tourist season.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Vinay Yadav, Subhankar Karmakar, A.K. Dikshit, Shivkumar Vanjari In India, a substantial fraction (∼0.85) of total expenditure on MSW management is spent on collection of waste. Nevertheless, the average waste collection efficiency is about 70% in Indian urban areas. Waste collection efficiency can be increased by utilising staff and collection vehicles effectively with transfer stations (TSs), though choosing best sites (in an economically optimal manner) for TSs siting is a major task. Also, many parameters (e.g., waste-generation rate, running cost of facilities, transportation cost, revenues etc.) in MSW management system are associated with uncertainties. To study the apportionment of these uncertain input parameters into the results, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis has been performed. Furthermore, the effect of interaction among most sensitive parameters is examined through design of experiment. Also, a facility location two stage stochastic model has been proposed to select the best sites for TSs siting, which is basically a framework of facility location problems involving uncertainty. The developed model is applied on the city of Nashik, Maharashtra, India. The model has 9186 constraints and 8152 variables, which has been written in AMPL (a mathematical programming language). KNITRO 5.2 (nonlinearinterior-point trust region optimizer) have been used to solve the developed model. Sensitivity analysis abduces waste generation as the most sensitive kind of parameter followed by the unit transportation cost of waste from source to TSs. Furthermore, multivariate SA identifies the importance of a facility location framework involving uncertainty.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Hamsa Iyer Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), spread over 4,355sq. km is home to seven municipal corporations. All Municipal Corporations in India are mandated to look into solid waste management in their functional domains under the 74th Constitutional Amendment. At present, all the seven municipal corporations depend upon centralised means of managing waste which is dumped at assigned landfills post collection. Apart from the corporation, there are multiple players who play a crucial role in managing the waste. Much of this is managed by informal sector and now emerging recyclers who are setting up processes for decentralised waste management. This paper explores the scale at which different institutions/communities have taken efforts to successfully manage their waste. Most people are unable to achieve 100% decentralized management due to lack of appropriate channels for managing rejects and sanitary waste. More importantly, it is imperative to understand the failure and limitations of the municipal corporation since they are financially dependent on the centre and state for their functioning. But despite all those constraints, it makes sense to gauge energy and material recovery potentials and correlate to municipal waste management. By means of different examples and a technology provider for bio-medical waste, we are able to make an impact towards creating greener, sustainable communities.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Ajaykumar Soni, Deepak Patil, Kuldeep Argade Solid waste management all over world is looked as major challenge to civil bodies. Pune corporation has taken initiatives to collect, segregate and treat solid waste and system for handling around 1600 MT / day is operative. Composting, biogas and inert waste recycle are present mode of treatment. Praj Industries limited, Pune has taken the activity further to noticeable level and can integrate overall waste management activities so that from biodegradables, biodiesel, bio CNG, fuel ethanol and liquid manure can be safely produced. No waste is left over. Biodegradable solid waste in Pune has potential to generate Biodiesel-18 to 20 MT/ day, Fuel ethanol-7 to 9 M3/ day, BioCNG-10 to 12 MT/ day and in addition 1100 to 1200 M3 liquid manure / day can be produced. These energy rich compounds can generate electricity, run vehicles and maintain solid fertility. One has to look scientifically in the optimization of collection and segregation from the point where waste generates.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): K. Chithra, P.P. Anilkumar, M.A. Naseer According to United Nation's World urbanization prospects Report, urban population in the world is expected to touch 70% of the total population by 2050. Urbanization trend in the world has made residential land-use, a major shareholder amongst urban land uses. This land-use has become the major deciding factor for urban infrastructure development at large. Municipal solid waste management and its related infrastructure provision have become a major concern to many of the urban local self-governments in India. Major objective of this paper, which is based on a doctoral research work on the residential land use impact on urban environment is to examine the relative position of municipal solid waste management sector among the other identified sectors of urban environment and also to evolve a waste management index that can be used to compare urban areas in terms of its waste generation and management perspective. An AHP based expert questionnaire survey of 93 experts across India was conducted to identify the significance of municipal solid waste management sector along with the identified impacted sectors of urban environment due to residential land use activities. A household survey was conducted in 51 wards of Kozhikode Corporation to check the performance of the waste management index generated out of the expert survey. The results of the survey show that the municipal solid waste management sector is the most impacted sector among the urban environment sectors. Waste management index of the surveyed wards revealed that the index is aligning very well with the residential density as well as the residential land-use characteristics of the area under consideration. This index has immense potential to identify the urban areas that require intervention possibly by providing infrastructure for municipal solid waste management. Survey inputs are gathered, compared and composed in this regard and the results are presented and communicated in this paper.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): R.L. Verma, G. Borongan, M. Memon Management of solid waste, including the municipal solid waste (MSW), is a major challenge in urban regions of most part of the world, including Southeast Asia. Due to the lack of effective management programs, regulations, and policies; the waste is causing severe health hazard including several communicable diseases, bad odors, nuisance, and environmental impacts, such as, contamination of water, soil, and air. Most Southeast Asian cities are lacking efficient MSW management programs. Thus, in order to contribute to building a good dataset on MSW for the Southeast Asian region, we quantified solid waste generation and analyzed waste composition for Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City is a major urban region of Viet Nam in Southeast Asia. In Ho Chi Minh City, about 8,175 tons of solid waste was generated per day in 2014, consisting 6,800-7,000 of MSW, with 1.02 kg/capita/day generation of waste. The trend in MSW generation from 1992-2010 showed that 98,338 tons of MSW has been increasing every year. The MSW of Ho Chi Minh City contains 65-90% biodegradable matter. The major portion of MSW was food waste from 1.4 million households, 1,837 schools, and 12,000 hotels and restaurants. The current common practice of solid waste management in Ho Chi Minh City is landfilling. About 86% of the total solid waste was landfilled at two major landfill sites (PhuocHiep and Da Phuoc), and the rest 14% waste was recycled. Paper, plastic, metals, glass were the major waste being recycled with a quantity of 3364, 3794, 1124, and 384 tons/month, respectively. Further to support the MSW planning in Ho Chi Minh City, we analyzed gaps and SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) and provided recommendations to be incorporated in the action plans for efficient management of solid waste in Ho Chi Minh City.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Giresh Mohan, Ujjawal Kumar Sinha, Meva Lal Solid waste management is fast becoming an insurmountable challenge across urban India, requiring urgent solutions, especially in view of rapid urbanization and inability of local urban authorities to tackle it. Saharanpur, a small city in Uttar Pradesh, represents a microcosm of most large cities and towns in India, grappling with similar challenges. With a decadal population growth of over 19% during 2001-2011, which is higher than the national growth, the city is confronted with the task of managing a rapid growth in solid waste. In order to come up with viable solutions to this problem ITC Limited, in collaboration with Muskan Jyoti Samiti, an NGO, and the local municipal authority, initiated a pilot PPP project on solid waste management in the year 2006. With persistent focus on processing, recycling and user fee, this initiative has been able to surpass the national benchmark of 80% waste recovery set by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD). The cost of collection and processing is covered through revenue from user fees and compost sale.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Tapas Kumar Ghatak Issues related to waste management in the context of Indian Cities still requires a path finder as most of the SWM planners and Executers are still in the dark which part of the SWM rule 2002 needs to be addressed in the primary stage. In fact finding it hard to plan and execute it was thought it may be better to change certain part of the rules which is not even 15 years old. A draft rules awaits approval and most of the people are not actually knows what is being changed and why. In fact this part of the facilities has never been considered as part urban infrastructures neither the citizen's opinion was asked in any stage while framing the rules or while even changing it for betterment. The present paper generates Certain issues related to Waste management which have been experienced while being involved in various cities in national and International arena and picks up certain unaddressed issues related to Waste management in Indian Cities. The main aim of this paper is to combine the opinion with a learned group of participants and try to evolve an effective pathway for its management. One of the most prominent factors which is missing in the entire process is the role of Community as a stake holder and their inclusion in the entire process.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Sadhan Kumar Ghosh The waste management is a major issue in most of the developing countries in the globe. India and China are two faster growing economies who also have similar problems to handle huge amount of municipal solid waste (MSW). Moreover, with the population growth and the increasing GDP, the MSW generation rate is increasing proportionately. Both the countries investing a loads of funds in landfill sites, MSW handling and treatment, but still the problem is not resolved. The main hurdle is the awareness of the citizen and poor institutional initiative all through the country, in general. There are a number of good initiatives, of course. This study aims to explore the present situation of the management of MSW and analyse the sustainability of the initiatives to protect the environment and resource utilisation leading to the least amount of landfill in India and China.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): M. Nelles, J. Grünes, G. Morscheck The new German Closed Cycle Management Act is aimed to turn the waste management into a resource management. The realisation that waste can be a useful source of raw materials and energy is not new; metals, glass, and textiles have been collected before and put to new use. The waste management policy, which has been adapted in Germany over the past 20 years, is based on closed cycles and assigns disposal responsibilities to manufacturers and distributors of products. This has made people even more aware of the necessity to separate waste, led to the introduction of new disposal technologies, and increased recycling capacities. Today, 14 per cent of the raw materials used by the German industry are recovered waste. Modern closed cycle management contributes, with a share of approximately 20 per cent, to achieve the German Kyoto targets on the reduction of climate-relevant emissions.