Starter culture for the production of ‘soyiru’

Bacillus subtilis or licheniformis facilitated production of soyiru with the best results being given by using both together. Fermentation employing Streptococcus enterococcus was unsuccessful.H.A. Suberu is with the Department of Biological Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria. J.A. Akinyanju is with the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria.     

A rapid,single leaf assay for detecting the presence of ‘S’-male-sterile cytoplasm in maize

Summary A simple, rapid, and reproducible assay is described for determining unambiguously the presence of S-type cytoplasm in male-sterile and male-fertile (restored) maize lines. Because the assay requires only 0.5 g leaf segment per sample, it is a single plant assay and the plant is not destroyed. Plants at any developmental stage can be used. The assay involves a 30 sec homogenization, 20 min centrifugation, one hour lysis, overnight agarose electrophoresis, 30 min gel staining, and photography of the gel to produce a result in much less than 24 hr. Many samples can be assayed simultaneously. The various assay methods available for classifying maize cytoplasms are compared and discussed.     

Importance of the iron chelate formula for micropropagation of Rosa hybrida L. ‘Moneyway’

In vitro propagation of the rose rootstock Moneyway was investigated on the following media: Murashige and Skoog (MS), Quoirin and Lepoivre (QL) and Woody Plant (WP). Growth, which was measured as length of shoots after a 6-week period, was faster on MS and QL than on WP. In spite of the better growth, chlorosis of newly formed leaves occurred from the third week on and was correlated with a lower chlorophyll content of shoots. Replacement of FeEDTA by FeEDDHA in QL and MS resulted in the development of green shoots for more than 3 months. The occurrence of chlorosis was not pH directed since the pH of QL with FeEDTA or FeEDDHA had not changed after 6 weeks of growth. Addition of the light absorbing dye fast yellow 9 to QL with FeEDTA also resulted in green shoots with a higher chlorophyll content. It is suggested that FeEDDHA is a more photostable chelate than FeEDTA, resulting in a higher availability of iron for the rose shoots. The impact of the iron chelate formula on the micropropagation of plant species that are susceptible to iron deficiency is discussed.Abbreviations BA 6-benzyladenine, fast yellow 9-4-amino-1,1-azobenzene-3,4-disulfonic acid - FeEDTA ferric ethylenediamine tetraacetate - FeEDDHA ferric ethylenediamine di(o-hydroxyphenylacetate) - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - IBA indole-3-butyric acid - LSD least significant difference - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - P probability     

On ‘analytical models for the patchy spread of plant disease’

Epidemiologists are interested in using models that incorporate the effects of clustering in the spatial pattern of disease on epidemic dynamics. Bolker (1999, Bull. Math. Biol. 61, 849–874) has developed an approach to study such models based on a moment closure assumption. We show that the assumption works above a thre shold initial level of disease that depends on the spatial dispersal of the pathogen. We test an alternative assumption and show that it does not have this limitation. We examine the relation between lattice and continuous-medium implementations of the approach.     

A ‘culture’ shift: Application of molecular techniques for diagnosing polymicrobial infections

With the advancement of microbiological discovery, it is evident that many infections, particularly bloodstream infections, are polymicrobial in nature. Consequently, new challenges have emerged in identifying the numerous etiologic organisms in an accurate and timely manner using the current diagnostic standard. Various molecular diagnostic methods have been utilized as an effort to provide a fast and reliable identification in lieu or parallel to the conventional culture-based methods. These technologies are mostly based on nucleic acid, proteins, or physical properties of the pathogens with differing advantages and limitations. This review evaluates the different molecular methods and technologies currently available to diagnose polymicrobial infections, which will help determine the most appropriate option for future diagnosis.     

A novel ‘pipeline’ system for downstream preparation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies

A novel ‘pipeline’ system for the preparation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) in a non-GMP compliant environment has been developed. We used sterile silica-gel pipes to connect individual process units, in order to form a fully-enclosed and seamlessly connected system. This ‘pipeline’ system was used to implement downstream preparation processes for a humanized anti-CD146 mAb, huAA98, which is a therapeutic mAb generated to inhibit cancer-related angiogenesis. The quality assessment of the huAA98 end-product indicated that endotoxin levels were 0.016 EU/ml, protein A levels were 1.08 ng/ml and host cell protein (HCP) was undetectable. Thus, all measures were below the clinical criteria set by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (Edition 2010). Having passed our proof-of-concept test, this ‘pipeline’ system can be used as a universal platform for the preparation of mAbs suitable for pre-clinical studies, in a non-GMP compliant laboratory environment.     

A critique of the methodology of Robert Redfield: ‘Folk culture’ and other concepts

The Raw and the Cooked. Claude Levi‐Strauss. Jonathan Cape 1970. 387 pp., ill., bibl. Price £3.5.0.

