Inability of Microorganisms To Degrade Cellulose Acetate Reverse-Osmosis Membranes

Operational cellulose acetate reverse-osmosis membranes were examined for evidence of biological degradation. Numerous fungi and bacteria were isolated by direct and enrichment techniques. When tested, most of the fungi were active cellulose degraders, but none of the bacteria were. Neither fungi nor bacteria were able to degrade cellulose acetate membrane in vitro, although many fungi were able to degrade cellulose acetate membrane after it had been deacetylated. Organisms did not significantly degrade powdered cellulose acetate in pure or mixed cultures as measured by reduction in acetyl content or intrinsic viscosity or production of reducing sugars. Organisms did not affect the performance of cellulose triacetate fibers when incubated with them. The inability of the organisms to degrade cellulose acetate was attributed to the high degree of acetate substitution of the cellulose polymer. The rate of salt rejection decline was strongly correlated with chlorination of feed water and inversely with densities of microorganisms. These data suggest that microbial degradation of operational cellulose acetate reverse-osmosis membranes is unlikely.     

Stimulation of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza by fungicides or rhizosphere bacteria

Stimulation of vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi may secure the early establishment of symbiosis and benefit the host plant at an earlier stage of development. The application of Bacillus mycoides resulted in particular in the acceleration of early VA mycorrhiza formation. An increase in vigour of the symbiosis could be measured later in terms of increased sporulation of the mycorrhizal fungi after shoot removal. Natural sporulation during later mycorrhizal development was affected by combination of bacteria and just one mycorrhizal isolate. The stimulation of mycorrhizal development was shown to be non-specific with regard to host plant and the isolate of the VAM fungus. However, the effect could not be achieved in all combinations of soil types and host plants. Application of the systemic fungicides triadimefon and pyrazophos promoted VAM formation. Combinations of fungicide and bacterial treatments were not synergistic.     

Flagellar arrest behavior predicted by the Geometric Clutch model is confirmed experimentally by micromanipulation experiments on reactivated bull sperm.

The central tenet of the Geometric Clutch hypothesis of flagellar beating is that the internal force transverse to the outer doublets (t-force) mediates the initiation and termination of episodes of dynein engagement. Therefore, if the development of an adequate t-force is prevented, then the dynein-switching necessary to complete a cycle of beating should fail. The dominant component of the t-force is the product of the longitudinal force on each outer doublet multiplied by the local curvature of the flagellum. In the present study, two separate strategies, blocking and clipping, were employed to limit the development of the t-force in Triton X-100 extracted bull sperm models. The blocking strategy used a bent glass microprobe to restrict the flagellum during a beat, preventing the development of curvature in the basal portion of the flagellum. The clipping strategy was designed to shorten the flagellum by clipping off distal segments of the flagellum with a glass microprobe. This limits the number of dyneins that can contribute to bending and consequently reduces the longitudinal force on the doublets. The blocking and clipping strategies both produced an arrest of the beat cycle consistent with predictions based on the Geometric Clutch hypothesis. Direct comparison of experimentally produced arrest behavior to the behavior of the Geometric Clutch computer model of a bull sperm yielded similar arrest patterns. The computer model duplicated the observed behavior using reasonable values for dynein force and flagellar stiffness. The experimental data derived from both blocking and clipping experiments are fully compatible with the Geometric Clutch hypothesis.     

Intravascularly administered crosslinked immunoprecipitates of gulonolactone oxidase are toxic and rapidly cleared from the circulation

Glutaraldehyde crosslinked, immunoprecipitated gulonolactone oxidase, injected intraperitoneally, has significant catalytic activity and is capable of providing long-term therapeutic benefit for the enzyme deficiency disease scurvy. The enzyme is tolerated even in repetitive doses. In the present study, however, we have found that when administered intra-arterially this modified enzyme is quite toxic even in single doses. Prior to administration the enzyme complex was filtered through a 5-microns filter. When administered intravascularly the enzyme is not nearly as active catalytically. In spite of this, activity can be detected in vivo as an elevation of plasma ascorbic acid and prolonged survival of guinea pigs fed without the vitamin. Following administration both activity and the enzyme complex are rapidly removed from the circulation. Liver and spleen are largely responsible for this uptake. Because of its toxicity intra-arterial injection of this form of the enzyme does not appear suitable for enzyme therapy.