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): K. Patchai Murugan, S. Swarnalatha, G. Sekaran Tannery buffing dust (TBD) contains high amount of potential chemicals including Cr (III) besides carcinogenic organic compounds. The Cr (III) present in TBD can be thermodynamically feasible to convert into carcinogenic Cr (VI). The obnoxious gases such as oxides of sulphur, ammonia and other volatile organic compounds are emitted from tannery buffing dust during the thermal decomposition. Pyrolysis of a chromium-tanned buffing dust under controlled O 2 atmosphere has been carried out in a thermal reactor to eliminate the environmental burden of these toxic pollutants. The effect of process variables, such as temperature, pyrolysis time, and heating rate on the pyrolytic product distribution was studied. Flash pyrolysis upto 550°C and slow pyrolysis from 550 to 800°C with applying O 2 at the rate of 1LPM in the temperature range between 700 and 800°C were studied. The pyrolysed tannery buffing dust was characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, TGA and CHNS analyzer. The pyrolysed TBD was effectively solidified / stabilized using Portland cement and also bitumen mixture. Unconfined compressive strength of the blocks was in the range of 16-99KN. The leachability of the stabilization of Cr (III) in the solidified matrix was confirmed through XRD.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Akanksha Kaushal, M.P. Sharma In developing countries, quantities of solid waste generation is increasing day by day and most of which is disposed off through landfilling and open dumping resulting into the release of significant quantities of GHG. CH 4 , the major gas produced by these activities, is known to cause global warming. The paper reports the estimates of CH 4 calculated by using IPCC Default, FOD method and LandGEM model, version 3.02 from Panki open dump site of Kanpur, India. The annual average CH 4 emission rates from Panki open dump site is found as 197.33, 24.27 and 25.14 Gg by IPCC Default method, FOD and LandGEM respectively for the period 2010-2030. The study reveals that IPCC Default method over estimate the result therefore it is not recommended for open dump site. however, LandGEM is recommended over FOD method for open dumps due to the fact that [a] estimates of CH 4 emission is very near to GHG emission by FOD method [b] simplicity in model parameters [c] avoidance of over estimation, if parameters are calculated as per the actual site conditions. So the present study reveals that LandGEM provides better estimation compared to other method and the CH 4 emission rate is found as 25.14 Gg/year for the Panki open dump site, Kanpur. The assessment of methane emission potential reveals the fact that upgrading the open dumps into landfill increases the methane emission rates and their utilization potential and adding the landfill to fill the future needs and utilization of landfill gases.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): R.M. Kurakalva, K.K. Aradhi, K.Y. Mallela, S. Venkatayogi Rapid urbanization and population growth are largely responsible for exponentially increasing rate of solid waste in the urban areas. The proper management and recycling is a major problem of Municipal Corporation which is great concern of human health and environment. The purpose of this study is to assess groundwater contamination in and around of Jawaharnagar Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) dumping site due to heavy metals and its relationship between hydrochemical data. Groundwater samples were collected from the wells located in the vicinity of the dumping site and its surrounds in a watershed. The samples were analyzed for physicochemical properties as well as for major ion concentrations such as Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + , K + , CO 3 2ˉ , HCO 3 ˉ , Cl ˉ , NO 3 ˉ , F ˉ and SO 4 2ˉ using ion chromatograph. Results suggest the high concentrations of major ions such as Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and F − is observed in groundwater indicating differential weathering of minerals present in granite rocks in the study area. A good number of samples are showing higher values for NO 3 ˉ than that of World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guideline values. This demonstrates the oxidation of ammonia and similar sources from lechates originating from municipal solid waste of the study area. Further, heavy metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn are analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer. The data revealed elevated concentrations of Arsenic (0.04-0.36 ppb), Cadmium (0.00-0.09 ppb), Chromium (24.0–28.0 ppb), Copper (0.61–2.9 ppb), Iron (11.99-35.26 ppb), Manganese (1.04-107.2 ppb), Lead (0.19-1.32 ppb) and Zinc (1.49 –49.59 ppb). The present study demands proper management of landfill site and municipal solid waste to reduce further groundwater contamination via percolation of toxic substances.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): R.K. Kashyap, Parivesh Chugh, T. Nandakumar Currently, nearly 210 Million Metric Tonnes/Annum of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is generated in India and most of it gets disposed in Open and un-scientifically managed Landfills. The typical Indian MSW contains approximately 50% of bio-degradable organic components that starts degrading under anaerobic conditions and generates LandFill Gas (LFG). The LFG mainly contains Methane (40-50%) and CO 2 (50-60%). Methane is a Green House Gas (GHG), and is 25 times more potent than CO 2 in causing Global Warming and is the 2 nd largest anthropogenic source of Methane emissions after coal mining. Thus capturing and destructions of LFG shall lead to mitigation of GHG emissions. In addition, open Landfill sites also pose safety risks like fire hazard, explosion, and asphyxiation etc. apart from health risks. At the current MSW generation rate of 0.575MMT/day in India, the LFG generation potential is around 86.25 MMSCMD of LFG. Presently, LFG from the landfill sites is not being captured leading to fugitive GHG emissions. Further, due to rapid population growth and accompanying urbanisation and lack of new landfill sites, the existing waste handling infrastructure is getting stressed and leading to overflowing and vertical growth of the existing landfills. Thus Indian landfills provide good opportunities for the extraction & utilisation of Methane from LFG. However, there are lot of Issues that need to be overcome for exploitation of LFG in a sustainable manner. GAIL (India) Ltd, a Maharatna company, as a part of its R&D activities has taken up an initiative in this direction and implemented a Pilot project to ascertain the recovery of LFG from an un-scientifically managed open active MSW dumping site at Ghazipur Delhi. The utilization of LFG for energy recovery is being explored. This Paper shares the Challenges faced and Key insights gained during the LFG Project Implementation and its Operation.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): P.K. Amritha, P.P. Anilkumar Uncontrolled dumping of waste on open dumps or landfills has become one of the most common methods of disposing waste. Globally, such dumps/landfills have remained as an anomaly in urban landscapes due to its heterogeneous nature and the environmental degradation it causes. This paper considers open dumps/ landfills as specific example cases upgradable to ‘landscaped landfills’ so that landfills transform to be a more sustainable disposal option. Such an approach can be devised only by knowing the quality and quantity of the waste that are disposed in landfills and the background environmental conditions of a particular region. A landfill dominantly of organic/biodegradable character can become a good source of nutrients in developing the soft elements of landscape. In developing a landscaped landfill, the environmental risks associated such as leachate generation, groundwater contamination, greenhouse gas emission and soil stability are major concerns to be addressed. For a long term use of conventional landfills converted into ‘landscaped landfills’ the principles of environmental remediation techniques like phytoremediation, bioremediation and bio reactor landfills have a pivotal role to play. The research work aims at the disposing organic/biodegradable waste on any land or designated open dumps /landfills and simultaneously using the same land for green productive purpose in a cyclic fashion thereby making it a sustainable waste management strategy. The paper discusses the practical issues in converting a landfill into landscaped landfill by doing an onsite experiment using organic kitchen waste considering parameters like the number of households, their expected production of organic waste and suitable worked out land area for dumping, digesting and assimilating waste. In an attempt to streamline the process of planning landscaped landfills, the paper describes a strategy and methodology to convert landfills into a fitting component of typical urban landscapes through enhancing its environmental significance and visual quality for sustainability.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): A. Dubey, M. Chakrabarti, D. Pandit The study hereby is an attempt to evaluate the process of landfill mining as a remediation technique for Municipal Solid Waste dumpsites, which are an inherent feature of each city of note, in the developing countries. These dump sites, more often than not, nothing more than a piece of land where all of the city's refuse is collected, are threats to the environment and consume valuable land, which could otherwise be converted into a revenue generating asset. Many cities are extremely short on land and some are also facing the negative impacts of these dumps in terms of water contamination, air pollution and land degradation to name a few. Encouraged by the positive outcomes of studies carried out earlier, this study was aimed at applying the idea on a broader scale in terms of encompassing a number of cities across the country. The solid waste characterization for the cities taken into the study was obtained and the amount of solid waste deposited in the landfills of these cities was estimated. Based on these, various revenue generating fractions were identified. From the current market cost of the land used as dumpsite and the material salvaged by the landfill mining operation, the benefit-cost scenario was judged. It was found that for most of the scenarios the overall operation of mining the landfills was economical in terms of cost, but the intangible benefits, which cannot be monetized, are expected to be far greater than the rest.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): M.N. Asha, K.S. Chandan, H.P. Harish, S. NikhileswarReddy, K.S. Sharath, G. Mini Liza This paper compares the effectiveness of chemical and physical methods in treating the wash water collected from automobile service stations. Wash water was collected from two service stations in the city of Bangalore, and the effluent was characterised for different parameters such as pH, turbidity, conductivity, total solids, oil and grease, COD (chemical oxygen demand), BOD (biological oxygen demand), chlorides, sulphate and total hardness. For chemical treatment, alum was used and locally available natural materials such as saw dust and sugarcane bagasse were used for physical treatment. Alum at different concentrations was agitated with the effluent for a prescribed contact period which led to the formation of flocs. The filtered samples were tested for COD and oil & grease. in the form of filter columns of three different heights. The percentage reduction in COD and oil and grease was correlated with the depth and type of filter media. A comparison of physical and chemical methods of treatment revealed that natural materials are effective in removing oil & grease and COD from the automobile effluent and hence provide a viable solution because of its eco-friendliness. From the experimental studies it is observed that in physical treatment, the sorption capacity of any material is dependent on its porosity, surface area and height of filter bed.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): N.L. Dvalishvili In November 2010 the new landfill has been put into service in Tbilisi, the territory of which equals to 94 ha and is divided by inner roads into several areas, on which the waste disposal cells (area 5 ha) are installed. The goal of our project was the determination (elaboration of energetic scenarios) of economically profitable ways of utilization/application of basic greenhouse gas CH 4 , on the basis of inventory of methane emission from Norio landfill of municipal solid waste of Tbilisi city by IPCC methodology, and prevention from global climate changes caused by greenhouse gases with the use of methane in the energy sphere. The share of the landfill of municipal solid waste in the greenhouse gases emission in Georgia equals to 7% of the total emission of CH 4 and CO 2 that is very high rate. Our goal was the determination of amount of greenhouse gases (CH 4 and CO 2 ) emerged on the Norio landfill and forecasting of gases emission for the subsequent period. According to inventory data the whole potential of methane emission from Norio landfills equals to 930 mln. m 3 .

