Isolation and characterization of biofumigant from leaves of Lantana camara for control of stored grain insect pests

Due to environmental concerns, health hazards to man and the evolution of resistance in insect pests, there have been constant efforts to discover newer insecticides both from natural sources and by chemical synthesis. Natural sources for novel molecules hold promise in view of their eco-friendly nature, selectivity and mammalian safety. We have isolated one natural bioactive molecule from the leaves of Lantana camara named Coumaran, based on various physical-chemical and spectroscopic techniques (IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and MS). Coumaran is highly toxic and very low concentration is needed for control of stored product insects. This molecule has potent grain protectant potential and caused significant reduction in F1 progeny of all the three species in the treated grain and the progeny was completely suppressed at 30 mu g/l. The differences in germination between the control and treated grains were not significant. The lack of any adverse effect of Coumaran on the seed germination is highly desirable for a grain protectant, becoming a potential source of biofumigant for economical and environmentally friendly pest control strategies against stored grain pests during storage of grains or pulses. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Why is the influence of soil macrofauna on soil structure only considered by soil ecologists?

These last twenty years have seen the development of an abundant literature on the influence of soil macrofauna on soil structure. Amongst these organisms, earthworms, termites and ants are considered to play a key role in regulating the physical, chemical and microbiological properties of soils. Due to these influential impacts, soil ecologists consider these soil macro-invertebrates as `soil engineers' and their diversity and abundance are nowadays considered as relevant bioindicators of soil quality by many scientists and policy makers. Despite this abundant literature, the soil engineering concept remains a `preach to the choir' and bioturbation only perceived as important for soil ecologists. We discussed in this article the main mechanisms by which soil engineers impact soil structure and proposed to classify soil engineers with respect to their capacity to produce biostructures and modify them. We underlined the lack of studies considering biostructure dynamics and presented recent techniques in this purpose. We discussed why soil engineering concept is mainly considered by soil ecologists and call for a better collaboration between soil ecologists and soil physicists. Finally, we summarized main challenges and questions that need to be answered to integrate soil engineers activities in soil structure studies. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental Mechanics Research in China

By recalling mankind's path during past 50 years in the present article, we mainly highlight the significance of environmental issues today. In particular, two major factors leading to environment deterioration in China such as water resources and coal burning are stressed on. Present-day environmental issues are obviously interdisciplinary, of multiple scales and multi-composition in nature. Therefore, a process-based approach for environment research is absolutely necessarily. A series of sub-processes, either physical, chemical or biological, are subsequently analyzed in order to established reasonable parameterization scheme and credible comprehensive model. And we are now in a position to answer questions still open to us, improve existing somewhat empirical engineering approaches and enhance quantitative accuracy in prediction. To illustrate this process-based research approach, three typical examples associated with the Yangtze River Estuary, Loess Plateau and Tenggeli Desert environments have been dealt with respectively. A theoretical model of vertical flow field accounting for runoff and tide interaction has been established to delineate salinity and sediment motion which are responsible for the formation of mouth bar at the outlet and the ecological evolution there. A kinematic wave theory combined with the revised Green-Ampt infiltration formula is applied to the prediction of runoff generation and erosion in three types of erosion region on the Loess Plateau. Three approaches describing water motion in SPAC system in arid areas at different levels have been improved by introducing vegetation sub-models. However, we have found that the formation of a dry sandy layer and biological crust skin are additional primary causes leading to deterioration of water supply and succession of ecological system.

Influence of Surface Stress on Frequency of Microcantilever-Based Biosensors (vol 10, pg 307, 2004)

Microcantilever-based biosensors have been found increasing applications in physical, chemical, and biological fields in recent years. When biosensors are used in those fields, surface stress and mass variations due to bio-molecular binding can cause the microcantilever deform or the shift of frequency. These simple biosensors allow biologists to study surface biochemistry on a micro or nano scale and offer new opportunities in developing microscopic biomedical analysis with unique characteristics. To compare and illustrate the influence of the surface stress on the frequency and avoid unnecessary and complicated numerical solution of the resonance frequency, some dimensionless numbers are derived in this paper by making governing equations dimensionless. Meanwhile, in order to analyze the influence of the general surface stress on the frequency, a new model is put forward, and the frequency of the microcantilever is calculated by using the subspace iteration method and the Rayleigh method. The sensitivity of microcantilever is also discussed. (19 refs.)

