scholarly journals Algae-Assisted Microbial Desalination Cell: Analysis of Cathode Performance and Desalination Efficiency Assessment

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 2011
Author(s):  
David Ewusi-Mensah ◽  
Jingyu Huang ◽  
Laura Katherin Chaparro ◽  
Pau Rodenas ◽  
Marina Ramírez-Moreno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Chlorella Vulgaris ◽  
Coulombic Efficiency ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Residual Concentration ◽  
Microbial Desalination Cell

Algae-assisted microbial desalination cells represent a sustainable technology for low-energy fresh water production in which microalgae culture is integrated into the system to enhance oxygen reduction reaction in the cathode chamber. However, the water production (desalination rate) is low compared to conventional technologies (i.e., reverse osmosis and/or electrodialysis), as biocathodes provide low current generation to sustain the desalination process. In this sense, more research efforts on this topic are necessary to address this bottleneck. Thus, this study provides analysis, from the electrochemical point of view, on the cathode performance of an algae-assisted microbial desalination cell (MDC) using Chlorella vulgaris. Firstly, the system was run with a pure culture of Chlorella vulgaris suspension in the cathode under conditions of an abiotic anode to assess the cathodic behavior (i.e., cathode polarization curves in light-dark conditions and oxygen depletion). Secondly, Geobacter sulfurreducens was inoculated in the anode compartment of the MDC, and the desalination cycle was carried out. The results showed that microalgae could generate an average of 9–11.5 mg/L of dissolved oxygen during the light phase, providing enough dissolved oxygen to drive the migration of ions (i.e., desalination) in the MDC system. Moreover, during the dark phase, a residual concentration of oxygen (ca. 5.5–8 mg/L) was measured, indicating that oxygen was not wholly depleted under our experimental conditions. Interestingly, the oxygen concentration was restored (after complete depletion of dissolved oxygen by flushing with N2) as soon as microalgae were exposed to the light phase again. After a 31 h desalination cycle, the cell generated a current density of 0.12 mA/cm2 at an efficiency of 60.15%, 77.37% salt was removed at a nominal desalination rate of 0.63 L/m2/h, coulombic efficiency was 9%, and 0.11 kWh/m3 of electric power was generated. The microalgae-assisted biocathode has an advantage over the air diffusion and bubbling as it can self-sustain a steady and higher concentration of oxygen, cost-effectively regenerate or recover from loss and sustainably retain the system’s performance under naturally occurring conditions. Thus, our study provides insights into implementing the algae-assisted cathode for sustainable desalination using MDC technology and subsequent optimization.

scholarly journals Melatonin MT1 and MT2 Receptors Exhibit Distinct Effects in the Modulation of Body Temperature across the Light/Dark Cycle

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha López-Canul ◽  
Seung Hyun Min ◽  
Luca Posa ◽  
Danilo De Gregorio ◽  
Annalida Bedini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Receptor Antagonist ◽  
Partial Agonist ◽  
Receptor Subtypes ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Dark Cycle ◽  
Simultaneous Activation ◽  
Type 3 ◽  
G Protein Coupled

Melatonin (MLT) is a neurohormone that regulates many physiological functions including sleep, pain, thermoregulation, and circadian rhythms. MLT acts mainly through two G-protein-coupled receptors named MT1 and MT2, but also through an MLT type-3 receptor (MT3). However, the role of MLT receptor subtypes in thermoregulation is still unknown. We have thus investigated the effects of selective and non-selective MLT receptor agonists/antagonists on body temperature (Tb) in rats across the 12/12-h light–dark cycle. Rectal temperature was measured every 15 min from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., following subcutaneous injection of each compound at either 5:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. MLT (40 mg/kg) had no effect when injected at 5 a.m., whereas it decreased Tb during the light phase only when injected at 5:00 p.m. This effect was blocked by the selective MT2 receptor antagonist 4P-PDOT and the non-selective MT1/MT2 receptor antagonist, luzindole, but not by the α1/MT3 receptors antagonist prazosin. However, unlike MLT, neither the selective MT1 receptor partial agonist UCM871 (14 mg/kg) nor the selective MT2 partial agonist UCM924 (40 mg/kg) altered Tb during the light phase. In contrast, UCM871 injected at 5:00 p.m. increased Tb at the beginning of the dark phase, whereas UCM924 injected at 5:00 a.m. decreased Tb at the end of the dark phase. These effects were blocked by luzindole and 4P-PDOT, respectively. The MT3 receptor agonist GR135531 (10 mg/kg) did not affect Tb. These data suggest that the simultaneous activation of both MT1 and MT2 receptors is necessary to regulate Tb during the light phase, whereas in a complex but yet unknown manner, they regulate Tb differently during the dark phase. Overall, MT1 and MT2 receptors display complementary but also distinct roles in modulating circadian fluctuations of Tb.