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): S.K. Maiti, S. De, T. Hazra, A. Debsarkar, A. Dutta The possible enduring environmental impact of a closed landfill on groundwater and surface water quality depends on the leachate characteristics. Post closure management of closed landfill site is needed for averting the environmental hazards. The present investigation was aimed to characterize leachate and its impact on surrounding water resources of closed dumping site at Dhapa (Kolkata, West Bengal, India). Three sampling points were identified for collection of samples fromand near the closed dumping site. All the samples were examined for pH, TDS, Cl - , BOD 5 , COD, NH 4 + -N, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Hg and Pbto study the seasonal variation of significant parameters. The laboratory analysis shows prevalence of high value of TDS (8994.16±6239.2mg/L), COD (4191.66±2282.19mg/L), NH 4 + -N (1165.93±658.4mg/L), Cl − (4356.65±1304.84mg/L) and two heavy metals viz. Pb (0.56±0.33mg/L) and Hg (0.42±0.44mg/L) in the leachate samples, which have exceeded their respective standards specified in “Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000” for disposal of treated leachates. The maximum concentration of afore-said heavy metals viz. lead and mercury are found to be 0.15±0.18mg/L and 0.16±0.28mg/Land 0.23±0.21mg/L and 0.1±0.05mg/L respectively for surface and ground water resources, which have exceeded their respective permissible limits recommended by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The extent of contamination of local water resources necessitates appropriate treatment of leachate before getting discharged and establishes the significance of post closure management of the closed dumpsite.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Sutripta Sarkar, Subrata Pal, Sunanda Chanda Proper management of waste is a major problem in most of the metropolitan areas. Composting is one of the oldest and simplest methods of organic waste stabilization. It is a self-heating biological conversion, which generates suitable end products such as fertilizers, substrates for mushroom cultivation and bio-gas (methane). The thermophilic phase is a very dynamic phase where high microbial activity leads to accelerated degradation of organic matter. This phase also sanitizes the compost. The aim of the current study is to optimize a composting system utilizing market waste. Three methods of composting were studied and composting by heaping or piling was found to be the most efficient method as a significant thermophilic phase (highest temp. 65.9 0 C) was obtained provided the moisture content was kept around 60%.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Sadhan K. Ghosh, H.S. Haldar, S. Chatterjee, P. Ghosh Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, which constitutes more than 30% of the solid waste stream in India is not given proper attention and loses it's recycling potential. Absence of enforcement and negligence on behalf of the authorities has given rise to independent overlords who fight among themselves for the control of waste thereby making it even more difficult to categorize and quantify C&D waste. Re-utilization of Solid Waste is in developmental stage and thus ends up mostly in landfills without taking into consideration the malignant effects on the environment. Elements like Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium and Silica find their way into the soil and are then transported into the ground water (Stefania Butera, 2015). So the directive is to minimize the exploitation on the environment and find a means for recycling the waste into environment friendly building materials. Estimation of CD waste is carried out by making use of Building specific and region specific waste generation rates. An all encompassing model which can successfully predict the total amount of waste generated from a particular project does not exist and this fact is quite evident given the diversity of construction techniques and composition of building materials. Even If such a database were to be compiled, end users would find it hard to comprehend and apply this data into meaningful quantity. The most appealing way of making users more aware of the need to recycle is by offering a perspective where they can perform a cost benefit analysis of the revenue that can be generated from proper optimization and reutilization of CD waste. Contractors can make a prior estimate of the investment for a particular project and order precise quantities of the materials required. This would not only eliminate the additional cost incurred but also reduce waste on site from off cuts and poor handling of surplus materials. Therefore the objective is to propose a model which makes use of easily available data like transportation rates and resale value of recyclable materials which would provide an intuitive and simple optimization model while imbibing the basic principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle into action.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Naveen Desai, Anuradha Tanksali, Veena S. Soraganvi The ever growing industries, human population and urban areas have increased the generation of waste materials, which is polluting the entire environment. As the environment gets affected, indirectly human race is also affected. Industrial waste management has become a big issue in the present era. Though there are different methods of waste disposal, most of them lead to soil deterioration, toxic effect and increased pollution on land, air, water and living beings apart from being very expensive. We need an eco-friendly one stroke solution for disposal of waste, which not only manages the waste but in return gives some beneficial end product. Vermicomposting is one such promising eco-friendly method which helps in reducing the pollution and simultaneously produces good quality compost using minimal space, labour and cost. Here an attempt is made to decompose milk sludge mixed with paper and garden waste with earthworms by vermicomposting. In one tank substrate is formed with paper and garden waste, milk sludge and cowdung in the ratio 3:1:1. And in another tank a ratio of 7:2:1 was considered. The reproduction of earthworms in the form of cocoons and the chemical composition of the generated manure after 30, 45, 60 days are noted and analysed. It is noted that the manure generated from the first pit has a favourable C:N ratio and decomposes fast, whereas the second pit manure with a higher nitrogen content decomposes slowly and this type of manure can be used for potato, soya bean and corn plant. Milk sludge, highly odorous and difficult to dispose can be treated by this simple eco-friendly method.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Chhavi Jatwani, R.K. Gupta, Reema Rai, Nitish Bansal Heavy metals act as toxicants to soil and crops at elevated level. Earthworms help in bioremediation process they remove heavy metal from the soil and accumulate them in their body tissues especially yellow cells. Depending upon the concentrations of heavy metals the body of earthworm get affected. An experiment was conducted to check the effect of Hg and Co on Eiseniafetida. Nine concentration of heavy metals were sprayed i.e. Hg @0.02,0.04,0.06 ppm ,Co @0.02,0.04,0.06 ppm and Hg+Co @0.01 ,0.02,0.03 ppm for two months . Bio-molecular parameters were calculated at an interval of 15 days for 2 months And it was concluded that Hg at 0.006 ppm affect the biomoleculer concentration of body of earthworm than Co and combination of both. The carbohydrates level has been decreased from 17.65% in 0.06 Hg, 17.05% in 0.06 Co and 17.32% in combination of 0.03Hg+0.03Co. At 0.06ppm of Hg lipid content decreased by 41.25%, 23.26% at 0.06ppm Co and 32.44% at 0.03Hg +0.03 Co whereas protein concentration was decreased by 42.47% at 0.06ppm Hg, 35.27% at 0.06ppm Co and 38.07% at 0.03Hg+0.03Co. So it was concluded that Hg is more toxic to earthworm not only bio-molecular parameter it affect coccon production, coelomocytes, body weight, length also.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): M. Pavlović, D. Tadić, S. Arsovski, A. Tomović, A. Pavlović The market validation of any devices presents one of the most waste important tasks. There are many factors have a critical effect on market validation. These factors are defined by reverse logistic management team. In this paper, a new model for market validation of device for recycling is proposed which includes both quantitative and qualitative factors. In this paper, fuzzy pair-wise comparison matrix of the relative importance of factors is performed by reverse logistic team which use linguistic expressions. The factor weights are given by fuzzy AHP. The values of factor can be crisps and described by pre-defined linguistic expressions. All linguistic terms are modeled by triangular fuzzy numbers. The proposed model is verified through an illustrative example. The obtained results represent an input for future research which should include a good benchmark base for tested different devices which use in reverse logistic chains and their continuous improvement.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Sartaj Ahmad Bhat, Jaswinder Singh, Adarsh Pal Vig The aim of present work was to assess the growth of earthworm Eisenia fetida during vermicomposting of pressmud (PM) sludge. It was mixed with cattle dung (CD) at different ratios (PM: CD) of 0:100 (PM 0 ) 25:75 (PM 25 ), 50:50 (PM 50 ), 75:25 (PM 75 ) and 100:0 (PM 100 ) under different varying weight 8.76 (PM 0 ), 7.63 (PM 25 ), 9.93 (PM 50 ), 9.90 (PM 75 ) and 10.23 g (PM 100 ). Co-composting with cattle dung helped to improve their acceptability for E. fetida and also improved physico-chemical characteristics. Best suitable mixture for highest survival, maximum weight and highest population buildup of E. fetida was determined by observing growth rate, weight, mortality, rate of cocoon production and population buildup. Minimum mortality and highest weight (77 g) of worms were observed in 25:75 (PM 25 ) mixture of PM. However, increasing percentages of wastes significantly affected the number and weight of worms. Nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, increased from initial feed mixture to final products, while organic carbon, C:N ratio and Potassium showed an opposite trend. Heavy metals (Copper, Chromium, Iron) decreased significantly from initial except Zinc and manganese which accumulate significantly.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Grace P. Sapuay Solid waste management has always been about collection and disposal of garbage. We have currently moved on to a more efficient collection and disposal by using Engineered Sanitary Landfills in the Philippines. However, with the increase in population and the consequent increase in solid waste generation, we are now running out of spaces to establish solid waste disposal facilities. A global trend in solid waste management is towards resource recovery rather than disposal of waste. Resource recovery is no longer limited to recyclable materials such as tins, glass, paper, plastic and rubber. Resource recovery now involves the recovery of all solid waste materials, including residual waste. This is the value of RDF or refuse-derived fuel. RDF uses highly combustible residual waste, such as plastics and some biodegradable materials as fuel for cement kilns. It is currently being used by giant cement manufacturers Holcim and La Farge, consisting about 10% of the fuel they use in their cement kilns, which still uses an estimated 90% coal. The use of RDF, however, as a waste-to-energy technology must still be closely monitored under RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act 2000 as well as the Clean Air Act. It remains to be an incinerating technology that requires equipment for flue gascleaning system to prevent air pollution. If RDF can be maintained as a clean technology and recovery of RDF-qualified waste materials can be increased, resource recovery from solid waste will become more efficient, then someday, we will finally be able to achieve zero waste.