Folktales of Israel. Ed. by Dov Noy with the assistance of Dan Ben Amos. Transi, by Gene Baharav. The University of Chicago Press. Folktales of the World. Chicago 1963. 221 S. $ 4.00.

Politics of Social Research. An inquiry into the ethics and responsibilities of social scientists. Ralph L. Beals. Aldine Publishing Company. Chicago 1969. 228 pp.

African Stone Sculpture. Philip Allison. Percy Lund, Humphries &; Co., Ltd. London 1968. 71 pp. 99 pls. 3 maps. Price 56 s.

The Elementary Structures of Kinship. (Les Structures élémentaires de la Parenté). Claude Lévy‐Strauss. Rev. ed. translated from the French by James Harle Bell, John Richard von Sturmer and Rodney Needham, Editor. Beacon Press, Boston; Eyre &; Spottiswoode Ltd., London. 1969. 541 pp., 87 figs. Price $ 15.00.

Contes sous la Croix du Sud. Giselle de Goustine. (Les littératures populaires de toutes les nations. N.S., T. XIII). Editions G.‐P. Maisonneuve et Larose, Paris 1967. 208 pp.

La divination malgache par le sikidy. Raymond Decary avec la collaboration de Marcelle Urbain‐Faublée. Publications du centre Universitaire des Langues Orientales Vivantes, 6e série, vol. IX. Paul Geuthner, Paris 1970. 111 pp.

Über Lebensraum und Lebensformen des Frühsemiten. Joseph Henninger. Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Forschung des Landes Nordrhein‐Westfalen. Geisteswissenschaften, Heft G 151. Westdeutscher Verlag. Köln und Opladen 1968. 61 Seiten. Kart. DM 6.60.

Indianer von gestern, heute und morgen. Beobachtungen zum Kulturwandel in den Anden Boliviens. Hermann Trimborn. Kulturgeschichtliche Forschungen; 12. Band. Albert Limbach Verlag, Braunschweig 1968. 96 S., 104 Abb., 1 Karte. Preis DM 38:—.

Der Wandel ökonomischer Rollen bei den westlichen Dan in Liberia. Eberhard Fischer. Studien zur Kulturkunde, Band XXI. Franz Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden 1967. 481 S. 4 Taf. 7 Abb. DM 66:—.

An Anthropological Bibliography of South Asia. Together with a Directory of Anthropological Field Research. Vol. III. 1960–64. Compiled by

Elizabeth von Fürer‐Haimendorf and Helen Kanitkar. Le Monde d'Outre‐Mer Passé et Présent, Quatrième Série. Bibliographies VIII. Editions Mounton &; Cie, Paris 1970. 562 pp. Price 193 F.

Man‐apes or Ape‐men? The Story of Discoveries in Africa. Sir Wilfrid E. Le Gros Clark. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., New York 1967. 150 pp., 33 fig., bibliography, index. Price $3.95.     

Do you have an important discovery ready for rapid publication? Submit to JIPB’s ‘Letter to the Editor’

正JIPB has launched a new publication category:Letter to the Editor(LTE).These rapid communications are short articles for original research with a high degree of novelty,representing a breakthrough in understanding important biological processes that will be of interest to a wide plant science audience.     

A toolbox approach for the rapid evaluation of multi-step enzymatic syntheses comprising a ‘mix and match’ E. coli expression system with microscale experimentation

Abstract

This work describes an experimental ‘toolbox’ for the rapid evaluation and optimisation of multi-step enzymatic syntheses comprising a ‘mix and match’ E. coli-based expression system and automated microwell scale experimentation. The approach is illustrated with a de novo designed pathway for the synthesis of optically pure amino alcohols using the enzymes transketolase (TK) and transaminase (TAm) to catalyze asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation and selective chiral amine group addition respectively. The E. coli expression system, based on two compatible plasmids, enables pairs of enzymes from previously engineered and cloned TK and TAm libraries to be evaluated for the sequential conversion of different initial substrates. This is complemented by the microwell experimentation which enables efficient investigation of different biocatalyst forms, use of different amine donors and substrate feeding strategies. Using this experimental ‘toolbox’, one-pot syntheses of the diastereoisomers (2S,3S)-2-aminopentane-1,3-diol (APD) and (2S,3R)-2-amino-1,3,4-butanetriol (ABT) were designed and performed, which gave final product yields of 90% mol/mol for APD and 87% mol/mol for ABT (relative to the initial TK substrates) within 25 hours. For the synthesis of APD, the E coli TK mutant D469E was paired with the TAm from Chromobacterium violaceum 2025 while for ABT synthesis the wild-type E. coli TK exhibited the highest specific activity and ee( enantiomeric excess) of >95%. For both reactions, whole-cell forms of the TK-TAm biocatalyst performed better than cell lysates while isopropylamine (IPA) was a preferable amine donor than methylbenzylamine (MBA) since side reactions with the initial TK substrates were avoided. The available libraries of TK and TAm enzymes and scalable nature of the microwell data suggest this ‘toolbox’ provides an efficient approach to early stage bioconversion process design in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.     