Locomotor activity responses in juvenile sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, to melatonin and serotonin

1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1425-1427 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Nerka ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Selective Activity

Intraperitoneal injections administered for 3 consecutive days to juvenile sockeye salmon resulted in selective activity responses to either the light or the dark phase of the photoperiodic cycle. Serotonin increased locomotor activity only during the dark phase, while melatonin decreased locomotor activity only during the light phase.

scholarly journals Aging Alters Daily and Regional Calretinin Neuronal Expression in the Rat Non-image Forming Visual Thalamus

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe P. Fiuza ◽  
José Pablo G. Queiroz ◽  
Antônio Carlos Q. Aquino ◽  
Diego A. Câmara ◽  
Luiz Eduardo M. Brandão ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Brain Dysfunction ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Dark Light ◽  
Visual Thalamus ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Spatial Domains ◽  
Subcortical Regions ◽  
Daily Changes

Aging affects the overall physiology, including the image-forming and non-image forming visual systems. Among the components of the latter, the thalamic retinorecipient inter-geniculate leaflet (IGL) and ventral lateral geniculate (vLGN) nucleus conveys light information to subcortical regions, adjusting visuomotor, and circadian functions. It is noteworthy that several visual related cells, such as neuronal subpopulations in the IGL and vLGN are neurochemically characterized by the presence of calcium binding proteins. Calretinin (CR), a representative of such proteins, denotes region-specificity in a temporal manner by variable day–night expression. In parallel, age-related brain dysfunction and neurodegeneration are associated with abnormal intracellular concentrations of calcium. Here, we investigated whether daily changes in the number of CR neurons are a feature of the aged IGL and vLGN in rats. To this end, we perfused rats, ranging from 3 to 24 months of age, within distinct phases of the day, namely zeitgeber times (ZTs). Then, we evaluated CR immunolabeling through design-based stereological cell estimation. We observed distinct daily rhythms of CR expression in the IGL and in both the retinorecipient (vLGNe) and non-retinorecipient (vLGNi) portions of the vLGN. In the ZT 6, the middle of the light phase, the CR cells are reduced with aging in the IGL and vLGNe. In the ZT 12, the transition between light to dark, an age-related CR loss was found in all nuclei. While CR expression predominates in specific spatial domains of vLGN, age-related changes appear not to be restricted at particular portions. No alterations were found in the dark/light transition or in the middle of the dark phase, ZTs 0, and 18, respectively. These results are relevant in the understanding of how aging shifts the phenotype of visual related cells at topographically organized channels of visuomotor and circadian processing.

Adrenal corticoids in hamsters: role in circadian timing

1985 ◽  
Vol 248 (4) ◽  
pp. R434-R438 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Albers ◽  
L. Yogev ◽  
R. B. Todd ◽  
B. D. Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Wheel Running ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Cortisol Secretion ◽  
Experimental Protocol ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Dark Cycle ◽  
Physiological Control ◽  
Circadian Organization

The 24-h patterns of circulating cortisol and corticosterone were determined in male hamsters housed under a 14:10 light-dark cycle. Corticoid levels varied significantly over the 24-h sampling period with peak levels of both hormones occurring near the onset of the daily dark phase. The ratio of cortisol to corticosterone changed dramatically during the day. Corticosterone levels were significantly higher than cortisol during the early part of the light phase; however, cortisol levels became significantly higher than corticosterone when both hormones began their daily rise. To examine whether the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion could be involved in the physiological control of hamster circadian organization, cortisol was infused at approximately physiological levels into adrenalectomized hamsters either continuously or in a 24-h rhythm. No significant differences were observed in the timing of circadian wheel-running rhythms in hamsters housed in LD 16:8, LD 14:10, or LL when cortisol was infused continuously, in a 24-h rhythm that mimicked the cortisol rhythm of intact hamsters, or in a 24-h rhythm several hours out of phase with the rhythm of intact hamsters. Provision of cortisol in a 24-h rhythm appeared to promote the survival of adrenalectomized hamsters since hamsters receiving a 24-h pattern of cortisol survived the experimental protocol significantly longer than those receiving the same dose of cortisol continuously.

scholarly journals Anoxic-biocathode microbial desalination cell as a new approach for wastewater remediation and clean water production

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 550-563
Author(s):  
Simone Perazzoli ◽  
José Pedro de Santana Neto ◽  
Hugo M. Soares
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Abundance ◽  
Microbiological Analysis ◽  
Anode Chamber ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Wastewater Remediation ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Microbial Desalination Cell ◽  
Conversion Efficiencies

