Attachment Behavior of Shewanella putrefaciens onto Magnetite under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions

In this study, batch experiments were used to characterize attachment behavior of Shewanella putrefaciens strain 200R to ferrihydrite and magnetite. Attachment was quantified in batch experiments with a 0.01 M NaNO ₃ solution as a function of pH (ranging from 3 to 10), sorbed anion (PO₄ ^{3 ?} ), and growth conditions (aerobic vs. anaerobic). Electrophoretic mobility data was collected for S. putrefaciens cells and magnetite grains and used as a means to interpret the role of electrostatic interaction in attachment studies. Little difference in attachment behavior was observed as a function of growth conditions or surface treatments. The exception was at pH ranging from 2 to 4, under anaerobic conditions, where increased attachment was measured on magnetite surfaces with sorbed PO₄ ^{3 ?} . This increased attachment was attributed to development of Fe-PO₄ surface complexes or secondary mineral phases, resulting in altered surface interactions between cell and mineral surfaces. Attachment was irreversible and increased with time under anaerobic conditions even under elevated pH conditions unfavourable to electrostatic interactions between cells and mineral surfaces. These results suggest that electrophoretic mobility data in this system is not a good predictor of attachment behavior, while surface charge development via protonation and deprotonation of surface functional groups is consistent with experimental attachment data. In this study, S. putrefaciens appears to utilize polymers or pili to remain attached to Fe-oxides and this process may facilitate Fe reduction on these surfaces. Results from this study underscore the need for quantitative bulk measurements of microbial attachment to accurately predict partitioning of dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria between solution and solid phases.     

The Nature of Conformational Correlations in α- and β-Anomers of Nucleic Acid Components in Aqueous Solution by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Abstract

The solution distribution of combinations of the sugar ring puckering domains, C2′endo(S), C3′endo(N), and C4′-C5′ rotamers, +sc(g⁺), ap(t), -sc(g^?), in α and β-anomers in ribo- and deoxyribo- pyrimidine nucleic acid components can be determined from vicinal coupling constants (M. Remin, J. Biomol. Str. Dyn. 2, 211 (1984). A general correlation pattern with a conformational constant λ, reflecting an intrinsic physical property of the sugar - side chain ensemble, is developed and expressed in terms of four principles:

I) The +sc rotamer contributes to the C3′endo population to a higher extent (1 - Y_t) than to C2′endo,(l-Y_t-Y_g-/X_s).

II) The ap rotamer contributes to both C2′endo and C3′endo populations to the same extent (Y_t).

III) The—sc rotamer contributes only to the C2′endo population, (Y_g-/X_s).

IV) The molar fractions X_s, Y_t and Y_g- of conformations C2′endo, ap and—sc, respectively, are strongly correlated, λ = (Y_g-/X_s)/Y_t ≈ 0.5, and therefore Y_t is a basic variable parameter which determines all others in the correlation pattern.

In α-anomers, regardless of the type and conformation of the sugar ring and base, the molar fraction Y_t = 0.37 ± 0.02. This finding means that different α-anomers show one correlation pattern free of the influence of the base. In β-anomers, structure and conformation of the base are important factors which modulate (through Y_t) the correlation pattern, conserving its fundamental features. Y_t is considerably increased by a syn-oriented pyrimidine base, but decreases when the base is anti. The transition from anti to syn orientation of the base is followed by destabilization of (C2′endo, +sc) in favor of (C3′endo, ap). The principles of conformational correlations rationalize a variety of correlations observed in the past.     

Fundamental aspects of waste sewage sludge treatment: Microbial solids biodegradation in an aerobic thermophilic semi-continuous system

