Genome-scale sequencing and analysis of human, wolf, and bison DNA from 25,000-year-old sediment.

Cave sediments have been shown to preserve ancient DNA but so far have not yielded the genome-scale information of skeletal remains. We retrieved and analyzed human and mammalian nuclear and mitochondrial environmental "shotgun" genomes from a single 25,000-year-old Upper Paleolithic sediment sample from Satsurblia cave, western Georgia:first, a human environmental genome with substantial basal Eurasian ancestry, which was an ancestral component of the majority of post-Ice Age people in the Near East, North Africa, and parts of Europe; second, a wolf environmental genome that is basal to extant Eurasian wolves and dogs and represents a previously unknown, likely extinct, Caucasian lineage; and third, a European bison environmental genome that is basal to present-day populations, suggesting that population structure has been substantially reshaped since the Last Glacial Maximum. Our results provide new insights into the Late Pleistocene genetic histories of these three species and demonstrate that direct shotgun sequencing of sediment DNA, without target enrichment methods, can yield genome-wide data informative of ancestry and phylogenetic relationships.

The first reported case of the rare mitochondrial haplotype H4a1 in ancient Egypt.

Takabuti, was a female who lived in ancient Egypt during the 25th Dynasty, c.660 BCE. Her mummified remains were brought to Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1834 and are currently displayed in the Ulster Museum. To gain insight into Takabuti's ancestry, we used deep sampling of vertebral bone, under X-ray control, to obtain non-contaminated bone tissue from which we extracted ancient DNA (aDNA) using established protocols. We targeted the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), known to be highly informative for human ancestry, and identified 38 single nucleotide variants using next generation sequencing. The specific combination of these SNVs suggests that Takabuti belonged to mitochondrial haplogroup H4a1. Neither H4 nor H4a1 have been reported in ancient Egyptian samples, prior to this study. The modern distribution of H4a1 is rare and sporadic and has been identified in areas including the Canary Islands, southern Iberia and the Lebanon. H4a1 has also been reported in ancient samples from Bell Beaker and Unetice contexts in Germany, as well as Bronze Age Bulgaria. We believe that this is an important finding because first, it adds to the depth of knowledge about the distribution of the H4a1 haplogroup in existing mtDNA, thus creating a baseline for future occurrences of this haplogroup in ancient Egyptian remains. Second, it is of great importance for archaeological sciences, since a predominantly European haplogroup has been identified in an Egyptian individual in Southern Egypt, prior to the Roman and Greek influx (332BCE).

Assessing the potential of enhanced primary clarification to manage fats, oils and grease (FOG) at wastewater treatment works.

Daily, sewage treatment works (STWs) receive large volumes of fats, oils and greases (FOG), by-products of food preparation. To increase FOG removal at STW, conventional primary sedimentation tanks (PSTs) can be enhanced using chemical coagulant or through dissolved air flotation (DAF) techniques. This work aimed to assess the potential benefits of enhanced primary treatment for FOG removal through an energy and costs analysis. To achieve this, a five-year sampling programme was conducted monthly at 15 STWs measuring FOG concentrations in crude and settled sewage (i.e. after primary treatment). In addition, two DAF pilot systems were trialled for four months and their performance, in terms of FOG removal, was assessed and compared to that of a control primary clarifier. Across the 15 STWs, influent FOG concentrations were found at 57 ±â€¯11 mg.L-1. Chemical coagulants dosed prior to PSTs increased FOG removal rates on average to 71% whilst traditional sedimentation only achieved 50% removal. Effluent FOG concentrations were found between 12-22 mg.L-1 and 19-36 mg.L-1 respectively. By contrast, DAF achieved FOG effluent concentrations on average at 10 ±â€¯4 mg.L-1 corresponding to 74% removal from a relatively low influent concentration of 40 ±â€¯30 mg.L-1. Thus, enhanced primary treatments have the potential to reduce organic load to secondary treatment and increase energy generation through anaerobic digestion. The overall net energy balance was estimated at 2269 MWh.year-1 for the DAF compared to 3445 MWh.year-1 for the chemically-enhanced PST making it a less financially attractive alternative. Yet, in the case where the works require upgrading to accommodate flow or load increases, DAF appeared as a sensible option over sedimentation offering significantly lower capital costs and footprint. In relation to FOG management, upgrading all STWs is not realistic and will require understanding where the benefits would be the highest.

Characterisation and energy assessment of fats, oils and greases (FOG) waste at catchment level.

Several of the waste materials that have a negative impact on the sewer system are produced by fats, oils and greases (FOG) discharged from commercial and domestic kitchens. These materials accumulate at different points in the sewer catchment, from kitchens to pumping stations, sewers and sewage treatment works (STWs), and comprise oily wastewater, floating agglomerates and hard deposits. Despite their detrimental effects, these waste materials have a high calorific content and are an ideal feedstock for energy recovery processes. So far, the overall volume of each type of waste and their physical-chemical properties in relation to their collection point are unknown. However, from a management point of view, knowledge on each feedstock quality and volumes is necessary to develop an economic viable solution for their collection and for energy recovery purposes. In this study, FOG wastes collected from households, food service establishments (FSEs), sewage pumping stations, sewers and STWs, were compared to sewage sludge in terms of organic contents and energy potentials. As expected, FOG recovered at source (households and FSEs) were 'cleaner' and had a higher energy content. Once mixed with wastewater the materials changed in composition and lost some of their energy per unit mass. Our results showed that around 94,730 tonnes.year-1 of these materials could be recovered from the Thames Water Utilities' catchment, one of the most populated in the UK. These materials could produce up to 222 GWh.year-1 as biogas, close to double of what is produced with sewage sludge digestion and around 19% of the company energy needs. Finally, even with over six million households in the catchment, the results showed that most of the FOG waste was produced by FSEs (over 48,000 premises) with an estimated average of 79,810 tonnes.year-1 compared to 14,920 tonnes.year-1 from private households. This is an important outcome as recovery from FSEs will be cheaper and easier if the company decides to implement a collection system for energy recovery.

Bath-water scalds in children and thermostatic mixer valves.

BACKGROUND: Scalds in children caused by hot bath-water have been virtually eliminated in countries where thermostatic mixer valve (TMV) devices have been introduced. We aimed to determine the frequency and severity of these injuries in our region and estimate reduction in workload and cost if TMVs were introduced in the future. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of case-notes for all bath-water scalds patients aged under 16 years, admitted to the Northern Regional Burn Centre from the 1 January 1997 until 1 January 2005. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-five patients were admitted over this period. Their average+/-S.D. age was 35.7+/-27.23 months. Scalds ranged from 0.5 to 45% total burn surface area (mean 9.3+/-9.15%). These patients stayed in hospital for an average of 6.3+/-5.58 days and 18 (14.4%) required tangential excision and split skin grafting. DISCUSSION: These injuries are: painful, psychologically disturbing and potentially preventable. The care of these children has significant cost implications, which could be reduced with the introduction of proposed legislation to enforce the installation of TMVs into all newly built houses. We are in favour of such legislation to prevent any further unnecessary suffering and cost arising from these accidents.