The biochemical composition of the cement of a pedunculate cirripede

The composition of the cement of Lepas fascicularis Ellis & Solander in terms of carbohydrate, lipid, and amino-acid composition of the protein has been determined: in this species the cement acts as a float. The major constituent is protein. The lipid content lies between that given for Balanus spp. while the protein contains a larger proportion of glutamic acid and smaller proportions of lysine and histidine.     

The morphology and histology of the cirripede pemis

The general morphology and detailed histology of the penis of two common boreo-arctic cirripedes, Balanus balanoides (L.) and B. balanus (L.) have been investigated. The penis is a highly extensible, annulated organ beset with four rows of sensory setae. The paired vesiculae seminales unite within the pedicel of the penis to give the single ductus. Distally, the exoskeleton is invaginated into this ductus. Circular muscles are present in the vesiculae seminales but do not continue into the penis. The histology of the ductus epithelium indicates a secretory nature as does that of a specialized group of cells, termed the ‘cushion’, towards the distal end: this group of cells is surrounded by circular muscle bands. Longitudinal muscles extend virtually the whole length of the penis; they give off fibres which are inserted at the junctions of the annulations. The muscles of the pedicel are described. Paired nerves in the pedicel give rise to four in the penis. The sensory innervation of the setae is described. The possible functional relations of the structure to the activities of the penis at copulation and during the emission of semen is discussed.     

Electronic properties of some inorganic solids

A simple bonding model previously used to calculate cohesive energies is used to calculate electronic properties of simple solids. The model assumes that AB compounds of CN6 or 8 are completely ionic and that CN4 compounds, and metals, are completely covalent. It is then possible to calculate the electronic chemical potential, the work function and the average energy gap between filled and empty bands in insulators, semiconductors and conductors.     

Engineered biosealant strains producing inorganic and organic biopolymers

Microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP) is a naturally occurring biological process that has shown its potential in remediation of a wide range of structural damages including concrete cracks. In this study, genetically engineered microorganisms, capable of producing extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) as well as inducing MICCP, were developed based on the assumption that the complex of inorganic CaCO(3) and organic EPS would provide a stronger matrix than MICCP alone as biosealant. In order to develop a recombinant biosealant microorganism, the entire Sporosarcina pasteurii urease gene sequences including ureA, ureB, ureC, ureD, ureE, ureF, and ureG from plasmid pBU11 were sub-cloned into the shuttle vector, pUCP18. The newly constructed plasmid, pUBU1, was transformed into two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, 8821 and PAO1, to develop recombinants capable of inducing calcite precipitation in addition to their own ability to produce EPS. Nickel-dependent urease activities were expressed from the recombinant P. aeruginosa 8821 (pUBU1) and P. aeruginosa PAO1 (pUBU1), at 99.4% and 60.9% of the S. pasteurii urease activity, respectively, in a medium containing 2mM NiCl(2). No urease activities were detected from the wild type P. aeruginosa 8821 and P. aeruginosa PAO1 under the same growth conditions. Recombinant Pseudomonas strains induced CaCO(3) precipitation at a comparable rate as S. pasteurii and scanning electron microscopy evidenced the complex of CaCO(3) crystals and EPS layers surrounding the cells. The engineered strains produced in this study are expected to serve as a valuable reference to future biosealants that could be applied in the environment. However, the pathogenic potential of P. aeruginosa, used here only as a model system to show the proof of principle, prevents the use of this recombinant organism as a biosealant. In practical applications, other recombinant organisms should be used.     