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Vasanthy Muthunarayanan, Karthika Arumugam, Tamilselvi Duraisam Organic and postconsumer wastes are the major waste of today's concern in our living environment. Though they are one of the very rich sources of nitrogen and carbon, improper disposal results in different types of pollution including aesthetic pollution too. Hence, our aim is to manage the dried paper cup waste, temple waste and bay leaf waste in an eco friendly manner. Vermicomposting is a method involving biooxidation and stabilization of organic matter with the help of earthworms and microorganisms thereby turning waste into valuable soil amendments. The intensive objective of this study is to investigate the physico chemical characteristics, biomass, microbial population and also the histopathalogical analysis of the three different types of waste. Three different sets were prepared for this study, which includes paper cup waste and cowdung along with E. eugenia (A), Temple waste, cow dung along with E. eugenia (B), Bay waste, cow dung along with E. eugenia (C) in 1:1 ratio to carry out the degradation process in an eminent way. These materials were left for pre-composting followed by the introduction of the selected earth worms. Physico-chemical parameters (pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), Total organic matter (TOM), Total Nitrogen (TKN), C:N and Total Phosphorus) were analyzed. We have found that the aging of vermicompost reduce the microbial biomass of both bacteria and fungi. The histopathology analysis showed differences in the tissue damage of earthworm employed in different types of waste. Coherently, we have found noticeable earthworm behaviour during the addition of bay leaf waste and temple waste when compared to the paper cup waste. By this way the earthworms were active till the end of the process of degradation. Thus the addition of organic waste along with the post-consumer waste is justified.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): Smita Agarwal, Papiya Mandal, Anjali Srivastava Size-segregated aerosol samplings were carried out during 2013-14 at Okhla landfills, Delhi, which is a municipal solid waste dumping station. Aerosol samples were collected on quartz filters using an Andersen impactor sampler having 9-stages with cut-off diameter >9.0, 9.0-5.8, 5.8-4.7, 4.7-3.3, 3.3-2.1, 2.1-1.1, 1.1-0.65, 0.65-0.43, 〈0.43 μm at flow rate 28.3 lpm. Additionally, a low-volume handy sampler was also used to measure total culturable microbial concentrations operates at flow rate of 2 lpm. The culturable total bacterial and fungal concentrations across the seasons ranged from 8.3×10 5 -1.8×10 7 cfu/m 3 and 1.2×10 3 -2.5×10 5 cfu/m 3 , respectively and also varied across the impactor stages. Major concentration peaks found during winter could be associated with high particulate matter concentration and favourable meteorological conditions in Delhi. On the other hand, comparatively lower concentrations were observed in summer. This is possibly because of microbial lethal effects of adverse meteorological conditions (high temperature and solar radiation) which are more prominent than that of release of microbial flux due to solar ground heating effect in summer. Size distribution analysis shows that bacteria were mostly abundant in fine particle sizes, i.e. 〈0.43-2.1 μm, but few peaks were also observed in size ranges between 5.8->9.0 μm. Fungal spores mostly peaked in coarse sizes (2.1-5.8 μm) and showed unimodal size distribution. Predominant identified bacterial strains were mostly belonged to Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Klebseilla and Escherichia genera. Most of the identified fungal spores are known for adverse health effects causing numerous allergic and pathogenic inflammations. These results suggest that the open-solid waste dumping sites are a major source of bioaerosols, and residents living in the nearby areas of landfills are at high health risks.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): S. Vigneswaran, J. Kandasamy, M.A.H. Johir In this paper the optimum design of windrow composting is discussed. There are many reasons to consider implementing centralized open-windrow compost technology in developing countries, especially in municipalities which are not subject to the severe space restrictions. Compared to mechanized or in-vessel operations, windrow composting has many advantages as discussed in the paper. Design aspects of windrow composting facility such as process design, composting area sizing, runoff collection pond sizing, land treatment design for runoff, and capital and operating cost estimation are discussed in detail. In particular, the process design components such as feedstock (solid wastes) recovery, feedstock preparation, composting, stabilization, curing, refining and storing are analysed. A detail cost analysis (Capital and O&M Cost) is made based on processing 3000 tons/yr of yard waste, food waste, etc. to produced 1,500 tons/yr. of finished compost is made.

Description: Publication date: 2016 Source: Procedia Environmental Sciences, Volume 35 Author(s): M.K. Manu, R. Kumar, A. Garg Drum composting is a potential mean to recycle the food waste (FW) at the source of generation in developing countries. The present study reports the kinetics of the composting process conducted in three plastic drums each of 125 L capacity. To facilitate natural aeration, 10 mm diameter holes were provided on the periphery of two drums while one drum was used as control (i.e., without any hole). Moreover, yard waste (YW) was also added to the feed as bulking agent (FW: YW = 2.5: 1 by wt.). The effect of turning and natural aeration was studied during 60 days of composting of food waste. Various physical, chemical and biological parameters were monitored routinely. The time-based organic matter degradation data was used to determine the kinetic parameters according to the first order rate equation. The reaction rate was found to be 0.0105 day -1 (R 2 = 0.9605) in the modified drum with regular sample turning. The principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchial cluster analysis (HCA) were used as statistical tools to evaluate the variation between the measured parameters.

Description: Publication date: Available online 5 August 2016 Source: Climate Risk Management Author(s): Jonathan Star, Erika L. Rowland, Mary E. Black, Carolyn A.F. Enquist, Gregg Garfin, Catherine Hawkins Hoffman, Holly Hartmann, Katharine L. Jacobs, Richard H. Moss, Anne M. Waple Scenario planning is a technique used to inform decision-making under uncertainty, and is increasingly applied in the field of climate change adaptation and policy. This paper describes applications that combine previously distinct scenario methods in new and innovative ways. It draws on numerous recent independent case studies to illustrate emerging practices, such as far stronger connections between researcherdriven and participatory approaches and cycling between exploratory and normative perspectives. The paper concludes with a call for greater support for, and collaboration among, practitioners with the argument that mixed methods are most effective for decision-making in the context of climate change challenges.

Description: Publication date: Available online 11 July 2016 Source: Journal of Asian Ceramic Societies Author(s): Chaouki Sadik, Omar Moudden, Abdselam El Bouari, Iz-Eddine El Amrani One of the most important elements of furnaces, boilers and other heating units is the structure (lining), usually made of silica–alumina, basic or special refractories. The basic refractories are materials that are increasingly in demand and whose manufacturing involves necessarily the use of MgO and CaO. In this article, the description and characterization of magnesite (MgCO 3 ) and dolomite (Mg,Ca(CO 3 ) 2 ) and their contribution in industrial ceramics-refractories have been reviewed.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Niloufar Monhasery, Jens Moll, Carly Cuman, Manuel Franke, Larissa Lamertz, Rebecca Nitz, Boris Görg, Dieter Häussinger, Juliane Lokau, Doreen M. Floss, Roland Piekorz, Eva Dimitriadis, Christoph Garbers, Jürgen Scheller Interleukin (IL)-11 signaling is involved in various processes, including epithelial intestinal cell regeneration and embryo implantation. IL-11 signaling is initiated upon binding of IL-11 to IL-11R1 or IL-11R2, two IL-11α-receptor splice variants, and gp130. Here, we show that IL-11 signaling via IL-11R1/2:gp130 complexes occurs on both the apical and basolateral sides of polarized cells, whereas IL-6 signaling via IL-6R:gp130 complexes is restricted to the basolateral side. We show that basolaterally supplied IL-11 is transported and released to the apical extracellular space via transcytosis in an IL-11R1-dependent manner. By contrast, IL-6R and IL-11R2 do not promote transcytosis. In addition, we show that transcytosis of IL-11 is dependent on the intracellular domain of IL-11R1 and that synthetic transfer of the intracellular domain of IL-11R1 to IL-6R promotes transcytosis of IL-6. Our data define IL-11R as a cytokine receptor with transcytotic activity by which IL-11 and IL-6:soluble IL-6R complexes are transported across cellular barriers. Graphical abstract Teaser Monhasery et al. show that interleukin 11 (IL-11) signaling via IL-11 receptor:gp130 complexes occurs on both the apical and basolateral sides of polarized cells. The transcytotic activity of the IL-11 receptor allows IL-11 and interleukin-6:soluble interleukin-6 receptor complexes to be transported across cellular barriers.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Christian Laut Ebbesen, Eric Torsten Reifenstein, Qiusong Tang, Andrea Burgalossi, Saikat Ray, Susanne Schreiber, Richard Kempter, Michael Brecht The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) and the adjacent parasubiculum are known for their elaborate spatial discharges (grid cells, border cells, etc.) and the precessing of spikes relative to the local field potential. We know little, however, about how spatio-temporal firing patterns map onto cell types. We find that cell type is a major determinant of spatio-temporal discharge properties. Parasubicular neurons and MEC layer 2 (L2) pyramids have shorter spikes, discharge spikes in bursts, and are theta-modulated (rhythmic, locking, skipping), but spikes phase-precess only weakly. MEC L2 stellates and layer 3 (L3) neurons have longer spikes, do not discharge in bursts, and are weakly theta-modulated (non-rhythmic, weakly locking, rarely skipping), but spikes steeply phase-precess. The similarities between MEC L3 neurons and MEC L2 stellates on one hand and parasubicular neurons and MEC L2 pyramids on the other hand suggest two distinct streams of temporal coding in the parahippocampal cortex. Graphical abstract Teaser Neurons in the parahippocampal cortex discharge in elaborate spatiotemporal firing patterns. Ebbesen et al. use juxtacellular recordings to show that the neuronal cell type is a major determinant of temporal discharge patterns such as bursting and phase precession.