Biopulping of lignocellulosic material using different fungal species: a review

Biopulping can be an alternative to the traditional methods of pulping. Biopulping use fungi that are known to be able to degrade wood as well as lignin constituent of wood. Amongst these white rot fungi are the most proficient biodegrader. The fungus is non sporulating and is a selective lignin degrader. It colonizes either on living or dead wood and decomposes all wood polymers including lignin and extractives making it to be extremely potential to be used in biopulping. The process of biopulping reduces the utilization of chemical in pulping industry and help in decreasing the environmental hazard caused by normal pulping. The present review deals with diverse aspects of biopulping and their ecological as well as economic significances.     

Using gas chromatography to determine winter diets of greater sage-grouse in Utah

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) constitutes the majority (>99%) of sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.) winter diets. Thus, identification and protection of important winter habitats is a conservation priority. However, not all sagebrush may be alike. More information is needed regarding sage-grouse sagebrush winter dietary preferences for application to management. The objective of our research was to determine if chemical analysis of fecal pellets could be used to characterize winter sage-grouse diets as a substitute for more invasive methods. We collected and analyzed fecal pellets and sagebrush samples from 29 different sage-grouse flock locations in northwestern and southcentral Utah. Using gas chromatography, we were able to identify crude terpene profiles that were unique to Wyoming sagebrush (A. tridentata wyomingensis) and black sagebrush (A. nova). We subsequently used the profiles to determine sagebrush composition of sage-grouse fecal pellets, thus reflecting sage-grouse winter diets. This technique provides managers with a tool to determine which species or subspecies of sagebrush may be important in the winter diets of sage-grouse populations. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles by using polyol chemistry for their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity

The present investigation deals with facile polyol mediated synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles and their antimicrobial activities against pathogenic microorganisms. The synthesis process was carried out by refluxing zinc acetate precursor in diethylene glycol(DEG) and triethylene glycol(TEG) in the presence and in the absence of sodium acetate for 2 h and 3 h. All synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV visible spectroscopy (UV), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) technique. All nanoparticles showed different degree of antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (NCIM 2654)and Gram-negative Proteus vulgaris (NCIM 2613). The antibacterial and antibiofilm activity was inversely proportional to the size of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles. Among all prepared particles, ZnO nanoparticles with least size (~ 15 nm) prepared by refluxing zinc acetate dihydrate in diethylene glycol for 3 h exhibited remarkable antibacterial and antibiofilm activity which may serve as potential alternatives in biomedical application.     

Species and shape diversification are inversely correlated among gobies and cardinalfishes (Teleostei: Gobiiformes)

Gobies and their relatives are significant components of nearshore marine, estuarine, and freshwater fish faunas in both tropical and temperate habitats worldwide. They are remarkable for their ability to adapt to and diversify in a wide range of environments. Among gobiiform clades, species diversities vary widely, ranging from two species in Kurtidae to more than 1,000 species in Gobiidae. There is also great variation in head and body shape and in environmental preferences (fresh, brackish, or marine habitats). In this study, I used a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny, coupled with morphometric and comparative analyses, to examine evolutionary rates of both speciation and morphological diversification among gobiiform lineages. Projection of the phylogeny onto a shape-derived morphospace shows that Gobioidei is morphometrically distinct from its sister taxon Apogonoidei, but that families within Gobioidei overlap in morphospace. Analysis of species diversification rates indicates that three rate shifts have occurred over the evolutionary history of Gobiiformes. Relative to the other lineages, Kurtidae has exhibited a slowdown in speciation, whereas both Apogonidae and Gobiidae?+?Gobionellidae have experienced an increase in diversification. Comparative analyses show that in Apogonidae and Gobiidae?+?Gobionellidae, increased speciation is correlated with diminished rates of morphological diversification, differently manifested in either clade and among the various sublineages. The elevation in speciation rates and diminishment in rates of morphological change in both Apogonidae and the clade Gobiidae?+?Gobionellidae are correlated with shifts to oceanic habitats from freshwater. This pattern is the complement to that seen across the global radiation of acanthomorph fishes in which a decrease in species diversification is associated with an increase in morphological disparity.     

Effectiveness of 0.3 keV carbon ultrasoft X-rays for the inactivation and mutation of cultured mammalian cells.

Carbon K characteristic ultrasoft X-rays of energy 0.278 keV were found to be effective in inducing inactivation and mutation to thioguanine resistance in cultured V79 Chinese hamster cells and human diploid fibroblasts. These X-rays act as a probe of the sensitive sites within the cells since they produce low-energy photoelectron tracks of range about 7 nm; this is an order of magnitude smaller than those produced by the 1.5 keV aluminium X-rays used in previous studies. A detailed interpretation of the results requires assumptions to be made about the positions of the sensitive sites within the cells but, for any reasonable set of assumptions, the carbon X-rays are found to be more effective than gamma-rays and are probably at least as effective as long tracks of helium ions of similar LET. These observations extend the conclusions previously drawn from the observed effectiveness of aluminium X-rays regarding the sizes of the subcellular sites involved in inactivation and mutation. They imply that the sensitive sites smaller than about 7 nm, and that highly localized energy depositions consisting of less than or approximately 14 ionizations are sufficient to produce biological effects. These results are also in contradiction to models of radiation action which require relatively large sites, such as the usual form of the 'theory of dual radiation action'.     

Limits to the abundance of rare species: an experimental test with a tree aphid

Abstract. 1. The birch ( Betula )-feeding aphid, Monaphis antennata, is always found at low densities on individual hosts and has low local abundance, but another birch-feeding aphid, Euceraphis betulae , is often found at high densities on individual hosts and has high local abundance.
2. This work attempts to establish whether the interaction between M. antennata and its host or the behaviour of individuals limits its densities.
3. Both species were reared on saplings, and population sizes were monitored for 6 weeks. Two levels of host quality were used and feeding space was kept constant throughout the experiment. Adults were prevented from leaving the saplings by clipping their wings, and predators were excluded.
4. On plants of similar host quality, both species achieved similar population sizes.
5. It is concluded that resource availability or the interactions between individuals are unlikely to be important causes of rarity.