A microbial desalination cell (MDC) is a new approach for desalinating water based on using the electrical current generated by exoelectrogenic bacteria. Previously developed MDCs have used only one or two desalination chambers with substantial internal resistance, and used low salinity catholytes containing a buffered or acid solution. Here we show that substantially improved MDC performance c...

Leymus chinensis is a dominant grass in the Songnen grassland of Northern China. The lower germination caused by the presence of lemmas has proved to be an obstacle for the use of the seeds of this plant by humans. However, it is still unknown if the lemmas have other ecological roles such as resisting drought and saline conditions. Three experiments were designed to investigate the ecological ...

BACKGROUND High salinity (1-10% w/v) of tannery wastewater makes it difficult to be treated by conventional biological treatment. Salt tolerant microbes can adapt to these saline conditions and degrade the organics in saline wastewater. RESULTS Four salt tolerant bacterial strains isolated from marine and tannery saline wastewater samples were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus fl...

Light absorption by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) [aCDOM(λ)] plays an important role in the heat budget of the Arctic Ocean, contributing to the recent decline in sea ice, as well as in biogeochemical processes. We investigated aCDOM(λ) in the Southern Beaufort Sea where a significant amount of CDOM is delivered by the Mackenzie River. In the surface layer, aCDOM(440) showed a strong ...

A NCAR-CCSM3 (National Center for Atmospheric Research – Community Climate System Model version 3) state-of-the-art transient paleoclimate simulation with prescribed freshwater inflows is used to investigate the changes and evolution of the South Atlantic water mass structure from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the present day. Model results show that 21 000 yr ago the water column was subst...

For nearly 30 yrs, the mucus-depleted frog palate has been used to measure the ciliary transportability of respiratory and other mucus gels, but the data obtained from this amphibian digestive system may not be applicable to human airway mucociliary clearance. This study compared this model with the mucus-depleted bovine trachea, a mammalian respiratory system. Assessments were made of the repr...

Salt tolerance mechanism of an extreme halophyte Salvadora persica was assessed by analyzing growth, nutrient uptake, anatomical modifications and alterations in levels of some organic metabolites in seedlings imposed to various levels of salinity (0, 250, 500, and 750 mM NaCl) under hydroponic culture condition. After 21 days of salt treatment, plant height, leaf area, and shoot biomass decrea...

The reed Phragmites australis Cav. is aggressively invading salt marshes along the Atlantic Coast of North America. We examined the interactive role of habitat alteration (i.e., shoreline development) in driving this invasion and its consequences for plant richness in New England salt marshes. We surveyed 22 salt marshes in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and quantified shoreline development, P...

Treatment and safe disposal of tannery saline wastewater, a primary effluent stream that is generated by soaking salt-laden hides and skin is one of the major problems faced by the leather manufacturing industries. Conventional treatment methods like solar evaporation ponds and land composting are not eco-friendly as they deteriorate the ground water quality. Though, this waste stream is compri...