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Jeannine Gerhardt, Angela D. Bhalla, Jill Sergesketter Butler, James W. Puckett, Peter B. Dervan, Zev Rosenwaks, Marek Napierala Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is caused by the expansion of GAA repeats located in the Frataxin (FXN) gene. The GAA repeats continue to expand in FRDA patients, aggravating symptoms and contributing to disease progression. The mechanism leading to repeat expansion and decreased FXN transcription remains unclear. Using single-molecule analysis of replicated DNA, we detected that expanded GAA repeats present a substantial obstacle for the replication machinery at the FXN locus in FRDA cells. Furthermore, aberrant origin activation and lack of a proper stress response to rescue the stalled forks in FRDA cells cause an increase in 3′-5′ progressing forks, which could enhance repeat expansion and hinder FXN transcription by head-on collision with RNA polymerases. Treatment of FRDA cells with GAA-specific polyamides rescues DNA replication fork stalling and alleviates expansion of the GAA repeats, implicating DNA triplexes as a replication impediment and suggesting that fork stalling might be a therapeutic target for FRDA. Graphical abstract Teaser Gerhardt et al. demonstrate that stable secondary structures, formed at the expanded GAA repeats in Friedreich’s ataxia patient cells, stall DNA replication. In addition, using a single DNA molecule approach to visualize the Frataxin locus, they show that aberrant activation of origins downstream of the GAA repeats alters replication fork direction.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Jacint G. Sanchez, Jessica J. Chiang, Konstantin M.J. Sparrer, Steven L. Alam, Michael Chi, Marcin D. Roganowicz, Banumathi Sankaran, Michaela U. Gack, Owen Pornillos Antiviral response pathways induce interferon by higher-order assembly of signaling complexes called signalosomes. Assembly of the RIG-I signalosome is regulated by K63-linked polyubiquitin chains, which are synthesized by the E3 ubiquitin ligase, TRIM25. We have previously shown that the TRIM25 coiled-coil domain is a stable, antiparallel dimer that positions two catalytic RING domains on opposite ends of an elongated rod. We now show that the RING domain is a separate self-association motif that engages ubiquitin-conjugated E2 enzymes as a dimer. RING dimerization is required for catalysis, TRIM25-mediated RIG-I ubiquitination, interferon induction, and antiviral activity. We also provide evidence that RING dimerization and E3 ligase activity are promoted by binding of the TRIM25 SPRY domain to the RIG-I effector domain. These results indicate that TRIM25 actively participates in higher-order assembly of the RIG-I signalosome and helps to fine-tune the efficiency of the RIG-I-mediated antiviral response. Graphical abstract Teaser Sanchez et al. elucidate the structural requirements for TRIM25 catalytic activation and its effector functions in the antiviral RIG-I pathway. Higher-order oligomerization of TRIM25 is promoted by RIG-I and likely constitutes a regulatory mechanism of cellular antiviral response.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Thomas Liebmann, Nicolas Renier, Karima Bettayeb, Paul Greengard, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Marc Flajolet Amyloidosis is a major problem in over one hundred diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using the iDISCO visualization method involving targeted molecular labeling, tissue clearing, and light-sheet microscopy, we studied plaque formation in the intact AD mouse brain at up to 27 months of age. We visualized amyloid plaques in 3D together with tau, microglia, and vasculature. Volume imaging coupled to automated detection and mapping enables precise and fast quantification of plaques within the entire intact mouse brain. The present methodology is also applicable to analysis of frozen human brain samples without specialized preservation. Remarkably, amyloid plaques in human brain tissues showed greater 3D complexity and surprisingly large three-dimensional amyloid patterns, or TAPs. The ability to visualize amyloid in 3D, especially in the context of their micro-environment, and the discovery of large TAPs may have important scientific and medical implications. Graphical abstract Teaser Liebmann et al. present 3D renderings of Alzheimer’s disease in an entire mouse brain hemisphere using iDISCO. Volume imaging coupled to automated detection and mapping to the Allen Brain Atlas enables precise and fast quantification of plaques. Plaques in archival human brain samples showed a greater 3D complexity.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Laura Jacox, Justin Chen, Alyssa Rothman, Hillary Lathrop-Marshall, Hazel Sive The mouth arises from the extreme anterior domain (EAD), a region where the ectoderm and endoderm are directly juxtaposed. Here, we identify a “pre-mouth array” in Xenopus that forms soon after the cranial neural crest has migrated to lie on either side of the EAD. Initially, EAD ectoderm comprises a wide and short epithelial mass that becomes narrow and tall with cells and nuclei changing shape, a characteristic of convergent extension. The resulting two rows of cells—the pre-mouth array—later split down the midline to surround the mouth opening. Neural crest is essential for convergent extension and likely signals to the EAD through the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. Fzl7 receptor is locally required in EAD ectoderm, while Wnt11 ligand is required more globally. Indeed, heterologous cells expressing Wnt11 can elicit EAD convergent extension. The study reveals a precise cellular mechanism that positions and contributes to the future mouth. Graphical abstract Teaser Jacox et al. identify a precise cellular organization of extreme anterior domain (EAD) ectoderm—the “pre-mouth array”—that contributes to the future mouth opening in Xenopus . Their data indicate that the pre-mouth array forms by convergent extension, under control of adjacent neural crest and Wnt/PCP signaling.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Jing-kuan Wei, Wen-chao Wang, Rong-wei Zhai, Yu-hua Zhang, Shang-chuan Yang, Joshua Rizak, Ling Li, Li-qi Xu, Li Liu, Ming-ke Pan, Ying-zhou Hu, Abdelaziz Ghanemi, Jing Wu, Li-chuan Yang, Hao Li, Long-bao Lv, Jia-li Li, Yong-gang Yao, Lin Xu, Xiao-li Feng, Yong Yin, Dong-dong Qin, Xin-tian Hu, Zheng-bo Wang Here, we examine whether neurons differentiated from transplanted stem cells can integrate into the host neural network and function in awake animals, a goal of transplanted stem cell therapy in the brain. We have developed a technique in which a small “hole” is created in the inferior colliculus (IC) of rhesus monkeys, then stem cells are transplanted in situ to allow for investigation of their integration into the auditory neural network. We found that some transplanted cells differentiated into mature neurons and formed synaptic input/output connections with the host neurons. In addition, c-Fos expression increased significantly in the cells after acoustic stimulation, and multichannel recordings indicated IC specific tuning activities in response to auditory stimulation. These results suggest that the transplanted cells have the potential to functionally integrate into the host neural network. Graphical abstract Teaser Integration of differentiated neurons into a functioning neural network is important for the development of stem cell therapies. Wang et al. found that neurons differentiated from transplanted stem cells respond to auditory stimuli in awake monkeys after transplantation.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Nicolas Huguenin-Dezot, Virginia De Cesare, Julien Peltier, Axel Knebel, Yosua Adi Kristaryianto, Daniel T. Rogerson, Yogesh Kulathu, Matthias Trost, Jason W. Chin Ubiquitin is post-translationally modified by phosphorylation at several sites, but the consequences of these modifications are largely unknown. Here, we synthesize multi-milligram quantities of ubiquitin phosphorylated at serine 20, serine 57, and serine 65 via genetic code expansion. We use these phosphoubiquitins for the enzymatic assembly of 20 isomeric phosphoubiquitin dimers, with different sites of isopeptide linkage and/or phosphorylation. We discover that phosphorylation of serine 20 on ubiquitin converts UBE3C from a dual-specificity E3 ligase into a ligase that primarily synthesizes K48 chains. We profile the activity of 31 deubiquitinases on the isomeric phosphoubiquitin dimers in 837 reactions, and we discover that phosphorylation at distinct sites in ubiquitin can activate or repress cleavage of a particular linkage by deubiquitinases and that phosphorylation at a single site in ubiquitin can control the specificity of deubiquitinases for distinct ubiquitin linkages. Graphical abstract Teaser Huguenin-Dezot et al. combine genetic code expansion and enzymatic assembly to synthesize 20 isomeric phosphoubiquitin chains with distinct Ser phosphorylation and/or isopeptide linkage sites. They discover that ubiquitin phosphorylation can control E3 ligase specificity and deubiquitinase specificity.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Minhee Kim, Brian P. O’Rourke, Rajesh Kumar Soni, Prasad V. Jallepalli, Ronald C. Hendrickson, Meng-Fu Bryan Tsou PLK4 is the major kinase driving centriole duplication. Duplication occurs only once per cell cycle, forming one new (or daughter) centriole that is tightly engaged to the preexisting (or mother) centriole. Centriole engagement is known to block the reduplication of mother centrioles, but the molecular identity responsible for the block remains unclear. Here, we show that the centriolar cartwheel, the geometric scaffold for centriole assembly, forms the identity of daughter centrioles essential for the block, ceasing further duplication of the mother centriole to which it is engaged. To ensure a steady block, we found that the cartwheel requires constant maintenance by PLK4 through phosphorylation of the same substrate that drives centriole assembly, revealing a parsimonious control in which “assembly” and “block for new assembly” are linked through the same catalytic reaction to achieve homeostasis. Our results support a recently deduced model that the cartwheel-bound PLK4 directly suppresses centriole reduplication. Graphical abstract Teaser Cellular structures are maintained at constant numbers by balancing the “promotion” and “suppression” of their biogenesis, two processes opposing each other. Through studies on the cell-division organelle, centrioles, Kim et al. found that the two opposing processes are intimately coupled to the same catalytic reaction involving the kinase PLK4, thereby safeguarding centriole homeostasis.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Shengjie Xue, Chang Liu, Xiujie Sun, Weiyun Li, Chi Zhang, Xin Zhou, Yao Lu, Jun Xiao, Chunyang Li, Xiaoyan Xu, Bing Sun, Guoliang Xu, Hongyan Wang Type I interferons (IFNs) play both beneficial and harmful roles in antiviral responses. Precise regulation of host type I IFNs is thus needed to prevent immune dysregulation. Here, we find that the DNA demethylase TET3 is a negative regulator of IFN-β in response to poly(I:C) stimulation or viral infection. Deletion of TET3 enhances antiviral responses, with elevated expression of IFN-β and IFN-stimulated genes. The catalytic domain of TET3 was critical for the suppression of IFN-β production, but TET3 enzymatic activity was dispensable. Instead, the catalytic domain of TET3 interacts with HDAC1 and SIN3A, thus enhancing their binding to the Ifnb1 promoter. Our study demonstrates that TET3 negatively regulates type I IFN production independent of DNA demethylation. This not only sheds light on TET3 as a signaling protein in immune cells for gene regulation but also will help to develop strategies to prevent type I IFN-related disease. Graphical abstract Teaser Xue et al. find that TET3 expression is decreased after viral infection and that TET3 reduction enhances type I IFN production and virus clearance. Mechanistically, TET3 recruits HDAC1 to the Ifnb1 promoter, thus suppressing type I IFN transcription.