Abstract Bioelectrochemical systems are emerging as a promising and friendly alternative to convert the energy stored in wastewater directly into electricity by microorganisms and utilize it in situ to drive desalination. To better understand such processes, we propose the development of an anoxic biocathode microbial desalination Cell for the conversion of carbon- and nitrogen-rich wastewaters into bioenergy and to perform salt removal. Our results demonstrate a power output of 0.425 W m−3 with desalination, organic matter removal and nitrate conversion efficiencies of 43.69, 99.85 and 92.11% respectively. Microbiological analysis revealed Proteobacteria as the dominant phylum in the anode (88.45%) and biocathode (97.13%). While a relatively higher bacterial abundance was developed in the anode chamber, the biocathode showed a greater variety of microorganisms, with a predominance of Paracoccus (73.2%), which are related to the denitrification process. These findings are promising and provide new opportunities for the development and application of this technology in the field of wastewater treatment to produce cleaner water and conserve natural resources.

Diurnal potassium excretory cycles in the rat

1986 ◽  
Vol 250 (5) ◽  
pp. F930-F941 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Rabinowitz ◽  
C. J. Wydner ◽  
K. M. Smith ◽  
H. Yamauchi
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Fluid ◽  
Potassium Content ◽  
Extracellular Potassium ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Adrenal Steroids ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
High Potassium ◽  
Potassium Intake ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Adrenalectomized Rats

Diurnal potassium cycles (DPC) were measured in unanesthetized undisturbed rats fed a liquid diet and maintained in a 12-h light-dark environment. A fourfold step increase in diet potassium content increased DPC amplitude without altering phase. After presentation of the high-potassium diet, the initial adaptive increase in excretion occurred within 1.5 h (diet given during dark phase) and within 6 h (diet given during light phase). On a day when food was withheld (no potassium intake), DPC were present but with a lowered amplitude. The amount of potassium excreted on a fasting day exceeded gut and extracellular fluid potassium content and was only modestly increased when rats were previously fed a high-potassium diet. In adrenalectomized rats that received no steroid replacement or received constant infusions of low levels of aldosterone, dexamethasone, or aldosterone plus dexamethasone, potassium balance and DPC were normal. It is concluded that the amplitude of DPC in the rat is determined in part by the availability of potassium from both intracellular and extracellular potassium pools; mechanisms independent of potassium intake can generate the DPC; and the presence or the cyclic secretion of adrenal steroids is not necessary for the generation of DPC in the rat.

scholarly journals Time matters: pathological effects of repeated psychosocial stress during the active, but not inactive, phase of male mice

2012 ◽  
Vol 215 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela S Bartlang ◽  
Inga D Neumann ◽  
David A Slattery ◽  
Nicole Uschold-Schmidt ◽  
Dominik Kraus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Preference ◽  
Active Phase ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Immunological Parameters ◽  
Repeated Restraint Stress ◽  
Inactive Phase ◽  
Home Cage Activity

Recent findings in rats indicated that the physiological consequences of repeated restraint stress are dependent on the time of day of stressor exposure. To investigate whether this is also true for clinically more relevant psychosocial stressors and whether repeated stressor exposure during the light phase or dark phase is more detrimental for an organism, we exposed male C57BL/6 mice to social defeat (SD) across 19 days either in the light phase between Zeitgeber time (ZT)1 and ZT3 (SDL mice) or in the dark phase between ZT13 and ZT15 (SDD mice). While SDL mice showed a prolonged increase in adrenal weight and an attenuated adrenal responsiveness to ACTHin vitroafter stressor termination, SDD mice showed reduced dark phase home-cage activity on observation days 7, 14, and 20, flattening of the diurnal corticosterone rhythm, lack of social preference, and higherin vitroIFNγ secretion from mesenteric lymph node cells on day 20/21. Furthermore, the colitis-aggravating effect of SD was more pronounced in SDD than SDL mice following dextran sulfate sodium treatment. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrate that repeated SD effects on behavior, physiology, and immunology strongly depend on the time of day of stressor exposure. Whereas physiological parameters were more affected by SD during the light/inactive phase of mice, behavioral and immunological parameters were more affected by SD during the dark phase. Our results imply that repeated daily SD exposure has a more negative outcome when applied during the dark/active phase. By contrast, the minor physiological changes seen in SDL mice might represent beneficial adaptations preventing the formation of those maladaptive consequences.

