Control of Chenopodium album by soil application of Ascochyta caulina under greenhouse conditions

Effects of soil application of Ascochyta caulina spores on seedlings of Chenopodium album and five cultivated plant species were investigated under greenhouse conditions as a part of a study on biological control of C. album. Application of A. caulina spores to soils resulted in disease development on C. album and to a lesser degree on Spinacia oleracea seedlings, but not on Beta vulgaris subspecies vulgaris, Zea mays, Triticum aestivum and Pisum sativum seedlings. Affected C. album seedlings had an abnormal olive-green colour or necrotic spots on cotyledons and hypocotyls, and were stunted or died. Affected S. oleracea seedlings were pale in colour or had necrotic spots on the cotyledons, but did not die. Time courses of disease incidence and of mortality of C. album could be described by a monomolecular model. Effects of spore density, sowing depth, soil water content, soil type and time of sowing on disease development were examined. Disease incidence and mortality were influenced by spore density, soil water content and soil type, but not by sowing depth. Spores in a moist soil maintained infectivity at least 2 wk. Spore densities of 10⁹ to 10¹⁰ spores m^-2 were required for 50% mortality of emerged C. album plants. Aspects of the development of A. caulina into a soil-applied mycoherbicide are discussed.     

In situ treatment of Hamilton Harbour sediment

To enhance the biodegradation of organic contaminants, approximately 18.5 tonnes of oxidant (calcium nitrate) and 5 tonnes of nutrients were injected into sediments of the Dofasco Boatslip, Hamilton Harbour. In the laboratory 78% and 68% of the oil (TPHs) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), respectively biodegraded in 197 days. In the 1992 treatment in the Ddofasco Boatslip, biodegradation of organic contaminants varied from 79% for low molecular weight compounds (BTXs), to 25/15 of the 16 priority pollutant PAHs. At first biodegraduation of large molecular weight PAHs resulted in the production of naphthalene (from 280 g/g to 549 g/g). In the 1993 treatments, 94% of the naphthalene, and 57% of the TPHs biodegraded. The in situ biotreatment of organic contamination takes time but for some sites the significantly lower cost relative to dredging and confinement makes in situ treatment a viable alternative.     

Maintenance of Weight Loss: A Needs Assessment

This study identified facilitators and obstacles to maintenance of weight loss following a very-low-calorie-diet and behavior modification program. A survey was mailed to a random sample of 178 program completers and received a 61% response rate; the most frequent follow-up period was more than 2 years. Twenty-nine percent reported weighing the same (within 10 lbs) or less than the end of their participation in the treatment program (maintainers), while 71% reported their present weight was a mean of 65% higher than their initial weight loss (regainers). Maintainers were significantly more likely to report engaging in regular aerobic exercise, attending a maintenance support group, and confidence in their ability to manage their weight in the future, while regainers were more likely to report stress and motivation as frequent weight management obstacles. Respondents consistently identified the need for low/no cost ongoing support. Maintainers and relapsers reported similar challenges in managing their weight, yet with different results, suggesting the need to identify subgroups for which different post-treatment support options could be applied.     

血凝法的生物载体选择与处理

用ＨＢｓＡｇＲＰＨＡ做为模式,选用羊、火鸡、鹅、人Ｏ型血球为载体,醛化后分成致敏和不致敏两种,与异嗜性抗体、中国生物制品药品检定所的参比品等作凝集试验。结果表明,无论特异性还是灵敏度都以人Ｏ型血球为最佳。在此基础上,设计了五种醛化方法处理人Ｏ型血球,共得出１８个醛化样品,经７３种不同的比较试验,筛选出最佳醛化方法为改良丙酮醛──甲醛法,采用该法醛化后血球为褐色,阴性血清和空白对照背景清晰,血球沉集点致密,下滑程度好。致敏抗—ＨＢｓＭｃＡｂ后,使ＨＢｓＡｇ灵敏度达到１～２ｎｇ／ｍｌ。为制备高质量的血凝试剂提供了最佳载体。     

Comparison of axonemal proteins from two kinds of Tetrahymena. I. Different characteristics of dyneins in heat stability

Tetrahymena thermophila could still swim after incubation of the cell body at 40°C for 30 min, whereas Tetrahymena pyriformis did not show any motility after the treatment. Turbidity measurements revealed that axonemes of T. pyriformis lost ATP-dependent sliding activity by the heat treatment, whereas those of T. thermophilia still had the activity under the same conditions. In connection with this difference in susceptibility to high temperature, the biochemical characteristics of dyneins were compared between the two species of Tetrahymena. Axonemal dyneins from the two species had significant vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity even after the heat treatment. Native gel electrophoresis and the following two-dimensional electrophoresis showed that the outer arm dynein of T. thermophilia is more stable in maintaining native configuration than that of T. pyriformis against the heat treatment, although both treated dyneins keep three (α, β and γ) subunits. Analysis by peptide mapping demonstrated that β- and γ-subunits of the outer arm dynein are considerably different in amino acid sequences between the two species. These results imply that dynein of T. thermophilia changed their amino acid sequences and biochemical characteristics to adapt to high temperature.     

A Quick Embedding Method for Light Microscopy and Image Analysis of Cotton Fibers

A quick embedding method using UV polymerization of methacrylate plastic has been devised for embedding fibers encased in a polyvinyl chloride tube. The resulting embedments are suitable for light microscopy and image analysis.     

