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PubMed2004

The effect of intermittent feeding on aerobic granule structure.

Self-immobilized biofilms, or aerobic granules without the addition of carrier material, have only been reported in one suspended growth system, the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) with a very short fill time (dump fill). The SBR utilizes intermittent feeding which creates a period of high load followed by starvation (often referred to as feast-famine). In this experiment, three identical SBRs were operated with different feeding conditions to determine the role of feast-famine on granule formation. All three SBRs were operated with a total volumetric load of 2.4 kg/m3 x d. The 90 minute Fill phase was altered for each reactor, providing an increasing time of Aerated Fill. A dump fill condition was applied for one reactor, while the other two reactors were aerated for different times during Fill, resulting in a smaller COD load at the beginning of each React phase. Aerobic granules formed in all reactors, but the structural properties and content of filamentous organisms were clearly dependent on a high feast condition. Only the reactor with dump fill formed compact, stable granules. It is concluded that intermittent feeding associated with the SBR affects the selection and growth of filamentous organisms and has a critical role in granule structure and composition.

Bacteria, Aerobic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition and health needs in drought-stricken Africa.

Many of the conditions no doubt have already improved in those areas where international relief efforts are under way. The comments made here are based on observations by my colleagues and myself during the emergency phase of the famine and refugee crises and perhaps should be considered more as lessons learned that are better applied to newly emerging situations than to those relief efforts already in progress. In summary, the highest priority emergency health requirements identified during the current crisis have been, in my opinion, the provision of food and supplementary and therapeutic feeding, measles immunization, vitamin A prophylaxis, and oral rehydration therapy, plus the two management issues--rapid needs assessment with continued monitoring and adequate allocation of resources to prevention and control activities. One final note--from discussions with colleagues who were involved in the 1973-74 drought and famine in Africa, this crisis appears to be a repeat. A comprehensive, long-term approach would be beneficial so that these emergency responses are no longer necessary.

Africa↗
PubMed1994

Body mass index and lactation performance.

Data from the world literature have been analysed in order to test whether low body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) is a useful indicator of functional impairment of lactation performance. Forty-one databases containing 1726 measurements have been identified as having reliable estimates of breast-milk quantity and/or quality. There is no detectable relationship between maternal BMI and the volume of milk produced by mothers when analysed according to the mean BMI of different populations, or of different subgroups stratified by BMI within populations. This conclusion holds even at BMIs < 18.5. The most remarkable feature of the data is the very high milk volumes produced by very thin mothers. It is accepted that the composition of breast milk is relatively unaffected by general undernutrition of the type that would be indicated by a low BMI with the possible exception of milk fat levels and hence the energy content. Analysis of the available data reveals studies in which there are weak, but significant, correlations between maternal BMI and milk fat. However, other studies show no association or even a negative relationship. Inter-country analysis fails to reveal any detectable association between BMI and milk energy. Milk energy levels seem adequate even at BMIs < 18.5. It is concluded that human lactation performance is extremely robust and that BMI does not provide a useful indicator of function at the levels studied so far. Lactation performance must become compromised when undernutrition is sufficiently severe, but it appears that this must occur only in famine or near famine conditions.

Body Mass Index↗
PubMed1993

[Nutrition on the world map. The UN International Conference on Nutrition].

The first International Conference on Nutrition ever organized by the United Nations took place in Rome in December 1992. The conference was attended by representatives of 159 countries and of various non-governmental organizations and the food industry. Preparations for the conference included preparation of a number of background documents, including an analysis of the nutritional situation in the different countries (country papers), twelve in-depth studies, eight theme papers and an assessment of the global nutrition situation. This article describes the process leading up to the conference, some of the problems and conflicts that appeared, controversial issues that were discussed and the final outcome of the conference (The world declaration and Plan of action for nutrition). The countries that participated in the conference pledged to make every effort to eliminate, before the end on this decade, famine and famine-related deaths, starvation and nutritional deficiencies related to natural and man-made disasters, and deficiencies of iodine and vitamin A.

Global Health↗
PubMed1994

Religious differentials in postfamine marriage patterns, Northern Ireland, 1840-1915. I. Demographic and isonymy analysis.