Amiloride effect on diurnal cyclic Na and K excretion in rats

1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (2) ◽  
pp. R510-R517 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. Dalton ◽  
L. Rabinowitz
Keyword(s):  
Dark Phase ◽  
Transport Mechanisms ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Diurnal Cycles ◽  
High K ◽  
K Secretion

Amiloride was administered to rats during the peak and minimum of Na and K diurnal rhythmic excretion (i.e., during early dark phase and early light phase). In rats receiving a normal-K diet (2.34 meq/day) amiloride decreased K excretion from 186 to 37 mueq/h (dark phase) and from 31 to 4 mueq/h (light phase). Amiloride increased Na excretion from 91 to 344 mueq/h (dark phase) and from 35 to 164 mueq/h (light phase). Rats receiving a high-K diet (10.4 meq/day) showed a higher diurnal peak and minimum for K excretion. During high-K intake, amiloride decreased K excretion from 787 to 191 mueq/h (dark phase) and from 197 to 40 mueq/h (light phase) and increased Na excretion from 237 to 891 mueq/h (dark phase) and from 31 to 222 mueq/h (light phase). Whenever given, amiloride reduced K excretion to approximately 20% of control excretion. It is concluded that rhythmic changes in amiloride-sensitive distal transport are largely, but not entirely, responsible for the diurnal K cycle, but do not cause the concurrent Na cycle. Thus the diurnal cycles in Na and K are expressed through changes in different transport mechanisms. In rats maintained on a high-K diet there is an increase in rhythmic K secretion and Na reabsorption by amiloride-sensitive transport. To maintain Na excretion unchanged, Na reabsorption must be correspondingly depressed at an amiloride-insensitive site.

Shivering and digestion-related thermogenesis in pigeons during dark phase

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (6) ◽  
pp. R1579-R1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Rashotte ◽  
Seppo Saarela ◽  
Ross P. Henderson ◽  
Esa Hohtola
Keyword(s):  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Restricted Feeding ◽  
Light Phase ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Food Load ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
Maintain Body Temperature ◽  
Shivering Thermogenesis

The pigeon's main source of regulated heat production, shivering, is especially likely to be used for thermoregulation during the dark phase of the day when there is little heat from locomotor activity. However, food stored in the pigeon's crop is digested during the night, and digestion-related thermogenesis (DRT) will provide heat that should decrease the need for shivering to maintain body temperature (Tb). We investigated the conditions under which DRT alters the occurrence of nocturnal shivering thermogenesis in pigeons. In fasting experiments, in which DRT was minimal, variations in pectoral shivering were closely related to the kinetics of nocturnal Tb when the ambient temperature (Ta) was moderate (21°C). In that case, shivering was low while Tb fell at the beginning of the night, moderate during the nocturnal plateau in Tb, and strong during the prelight increase in Tb. Similar kinetics of nocturnal Tb occurred when Ta = 28°C, but shivering was negligible throughout the dark phase. In restricted feeding experiments, nocturnal DRT was varied by providing different amounts of food late in the light phase. When Ta = 21°C, 11°C, and 1°C, nocturnal Tb and O2 consumption were directly related to the amount of food ingested. However, nocturnal shivering tended to decrease as the food load increased and was significantly reduced at the higher loads. Because nocturnal shivering did not become more efficient in producing heat as the size of the food load increased, we conclude that nocturnal DRT decreased the need for shivering thermogenesis.

scholarly journals Metmyoglobin Oxidation during Electron Transport Reactions in Mitochondria

1965 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Kaplan-Bresler
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Peroxide ◽  
Electron Transport ◽  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Heart Muscle ◽  
Absorption Peak ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Simultaneous Oxidation

Studies of the intracellular role of myoglobin were carried out by recording spectrophotometric changes in acid metmyoglobin and oxymyoglobin during electron transport reactions with mitochondria prepared from pigeon heart muscle by the method of Chance and Hagihara. The absorption peak of metmyoglobin at 409 mµ disappeared when substrate was added to normal or antimycin-inhibited preparations, and was replaced by a new maximum at 423 to 424 mµ, identified as due to the oxidation to ferrylmyoglobin. Further investigation revealed that the oxidation of metmyoglobin took place with the simultaneous oxidation of reduced flavoprotein. Hydrogen peroxide, formed by the reaction of reduced flavoprotein with oxygen, was considered to be the probable intermediate for the oxidation of metmyoglobin in experiments in which catalase was added as a competitor for the oxidant. When DPNH was added to the reaction mixture, the reductant acted to resynthesize the ferri-derivative by reaction with ferrylmyoglobin. Oxymyoglobin could not be used in place of metmyoglobin in these systems. Under the experimental conditions, oxymyoglobin dissociated when dissolved oxygen was depleted from the medium by enzyme oxidations; the resultant ferromyoglobin underwent oxidation to metmyoglobin.

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