Description: Publication date: Available online 14 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Chieh Hsu, Vincent Jaquet, Mumun Gencoglu, Attila Becskei Bistability plays an important role in cellular memory and cell-fate determination. A positive feedback loop can generate bistability if it contains ultrasensitive molecular reactions. It is often difficult to detect bistability based on such molecular mechanisms due to its intricate interaction with cellular growth. We constructed transcriptional feedback loops in yeast. To eliminate growth alterations, we reduced the protein levels of the transcription factors by tuning the translation rates over two orders of magnitude with designed RNA stem loops. We modulated two ultrasensitive reactions, homodimerization and the cooperative binding of the transcription factor to the promoter. Either of them is sufficient to generate bistability on its own, and when acting together, a particularly robust bistability emerges. This bistability persists even in the presence of a negative feedback loop. Given that protein homodimerization is ubiquitous, it is likely to play a major role in the behavior of regulatory networks. Graphical abstract Teaser Using RNA stem loops to attenuate translation rates, Hsu et al. designed synthetic feedback loops in yeast to study the sources of bistability. They show that cooperative binding of a transcription factor to its promoter or its dimerization generates bistability. Bistability is particularly robust when the dimerizing transcription factor binds to the promoter cooperatively.

Description: Publication date: July 2016 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 7 Author(s): Susan M. Cheyne, Wiwit Juwita Sastramidjaja, Muhalir, Yaya Rayadin, David W. Macdonald Using camera traps at eight grids across Indonesian Borneo we show how mammalian species assemblages can provide reliable information about how disturbance affects a forest. This enables us to use the large mammal community structure at each site to assess the impacts of human disturbance and habitat variables. Occupancy ranged from 0.01–0.77 with pig-tailed macaques, muntjac, orang-utans, sun bears, bearded pigs and common porcupines consistently having an occupancy of > 0.5. These large mammals were generally making use of the whole forest surveyed and avoided the forest edge in only a few grids. A General Linear Model with general contrasts and survey effort as a covariate was performed to assess the impact of different variables. Logging and hunting were positively associated with low species number ( F = 6.3 , p = 0.012 and F = 5.4 , p = 0.003 respectively). Logging and hunting contributed to a low % of carnivorous species ( F = 1.5 , p = 0.021 and F = 4.8 , p = 0.041 respectively) and a higher % of IUCN Endangered and Vulnerable species ( F = 5.9 , p = 0.044 and F = 5.0 , p = 0.044 respectively). The presence of burnt areas within the study grids was positively associated with reduced species numbers ( F = 5.3 , p = 0.018 ) and reducted % of carnivorous species ( F = 6.8 , p = 0.023 ) but not the % of IUCN Endangered and Vulnerable species. This is likely a result of burnt areas reducing the area of suitable habitat for many mammals. The proximity of the grids to roads, villages, rivers and presence of logging camps have been proposed as suitable parameters to indicate disturbance. In our study none of these parameters significantly affected the total species numbers, % of carnivores, and % of IUCN concern (Endangered and Vulnerable), nor did the protected status of the forest. We have identified 4 species as specific indicators whose presence or absence can help determine the type and/or extent of forest disturbance and/or be a proxy indicator for the presence of other species. Leopard cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ) and pig-tailed macaques ( Macaca nemestrina, generalists); sambar deer ( Rusa unicolour, large, wide-ranging herbivores) and clouded leopards ( Neofelis diardi ) as a proxy for at least 2 of the smaller felid species.

Description: Publication date: Available online 16 July 2016 Source: Water Science Author(s): Sumita Rani, Meenal Aggarwal, Mukesh Kumar, Sumit Sharma, Dinesh Kumar Methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B dyes (RB) were degraded from water using zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) and zirconium oxide/graphene composites (ZrO 2 /GR) as photocatalyst. The photocatalytic efficiency was calculated from absorption spectra obtained using UV–visible spectroscopy. It has been observed that photodegradation time as well as photocatalytic efficiency increase with the concentration of catalyst up to a certain limit after which effect was reversed. The degradation was studied as a function of pH also. It was found that photocatalytic efficiency was more in alkaline medium than acidic medium. Degradation of RB takes place at higher value of pH as compared to MB. The degradation time for MB was 1 h using ZrO 2 which get reduced to 32 min using ZrO 2 /GR composite and for RB it reduced to 40 min (using ZrO 2 /GR) from 80 min (ZrO 2 ).

Description: Publication date: Available online 16 July 2016 Source: Water Science Author(s): Sahar Salim Kamrakji, Abdel-Wahab Mohamed Amer, Sherif M.A. El-Didy, Ahmed Mohamed Tawfik In arid and semi-arid regions, soil salinity is a common problem threatening fertility of irrigated lands. The Lower Euphrates valley in Syria suffers from salt accumulation in soil because of the inappropriate climatic conditions, using the traditional methods in irrigation; flood irrigation. HYDRUS 1-D model was used to simulate water flow, salt transport and root water uptake processes in this area. Data from seventy soil profiles were acquired from the pedological reports obtained from the Ministry of Irrigation in Syria. Representative monthly evapotranspiration (ET 0 ) values in Deir Ez-Zor were taken from the FAO CLIMWAT database. The seventy soil profiles were grouped in fourteen zones distributed over the study area. For each zone, the monthly recharge and its salt concentration was estimated. The model was run for 24-month duration. The results showed increasing in soil salinity and, consequently, increasing in salts load transmitted into groundwater. Accordingly, mitigation measures have been suggested.

Description: Publication date: November 2016 Source: Energy Reports, Volume 2 Author(s): Fengbo Guo, Wanli Jia, Bin Hou, Yongfa Zhang Dry re-forming of methane has been carried out in a high temperature–pressure reactor at different pressures, using Hongce lignite semicokes catalyst. The results show that CH 4 and CO 2 conversions are decreased as the reaction pressure increased, but both of them kept basically stable when the reaction pressure is between 0.3 and 1 MPa. The comparison shows that the effects of the temperature and the flow of reactant gas on dry re-forming of methane are consistent with between high pressure and atmospheric pressure. The ratio of CO/H 2 decreased as the ratio of CH 4 /CO 2 increased, yet the value of CO/H 2 is always more than 1 at different pressures. Hongce lignite semicokes catalyst is characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM and BET, and the analysis results reveled that the physical specific adsorption peak of CO 2 at 2350 cm −1 is strengthened significantly at different pressures, the micropore area and volume of Hongce lignite semicokes reduced form 40.2 m 2  g −1 and 0.019 cm 3  g −1 to 34.9 m 2  g −1 and 0.017 cm 3  g −1 , respectively. Hongce lignite semicokes catalyst exhibited better activity and stability within 0.3–1 MPa range.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Brian J. McMillan, Christine Tibbe, Hyesung Jeon, Andrew A. Drabek, Thomas Klein, Stephen C. Blacklow The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) is a conserved protein complex that facilitates budding and fission of membranes. It executes a key step in many cellular events, including cytokinesis and multi-vesicular body formation. The ESCRT-III protein Shrub in flies, or its homologs in yeast (Snf7) or humans (CHMP4B), is a critical polymerizing component of ESCRT-III needed to effect membrane fission. We report the structural basis for polymerization of Shrub and define a minimal region required for filament formation. The X-ray structure of the Shrub core shows that individual monomers in the lattice interact in a staggered arrangement using complementary electrostatic surfaces. Mutations that disrupt interface salt bridges interfere with Shrub polymerization and function. Despite substantial sequence divergence and differences in packing interactions, the arrangement of Shrub subunits in the polymer resembles that of Snf7 and other family homologs, suggesting that this intermolecular packing mechanism is shared among ESCRT-III proteins. Graphical abstract Teaser The ESCRT complex facilitates budding and fission of cellular membranes. McMillan et al. report the X-ray structure of the fly ESCRT-III component Shrub. The packing of subunits in the structure, mirrored in the distant yeast homolog Snf7, suggests a general model for the subunit polymerization step required for membrane fission.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Emilie-Fleur Gautier, Sarah Ducamp, Marjorie Leduc, Virginie Salnot, François Guillonneau, Michael Dussiot, John Hale, Marie-Catherine Giarratana, Anna Raimbault, Luc Douay, Catherine Lacombe, Narla Mohandas, Frédérique Verdier, Yael Zermati, Patrick Mayeux Mass spectrometry-based proteomics now enables the absolute quantification of thousands of proteins in individual cell types. We used this technology to analyze the dynamic proteome changes occurring during human erythropoiesis. We quantified the absolute expression of 6,130 proteins during erythroid differentiation from late burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-Es) to orthochromatic erythroblasts. A modest correlation between mRNA and protein expression was observed. We identified several proteins with unexpected expression patterns in erythroid cells, highlighting a breakpoint in the erythroid differentiation process at the basophilic stage. We also quantified the distribution of proteins between reticulocytes and pyrenocytes after enucleation. These analyses identified proteins that are actively sorted either with the reticulocyte or the pyrenocyte. Our study provides the absolute quantification of protein expression during a complex cellular differentiation process in humans, and it establishes a framework for future studies of disordered erythropoiesis. Graphical abstract Teaser Gautier et al. use quantitative mass spectrometry to determine the absolute proteome composition of human erythroid progenitors throughout the differentiation process and the quantitative distribution of proteins between reticulocytes and pyrenocytes after enucleation.