During the Irish famine of 1846-1851 there were an estimated 1.0 million excess deaths, the migration of 1.3 million persons, and 300,000 averted births. To assess the influence of population changes at the local level in Ulster, decennial census records were analyzed for the Barony of Upper Ards, County Down, from 1841 to 1911. Data on marriages contracted in the four Roman Catholic, five Presbyterian, and eight Episcopalian congregations also were abstracted from civil parish registers for the period 1840-1915 and were used to calculate levels of random and nonrandom inbreeding through time by isonymy analysis. In the prefamine census of 1841 the total population of the Upper Ards was 16,964. From 1841 to 1911 population numbers decreased by 44.5%, with a consistent surplus of females in all parishes throughout the study period. Both population density and the number of persons per dwelling declined at equivalent rates, resulting in increasingly dispersed patterns of settlement. There was a marked overall increase in nonrandom inbreeding (Fn) in the immediate postfamine period, which was sustained throughout the nineteenth century before declining during 1900-1915. However, significant heterogeneity was observed in the Fn values calculated, both between and within each of the three main religious denominations, indicating differential local responses to marriage partner choice in the postfamine years. The observed changes are not compatible with a simple model of reduction in mate availability under conditions of population decline. Instead, they can most convincingly be explained in terms of a specific population response to the subsistence crisis initiated by the famine.

Consanguinity↗
PubMed1998

Mental illness and Irish people: stereotypes, determinants and changing perspectives.

The causes of psychological illness in Irish people have been identified with colonial rule and the catastrophic conditions deriving from famine in the nineteenth century. In particular, the scourge of unremitting emigration, resulting from famine, has formed a background against which speculative theories of inferiority, alienation and mental illness have been constructed. In particular, the long standing idea that Irish people exhibit higher rates of schizophrenia, both in Ireland and abroad, is discussed. Contemporary studies which suggest that these elevated rates do not correspond to international diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia are introduced. Rather, these enhanced rates may reflect a malaise which resembles schizophrenia but which is really a product of historical dispossession. The importance of these factors is underscored by the previous neglect of Irish people, considered as an ethnic minority, as well as the particular distaste which many Irish people display towards such a notion.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1993

Factors responsible for childhood mortality variation in rural Ethiopia.

This paper uses the 1981 National Rural Demographic Survey to document childhood mortality variations in rural areas of Ethiopia. Four significant findings are highlighted. (1) Health status of parents is identified as an important determinant of childhood mortality. (2) Religion, region of residence and ethnicity interact in their effects on childhood mortality and the effect of ethnicity varies in different regions for the same religion; in some areas ethnicity may serve as a proxy for economic and cultural differences. (3) Childhood mortality is inversely related to literacy status of parents, which may also reflect socioeconomic status. (4) The data show a clear difference in childhood mortality between the famine-prone areas and the rest.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Debilitation's aftermath: stochastic process models of mortality.

A stochastic differential equation model is developed to clarify the interaction of debilitation, recuperation, selection, and aging. The model yields various insights about the lingering mortality consequences of disasters such as wars, famines, and epidemics that may weaken the survivors. A key result is that debilitation and selection are interdependent: debilitation that increases population heterogeneity will result in subsequent selection; selection, by altering the distribution of population heterogeneity, will influence the impact of debilitating events.

Aging↗
PubMed1990

Pattern of diarrhoeal deaths during 1966-1987 in a demographic surveillance area in rural Bangladesh.

Death pattern was analysed in relation to age, sex, seasonality and yearly variation during 1966-1987 in Matlab upazila of Chandpur district, Bangladesh. The overall death rate due to diarrhoeal diseases and other causes fluctuated during the period. Diarrhoeal death rate varied between 2.0 and 4.0 per 1,000 population except during the war and famine periods of 1971 and 1974-1975 respectively when it was two times higher over the preceding period of five years' average. On an average, more than 20% of all deaths appeared to be related to diarrhoea. The relative importance of diarrhoea as the cause of death did not diminish over time. Persistent diarrhoea caused more deaths than acute diarrhoea. At all times the highest diarrhoeal mortality rate was shown in children aged 1-4 years, specially in girls. Women aged under 20 years had a higher rate of diarrhoeal deaths than the men of similar age. November was the peak month of diarrhoeal deaths in this rural area. Introduction of the Maternity, Child Health-Family Planning (MCH-FP) services had significant impact of reducing diarrhoeal deaths as well as deaths from other causes.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1984

The longest illness. Effects of nuclear war in children.

The destruction of civilization that would follow a nuclear war would render any disaster ever recorded insignificant. Millions of people would perish during the first few hours, and many more would die in the months to come. Survival would exist only in the strictest sense of the word, since societal disorganization, famine, drought, darkness, and nuclear winter would envelope the earth. The comparative frailty of children and their dependence on adults would render them most susceptible to the acute effects of a nuclear holocaust. Furthermore, studies of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan bombings showed a disproportionate propensity for children to experience leukemias and other cancers years after the bombings. There were also great increases in perinatal deaths and cases of microcephaly and retardation in children exposed in utero to the bombs. In the event that there are future generations after a nuclear war, the issue of heritable genetic effects will become important. Suggestions of permanent genetic damage are emerging from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki studies. By comparison, the genetic effects of modern weaponry will be incalculable.

Blast Injuries↗
PubMed2000

Stoichiometry and kinetics of poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate metabolism under denitrifying conditions in activated sludge cultures.

