Fine structure of polysaccharide microcrystals

Summary Negative staining showed the presence of microcrystals in various polysaccharides. Cellulose microcrystals from Valoniopsis, Vaucheria, and an unidentified tunicate had widths of 20, 27, and 30 Å, respectively. Mannan microcrystals from Acetabularia were 10x25 Å and were oriented in linear arrays with their long axis perpendicular to the array axis. dichotomosiphon and Caulerpa xylans had respective microcrystal widths of 22 and 24 Å. All microcrystals appeared as component part of microfibrils.     

Electron microscopy of crystalline micelles in cellulose elementary fibrils of Dictyostelium discoideum

Summary In negatively stained preparations the cellulose of Dictyostelium discoideum appears in the form of 35 Å wide fibrils of undetermined length. Upon mild acid hydrolysis a periodic pattern may be observed along the fibrils, in the form of fine, electron-dense bands across the full diameter of the fibril spaced apart from each other by electron-transparent segments approximately 100 Å long. We propose that the electron-transparent segments represent the crystalline micelles of the elementary cellulose fibril, whereas the electron-opaque bands represent the amorphous regions.Part of a thesis submitted by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, University of Hawaii.     

Clinical Trial of Lincomycin Hydrochloride in Reiter's Disease

A double-blind trial comparing lincomycin hydrochloride (Mycivin) and placebo in 22 patients with Reiter''s disease showed no significant difference in clinical or laboratory findings between the two groups. It is concluded that lincomycin hydrochloride is no more effective than placebo in the treatment of Reiter''s disease.     

Evidence for a Reductive Pathway for the Anaerobic Metabolism of Benzoate

Evidence is presented for a reductive pathway for the anaerobic metabolism of benzoate by Rhodopseudomonas palustris.     

Assaying Actual Hematein Content of Commercial Hematoxylins and Hemateins

Hematein-free hematoxylin (HFH) was prepared by a modification of the procedure of Palmer and Lillie (Histochemie, 5: 44-54, 1965). Fifty mg of HFH were dissolved in 5 mg of ethylene glycol and then 45 nil of an aqueous solution of 2.25 gm KAl(SO₄)₂. 12H₂O and 5.445 mg KIO₃ were added. Since this amount of KIO₃ would be sufficient to oxidize 25 mg of HFH to hematein we have termed this half-oxidized hematoxylin (HOH). The peak absorbance (560 nm) of this purple solution remained constant for at least a week. With omission of the KIO₃ the solution was colorless. A curve was constructed by plotting absorbance against concentration of hematein in HOH at various dilutions. For analyses of hematein content of commercial hematoxylins 50 mg of sample and 100 mg of hydroquinone were dissolved in 5 ml of ethylene glycol and then 45 ml of a 5% solution of KAl(SO₄)₂. 12H₂O were added. The addition of the hydroquinone stabilized the absorbance for about 5 min. The hematein content could then be calculated by comparing the observed absorbance with the standard curve. Eleven samples of hematoxylin certified by the Biological Stain Commission had hematein concentrations varying from 0.01 to 0.43%. For analyses of the available hematein content of commercial hemateins, 50 mg of sample were dissolved in 10 ml of ethylene glycol, then 45 ml of water and 45 ml of 5% KAI(SO₄)₂. 12H₂O added. The hematein content could then be calculated by comparing the observed absorbance with the standard curve. In 9 samples of hematein from 4 different sources the active hematein content varied from 19 to 97%.     

Microbiological Deterioration of Frozen Parfried Potatoes upon Holding After Thawing

Frozen parfried potatoes were thawed and stored at 55, 45, and 34 F (12.8, 7.2, 1.1 C). Significant changes in flavor and texture did not occur at these temperatures until the total bacterial count exceeded 100 million per gram. These sensory changes were produced after 4, 8, and 20 days of storage at 55, 45, and 34 F, respectively. Detectable color change appeared sooner and probably was not of microbial origin. It is unlikely that any health hazard exists under the range of conditions studied. Nevertheless, it seems undesirable to market food with such a high bacterial count. At half the storage periods given above, the count did not exceed 100,000 per gram.     

Light-Induced Changes in the Fluorescence Yield of Chlorophyll a In Vivo: II. Chlorella pyrenoidosa

The long-term fluorescence induction in Chlorella pyrenoidosa consists of a fast rise of the fluorescence yield from the level S (of the first wave transient) to a maximum M, followed by slower decay to a terminal stationary level T. The maximum M is attained within 40 seconds from the onset of illumination while the decay to the terminal level T lasts for several minutes. The fluorescence rise (S → M) coincides with an increase in the rate of oxygen evolution, which, however, remains constant during the fluorescence decay (M → T). Poisons of photosynthesis 3, (3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1 dimethylurea (DCMU, o-phenathroline) inhibit the fluorescence induction, while uncouplers of photophosphorylation affect the fluorescence time course only when they function at an early stage of the coupling sequence e.g., carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoremethoxy phenylhydrazone, (FCCP, atabrin). Phosphorylation inhibitors affecting only the terminal esterification step (phlorizin) have little effect on the fluorescence kinetics. These results suggest that the fluorescence induction requires the operation of a phosphorylating electron transport and that it is possibly related to the light-induced structural changes which accompany photophosphorylation.