The solubilization and biodegradation of whole microbial cells by an aerobic thermophilic microbial population was investigated over a 72 h period. Various parameters were followed including total suspended solids reduction, changes in the dissolved organic carbon, protein and carbohydrate concentrations, and carboxylic acid production and utilisation. From the rates of removal of the various fractions a simple model for the biodegradation processes is proposed and verified with respect to acetic acid production and utilization, and total suspended solids removal. The process is initiated by enzymic degradation of the substrate microbe cell walls followed by growth on the released soluble substrates at low dissolved oxygen concentration with concommitant carboxylic acid production. Subsequent utilization of the unbranched, lower molecular weight carboxylic acids allows additional energy supply following exhaustion of the easily utilisable soluble substrate from microbial cell hydrolysis.List of Symbols Y _Xp/Xs kg/kg yield process microbes on substrate yeast cells - Y _Xp/Ac kg/kg yield process microbes on acetate - Y _Ac/Ss kg/kg yield acetate produced by process microbes growing on substrate yeast cells - Y _Ss/Xs kg/kg yield soluble substrate from lysis of yeast cells - Y _Ss/Xp kg/kg yield soluble substrate from lysis of process microbes - Y _P/Xs kg/kg yield particulates from lysis of yeast cells - Y _P/Xp kg/kg yield particulates from lysis of process microbes - _{max (Ss)} h^–1 maximum specific growth rate constant for growth of process microbes on soluble substrate - _{max (Ac)} h^–1 maximum specific growth rate constant for growth of process microbes on acetate - Ks _Ss kg/m³ saturation coefficient for growth of process microbes on soluble substrate - Ks _Ac kg/m³ saturation coefficient for growth of process microbes on acetate - K _d h^–1 death/lysis rate constant for process microbes - K _i kg/m³ inhibition constant for growth of process microbes on acetate - K _L h^–1 lysis rate constant for whole yeast cells - K _h h^–1 hydrolysis rate constant for particulate biomass     

Effect of environmental factors on in vitro and in situ interactions between atoxigenic and toxigenic A. flavus strains and control of aflatoxin contamination of maize

Abstract

The potential of three atoxigenic strains from different geographical origins in Africa were examined for in vitro and in situ competitiveness against two toxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus and subsequent inhibition of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) production under different environmental conditions. Temperature, water activity (a _w) and substrate influenced the types of interaction between the three AFL^? and two AFL⁺ strains. The competitiveness and AFB₁ reduction ability of the three atoxigenic strains when interacting with the two toxigenic strains were evaluated by inoculation of 100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100% ratios of mixed spore suspensions in vitro on malt extract and milled maize agars over 28 days and in situ on stored maize grain for 14 days, respectively at 0.99, 0.96 and 0.90 a _w. For all the treatments, the effect of a _w and inoculum ratio and their interaction was highly significant. Toxin inhibition was >80% in vitro at both 0.99 and 0.96 a _w. In situ AFB₁ reduction was influenced by the toxigenic strain assayed, a _w and the inoculum ratio. Where control was achieved, it was more variable at 0.96 a _w, while with more stringent water stress conditions (0.90 a _w) the percentage inhibition was up to 77.2%. The study shows the importance of including environmental factors in screening and identifying effective atoxigenic strains for control of AFs (aflatoxins).     

Substrate consumption and excess sludge reduction of activated sludge in the presence of uncouplers: a modeling approach

A mathematical model with a consideration of energy spilling is developed to describe the activated sludge in the presence of different levels of metabolic uncouplers. The consumption of substrate and oxygen via energy spilling process is modeled with a Monod term, which is dependent on substrate and inhibitor. The sensitivity of the developed model is analyzed. Three parameters, maximum specific growth rate (μ _max), energy spilling coefficient (q _max), and sludge yield coefficient (Y _H) are estimated with experimental data of different studies. The values of μ _max, q _max, and Y _H are found to be 6.72 day^-1, 5.52 day^-1, and 0.60 mg COD mg^-1 COD for 2, 4-dinitrophenol and 7.20 day^-1, 1.58 day^-1, and 0.62 mg COD mg^-1 COD for 2, 4-dichlorophenol. Substrate degradation and sludge yield could be predicted with this model. The activated sludge process in the presence of uncouplers that is described more reasonably by the new model with a consideration of energy spilling. The effects of uncouplers on substrate consumption inhibition and excess sludge reduction in activated sludge are quantified with this model.     