The objective of this research was to obtain a more detailed insight in the kinetics and stoichiometry of poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) metabolism in activated sludge cultures. The process of storage and degradation of PHB under denitrifying conditions was studied. Dynamic conditions as occurring in activated sludge processes were simulated in a 2L sequencing batch reactor (SBR) by subjecting a mixed sludge population at a sludge retention time (SRT) of about 6 days to successive periods of external substrate availability (feast period) and no external substrate availability (famine period). Under these conditions intracellular storage and degradation of PHB occurs. It was shown that the process of storage and degradation of PHB is the same under anoxic and aerobic conditions. About 70% of the amount of acetate consumed in the feast period is used for synthesis of PHB, and the remainder is used for growth processes. The anoxic specific acetate uptake rate was 3-4 times lower than aerobically. The PHB metabolism was evaluated on the basis of a metabolic model. In a traditional macroscopic model, 10 parameters would be needed to describe the process. By relating these parameters to metabolic coefficients, only 2 parameters were needed in the description. Degradation of PHB could be described by a power law equation in PHB concentration. The order n in these experiments equaled 0.59, close to a value previously reported for PHB degradation by bio-P-cultures. However, PHB degradation by bio-P-cultures occurs at a much higher rate. Storage of PHB in the feast period can increase the required COD/N ratio for denitrification by 70% compared to a situation without storage.

Acetates↗
PubMed1993

The economics of food production.

Although world average food production per person is increasing there are many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where production has fallen in recent decades. The economic analysis of the world food problem concerns the dynamics of production, income, growth, demand and trade. The 'law of diminishing returns' suggests that labour incomes fall as population density increases. Capital investment and technological change, particularly with a land-saving bias, can overcome this effect. Such land-saving innovations are less appropriate where population densities are lower, as in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Innovations which reduce risk, such as stress- and disease-resistant crop varieties, may be more attractive to farmers. Communal or government action is required to ensure sustainability of food production; to reduce risk, through price stabilization, possibly crop insurance and contingency plans for famine relief; to promote equity and to ensure competitive market conditions. Public funding of agricultural research is necessary to promote growth in food supplies. If increases in supply do not keep pace with growth in demand, food prices rise, attracting resources into food production. If supply grows faster, food prices and farm incomes fall, driving resources out of agriculture. Resources may not move fast enough to correct imbalances. Primary producers are likely to face deteriorating terms of trade. Linkages between food production and other sectors are weak, so primary exports are not a good basis for economic development. Import substitution strategies may damage agriculture. Structural adjustment regimes have been adopted in some countries to correct imbalances and provide an incentive for farmers to increase production. Associated reductions in public expenditure may have a contrary impact.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1976

The Caribou Eskimo: general and specific disease.

Reported here are two forms of skeletal pathology identified in an inclusive sample of Caribou Eskimo skeletons. Harris Lines, nonspecific indicators of stress, show marked periodicity in approximately one-half of the observable adults. This pattern is interpreted as the result of a recurrent, annual stress cycle, perhaps attributable to late winter famine. A second form of pathological change comprises resorptive lesions primarily localized in the spinal column and infrequently found on articular surfaces of the appendicular skeleton. Differential diagnosis is developed utilizing attributes of lesion form, lesion distribution, and epidemiology. Emphasis is placed upon deriving objective models which reflect disease in the absence of modern medical intervention. Major forms of pathology known to produce vertebral lesions are included. The model which best fits the Caribou Eskimo data is that of tuberculosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Diabetes mellitus in the Pima Indians: genetic and evolutionary considerations.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is a common disease in the Pima Indians. It is familial and strongly related to obesity. Neel (1962) suggested that the introduction of a steady food supply to people who have evolved a "thrifty genotype" leads to obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Our findings in the Pimas of differences in insulin sensitivity in different metabolic pathways suggest that the thrifty genotype involves the ability of insulin to maintain fat stores despite resistance to glucose disposal. The recent increase in diabetes incidence following the availability of an abundant food supply suggests that the ability to store energy efficiently during cycles of feast and famine may now lead to obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Bioengineering nitrogen acquisition in rice: can novel initiatives in rice genomics and physiology contribute to global food security?