Efficient plant regeneration system for New Guinea Impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri W. Bull) CV. ‘Violet’ and ‘Scarlet Bronze Leaf’

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - New Guinea Impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri W. Bull) is an eye-popping landscaping plant of bright and colorful blooms. A highly efficient in vitro plant...     

Some Mediterranean plant species (Lavandula spp. and Thymus satureioides) act as potential ‘plant nurses’ for the early growth of Cupressus atlantica

The mycorrhizal status of several representative shrub species (Lavandula spp. and Thymus satureioides) in Moroccan semiarid ecosystems, was evaluated as well as their contribution to the mycorrhizal potential of the soil. Furthermore, the rhizosphere soils collected under these target species were tested for their influence on the growth of Cupressus atlantica, a tree species whose natural stands has declined in this area. Soil samples were collected from the rhizosphere of L. stoechas, L. dentata and of C. atlantica existing in the experimental area. Control samples were randomly collected from bare soil sites, away from plant influence.All the target species formed AM symbiosis and the extent of AM fungal colonization was not significantly different between plant species. No significant difference was detected between the total number of AM fungal spores of the bare soil and those recorded in the root zones of target species and C. atlantica. Three genera of AM fungi (Scutellospora, Glomus and Acaulospora) were present in the rhizospheres of the plant species and in the bare soil.The number of mycorrhizal propagules in soil originating from around the four target plant species was significantly higher than the one in the bare soil (Figure 1). The most probable number (MPN) of mycorrhizal propagules per 100 g of dry soil ranged from 7.82 (bare soil) to 179.7 (L. dentata and C. atlantica) and 244.5 (L. stoechas and T. satureioides). As the total number of spores was not different for the soil of different origins, the increase of the mycorrhizal soil infectivity (MSI) mainly resulted from larger AM mycelial networks that constituted the main source of AM fungal inoculum. In addition, this MSI enhancement was linked with changes in the functioning of soil microbial communities. In a glasshouse experiment, the growth of C. atlantica seedlings was significantly higher in the C. atlantica and in the shrub species soils than in the bare soil. Although the AM inoculum potential is not sufficient to ensure the development of forest trees in Mediterranean ecosystems, the use of plant nurses such as T. satureioides or Lavandula spp. could be of great interest to restore a self-sustaining vegetation cover to act against desertification.     

Experiences with the use of a starter culture in the fermentation of maize for ‘kenkey’ production in Ghana

Controlled fermentation of maize was carried out using six strains of Lactobacillus fermentum and one strain of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, isolated from traditionally fermented maize dough as starter cultures for inoculum enrichement. The fermentations were monitored by pH, acidity, microbiological analysis and taste panel evaluation of two products, kenkey and koko, prepared from the fermented doughs. The strains of L. fermentum used as starter culture dominated the microflora during fermentation and in most inoculated doughs the required pH was attained by 24 h instead of 48 h of dough fermentation. Higher contents of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts were observed in inoculated doughs at the initial stages of fermentation but the spontaneously fermented doughs attained similar lactic acid bacteria and yeasts counts by 24 h of dough fermentation. The organoleptic quality of kenkey and koko prepared from doughs fermented with starter culture for 48 h was not significantly different from the traditional products. Kenkey prepared from doughs fermented for 24 h with starter culture were found to be unacceptable by the taste panel although similarly produced koko was acceptable.The authors are with the Food Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, P.O Box M 20. Accra, Ghana.     

Offshore Evidence for an Undocumented Tsunami Event in the ‘Low Risk’ Gulf of Aqaba-Eilat,Northern Red Sea

Although the Gulf of Aqaba-Eilat is located in the tectonically active northern Red Sea, it has been described as low-risk with regard to tsunami activity because there are no modern records of damaging tsunami events and only one tsunami (1068 AD) referred to in historical records. However, this assessment may be poorly informed given that the area was formed by and is located along the seismically active Dead Sea Fault, its population is known to fluctuate in size and literacy in part due to its harsh hyper-arid climate, and there is a dearth of field studies addressing the presence or absence of tsunamigenic deposits. Here we show evidence from two offshore cores for a major paleotsunami that occurred ~2300 years ago with a sedimentological footprint that far exceeds the scarce markers of the historically mentioned 1068 AD event. The interpretation is based on the presence of a laterally continuous and synchronous, anomalous sedimentological deposit that includes allochtonous inclusions and unique structural characteristics. Based on sedimentological parameters, these deposits could not be accounted for by other transport events, or other known background sedimentological processes.     