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Laura Grasso, Olga Suska, Lindsay Davidson, Thomas Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis, Ritchie Williamson, Lize Wasmus, Simone Wiedlich, Mark Peggie, Marios P. Stavridis, Victoria H. Cowling The mRNA cap recruits factors essential for transcript processing and translation initiation. We report that regulated mRNA cap methylation is a feature of embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation. Expression of the mRNA cap methyltransferase activating subunit RAM is elevated in ESCs, resulting in high levels of mRNA cap methylation and expression of a cohort of pluripotency-associated genes. During neural differentiation, RAM is suppressed, resulting in repression of pluripotency-associated factors and expression of a cohort of neural-associated genes. An established requirement of differentiation is increased ERK1/2 activity, which suppresses pluripotency-associated genes. During differentiation, ERK1/2 phosphorylates RAM serine-36, targeting it for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, ultimately resulting in changes in gene expression associated with loss of pluripotency. Elevated RAM expression also increases the efficiency of fibroblast reprogramming. Thus, the mRNA cap emerges as a dynamic mark that instructs change in gene expression profiles during differentiation and reprogramming. Graphical abstract Teaser The mRNA cap stabilizes transcripts and recruits processing and translation factors. Grasso et al. report that the mRNA cap methyltransferase RNMT-RAM is highly expressed in embryonic stem cells and is important for pluripotency-associated gene expression. Repression of RAM occurs during neural differentiation and is important for expression of neural-associated genes.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): David W. Hawman, Julie M. Fox, Alison W. Ashbrook, Nicholas A. May, Kristin M.S. Schroeder, Raul M. Torres, James E. Crowe, Terence S. Dermody, Michael S. Diamond, Thomas E. Morrison Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and related alphaviruses cause epidemics of acute and chronic musculoskeletal disease. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the failure of immune clearance of CHIKV, we studied mice infected with an attenuated CHIKV strain (181/25) and the pathogenic parental strain (AF15561), which differ by five amino acids. Whereas AF15561 infection of wild-type mice results in viral persistence in joint tissues, 181/25 is cleared. In contrast, 181/25 infection of μMT mice lacking mature B cells results in viral persistence in joint tissues, suggesting that virus-specific antibody is required for clearance of infection. Mapping studies demonstrated that a highly conserved glycine at position 82 in the A domain of the E2 glycoprotein impedes clearance and neutralization of multiple CHIKV strains. Remarkably, murine and human antibodies targeting E2 domain B failed to neutralize pathogenic CHIKV strains efficiently. Our data suggest that pathogenic CHIKV strains evade E2 domain-B-neutralizing antibodies to establish persistence. Graphical abstract Teaser Hawman et al. have found that a highly conserved glycine at E2-82 promotes CHIKV persistence in joints and impairs neutralization by antibodies targeting E2 domain B. Mutation of E2-82 to arginine allows viral clearance and enhances neutralization, providing a structural basis for how chronic CHIKV joint infection evades B-cell-mediated clearance.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Clémentine Bosch-Bouju, Thomas Larrieu, Louisa Linders, Olivier J. Manzoni, Sophie Layé Chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) is a clinically relevant model of mood disorders. The relationship between the CSDS model and a physiologically pertinent paradigm of synaptic plasticity is not known. Here, we found that cluster analysis of the emotional behavior states of mice exposed to CSDS allowed their segregation into anxious and non-anxious groups. Endocannabinoid-mediated spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) in the nucleus accumbens was attenuated in non-anxious mice and abolished in anxious mice. Anxiety-like behavior in stressed animals was specifically correlated with their ability to produce STDP. Pharmacological enhancement of 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) signaling in the nucleus accumbens normalized the anxious phenotype and STDP in anxious mice. These data reveal that endocannabinoid modulation of synaptic efficacy in response to a naturalistic activity pattern is both a molecular correlate of behavioral adaptability and a crucial factor in the adaptive response to chronic stress. Graphical abstract Teaser Bosch-Bouju et al. used cluster analysis to segregate mice into anxious and non-anxious populations following social defeat. Endocannabinoid spike-timing-dependent plasticity is abolished in anxious mice only. Enhancement of endocannabinoid signaling in the nucleus accumbens restores anxiety-like behaviors and synaptic plasticity. Endocannabinoid plasticity is thus a synaptic marker of anxiety following social defeat.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Devon M. Chenette, Adam B. Cadwallader, Tiffany L. Antwine, Lauren C. Larkin, Jinhua Wang, Bradley B. Olwin, Robert J. Schneider Following skeletal muscle injury, muscle stem cells (satellite cells) are activated, proliferate, and differentiate to form myofibers. We show that mRNA-decay protein AUF1 regulates satellite cell function through targeted degradation of specific mRNAs containing 3′ AU-rich elements (AREs). auf1 −/− mice undergo accelerated skeletal muscle wasting with age and impaired skeletal muscle repair following injury. Satellite cell mRNA analysis and regeneration studies demonstrate that auf1 −/− satellite cell self-renewal is impaired due to increased stability and overexpression of ARE-mRNAs, including cell-autonomous overexpression of matrix metalloprotease MMP9. Secreted MMP9 degrades the skeletal muscle matrix, preventing satellite-cell-mediated regeneration and return to quiescence. Blocking MMP9 activity in auf1 −/− mice restores skeletal muscle repair and maintenance of the satellite cell population. Control of ARE-mRNA decay by AUF1 represents a mechanism for adult stem cell regulation and is implicated in human skeletal muscle wasting diseases. Graphical abstract Teaser Chenette et al. demonstrate that the mRNA binding protein AUF1 regulates muscle stem (satellite) cell function and fate through targeted degradation of mRNAs that determine satellite cell fate. auf1 −/− mice undergo accelerated skeletal muscle wasting with aging and impaired muscle repair following injury, and AUF1 mutations are implicated in some forms of muscular dystrophy.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Yuki Sugaya, Maya Yamazaki, Motokazu Uchigashima, Kenta Kobayashi, Masahiko Watanabe, Kenji Sakimura, Masanobu Kano Endocannabinoid signaling is considered to suppress excessive excitability of neural circuits and to protect the brain from seizures. However, the precise mechanisms of this effect are poorly understood. Here, we report that 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), one of the two major endocannabinoids, is crucial for suppressing seizures. We found that kainate-induced seizures in mice lacking the 2-AG synthesizing enzyme, diacylglycerol lipase α, were much more severe compared with those in cannabinoid CB 1 receptor knockout mice and were comparable to those in mice lacking both CB 1 - and CB 2 -receptor-mediated signaling. In the dentate gyrus, 2-AG suppressed excitatory input around the inner and middle molecular layers through CB 1 and presumably CB 2 receptors, respectively. This 2-AG-mediated suppression contributed to decreased granule cell excitability and the dampening of seizures. Furthermore, lack of 2-AG signaling enhanced kindling epileptogenesis and spontaneous seizures after kainate-induced status epilepticus. These results highlight critical roles of 2-AG signaling in the suppression of epileptic seizures. Graphical abstract Teaser Endocannabinoid signaling suppresses epileptic seizures, but the precise mechanism of this action is undetermined. Sugaya et al. demonstrate that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol can suppress seizures and epileptogenesis by reducing excitatory synaptic inputs in the dentate gyrus through CB 1 and presumably CB 2 cannabinoid receptors.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Christian M. Simon, Anna M. Janas, Francesco Lotti, Juan Carlos Tapia, Livio Pellizzoni, George Z. Mentis In spinal muscular atrophy, a neurodegenerative disease caused by ubiquitous deficiency in the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, sensory-motor synaptic dysfunction and increased excitability precede motor neuron (MN) loss. Whether central synaptic dysfunction and MN hyperexcitability are cell-autonomous events or they contribute to MN death is unknown. We addressed these issues using a stem-cell-based model of the motor circuit consisting of MNs and both excitatory and inhibitory interneurons (INs) in which SMN protein levels are selectively depleted. We show that SMN deficiency induces selective MN death through cell-autonomous mechanisms, while hyperexcitability is a non-cell-autonomous response of MNs to defects in pre-motor INs, leading to loss of glutamatergic synapses and reduced excitation. Findings from our in vitro model suggest that dysfunction and loss of MNs result from differential effects of SMN deficiency in distinct neurons of the motor circuit and that hyperexcitability does not trigger MN death. Graphical abstract Teaser Ubiquitous SMN deficiency causes motor circuit dysfunction and increased excitability and death of MNs in spinal muscular atrophy. Simon et al. used a stem cell model of the motor circuit to show that MN degeneration is cell autonomous, while MN hyperexcitability is a non-autonomous homeostatic response to pre-synaptic dysfunction of excitatory interneurons.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Alison M. Kurimchak, Claude Shelton, Kelly E. Duncan, Katherine J. Johnson, Jennifer Brown, Shane O’Brien, Rashid Gabbasov, Lauren S. Fink, Yuesheng Li, Nicole Lounsbury, Magid Abou-Gharbia, Wayne E. Childers, Denise C. Connolly, Jonathan Chernoff, Jeffrey R. Peterson, James S. Duncan Small-molecule BET bromodomain inhibitors (BETis) are actively being pursued in clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of cancers, but the mechanisms of resistance to BETis remain poorly understood. Using a mass spectrometry approach that globally measures kinase signaling at the proteomic level, we evaluated the response of the kinome to targeted BETi treatment in a panel of BRD4-dependent ovarian carcinoma (OC) cell lines. Despite initial inhibitory effects of BETi, OC cells acquired resistance following sustained treatment with the BETi JQ1. Through application of multiplexed inhibitor beads (MIBs) and mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that BETi resistance is mediated by adaptive kinome reprogramming, where activation of compensatory pro-survival kinase networks overcomes BET protein inhibition. Furthermore, drug combinations blocking these kinases may prevent or delay the development of drug resistance and enhance the efficacy of BETi therapy. Graphical abstract Teaser BET inhibitors are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for a number of cancers, including ovarian cancer. Kurimchak et al. demonstrate that BET inhibitors may have limited success as single agents in ovarian cancer due to adaptive kinome reprogramming and will require combination therapies targeting kinases and BET bromodomain proteins