Micro-systems for Optical Protein-Chip

Protein-Chip as micro-assays for the determination of protein interaction, the analysis, the identification and the purification of proteins has large potential applications. The Optical Protein-Chip is able to detect the multi-interaction of proteins and multi-bio-activities of molecules directly and simultaneously with no labeling. The chip is a small matrix on solid substrate containing multi-micro-area prepared by microfabrication with photolithography or soft lithography for surface patterning, and processed with surface modification which includes the physical, chemical, and bio-chemical modifications, etc. The ligand immobilization, such as protein immobilization, especially the oriented immobilization with low steric hindrance and high bio-specific binding activity between ligand and receptor is used to form a sensing surface. Each area of the pattern is corresponding to only one bioactivity. The interval between the areas is non-bioactive and optically extinctive. The affinity between proteins is used to realize non-labeling microassays for the determination of protein identification and protein interaction. The sampling of the chip is non-disturbing, performed with imaging ellipsometry and image processing on a database of proteins.

Proceedings of the PICES/CoML/IPRC Workshop on Impact of Climate Variability on Observation and Prediction of Ecosystem and Biodiversity Changes in the North Pacific

Table of Contents [pdf, 0.09 Mb] Section I - Presentations and Discussions at Plenary Sessions Introduction and Overview of Workshop Objectives [pdf, 0.07 Mb] Plenary Session Presentations [pdf, 2.23 Mb] Reports of the Breakout Group Discussions [pdf, 0.43 Mb] Closing Plenary Discussion and Recommendations [pdf, 0.11 Mb] Section II - Extended Abstracts of Individual Presentations at Breakout Group Sessions Breakout Group 1: Physical/Chemical Oceanography and Climate [pdf, 6.14 Mb] Breakout Group 2: Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Micronekton and Benthos [pdf, 28.14 Mb] Breakout Group 3: Fish, Squid, Crabs and Shrimps [pdf, 4.30 Mb] Breakout Group 4: Highly Migratory Fishes, Seabirds and Marine Mammals [pdf, 6.27 Mb] Appendix 1. Workshop agenda [pdf, 0.15 Mb] Appendix 2. List of participants [pdf, 0.13 Mb] (Document pdf contains 216 pages)

Soft-bottom benthic assemblages and levels of contaminants in sediments and biota at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary and nearby shelf waters off the coast of Georgia (2000 and 2001)

A series of studies was initiated to assess the condition of benthic macroinfauna and chemical contaminant levels in sediments and biota of the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) and nearby shelf waters off the coast of Georgia. Four key objectives of the research are (1) to document existing environmental conditions within the sanctuary in order to provide a quantitative benchmark for tracking any future changes due to either natural or human disturbances; (2) to examine broader cross-shelf spatial patterns in benthic fauna and sediment contaminant concentrations and to identify potential controlling factors associated with the observed patterns; (3) to assess any between-year temporal variability in benthic fauna; and (4) to evaluate the importance of benthic fauna as prey for higher trophic levels. Such questions are being addressed to help fulfill long-term science and management goals of the GRNMS. However, it is anticipated that the information will be of additional value in broadening our understanding of the surrounding South Atlantic Bight (SAB) ecosystem and in bringing the knowledge to bear on related resourcemanagement issues of the region. We have begun to address the first three of these objectives with data from samples collected in spring 2000 at stations within GRNMS, and in spring 2001 at stations within the sanctuary and along three cross-shelf transects extending from the mouths of Sapelo, Doboy, and Altamaha Sounds out to sanctuary depths (about 17-20 m). This report provides a description of baseline conditions within the sanctuary, based on results of the spring 2000 survey (Section II), and uses data from both 2000 and 2001 to examine overall spatial and temporal patterns in biological and chemical variables within the sanctuary and surrounding inner-shelf environment (Section III). (PDF contains 65 pages)

Techniques for spatial analysis and visualization of benthic mapping data: final report