Rice is the most important crop species on earth, providing staple food for 70% of the world's human population. Over the past four decades, successes in classical breeding, fertilization, pest control, irrigation and expansion of arable land have massively increased global rice production, enabling crop scientists and farmers to stave off anticipated famines. If current projections for human population growth are correct, however, present rice yields will be insufficient within a few years. Rice yields will have to increase by an estimated 60% in the next 30 years, or global food security will be in danger. The classical methods of previous green revolutions alone will probably not be able to meet this challenge, without being coupled to recombinant DNA technology. Here, we focus on the promise of these modern technologies in the area of nitrogen acquisition in rice, recognizing that nitrogen deficiency compromises the realization of rice yield potential in the field more than any other single factor. We summarize rice-specific advances in four key areas of research: (1). nitrogen fixation, (2). primary nitrogen acquisition, (3). manipulations of internal nitrogen metabolism, and (4). interactions between nitrogen and photosynthesis. We develop a model for future plant breeding possibilities, pointing out the importance of coming to terms with the complex interactions among the physiological components under manipulation, in the context of ensuring proper targeting of intellectual and financial resources in this crucial area of research.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2004

Biodegradable polymers from organic acids by using activated sludge enriched by aerobic periodic feeding.

This article describes a new process for the production of biopolymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHAs) based on the aerobic enrichment of activated sludge to obtain mixed cultures able to store PHAs at high rates and yields. Enrichment was obtained through the selective pressure established by feeding the carbon source in a periodic mode (feast and famine regime) in a sequencing batch reactor. A concentrated mixture of acetic, lactic, and propionic acids (overall concentration of 8.5 gCOD L(-1)) was fed every 2 h at 1 day(-1) overall dilution rate. Even at such high organic load (8.5 gCOD L(-1) day(-1)), the selective pressure due to periodic feeding was effective in obtaining a biomass with a storage ability much higher than activated sludges. The immediate biomass response to substrate excess (as determined thorough short-term batch tests) was characterized by a storage rate and yield of 649 mgPHA (as COD) g biomass (as COD)(-1) h(-1) and 0.45 mgPHA (as COD) mg removed substrates (as COD(-1)), respectively. When the substrate excess was present for more than 2 h (long-term batch tests), the storage rate and yield decreased, whereas growth rate and yield significantly increased due to biomass adaptation. A maximum polymer fraction in the biomass was therefore obtained at about 50% (on COD basis). As for the PHA composition, the copolymer poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate/beta-hydroxyvalerate) with 31% of hydroxyvalerate monomer was produced from the substrate mixture. Comparison of the tests with individual and mixed substrates seemed to indicate that, on removing the substrate mixture for copolymer production, propionic acid was fully utilized to produce propionylCoA, whereas the acetylCoA was fully provided by acetic and lactic acid.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed2005

Mathematical modelling of a mixed culture cultivation process for the production of polyhydroxybutyrate.

Mixed cultures submitted to acetate "feast" and "famine" cycles are able to store intracellularly high quantities of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). It was demonstrated in a previous study that the intracellular PHB content can be increased up to 78.5% (g HB/gVSS) of cell dry weight in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with optimised operating conditions. The specific PHB formation rate was also shown to be higher for mixed cultures than for pure cultures. Such high intracellular PHB contents and specific productivity open new perspectives for the industrial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) using mixed cultures instead of pure cultures. The main goal in this work was to develop a mathematical model of mixed cultures envisaging the optimisation of PHB production. A relatively simple two-compartments cell model was developed based on experimental observations and other models proposed in the literature. A convenient experimental planing allowed to identify the kinetic parameters and yield coefficients. Experiments were performed with and without ammonia limitation enabling the analysis of PHB formation independently of the cell growth process. The experimental true yields partially confirm the theoretical values proposed in the literature. The final model exhibited high accuracy in describing the process state of most experiments performed, thus opening good perspectives for future model-based optimisation studies.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2005

Cell cycle synchronization of Cupriavidus necator by continuous phasing measured via flow cytometry.

The continuous phasing technique was successfully used to obtain a high degree of cell cycle synchrony in cultures of the model organism Ralstonia eutropha JMP 134 (today reclassified into Cupriavidus necator). The responses of the organism were evaluated with flow cytometric determinations of DNA contents and cell size (by fluorescence and forward scatter measurements, respectively, after staining with the DNA-binding dye 4',6-diamidino-2'-phenylindole, DAPI), and cell concentration, after staining with the nucleic acid binding dye LDS-751. The strain was cultivated on a mineral medium with pyruvic acid sodium salt as the limiting carbon and energy source. Famine conditions, and thus cell dormancy, were achieved in every cycle. The best synchronization, according to the determination of DNA contents, was induced with phasing cycle durations of at least 4 h. The method allows the induction of synchrony for an indefinite period if the medium is exchanged rapidly and precisely. The results show that the time required for a complete cell cycle of Cupriavidus necator JMP 134 is independent of the chosen phasing cycle duration, provided that each process cycle lasts at least 3 h which is much longer than the time needed for a single DNA replication cycle. With shorter cycling periods DNA-synthesis is carried out in an uncoupled manner and only weak cell cycle synchrony can be attained. The results also show that DNA-synthesis can only be undertaken by cells when they have exceeded a critical size.

Bioreactors↗