Commensal microflora profoundly affects the host immune system. It has long been observed that commensal bacteria enhance antibody production in the host by producing antigens for B cell receptors (BCR) and ligands for Toll-like receptors (TLR). We recently reported that the microbial metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) regulate the metabolism and gene expression in B cells to promote a...

1.0 Problem Statement The disposal of municipal solid wastes is one of the most serious problems facing Waste generation is on the increasing trend due to exponentially renders waste management as a significant problem. The solid waste generation (lb/capita/day) has been on increasing trend since 1980, with the curr New York State alone generates 8.4 million tons of municipal solid waste per ye...

Aerobic and anaerobic respiration of microorganisms involves redox reactions that provide energy for cell growth or maintenance. The energy comes from breaking up chemical bonds during the oxidation of organic carbons by the microorganisms. The electrons released from the oxidation are taken up by the reduction of an oxidant such oxygen, sulfate, nitrate, etc. If the oxidation and reduction rea...

Continued use of petroleum fuels is now widely recognized as unsustainable because of their depleting supplies and the contribution of these fuels to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the environment. Renewable, carbon neutral, transport fuels are necessary for environmental and economic sustainability. A microbial fuel cell (MFC), a novel form of microbial respiration has recently been dis...

Microbial cell populations in polluted water were determined by using a fuel cell-type electrode. The electrode was composed of a Pt anode, a Pt-K3Fe(CN)6-K4Fe(CN)6 cathode, and a cation-exchange membrane for separating two electrode compartments. The principle of microbial cell number determination is based on sensing a redox dye reduced by microorganisms with the electrode. Sample solutions c...

in the present study, the effect of porosity on the cathode microstructure (50:50 wt. % lsm: ysz) of a solid oxide fuel cell (sofc) has been examined. a 3-d finite element method for mixed ionic and electronic conducting cathodes (miec) is presented to study the effects of porosity on cell performance. each microstructure was realized using the monte carlo approach with the isotropic type of gr...