The mapping and geospatial analysis of benthic environments are multidisciplinary tasks that have become more accessible in recent years because of advances in technology and cost reductions in survey systems. The complex relationships that exist among physical, biological, and chemical seafloor components require advanced, integrated analysis techniques to enable scientists and others to visualize patterns and, in so doing, allow inferences to be made about benthic processes. Effective mapping, analysis, and visualization of marine habitats are particularly important because the subtidal seafloor environment is not readily viewed directly by eye. Research in benthic environments relies heavily, therefore, on remote sensing techniques to collect effective data. Because many benthic scientists are not mapping professionals, they may not adequately consider the links between data collection, data analysis, and data visualization. Projects often start with clear goals, but may be hampered by the technical details and skills required for maintaining data quality through the entire process from collection through analysis and presentation. The lack of technical understanding of the entire data handling process can represent a significant impediment to success. While many benthic mapping efforts have detailed their methodology as it relates to the overall scientific goals of a project, only a few published papers and reports focus on the analysis and visualization components (Paton et al. 1997, Weihe et al. 1999, Basu and Saxena 1999, Bruce et al. 1997). In particular, the benthic mapping literature often briefly describes data collection and analysis methods, but fails to provide sufficiently detailed explanation of particular analysis techniques or display methodologies so that others can employ them. In general, such techniques are in large part guided by the data acquisition methods, which can include both aerial and water-based remote sensing methods to map the seafloor without physical disturbance, as well as physical sampling methodologies (e.g., grab or core sampling). The terms benthic mapping and benthic habitat mapping are often used synonymously to describe seafloor mapping conducted for the purpose of benthic habitat identification. There is a subtle yet important difference, however, between general benthic mapping and benthic habitat mapping. The distinction is important because it dictates the sequential analysis and visualization techniques that are employed following data collection. In this paper general seafloor mapping for identification of regional geologic features and morphology is defined as benthic mapping. Benthic habitat mapping incorporates the regional scale geologic information but also includes higher resolution surveys and analysis of biological communities to identify the biological habitats. In addition, this paper adopts the definition of habitats established by Kostylev et al. (2001) as a “spatially defined area where the physical, chemical, and biological environment is distinctly different from the surrounding environment.” (PDF contains 31 pages)

Biological production in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

ENGLISH:The present paper is principally concerned with the geographic distribution of the standing crop and production of phytoplankton at the surface of the eastern Pacific, east of 130°W and between 10°N and 33°S, as reflected by recently collected data. In addition we discuss some of the more obvious, general relationships among thermocline topography, nutrient concentration, and the various trophic levels from primary production to fish production. The limited data do not allow a seasonal study. We have therefore mapped all of the data together regardless of the time of collection, but do not wish to imply that the physical, chemical and biological system is without seasonal or periodic change. SPANISH:Como lo reflejan los datos recientemente recolectados, el presente trabajo está dedicado principalmente a la distribución geográfica de las cosechas estables y a la producción del fitoplancton en la superficie del Pacífico Oriental, al este de los 130°W y entre los 10°N y 33°S. Además discutimos algunas de las relaciones generales más obvias entre la topografía de la termoclina, la concentración de los nutrientes, y los varios niveles tróficos, desde la producción primaria hasta la producción de los peces. Los datos limitados no permiten un estudio estacional. Por lo tanto, hemos combinado todos los datos no tomando en cuenta el tiempo de la recolección, pero no queremos implicar que no existen cambios estacionales o periódicos en el sistema físico, químico y biológico.

Primary production, chlorophyll, and zooplankton volumes in the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean

ENGLISH: Between 1 October and 17 December 1955 investigations of the physical, chemical and biological oceanography of the Eastern Pacific Ocean in a region bounded approximately by 30° N. latitude, 9° S. latitude, 120° W. longitude and the mainland coast were conducted from the vessels Horizon and Spencer F. Baird of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California. These were part of a cooperative operation, designated for convenience by the code name "Eastropic," in which a vessel of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked, during this same period, further west and a vessel of the Peruvian Navy worked further south, offshore from Peru. A vessel of the California State Fisheries Laboratory also conducted certain sub-surface tuna fishing operations and other studies in the same general region as the Scripps vessels. In addition to carrying out a number of special studies related to particular oceanographic features, the Scripps vessels occupied a considerable number of hydrographic stations. The locations of these stations, at each of which were made net-hauls for zooplankton, are shown in Figure 4 and Tables 2 and 3. At some of the hydrographic stations, and in Some places between stations, there were made from the Spencer F. Baird measurements of chlorophyll "a" and of primary production (by the C14 technique), both in situ and in a shipboard incubator. The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of these biological observations. SPANISH: Entre el 1° de octubre y el 17 de diciembre de 1955, a bordo de los barcos Horizon y Spencer F. Baird) de la Institución Scripps de Oceanografía de la Universidad de California, se hicieron investigaciones sobre la oceanografía física, química y biológica del Océano Pacífico Oriental, en una región limitada aproximadamente por los 30° N. de latitud, 9° S. de latitud, 120° O. de longitud y la costa continental. Estas investigaciones fueron parte de una operación que se realizó cooperativamente y a la que se convino darle el nombre codificado de "Eastropic". En ella, durante el mismo período, una embarcación del Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) trabajó más hacia el oeste, y un barco de la armada peruana más hacia el sur, frente a la costa del Perú. También colaboró una nave del Laboratorio de Pesquerías del Estado de California (California State Fisheries Laboratory), realizando algunas operaciones de pesca de atún en aguas subsuperficiales, y otros estudios en la misma región general que recorrieron las embarcaciones de Scripps. Además de efectuar estudios especiales relacionados con las caracteristicas oceanográficas particulares de la región, las naves de Scripps establecieron un buen número de estaciones hidrográficas. La localización de estas estaciones se indica en la Figura 4 y en las Tablas 2 y 3; en cada una de ellas se hicieron rastreos con redes planctónicas para recoger muestras de zooplancton. En algunas de las estaciones hidrográficas, así como en algunos lugares entre estaciones, en el Spencer F. Baird se hicieron mediciones de la clorofila "a" y de la producción primaria (mediante la técnica del C14), tanto in situ como en una incubadora instalada a bordo. El propósito del presente trabajo es dar a conocer los resultados de estas observaciones biológicas. (PDF contains 44 pages.)

Herstellung und Zusammensetzung von asiatischen Fischsaucen

Abstract Fish sauce belongs to the most important condiments in Southeast Asian cuisine. It is a clear, amber to reddish liquid with an intensive smell. Fish sauce is used instead of salt for nearly each meal. Asian fish sauce is made from anchovies and other small fish. For the traditional process whole fresh fish are mixed with salt in the ratio 1:1 to 6:1 in wooden, clay or concrete tanks at tropical temperatures for 6 to 18 months. The liquefaction of the fish tissue is due to the action of endogenous enzymes in fish and exogenous enzymes from bacteria. During the fermentation amino acids, peptides and a lot of other substances are built, which are responsible for the characteristic aroma and flavour of these sauces. You can buy pure fish sauce, diluted fish sauce and fish sauce made from other types of animals like mussels, prawns and squids. In single Asian countries there are different national standards for the quality of fish sauces. In order to get a general idea of these products we have bought 16 fish and two oyster sauces from the retail trade in Hamburg and analyzed them with physical, chemical, sensory and microbiological methods. Kurzfassung Fischsauce gehört zu den wichtigsten Würzsaucen in der südostasiatischen Küche. Es ist eine klare, bernsteinfarbene bis rötlichbraune, sehr intensiv riechende Flüssigkeit. Sie wird anstelle von Salz verwendet und daher fast zu jedem Essen gereicht. Zur Herstellung von Fischsaucen werden hauptsächlich Anchovis und ähnliche kleine Fische verwendet. Bei der traditionellen Herstellung werden die ganzen Fische mit Meersalz in einem Holzfass, Tongefäß oder Betontank im Verhältnis 1:1 bis 6:1 gemischt. Während der anschließenden 6 – 18 Monate dauernden Lagerung bei tropischen Temperaturen bauen sich die Gewebeproteine durch fischeigene Enzyme und Mikroorganismen ab. Bei diesem mehrmonatigen Fermentationsprozess entstehen die für den Geschmack wichtigen Aminosäuren, Peptide und Aromastoffe. Es gibt neben reiner Fischsauce, auch verdünnte Fischsauce und Fischsaucen aus anderen Tieren wie Muscheln, Garnelen und Tintenfische. In den einzelnen asiatischen Ländern gibt es unterschiedliche nationale Qualitätsstandards. Um diese Produktgruppe näher kennen zu lernen, haben wir 16 Fisch- und 2 Austernsaucen aus dem Einzelhandel (Hamburg) mit physikalischen, chemischen, sensorischen und mikrobiologischen Verfahren untersucht.