A comparison of organic and inorganic nitrates/nitrites

Although both organic and inorganic nitrates/nitrites mediate their principal effects via nitric oxide, there are many important differences. Inorganic nitrate and nitrite have simple ionic structures and are produced endogenously and are present in the diet, whereas their organic counterparts are far more complex, and, with the exception of ethyl nitrite, are all medicinally synthesised products. These chemical differences underlie the differences in pharmacokinetic properties allowing for different modalities of administration, particularly of organic nitrates, due to the differences in their bioavailability and metabolic profiles. Whilst the enterosalivary circulation is a key pathway for orally ingested inorganic nitrate, preventing an abrupt effect or toxic levels of nitrite and prolonging the effects, this is not used by organic nitrates. The pharmacodynamic differences are even greater; while organic nitrates have potent acute effects causing vasodilation, inorganic nitrite's effects are more subtle and dependent on certain conditions. However, in chronic use, organic nitrates are considerably limited by the development of tolerance and endothelial dysfunction, whereas inorganic nitrate/nitrite may compensate for diminished endothelial function, and tolerance has not been reported. Also, while inorganic nitrate/nitrite has important cytoprotective effects against ischaemia-reperfusion injury, continuous use of organic nitrates may increase injury. While there are concerns that inorganic nitrate/nitrite may induce carcinogenesis, direct evidence of this in humans is lacking. While organic nitrates may continue to dominate the therapeutic arena, this may well change with the increasing recognition of their limitations, and ongoing discovery of beneficial effects and specific advantages of inorganic nitrate/nitrite.     

The biodegradability of nucleic acid bases adsorbed on inorganic and organic soil components

Summary The biodegradability of nucleic acid bases (guanine, adenine, cytosine, thymine and uracil) adsorbed on montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite, soil, gibbsite, goethite and a fulvic acid (FA)-montmorillonite complex was investigated. Each material was mixed with sand, inoculated with a soil suspension and incubated in a Warburg vessel. Lag periods in O₂ uptake were observed at pH 4 and 6 but not at pH 8. Following the lag periods, adsorbed nucleic acid bases were degraded rapidly at linear rates until these levelled off. The cessation of O₂-uptake was shown to be due to the formation of excessive amounts of gaseous NH₃, which not only inhibited microbial respiration by raising the pH to 8 and higher, but also by killing bacteria and actinomycetes. The rate of biodegradation was found to depend on the type of clay or oxide, the dominant cation and the pH. Contribution No 1181     

Bioremoval of organic and inorganic sulphur from coal samples

The microbial ecology of different Spanish coal samples has been studied. Several bacteria have been isolated from enrichment cultures and characterised and their biodesulphurization abilities evaluated. Using morphological and physiological properties, different isolates have been related to species of the Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas, Chryseomonas and Moraxella genera. Some of the isolates, B(30)15 and T(30)10, gave important levels of organic desulphurization, close to 70%. Other isolates, B(30)7 and B(30)8, were able to remove inorganic sulphur with high efficiencies, over 67%. One of the isolates, B(30)10, metabolically related to Xanthomonas maltophila, was able to remove both organic and inorganic sulphur at neutral pH, with efficiencies of 69% and 68% respectively. The results obtained underline the potential use of some of these strains for industrial coal desulphurization processes. Received: 26 June 1998 / Received revised: 1 October 1998 / Accepted: 2 October 1998     

Effects of controlled pH on organic and inorganic composition in haemolymph,epidermal tissue and cuticle of mud crab Scylla serrata

Analysis of organic and inorganic compounds in plasma, epidermal tissue and cuticle were accomplished in the intermolt (C3 stage) of crab Scylla serrata incubated in different pH media. Significant changes with similar trends for protein, carbohydrates, glycosaminoglycans (GAG), sulphur, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and copper in the plasma suggested higher dissolution in an acidic medium while the deposition increased in alkaline medium. Similar decreases in protein, carbohydrate and GAG in the epidermal compartment were observed from pH 4 to pH 12. However, significantly higher contents of sodium, chloride, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulphur and copper were measured at pH 7.5 with a symmetrical decrease profile in both acidic and alkaline media, resulting from synergistic effects in the osmotic regulation. Clear changes in calcium concentrations were observed with a sharp increase from lower contents at pH 7.5 to higher at pH 12. In the cuticle, the acidic condition induced a significant dissolution of HCl-protein, GAG, calcium and magnesium contents. On the other hand, the alkaline condition induced a significant decrease in carbohydrate, calcium, chloride, sulphur and potassium. A reduction trend is seen for NaOH and H(2)O-protein contents in the cuticle. These observations suggest that GAG and HCl-protein might constitute the most soluble fraction with high affinity for calcium binding and easily removed in acidic conditions. Additionally, it is possible to speculate that the carbohydrates associated with the NaOH and H(2)O-proteins may form an interface between the soluble matrix fraction and the chitin framework. Sulphur groups seem to present a strong linkage role in this interface fraction, maybe only broken by a specific enzyme in extreme alkaline conditions with subsequent release of significant calcium from the shell.