Feasibility of expanded granular sludge bed reactors for the anaerobic treatment of low-strength soluble wastewaters

The application of the expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor for the anaerobic treatment of low-strength soluble wastewaters using ethanol as a model substrate was investigated in laboratory-scale reactors at 30oC. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was above 80% at organic loading rates up to12 g COD/L . d with influent concentrations as low as 100 to 200 mg COD/L. These results demonstrate the suitability of the EGBS reactor for the anaerobic treatment of low-strength wastewaters. The high treatment performance can be attributed to the intense mixing regime obtained by high hydraulic and organic loads. Good mixing of the bulk liquid phase for the substrate-biomass contact and adequate expansion of the substrate-biomass contact and adequate expansion of the sludge bed for the degassing were obtained when the liquid upflow velocity (V(up)) was greater than 2.5 m/h. Under such conditions, an extremely low apparent K(s) value for acetoclastic methanogenesis of 9.8 mg COD/L was observed. The presence of dissolved oxygen in the wastewater had no detrimental effect on the treatment performance. Sludge piston flotation from pockets of biogas accumulating under the sludge bed occurred at V(up) lower than 2.5 m/h due to poor bed expansion. This problem is expected only in small diameter laboratory-scale reactors. A. more important restriction of the EGSB reactor was the sludge washout occurring at V(up) higher than 5.5 m/h and which was intensified at organic loads higher than 7 g COD/L. d due to buoyancy forces from the gas production. To achieve an equilibrium between the mixing intensity and the sludge hold-up, the operation should be limited to an organic loading rate of 7 g COD/L d. and to a liquid up-flow velocity between 2.5 and 5.5 m/h (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Chronic Administration of Lithium Chloride Increases Immunodetectable Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein in the Rat Hippocampus

Abstract: We studied the effect of treating rats with lithium salts on the content and in vitro phosphorylation rate of the astrocyte cell marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), in brain slices. Rats were fed a diet incorporating lithium chloride until the concentration of Li⁺ in serum reached 0.6–1.2 m M , a range similar to that achieved in clinical practice. Hippocampal tissue was analyzed for immunoreactive GFAP by a dot assay, and slices of hippocampus and caudate nucleus were labeled with [³²P]-phosphate to determine the in vitro rate of phosphorylation of GFAP. Compared with controls, the level of immunoreactive GFAP in the hippocampus from lithium-treated rats was increased 34%, and GFAP in hippocampal slices incorporated 39% more ³²P. This effect of lithium was apparently not confined to the hippocampus because the in vitro rate of phosphorylation of GFAP in caudate slices was also increased in the treated rats.     

Accumulation of UV-absorbing flavonoids induced by UV-B radiation inAmbidopsis thaliana L.

Irradiation ofArabidopsis with ultraviolet (UV) light resulted in intensity- and wavelength-dependent increases in the levels of a small family of UV-absorbing flavonoids, which accumulate in the aerial parts of the plants. A gradient of sensitivity to UV-B radiation is described in the different leaves of developingArabidopsis plants whereby the earliest formed leaves become damaged by UV-B faster and more extensively than later formed leaves. This UV-sensitivity gradient tightly parallels differences in constitutive as well as UV-induced levels of flavonoid accumulation among the various leaves, suggesting a direct role of flavonoids in protection against damage by UV radiation. The level of accumulated flavonoids, both constitutive and UV-induced, in each leaf appear to be dependent on the specific developmental state of each leaf as well as the overall developmental state of the plant. The UV-mediated flavonoid response, along with the observed UV-induced damage, appear not to be systemic inArabidopsis but restricted very closely to the irradiated areas of leaves.I am deeply indebted to Robert Fischer and Bob Buchanan for providing access to their laboratories and for their invaluable help without which this work could not have been realized. I especially wish to thank Lola Peñarrubia, Elena del Campillo, Patrick Neil and Julie Montgomery for innumerable and fruitful discussions. This work was supported by Cooperative State Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreements Nos. 90-37280-5664 and 90-372780-5808.     

The influence of NaCl on the degradation rate of dichloromethane byHyphomicrobium sp.

The degradation of dichloromethane by the pure strainHyphomicrobium GJ21 and by an enrichment culture, isolated from a continuously operating biological trickling filter system, as well as the corresponding growth rates of these organisms were investigated in several batch experiments. By fitting the experimental data to generally accepted theoretical expressions for microbial growth, the maximum growth rates were determined. The effect of NaCl was investigated at salt concentrations varying from 0 to 1000 mM. Furthermore the dichloromethane degradation was investigated separately in experiments in which a high initial biomass concentration was applied. The results show that microbial growth is strongly inhibited by increased NaCl concentrations (50% reduction of _max at 200–250 mM NaCl), while a certain degree of adaptation has taken place within an operational system eliminating dichloromethane. A critical NaCl concentration for growth of 600 mM was found for the microbial culture isolated from an operational trickling filter, while a value of 375 mM was found for the pure cultureHyphomicrobium GJ21. The substrate degradation appears to be much less susceptible to inhibition by NaCl. Even at 800 mM NaCl relatively high substrate degradation rates are still observed, although this process is again dependent on the NaCl concentration. Here the substrate elimination is due to the maintenance requirements of the microorganisms. The inhibition of the dichloromethane elimination was also investigated in a laboratory scale trickling filter. The results of these experiments confirmed those obtained in the batch experiments. At NaCl concentrations exceeding 600 mM a considerable elimination of dichloromethane was still observed for during several months of operation. These observations indicate that the inhibition of microbial growth offers a significant control parameter against excessive biomass growth in biological trickling filters for waste gas treatment.