Novel Cell Line Selectively Expressing Neuropeptide Y‐Y2 Receptors

Abstract

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) recognition by the human neuroblastoma cell lines SiMa, Kelly, SH‐SY5Y, CHP‐234, and MHH‐NB‐11 was analyzed in radioactive binding assays using tritiated NPY. For the cell lines CHP‐234 and MHH‐NB‐11 binding of [³H]propionyl‐NPY was observed with K_d‐values of 0.64 ± 0.07 nM and 0.53 ± 0.12 nM, respectively, determined by saturation analysis with non‐linear regression. The receptor subtype was determined by competition analysis using the subtype selective NPY analogues [Leu³¹, Pro³⁴]‐NPY (NPY‐Y₁, NPY‐Y₅), [Ahx^5‐24]‐NPY (NPY‐Y₂), [Ala³¹, Aib³²]‐NPY (NPY‐Y₅), NPY [3‐36] (NPY‐Y₂, NPY‐Y₅), and NPY [13‐36] (NPY‐Y₂). Both cell lines, CHP‐234 and MHH‐NB‐11, the latter one being characterized for NPY receptors for the first time, showed exclusive expression of NPY‐Y₂ receptors. In both cell lines binding of NPY induced signal transduction, which was monitored as reduction of forskolin‐induced cAMP production in an ELISA.     

A continuous culture study of the bioenergetic aspects of growth and production of exocellular protease in Bacillus licheniformis

Summary Bacillus licheniformis S 1684 is able to produce an alkaline serine protease exocellularly. In glucose-limited chemostat cultures the specific rate of protease production was maximal at a -value of 0.22. Above this growth rate protease production was repressed. Dependent on 10–20% of the glucose input was used for exocellular product formation. The degree of reduction of exocellular products was 4.1.Maximum molar growth yields were high and indicate a high efficiency of growth. The values of Y _glu ^max and YO ₂ ^max were 83.8 and 53.3, respectively. When Y _glu ^max was corrected for the amount of glucose used for product formation a value of 100.3 was obtained. These high maximum molar growth yields are most probably caused by a high Y _ATP ^max . Anaerobic batch experiments showed a Y _ATP of 14.6.Sometimes the used strain was instable in cell morphology and protease production. Non-protease producing cells most probably develop from producing cells by mutation in the rel-gene. Producing cells most probably are relaxed (rel ^-) and non-producing cells stringent (rel ⁺).Glossary specific growth rate (h^-1) - Y _sub growth yield permol substrate (g biomass/mol) - Y ^max maximum molar growth yield, corrected for maintenance requirements (g biomass/mol) - Y ^max(corr) Y ^max corrected for product formation (g biomass/mol) - m _sub maintenance requirements (mol/g biomass·h) - m _sub(corr) maintenance requirements corrected for product formation (mol/g biomass·h) - Y _c fraction of organic substrate converted in biomass - z fraction of organic substrate converted in exocellular products - d fraction of organic substrate converted in CO₂ (g mol/g atom C) - Crec% carbon recovery % - average degree of reduction of exocellular products - P/O amount of ATP produced during electron-transport of 2 electrons to oxygen     

Dependency of growth yield,maintenance and K s-values on the dissolved oxygen concentration in continuous cultures of Azotobacter vinelandii

Azotobacter vinelandii was grown diazotrophically in sucrose-limited chemostat cultures at either 12, 48, 108, 144 or 192 M dissolved oxygen. Steady state protein levels and growth yield coefficients (Y) on sucrose increased with increasing dilution rate (D). Specific rate of sucrose consumption (q) increased in direct proportion to D. Maintenance coefficients (m) extrapolated from plots of q versus D, as well as from plots of 1/Y versus 1/D exhibited a nonlinear relationship to the dissolved oxygen concentration. Constant maximal theoretical growth yield coefficients (Y ^G) of 77.7 g cells per mol of sucrose consumed were extrapolated irrespective of differences in ambient oxygen concentration. For comparison, glucose-, as well as acetate-limited cultures were grown at 108 M oxygen. Fairly identical m- and Y ^G-values, when based on mol of substrate-carbon with glucose and sucrose grown cells, indicated that both substrates were used with the same efficiency. However, acetate-limited cultures showed significantly lower m- and, at comparable, D, higher Y-values than cultures limited by either sucrose or glucose. Substrate concentrations (K _s) required for half-maximal growth rates on sucrose were not constant, they increased when the ambient oxygen concentration was raised and, at a given oxygen concentration, when D was decreased. Since biomass levels varied in linear proportion to K _s these results are interpreted in terms of variable substrate uptake activity of the culture.Abbreviations D dilution rate - K _s substrate concentration required for half maximal growth rate - m maintenance coefficient - q specific rate of substrate consumption - Y growth yield coefficient - Y ^G maximum theoretical growth yield coefficient     