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Anna Schurich, Laura J. Pallett, Danyal Jajbhay, Jessica Wijngaarden, Itziar Otano, Upkar S. Gill, Navjyot Hansi, Patrick T. Kennedy, Eleni Nastouli, Richard Gilson, Christian Frezza, Sian M. Henson, Mala K. Maini T cells undergo profound metabolic changes to meet the increased energy demands of maintaining an antiviral response. We postulated that differences in metabolic reprogramming would shape the efficacy of CD8 T cells mounted against persistent viral infections. We found that the poorly functional PD-1 hi T cell response against hepatitis B virus (HBV) had upregulated the glucose transporter, Glut1, an effect recapitulated by oxygen deprivation to mimic the intrahepatic environment. Glut1 hi HBV-specific T cells were dependent on glucose supplies, unlike the more functional cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T cells that could utilize oxidative phosphorylation in the absence of glucose. The inability of HBV-specific T cells to switch to oxidative phosphorylation was accompanied by increased mitochondrial size and lower mitochondrial potential, indicative of mitochondrial dysfunction. Interleukin (IL)-12, which recovers HBV-specific T cell effector function, increased their mitochondrial potential and reduced their dependence on glycolysis. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial defects limit the metabolic plasticity of exhausted HBV-specific T cells. Graphical abstract Teaser T cells undergo extensive metabolic changes upon activation. Schurich et al. find that functional and exhausted human-virus-specific CD8 T cells have distinct metabolic phenotypes, shaping their effector capacity.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Yalin Liao, Alfredo Castello, Bernd Fischer, Stefan Leicht, Sophia Föehr, Christian K. Frese, Chikako Ragan, Sebastian Kurscheid, Eloisa Pagler, Hao Yang, Jeroen Krijgsveld, Matthias W. Hentze, Thomas Preiss RNA functions through the dynamic formation of complexes with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in all clades of life. We determined the RBP repertoire of beating cardiomyocytic HL-1 cells by jointly employing two in vivo proteomic methods, mRNA interactome capture and RBDmap. Together, these yielded 1,148 RBPs, 391 of which are shared with all other available mammalian RBP repertoires, while 393 are thus far unique to cardiomyocytes. RBDmap further identified 568 regions of RNA contact within 368 RBPs. The cardiomyocyte mRNA interactome composition reflects their unique biology. Proteins with roles in cardiovascular physiology or disease, mitochondrial function, and intermediary metabolism are all highly represented. Notably, we identified 73 metabolic enzymes as RBPs. RNA-enzyme contacts frequently involve Rossmann fold domains with examples in evidence of both, mutual exclusivity of, or compatibility between RNA binding and enzymatic function. Our findings raise the prospect of previously hidden RNA-mediated regulatory interactions among cardiomyocyte gene expression, physiology, and metabolism. Graphical abstract Teaser RNA functions through dynamic interactions with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in all clades of life. In this article, Liao et al. present the RBP repertoire of murine cardiomyocytes. Their findings reflect the unique cardiomyocyte biology and raise the prospect of previously hidden RNA-mediated regulatory interactions between gene expression, physiology, and metabolism.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Chih-Wei Chen, Ning Tsao, Lin-Yi Huang, Yun Yen, Xiyong Liu, Christine Lehman, Yuh-Hwa Wang, Mei-Chun Tseng, Yu-Ju Chen, Yi-Chi Ho, Chian-Feng Chen, Zee-Fen Chang The appropriate supply of dNTPs is critical for cell growth and genome integrity. Here, we investigated the interrelationship between dUTP pyrophosphatase (dUTPase) and ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) in the regulation of genome stability. Our results demonstrate that reducing the expression of dUTPase increases genome stress in cancer. Analysis of clinical samples reveals a significant correlation between the combination of low dUTPase and high R2, a subunit of RNR, and a poor prognosis in colorectal and breast cancer patients. Furthermore, overexpression of R2 in non-tumorigenic cells progressively increases genome stress, promoting transformation. These cells display alterations in replication fork progression, elevated genomic uracil, and breaks at AT-rich common fragile sites. Consistently, overexpression of dUTPase abolishes R2-induced genome instability. Thus, the expression level of dUTPase determines the role of high R2 in driving genome instability in cancer cells. Graphical abstract Teaser Chen et al. show that the expression of dUTPase determines whether elevation of the ribonucleotide reductase subunit R2 can lead to genome stress and chromosomal instability. Furthermore, the combination of low dUTPase and high R2 in clinical tumor samples predicts poor survival in patients with colorectal cancer or breast cancers.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Hermann Broder Schmidt, Rajat Rohatgi Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-less organelles, including nucleoli and stress granules, that behave like liquid droplets. Such endogenous condensates often have internal substructure, but how this is established in the absence of membrane encapsulation remains unclear. We find that the N- and C-terminal domains of TDP43, a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, are capable of driving the formation of sub-structured liquid droplets in vivo. These droplets contain dynamic internal “bubbles” of nucleoplasm, reminiscent of membrane-based multi-vesicular endosomes. A conserved sequence embedded within the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of TDP43 promotes the formation of these multi-phase assemblies. Disease-causing point mutations in the IDR can change the propensity to form bubbles, protein dynamics within the phase, or phase-environment exchange rates. Our results show that a single IDR-containing protein can nucleate the assembly of compartmentalized liquid droplets approximating the morphological complexity of membrane-bound organelles. Graphical abstract Teaser Membrane-less organelles generated through liquid-liquid phase separation play important roles in sub-cellular organization. Schmidt and Rohatgi find that an intrinsically disordered protein domain can nucleate the assembly of multi-phase liquid droplets with dynamic, vesicle-like internal vacuoles that approach the morphological complexity of membrane-bound structures like multi-vesicular bodies.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Vidhya R. Nair, Luis H. Franco, Vineetha M. Zacharia, Haaris S. Khan, Chelsea E. Stamm, Wu You, Denise K. Marciano, Hideo Yagita, Beth Levine, Michael U. Shiloh The prevailing paradigm is that tuberculosis infection is initiated when patrolling alveolar macrophages and dendritic cells within the terminal alveolus ingest inhaled Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). However, definitive data for this model are lacking. Among the epithelial cells of the upper airway, a specialized epithelial cell known as a microfold cell (M cell) overlies various components of mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue. Here, using multiple mouse models, we show that Mtb invades via M cells to initiate infection. Intranasal Mtb infection in mice lacking M cells either genetically or by antibody depletion resulted in reduced invasion and dissemination to draining lymph nodes. M cell-depleted mice infected via aerosol also had delayed dissemination to lymph nodes and reduced mortality. Translocation of Mtb across two M cell transwell models was rapid and transcellular. Thus, M cell translocation is a vital entry mechanism that contributes to the pathogenesis of Mtb. Graphical abstract Teaser Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an aerosol pathogen that can disseminate from the airways. Nair et al. report that airway M cells actively translocate M. tuberculosis to initiate infection. Depletion of M cells prevents M. tuberculosis dissemination from the mucosa and delays mortality in mice.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Mark D. Borromeo, Trisha K. Savage, Rahul K. Kollipara, Min He, Alexander Augustyn, Jihan K. Osborne, Luc Girard, John D. Minna, Adi F. Gazdar, Melanie H. Cobb, Jane E. Johnson Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is a high-grade pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor. The transcription factors ASCL1 and NEUROD1 play crucial roles in promoting malignant behavior and survival of human SCLC cell lines. Here, we find that ASCL1 and NEUROD1 identify heterogeneity in SCLC, bind distinct genomic loci, and regulate mostly distinct genes. ASCL1, but not NEUROD1, is present in mouse pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, and only ASCL1 is required in vivo for tumor formation in mouse models of SCLC. ASCL1 targets oncogenic genes including MYCL1 , RET , SOX2 , and NFIB while NEUROD1 targets MYC . ASCL1 and NEUROD1 regulate different genes that commonly contribute to neuronal function. ASCL1 also regulates multiple genes in the NOTCH pathway including DLL3 . Together, ASCL1 and NEUROD1 distinguish heterogeneity in SCLC with distinct genomic landscapes and distinct gene expression programs. Graphical abstract Teaser Borromeo et al. reveal heterogeneity in neuroendocrine lung cancers (SCLC) through the lineage-specific transcription factors ASCL1 and NEUROD1. These related factors regulate largely distinct gene programs and differentially regulate key oncogenes in SCLC. ASCL1, but not NEUROD1, is required for tumor formation in current mouse models of SCLC.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 July 2016 Source: Cell Reports Author(s): Fang Du, Abhishek V. Garg, Karis Kosar, Saikat Majumder, David G. Kugler, Gerard Hernandez Mir, Maria Maggio, Matthew Henkel, Adam Lacy-Hulbert, Mandy J. McGeachy Interleukin-23 (IL-23) is required for inflammatory Th17 cell function in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and IL-23 blockade reduces the number of effector Th17 cells in the CNS. We report that pro-inflammatory Th17 cells express high integrin β 3 that is IL-23 dependent. Integrin β 3 was not upregulated on all activated T cells; rather, integrin β 3 was upregulated along with its functional partner integrin α v on effector Th17 cells and “ex-Th17” cells, and α v β 3 hi RORγt + cells expanded during EAE. Integrin α v β 3 inhibitors ameliorated clinical signs of EAE, and integrin β 3 deficiency on CD4 + T cells alone was sufficient to block EAE induction. Furthermore, integrin-β 3 -deficient Th17 cells, but not Th1 cells, were impaired in their ability to induce EAE. Integrin β 3 −/− T cells induced smaller demyelinated lesions and showed reduced spread and accumulation within the CNS, corresponding with impaired extracellular-matrix-mediated migration. Hence, integrin β 3 is required for Th17 cell-mediated autoimmune CNS inflammation. Graphical abstract Teaser Du et al. demonstrate that pro-inflammatory Th17 cells express the receptor integrin αvβ3 on their surface. Using inhibitors and genetically deficient mice, they show that αvβ3 is required for Th17 cells to induce inflammation in the mouse model of multiple sclerosis by promoting migration in the CNS.