THE RATE OF REDUCTION OF METHYLENE BLUE BY BACILLUS COLI

This paper deals with the relation between substrate concentration and velocity in the case of the reduction of methylene blue and of the other oxidation-reduction indicators of Clark by B. coli in the presence of succinic acid and glucose. This system is compared with starch and barley amylase. Reasons are given for considering the mechanism as an adsorption phenomenon.     

EXPERIMENTS WITH THE METHYLENE BLUE REDUCTION TEST FOR MILK

SUMMARY: The effects of shaking milk samples before the addition of methylene blue, delaying the time of addition of the dye, adding a second quantity of dye with a hypodermic syringe after the initial charge had been decolourized and of increasing the storage time or varying the testing time have been studied in five separate experiments. Vigorous shaking at the time of dye addition lengthened the reduction time. This effect was more pronounced when the milk was stored in a tube than in a bottle. Delayed addition of the dye resulted in a shorter reduction time than expected for inverted samples and longer than expected for samples which were not inverted between the time they were put into the 37° bath and the addition of the dye. Second additons of dye did not usually have reduction times exceeding 1 hr. Methylene blue reduction times did not necessarily decrease with successive tests carried out over a period of time on one sample: a time of 30 min. might persist over a series of tests for 4 hr. or more and small increase and decrease in reduction time with successive tests were also noted.     

THE RELATION BETWEEN MAXIMUM RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND CONCENTRATION OF CHLOROPHYLL

Willstätter and Stoll have studied the rate of photosynthesis as a function of chlorophyll content. However, their experiments fail to reveal any regular relationship between these two quantities, probably because, in order to obtain material differing widely in chlorophyll content, they were obliged to use leaves which were not comparable in other respects. The writer describes a method for varying the chlorophyll content per unit volume of cells of Chlorella vulgaris, maintaining other factors constant. Experiments are described which show that the maximum rate of photosynthesis is a smooth function of the chlorophyll content.     

THE RELATION BETWEEN CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT AND RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

1. Data are presented which support the conclusion of Emerson (1929) that the rate of photosynthesis is proportional to the chlorophyll content when the latter is varied by varying the iron supply. These data give a straight line passing through the origin, which is not true of Emerson''s results. 2. Similar data are presented which show that a similar relation exists when nitrogen controls the chlorophyll content. 3. Evidence is given which indicates that magnesium plays a part in the process of photosynthesis in addition to its effect upon the chlorophyll content.     

THE PHOTODYNAMIC INACTIVATION OF PHAGE PRECURSOR BY METHYLENE BLUE

Methylene blue added to suspensions of activated staphylococci in amounts sufficient to furnish 1 x 10⁵ molecules of dye/bacterium inactivates the phage precursor content of the cells without causing cell death when the mixtures are exposed to strong light of 4000–8000 Å. There is a lag phase of approximately 15 minutes in the photodynamic inactivation of phage precursor by methylene blue. This delay seems to be due to a primary reaction between the cell and methylene blue after the completion of which exposure to light brings about the inactivation of precursor quite promptly.     

THE DETERMINATION OF COLI-AEROGENES ORGANISMS IN RAW MILK BY SURFACE SMEARS ON DRIED EOSIN METHYLENE BLUE AGAR PLATES

SUMMARY: The determination of the coli-aerogenes content of raw milk by smearing 0·1 or 0·2 ml of suitable dilutions on dried Levine's eosin methylene blue agar plates and incubating at 37° or 30°, was found too unselective as a routine technique. Only about two-thirds of the colonies showing the characteristic appearance of coli-aerogenes bacteria were confirmed as such by the formation of acid and gas in MacConkey's broth. Appreciable proportions of the numerous rose coloured colonies and of the very small dark colonies with metallic sheen, which are not considered to be coliaerogenes bacteria, formed acid and gas in MacConkey's broth.