Interlocked DNA rings. II. Physicochemical studies

Several species of topologically interlocked λb2b5c DNA rings (catenanes) have been prepared in vitro. The sedimentation behavior of dimeric catenanes containing 0, 1, or 2 covalently closed duplex rings has been studied as a function of the superhelical density of the covalently closed ring or rings. In general, if XtpY represents rings X and Y topologically interlocked, the sedimentation coefficient of this species, ^SXtpY, is related to the sedimentation coefficients ^SX and ^SY of the component rings by the empirical relationship ^SXtpY/^SY = [(M_X + M_Y)/M_Y] [1 + (M_X/M_Y)^1.78(^SY/^SX)^1.78]^?0.56 This equation can also be extended to the case where three monomeric rings are topologically linked in a chain. For two topologically interlocked monomeric rings with neither ring covalently closed, the sedimentation coefficient is 1.35 times that of the monomeric ring. This is different from results reported for mitochondrial and P22 catenanes by others. Several possibilities are discussed to account for this discrepancy. The sedimentation coefficient of a species containing one covalently closed duplex ring and a single-stranded ring was also measured in an alkaline medium. This species, which can be easily derived from a dimeric catenane containing two covalently closed duplex rings, is particularly useful for the identification of covalently closed dimeric catenanes. Some electron microscopic studies of these interlocked rings are presented in an accompanying paper.     

Determination of the Complete Correlation Between the Sugar Ring Puckers and 5′-Exocyclic Group Rotamers in Conformationally-Flexible Nucleic Acid Components from NMR Study

Abstract

Inspection of stereochemical models suggests a possible correlation between the proportion (Y_g-/Y_t) of the g^? and t rotamers and the S pucker populations irrespective of the anti-syn conformational composition of the base. Interpretation of the NMR vicinal coupling constants in terms of conformational populations shows a decline of Y_g-/Y_t with X_s approaching zero, consistent with high unfavorability of the Ng^? conformational combination in solution, a result supported by a X-ray crystallographic data survey. Hence, the underlying assumption introduced into the present study is that the g^? rotamer and the N pucker do not coexist together in solution. Therefore, the limiting value of Y_g-/Y_t corresponding to the S pucker could be determined for each compound individually. Finally, populations and relative free energies of all conformational combinations of Ng⁺, Nt, Sg⁺, St and Sg^? (except Ng^? which is not important) have been estimated.

Results of the present study suggest several interesting regularities concerning the syn-anti effect on populations and energies of the conformational combinations in ribo- and deoxyribo-nucleosides. (a) In the anti-type nucleosides, the Ng⁺ conformation is about 2 kJ/mol more stable than Nt, but in the syn-type, the Ng⁺ and Nt have comparable energy, (b) No important changes are observed in the Ng⁺ population comparing the anti-type and syn-type of ribo- and deoxyribo-nucleosides separately, (c) The Nt is considerable stabilized and simultaneously the Sg⁺ is strongly destabilized in the syn-type nucleosides relative to the anti-type, (d) Irrespective of the syn-anti composition the St is always more stable (1–2 kJ/mol) than the Sg^? conformational combination.     

