Abstract: In various embodiments, the invention provides staged processes, or systems, for composting organic materials, such as waste plant and animal matter. In one aspect, the invention involves the staged passage of organic material through alternative composting ecologies, to optimize the diversity of decay organisms that may work on the organic materials. In some embodiments, a robust, well mixed thermophilic environment is created for primary stage aerobic composting. The primary compost produced by this stage may be transferred to an alternative stratified composting ecology, in which the secondary compost descends over time from a relatively stable layer of residual thermophilic aerobic composting to underlying layers that involve non-thermophilic aerobic degradation of the organic material.

Abstract: METHOD OF SCREENING PHYSIOLOGICAL SAMPLES for elevated levels of heat shock proteins due to chronic exposure to sublethal levels of stressors, and kits for carrying out the method, are disclosed.

Abstract: Method of detecting chronic exposure of an organism to a stressor, and for evaluating biological damage due to chronic exposure to sublethal levels of stressors and kits for carrying out the method are disclosed. The methods comprise: (a) sampling at least one organism in order to determine whether it has been chronically exposed to a sublethal concentration of one or more stressors in its environment, under sampling conditions that do not induce any additional heat shock protein (hsp) response in the organism; (b) obtaining a sample of cells or secretions of said organism, suspected of having elevated levels of heat shock proteins and solubilizing the heat shock proteins in the sample; and (c) measuring the concentration of a heat shock protein in said sample.

Abstract: Method of detecting chronic exposure of an organism to a pollutant, and for evaluating biological damage due to chronic exposure to sublethal levels of pollutants and kits for carrying out the method are disclosed. The methods comprise:(a) sampling at least one organism in order to determine whether it has been chronically exposed to a sublethal concentration of one or more pollutants in its environment, under sampling conditions that do not induce any additional heat shock protein (hsp) response in the organism;(b) obtaining a sample of cells or secretions of said organism, suspected of having elevated levels of heat shock proteins and solubilizing the heat shock proteins in the sample; and(c) measuring the concentration of a heat shock protein in said sample.

Abstract: Method of detecting chronic exposure of an organism to a pollutant, and for evaluating biological damage due to chronic exposure to sublethal levels of pollutants and kits for carrying out the method are disclosed. The methods comprise:(a) sampling at least one organism in order to determine whether it has been chronically exposed to a sublethal concentration of one or more pollutants in its environment, under sampling conditions that do not induce any additional heat shock protein (hsp) response in the organism;(b) obtaining a sample of cells or secretions of said organism, suspected of having elevated levels of heat shock proteins and solubilizing the heat shock proteins in the sample; and(c) measuring the concentration of a heat shock protein selected from hsp 70, hsp 60 and ubiquitin, in said sample.

Abstract: Method and kit useful in geochemical exploration for petroleum oils. The method involves contacting a soil sample with serum from a rabbit that has not been immunized with petroleum oils, and determining the amount of the bound serum as indicative of the presence of petroleum oils in the geographic region from which the sample was obtained.