A “coupled” subchondral bone-articular cartilage tissue culture system for the study of cartilage proteoglycan metabolism

Summary Current evidence suggests that interactions between the subchondral bone and the articular cartilage of mammalian diarthrodial joints may occur through the action of bone-associated peptide factors. However, there is no suitable organ culture model for studying these interactions. This study defines a long-term tissue culture system where the articular cartilage is coupled to the adjacent subchondral bone obtained from the proximal ends of bovine metacarpals. Autoradiography done over 3 mo., by utilizing [³⁵S]SO₄ incorporation into cartilage proteoglycan (PG) and a procedure for cutting non-decalcified bone, demonstrated similar numbers of silver grains over chondrocytes in all cartilage zones, including the bone-cartilage interface. Newly synthesized PG (NSPG) from the cartilage of the “coupled” system over a 3-wk period was primarily of large hydrodynamic size (Kav of 0.34). Comparable bovine articular and nasal cartilage slice systems, incubated for short periods of time, yielded similar and somewhat larger NSPG, respectively. Labeled chondroitin sulphate PG accumulating in the medium of primary chondrocyte monolayer cultures, derived from the cartilage of the coupled system at 0, 1, 2, and 3 wk, revealed two polydisperse subpopulations (Kav of 0.30 to 0.38 and 0.51 to 0.68). We conclude that this coupled bone-cartilage system is viable for prolonged periods, is suitable for studies on the metabolism of articular cartilage PGs, and seems to have some advantages over the cultured articular cartilage slice system.     

Culturalizing politics,hyper-politicizing ‘culture’: ‘White’ vs. ‘Black Turks’ and the making of authoritarian populism in Turkey

This paper focuses on the uses and abuses of two terms, ‘White’ and ‘Black Turk’, which have been significant in the ways modern Turkish society and national identity have been defined and contested in recent decades. Initially emerging in social analysis in the 1990s, ‘White Turk’ was a metaphor for and critique of the class culture, subjectivity and worldviews of the ‘new middle classes’ in a period of rapid integration to neoliberalism and globalized capitalism. Over time, both White and Black Turks have come to be used as part of a politics of identity and a politics of authenticity to characterize who are seen as the ‘authentic self’ and inauthentic others of national identity and to assert different visions for the future of Turkish society. White Turk has been adopted as an identity by outspoken members of the media and business elite, whereas its binary opposite, Black Turk, has been appropriated by Islamist politicians of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) as a metaphor to characterize the marginalization and purported oppression of their conservative Muslim constituency. As White and Black Turks were adopted as self-proclaimed identities, they provided a basis for a culturalist depiction of Turkish society, contributing over time to an increasingly divisive politics. Even though the AKP initially used the reference to White and Black Turks to appeal to specific demands for inclusion, as it increased its grip on power, it also (hyper)politicized the terms to articulate nativist claims to authenticity. In recent years, this nativist populism has been used to justify increasing authoritarianism and to delegitimize belonging and political participation of those deemed inauthentic others of the body politics.     

Re-evaluating blue mussel depuration rates in ‘Dynamics of the phycotoxin domoic acid: accumulation and excretion in two commercially important bivalves’

Re-examining the reported observation and analysis in Wohlgeshaffen et al. (Journal of Applied Phycology 4(4):297–310, 1992) shows that their observed shellfish domoic acid (DA) concentrations do not support the reported 17% · d⁻¹ depuration rate for blue mussels but instead support depuration rates of 87% · d⁻¹ (fractional) or 200%/day (exponential). This error could have impacts for public health, shellfish management, and other biological research. This paper identifies a large underestimation in filtration efficiency in Wohlgeshaffen et al. (1992).     

A remarkable new ‘gruiform’ bird from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Hessen, Germany)

Salmila robusta n. gen., n. sp. (Aves: ‘Gruiformes’) is described from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Hessen, Germany). The new species is assumed to have had a predominantly terrestrial habit. It shares derived features of the carpometacarpus with the recent Psophiidae and some taxa of the Cariamae. In several features, however, it distinctly differs from other ‘gruiform’ birds (e. g. in the larger proximal end of the humerus and in the shape of the margo caudalis of the sternum). AlthoughSalmila robusta has been tentatively assigned to the Cariamae in this study, its exact systematic position deserves further investigations. The rather short tarsometatarsus of the new species resembles that of the ‘Messel-phorusrhacid’Aenigmavis sapea Peters 1987.