The inhibitory kinetics and mechanism of glycolic acid on lipase

Abstract

Obesity is prone to cause a variety of chronic metabolic diseases, and it has aroused people’s attention that the rapid increase in the global population of obese people in the past years. As a kind of weight-loss drug acting in the intestine, lipase inhibitor does not enter the bloodstream without producing central nervous side effects. Because they do not affect the metabolism system, lipase inhibitors and obesity have become one of the hot spots in recent years. Glycolic acid is a new substrate analog inhibitor with the value of the semi-inhibitory concentration of lipase is estimated to be 17.29?±?0.14?mM. Using the plots of Lineweaver-Burk, the inhibition mechanism of lipase by glycolic acid was reversible and the inhibition type belongs to competitive inhibition with a K_I value of 19.61?±?0.26?mM. The inhibitory kinetics assay showed that the microscopic velocity constant k₊₀ of inhibition kinetics is 1.79?×?10^?3?mM^?1s^?1, and k_?0 is 0.73?×?10^?3 s^?1. The results of UV full-wavelength scanning on product cumulative, fluorescence quenching and molecular simulation also indicated that glycolic acid and substrate competitive with lipase by binding to Lys137. Thereby glycolic acid inhibiting the oxidation-catalyzed reaction and reducing the product of the enzyme and substrate. This adds a new direction for the search for lipase inhibitors and provides new ideas about the development of anti-obesity drugs.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma     

Heterochromatin of the Drosophila melanogaster Y chromosome as modifier of position effect variegation: the time of its action.

Summary Addition of heterochromatin suppresses while subtraction enhances position effect variegation. The heterochromatin-sensitive period has been determined in white/white-apricot variegated eyes of Y ^S w ^a /w ^a ; Dp (1;3) w ^265-58 flies. When such larvae, carrying a Y-short (Y ^S ) arm at the distal end of one X chromosome, are X-rayed, mitotic recombination leads to one daughter cell with two Y ^S arms and an adjacent daughter cell with no Y ^S arm. When induced after clonal initiation, the frequency of dark clones developing from daughter cells with two Y ^S arms is significantly higher than the frequency of dark clones in the rest of the eye; and this frequency is. even higher when induced before clonal initiation. The modifying action of the Y-heterochromatin is exerted, therefore, during and after clonal initiation. Surprisingly, the frequency of dark clones developing from cells with no Y ^S arm is not lower than the frequency of dark clones in the rest of the eye.     

Influence of pH and initial lactate concentration on the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum

Summary Fermentation yields of Lactobacillus plantarum were measured at controlled pH between 4.0 and 8.0 and initial lactate concentrations of 0–90 g/l. Optimal growth conditions at pH 6.0 without addition of lactate gave a growth rate of 0.57 h^–1 and 20 g dry biomass/mol ATP formed (Y _ATP). The pH variations resulted in a decrease in growth rate but the effect on Y _ATPwas insignificant. The addition of lactate to the medium at 0 h resulted in linear decrease in the growth rate of the culture, and all the metabolic activities were completely inhibited at 110 g/l. The Y _ATPand biomass/ substrate yield (Y _X/S) remained fairly steady up to 33 g lactate/l, beyond which both yields decreased considerably. Offsprint requests to: M. Raimbault     

Bestimmung des Heterochromatisierungsstadiums beim white-Positionseffekt mittels r?ntgeninduzierter mitotischer Rekombination in der Augenanlage von Drosophila melanogaster

Summary Position-effect variegation of eye pigmentation in the examined Dp(1;3)N ^264-58 females is due to an insertion of a X-chromosome section including the white-locus into the proximal heterochromatic region of the third chromosome. The light and dark pigmented areas have a cell lineage basis (Fig. 2). Flies bearing the w ⁺-duplication had two X-chromosomes marked with w ^a lz ⁵⁰ e and w ^a rb rux ² respectively (Fig. 3). X-ray induced mitotic recombination in presumptive eye cells of larvae resulted in w ^a lz ^50e /w ^a rb rux ² twin mosaic spots in the adult eyes. After young larvae were treated twin spots appeared, which had one partner light colored and one dark. Such combinations were rarely found after older larvae were treated. Treatment of young larvae in addition produced twin spots with one or both partners variegated (Figs. 5 and 6). Sometime after the stage at which younger larvae were treated and before the stage at which older larvae were treated the translocated w ⁺-gene in each cell was determined for function or no function. As a result the progeny of each of these cells synthesized pigment or not during the pupal stage. At a temperature of 25.5° C the developmental phase during which determination, i.e. heterochromatization of the white gene, takes place, begins not earlier than 39 hours after egg laying and ends about 8 hours later (Fig. 7). In females heterozygous for the short arm of the heterochromatic Y-chromosome linked distally to the X-chromosome (Y ^S X/X) one twin spot partners is homozygous for this arm (Y ^SX/Y^S X), the other lacks it (X/X; Fig.4a). The Y ^SX/Y^S X-partner were more frequently dark pigmented than the X/X-partners (Tables 3 and 4). This shows that heterochromatization of the translocated w ⁺-genes is markedly influenced by the genotype of the single cell. When two genotypes with varied amounts of heterochromatin were compared (Fig. 4) no difference in the phases of heterochromatization could be observed (Table 5). Therefore, when position-effect variegation is modified by varying the amount of heterochromatin in the genome the modification is probably not due to a shift in the phase of heterochromatization.

