The functional potential of microbial communities in hydraulic fracturing source water and produced water from natural gas extraction characterized by metagenomic sequencing

Microbial activity in produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations can lead to undesired environmental impacts and increase gas production costs. However, the metabolic profile of these microbial communities is not well understood. Here, for the first time, we present results from a shotgun metagenome of microbial communities in both hydraulic fracturing source water and wastewater produced by hydraulic fracturing. Taxonomic analyses showed an increase in anaerobic/facultative anaerobic classes related to Clostridia, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia and Epsilonproteobacteria in produced water as compared to predominantly aerobic Alphaproteobacteria in the fracturing source water. The metabolic profile revealed a relative increase in genes responsible for carbohydrate metabolism, respiration, sporulation and dormancy, iron acquisition and metabolism, stress response and sulfur metabolism in the produced water samples. These results suggest that microbial communities in produced water have an increased genetic ability to handle stress, which has significant implications for produced water management, such as disinfection

Surface Modification and Planar Defects of Calcium Carbonates by Magnetic Water Treatment

Powdery calcium carbonates, predominantly calcite and aragonite, with planar defects and cation–anion mixed surfaces as deposited on low-carbon steel by magnetic water treatment (MWT) were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and vibration spectroscopy. Calcite were found to form faceted nanoparticles having 3x () commensurate superstructure and with well-developed {} and {} surfaces to exhibit preferred orientations. Aragonite occurred as laths having 3x () commensurate superstructure and with well-developed () surface extending along [100] direction up to micrometers in length. The (hkil)-specific coalescence of calcite and rapid lath growth of aragonite under the combined effects of Lorentz force and a precondensation event account for a beneficial larger particulate/colony size for the removal of the carbonate scale from the steel substrate. The coexisting magnetite particles have well-developed {011} surfaces regardless of MWT

Let's Get Healthy! Health Awareness Through Public Participation in an Education and Research Exhibit

BACKGROUND: Health information technology (HIT) offers a resource for public empowerment through tailored information. OBJECTIVE: Use interactive community health events to improve awareness of chronic disease risk factors while collecting data to improve health. METHODS: Let’s Get Healthy! is an education and research program in which participants visit interactive research stations to learn about their own health (diet, body composition, blood chemistry). HIT enables computerized data collection that presents participants with immediate results and tailored educational feedback. An anonymous wristband number links collected data in a population database. RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED: Communities tailor events to meet community health needs with volunteers trained to conduct research. Participants experience being a research participant and contribute to an anonymous population database for both traditional research purposes and open-source community use. CONCLUSIONS: By integrating HIT with community involvement, health fairs become an interactive method for engaging communities in research and raising health awareness

Diversity of Frankia in root nodules of six Morella sp. from the Cape flora of South Africa

Africa hosts numerous endemic actinorhizal plants from the genus Morella, but the diversity of their Frankia endosymbionts has never been explored. The diversity of Frankia in root nodules collected from natural stands of six Morella species within the Cape flora of South Africa was investigated. The diversity of Frankia in root nodules collected from natural stands of six Morella species within the Cape flora of South Africa was investigated by comparative nitrogenase (nifH) gene sequence analysis. Gene sequences assigned nodular strains to both cluster I (Alnus hostinfection group) and cluster III (Elaeagnus host-infection group), with sequences from both groups recovered from three hosts: M. intergra, M. diversifolia and M. quercifolia. Cluster I sequences were found in nodules from acidic soils exclusively. Frankia strains representing both groups were isolated and characterized by 16S rRNA and nifH analysis. This study is the first to investigate the diversity of Frankia associated with endemic African actinorhizal species in their natural habitats, and to report isolation of Frankia strains from African Morella.The South African National Research Foundation and University of Pretoria Genomics Research Institute.http://link.springer.com/journal/111042017-04-30hb2016Genetic