Sterilization of Plants for Phytoremediation Studies by Bleach Treatment

Bleach treatment of plants was studied as a simple alternative to axenic tissue cultures for demonstrating phytodegradation of aqueous and gas-phase environmental contaminants. Parrotfeather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), and wheat (Triticum aestivum) were exposed to 0.525% NaC10 solutions for 15 s, then rinsed in deionized water. Plate counts indicated that 97 to 100% of viable bacteria were removed from parrotfeather and spinach. Transformation rates for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) by bleached and untreated parrotfeather were virtually identical. Similarly, treated and untreated spinach, wheat heads, and wheat leaves removed methyl bromide (MeBr) from air at the same rates. However, wheat root with attendant adhering soil was rendered inactive by bleach treatment. Parrotfeather roots examined by dissecting microscope and by electron microscope showed no significant damage caused by bleach treatment.     

Two oligosaccharides from Marsdenia roylei

Phytochemical analysis of dried twigs of Marsdenia roylei (family Asclepiadaceae) has resulted in the isolation of a trisaccharide, maryal, and a diglycoside, rolinose. Their structures were determined as O-beta-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-beta-D-digitoxopyranosyl++ +-(1-->4)-D- cymaral and ethyl O-beta-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-3-O-methyl-6-deoxy-beta-D- allopyranoside, respectively, by chemical degradation and spectroscopic methods.     

Focus: Addiction: Relapse Prevention and the Five Rules of Recovery

There are four main ideas in relapse prevention. First, relapse is a gradual process with distinct stages. The goal of treatment is to help individuals recognize the early stages, in which the chances of success are greatest. Second, recovery is a process of personal growth with developmental milestones. Each stage of recovery has its own risks of relapse. Third, the main tools of relapse prevention are cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation, which are used to develop healthy coping skills. Fourth, most relapses can be explained in terms of a few basic rules. Educating clients in these rules can help them focus on what is important: 1) change your life (recovery involves creating a new life where it is easier to not use); 2) be completely honest; 3) ask for help; 4) practice self-care; and 5) don’t bend the rules.     

Resistance of Anhydrobiotic Aphelenchus avenae to Methyl Bromide Fumigation

The effect of methyl bromide (MB) was tested on active and anhydrobiotic Aphelenchus avenae. A. avenae was induced into anhydrobiosis by three different techniques. Both active and anhydrobiotic nematodes were subjected to 3,000 μ1 MB/liter air for 14 periods from 0 to 82 h. Anhydrobiotic nematodes were more resistant to fumigation than active nematodes, regardless of the technique used to induce anhydrobiosis. The percent survival decreased with increasing MB exposures (μ1 MB × h). For an LD₉₅ of 45,000-54,000 μ1/1 × h were required for active nematodes and >279,000 μ1/1 × h for anhydrobiotic nematodes.     

Blood genetic marker studies of a sheep-goat hybrid and its back-cross offspring

Summary. Blood samples from a female sheep-goat hybrid and its back-cross male offspring were tested for electrophoretic variants of plasma albumin, transferrin and esterase, and of red cell carbonic anhydrase, nucleoside phosphorylase, NADH-diaphorase, 'X'-protein, superoxide dismutase, malic enzyme and haemoglobin. Red cells were also tested for blood group antigens. Both animals showed variants that could not be attributed to either sheep or goat alone, thus confirming previous chromosomal data that the female was a genuine sheep-goat hybrid.     

Identification of hydrogen selenide and other volatile selenols by derivatization with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene

A procedure is described for the trapping and identification of hydrogen selenide and methyl selenol ( CH3SeH ). The volatile selenols were generated by reducing selenious acid or dimethyldiselenide with Zn dust and hydrochloric acid under a stream of nitrogen and passing into a trapping solution composed of 50 mM 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene plus 83 mM sodium bicarbonate in 67% dimethylformamide:33% water. The selenols react rapidly to form stable dinitrophenyl (DNP) selenoethers that can be extracted into benzene; these are easily identified by TLC, HPLC, or mass spectrometry. Hydrogen selenide is trapped in 90-99% yield, primarily as the di-DNP- monoselenide with a trace of di-DNP- diselenide .     

Visualization of viral DNA assembly using nonfluorescent staining

ABSTRACT

We present an easy test for rapid visualization of viral DNA assemblies in infected cell cytoplasm. We selected the best stains for nuclear staining: Nile blue A, Bismarck brown, gallocyanin chrome alum, methyl green pyronin and azure II. None of the staining techniques is fluorescent, which facilitates their use in everyday experiments. Methyl green is most promising for routine detection of viral DNA assemblies in the cytoplasm; the procedure enables ready detection of viral DNA accumulation in the cytoplasm.     

Planktonic indices in the evaluation of the ecological status and the trophic state of the longest lake in Poland

Due to the intensive mixing polymictic lakes should be homogenous. However, morphometric diversity and high water dynamics contribute to the differentiation of many parameters in various areas of the lakes. This study analyzes both phytoplankton and zooplankton to assess differences in water quality along the north–south axis of the longest lake in Poland. New phytoplankton indicators were applied for determining the lake's ecological status: the Q index based on functional groups and the PMPL (Phytoplankton Metric for Polish Lakes) index based on phytoplankton biomass. TSI_ROT index (Rotifer Trophic State Index), which comprises the percentage of species indicating a high trophic state in the indicatory group and the percentage of bacteriovorus in the Rotifera population, was used for zooplankton analysis.TP content was different at different sites – we observed its gradual increase from the south to the north. Spatial variation of phosphorus did not considerably affect plankton diversity. The phytoplankton was dominated by Oscillatoriales, typical of shallow, well-mixed eutrophic lakes. The ecological status of the lake based on the EQR (Ecological Quality Ratio) was poor or moderate. The zooplankton was dominated by rotifers (at almost all sites), which indicates a eutrophic state of the lake. The values of phytoplankton indices at the studied sites did not differ considerably; the differences resulted more from local conditions such as the contaminant inflow and the macrophyte development than water dynamics.We have demonstrated that in the lake dominated by filamentous Cyanobacteria the ecological status should be determined according to the PMPL index or other indices dependent on the dominant Cyanobacteria species. Since the Q index does not include the functional group S1, the results can lead to the false conclusion that water quality improves with an increased amount of phytoplankton. The high abundance of Cyanobacteria in the lake may have contributed to the poor growth of rotifers.     

Occurrence of two structural types of mercury reductases among Gram-positive bacteria

Structural variants of mercury reductase containing the N-terminal domain, which is easily cleaved by trypsin, have been found in Gram-positive bacteria with a low genomic G + C content (Bacillus, Staphylococcus and, possibly, some other genera). Mercury reductases without the N-terminal domain and relatively resistant to limited proteolysis are typical for Gram-positive bacteria with a high genomic G + C content (Arthrobacter, Citreobacterium, Micrococcus, Mycobacterium, Rhodococcus). Both types of mercury reductase genes may be located on plasmids.