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Vorgelegt von E. Hadorn     

Cell yields of Vibrio succinogenes growing with formate and fumarate as sole carbon and energy sources in chemostat culture

Vibrio succinogenes which gains all the ATP by anaerobic electron transport phosphorylation, was grown in continuous culture on a defined medium with formate and fumarate as sole energy sources. The growth yield at infinite dilution rate (Y ^max) was obtained by extrapolation from the growth yields measured at various dilution rates. With formate as the growth limiting substrate, Y ^max was found as 14 g dry cells/mol formate. Under these conditions growth was limited by the rate of energy supply, because formate is used only as a catabolic substrate (Bronder et al. 1982). The Y _ATP ^max calculated from the ATP requirement for cell synthesis was 18 g dry cells/mol ATP. This gives an ATP/2e ratio of 0.8. The ATP/2e ratio in vitro had been measured as 1 (Kröger and Winkler 1981). It is concluded that growing V. succinogenes gain at least 80% the stoichiometrically possible amount of ATP, when growth is limited by energy supply.     

Conformation of (2→1)-β-d-fructan in aqueous solution

The conformation and dilute solution properties of (2→1)-β-d-fructan in aqueous solution were studied by gel permeation chromatography, low-angle laser light-scattering photometry, viscometry, small-angle X-ray scattering and electron microscopy. Fractions covering a broad range of weight-average molecular weights (M_w) from 1.49 × 10⁴ to 5.29 × 10⁶ were obtained from a native sample by ultrasonic degradation and fractional precipitation. For M_w < 4 × 10⁴, the intrinsic viscosity [η] varies with M_w^0.71, indicating that the fructan chain behaves as a random coil expanded by an excluded-volume effect in this molecular weight region. For M_w > 10⁵, [η] exhibits an unusually weak dependence on M_w and finally becomes almost independent of molecular weight. This behaviour is interpreted in terms of a globular conformation of the high-molecular-weight fructan molecules. Small-angle X-ray-scattering measurements and electron microscopic observations support this interpretation of the values of [η] observed.     

A heuristic approach to fed-batch optimisation of streptokinase fermentation

Previous studies have shown that the rate of formation of streptokinase, a secondary metabolite, in batch fermentation is proportional to the specific growth rate of the biomass, which in turn is inhibited by its substrate and the primary product (lactic acid). These kinetics suggest the suitability of fed-batch operation to increase the yield of streptokinase. A near-optimal feed policy has been calculated by the chemotaxis algorithm, and it shows a substrate feed rate decreasing nonlinearly and vanishing after 11 hours. This is followed by batch fermentation for a further 8 hours, at the end of which 12% more streptokinase is generated than by purely batch fermentation. Further improvements in productivity are possible.List of Symbols k _dh^–1 decay constant for active cells - k _ph^–1 decay constant for streptokinase - K _Igl^–1 inhibition constant for lactic acid - K_S gl^–1 inhibition constant for substrate - M gl^–1 lactic acid concentration - P gl^–1 streptokinase concentration - Q 1h^–1 substrate feed rate - S gl^–1 substrate concentration - S _ingl^–1 inlet concentration of substrate - t h time - t _bh end-point of batch fermentation - t _fh end-point of fed-batch fermentation - V l volume of broth in fermenter - V ₀ l initial value of V (at t=0) - V _ml maximum value of V - X gl^–1 total biomass concentration - X _agl^–1 concentration of active biomass - Y _MX yield coefficient for lactic acid from biomass - Y _PX yield coefficient for streptokinase from biomass - Y _XS yield coefficient for biomass from substrate Greek Letters h^–1 specific growth rate of biomass - _mh^–1 maximum specific growth rate     

How Quickly do Fragments of Coral “Self‐Attach” after Transplantation?