Biocompatible Bacterial Cellulose-Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) Nanocomposite Films

A series of bacterial cellulose-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) nanocomposite films was prepared by in situ radical polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), using variable amounts of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) as crosslinker. Thin films were obtained, and their physical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties were evaluated. The films showed improved translucency compared to BC and enhanced thermal stability and mechanical performance when compared to poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA). Finally, BC/PHEMA nanocomposites proved to be nontoxic to human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) and thus are pointed as potential dry dressings for biomedical applications.

Some aspects of upwelling in the Gulf of Panama

ENGLISH: Strong coastal upwelling occurs in the Gulf of Panama regularly each year during the season, from about January through April, when strong northerly winds are blowing offshore. Because of the evident importance of upwelling to the ecology of the Gulf of Panama, we commenced in the fall of 1954 a study of various physical, chemical, and biological phenomena associated therewith. Observations were taken at bi-weekly intervals at a fixed location in the Gulf (approximately 10 miles SE of Taboga Island) to supplement the serial observations of sea level, sea temperature, and winds that have been gathered for many years by the Panama Canal Company. SPANISH: Cado año, en la estación de enero a abril, cuando los vientos del norte soplan vigorosamente frente a la costa, ocurre en el Golfo de Panamá un fuerte afloramiento costanero. Se cree que este afloramiento periódico en el Golfo de Panamá es responsable de la alta productividad biológica que sostiene considerables cantidades de organismos de importancia comercial. Esta región, por ejemplo, es una fuente importante de la especie Cetengraulis mysticetus) pez de carnada para el atún, (Alverson y Shimada, 1957) y mantiene una considerable pesca de camarones llamados langostinos (Burkenroad, Obarrio y Mendoza,1955). (PDF contains 54 pages.)

Oceanographic observations from the eastern Pacific Ocean collected by the R/V Shoyo Maru, October 1963 – March 1964

ENGLISH: The Nankai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory of Kochi, Japan conducted a long-line fishery exploration and hydrographic survey in the eastern Pacific Ocean aboard the R/V Shoyo Maru during October 1963- March 1964. An invitation to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission to participate in the cruise gave its investigators the opportunity to make surface biological observations and to preserve water samples for subsequent analyses of nutrients. The result of this survey is a comprehensive body of physical, chemical and biological data covering a large portion of the eastern half of the Pacific Ocean. SPANISH: El Nankai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory de Rochi, Japón, llevó a cabo una exploración pesquera con palangre y un reconocimiento hidrográfico en el Océano Pacífico oriental, a bordo del barco de investigación Shoyo Maru, desde octubre de 1963 hasta marzo de 1964. Una invitación dirigida a la Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical para participar en el crucero, confirió a sus investigadores la oportunidad de hacer observaciones biológicas superficiales y conservar muestras de agua para el subsiguiente análisis de los nutrientes. El resultado de este reconocimiento es un conjunto de datos físicos, químicos y biológicos que abarcan una gran parte del sector medio oriental del Océano Pacífico. (PDF contains 153 pages.)

Membrane Deformability and Membrane Tension of Single Isolated Mitochondria

Mitochondria dynamics is crucial to many biological processes such as mitochondria fusion and fission, which is highly correlated to the mechanics of single mitochondria. However, the mechanobiological coupling of mitochondria has been poorly understood. Here membrane deformability and membrane tension of individual mitochondria isolated from MtDsRed labeled human embryonic T-Rex-293 kidney cells were measured using a micropipette aspiration assay. The results demonstrated that membrane deformation of isolated mitochondria exhibited an elastic transition phase followed by an equilibrium phase, and mitochondrial membrane tension was proportional to the area compressibility. It was also indicated that mitochondrial membrane deformability was significantly affected by physical chemical factors such as osmotic pressure or pH value, and was further correlated to mitochondrial functionality in different respiratory states and Ca2+ regulation. These findings provide a new insight into understanding the mechanical regulation of mitochondrial physiology.