Transplantation of coral fragments is seen as a potential method to rapidly restore coral cover to areas of degraded reef; however, considerable research is still needed to assess the effectiveness of coral transplantation as a viable reef restoration tool. Initially, during restoration efforts, coral transplants are attached artificially. Self‐attachment (i.e., growth of coral tissue onto the substrate) provides a more secure and lasting bond, thus knowledge about self‐attachment times for corals is of importance to reef restoration. While it is known that coral fragments may generate new tissue and bond to substrata within a few weeks of transplantation, surprisingly little is known about the speed of self‐attachment for most species. Two independent experiments were carried out to examine the self‐attachment times of 12 scleractinian and one non‐scleractinian coral species to a natural calcium carbonate substrate. The first experiment examined times to self‐attachment in 11 species of differing morphologies from seven families over approximately 7 months, whereas the second experiment examined three fast‐attaching Acropora species over approximately 1 month. In the first experiment, the branching species Acropora muricata had a significantly faster self‐attachment time compared to all other species, while Echinopora lamellosa had the slowest self‐attachment time. For the second experiment, A. muricata was significantly slower to self‐attach than Acropora hyacinthus (tabular) and Acropora digitifera (corymbose‐digitate). The results suggest that a combination of factors including growth rates, growth form and life history may determine how quickly fragments of coral species self‐attach after fragmentation and transplantation.     

Water and water activity in the solid state fermentation of cassava starch by Aspergillus niger

Summary During the solid state fermentation (SSF) of cassava starch by Aspergillus niger estimations were made of total water, consumed water and the residual water remaining in small quantities after 23 h. A theoretical calculation based on the Ross equation showed that the water activity (a _w) of the substrate decreased to 0.85 towards the end of the culture. Such low values were assumed to be inhibitory to growth. The a _w of the substrate was increased when sugarcane bagasse was used as a high water retention capacity support. Higher growth rates and substrate conversion to biomass were obtained with this system, confirming that water availability is a critical factor in the SSF of starch substrates.Abbreviations A, B Experimental constants - a _w Water activity - H₂O_c Consumed water - H₂O_R Residual water - H₂O_T Total water - IDW Initial dry weight - IMC Initial moisture content - OUR Oxygen uptake rate - S Substrate dry weight - Sc Substrate conversion: consumed substrate/initial substrate - S _H Amount of sugars hydrolysed - SSF Solid state fermentation - X Biomass dry weight - W ^* Amount of solids/g of water     

Y chromosome-specific mutations induced by a giant transposon in Drosophila hydei

Summary The w ^m Co duplication of Drosophila hydei (Dp (1; Y) 16B2-17B1) contains 13–16 bands in salivary gland chromosomes. The duplication resides preferentially in the X heterochromatin or on the Y chromosome. In some stocks frequent (up to 4×10^-3) exchanges of the duplication occur between different Y chromosomes (T(X; Y) and free Y) or between the X and the Y chromosome. About 60% of the T(X; Y)-Y exchanges induce mutations in the Y chromosomal male fertility genes of the recipient Y chromosome. From the mutational spectrum generated by the T(X; Y)-Y transpositions and from the variable efficiency as acceptor of different X-Y translocations it can be concluded that the exchanges show a remarkable site specificity: distal positions in the long arm of the Y chromosome are occupied preferentially. More proximal positions in the long arm of insertions into the short arm of the Y chromosome are found only with a lower frequency. No transpositions to the autosomes have been recovered. Duplications are lost with highly differing frequencies. The losses are not linked with insertions of the w ^m Co element into a new position and are more frequent than transpositions. Therefore, we regard the w ^m Co element as a giant transposon.