Vol. 8(9) September 2013
Effects of lactate and sulfate concentration ratios
on the anaerobic mineralization of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in a combined PCP-dechlorinating
and phenol-degrading culture
Yang S.,1 Inoue Y.2 and Katayama A .1,2 *
Anaerobic pentachlorophenol (PCP) mineralization achieved
by combining two different anaerobic microbial populations (PCP-dechlorinating and
phenol-degrading cultures) was studied according to different concentrations and
ratios of lactate, as the electron donor for the dechlorination and sulfate as the
electron acceptor for the anaerobic degradation. Complete PCP mineralization was
found to be accelerated by providing the condition with an excess of sulfate for
the complete consumption of lactate or its fermentation products. The concentration
ratios of lactate to sulfate had a larger influence than absolute concentration
on the PCP mineralization process. First-order kinetic analysis revealed that the
sulfate-sufficient conditions enhanced the phenol degradation step but had no significant
effect on the dechlorination steps. This information is critical for the design
of permeable reactive barrier systems that use our anaerobic/anaerobic combination
technology to remove PCP from the environment.
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Comparative Study of Bioethanol Production from Deoiled
and Oiled Rice Bran
Tiwari Shubhra, Jadhav S.K.,* Tiwari K.L. and Esmil
On account of limited global supply of oil, bioethanol
has emerged as an alternative for petroleum based liquid fuels. Nowadays, its use
in automobiles as an alternative fuel has attracted worldwide attention for its
production on a large scale while maintaining the economic status of a country.
In present state of energy crisis, efforts are being made to reduce the dependence
upon nonrenewable energy sources, one of which is bio ethanol, produced by fermentation
of agricultural wastes and byproducts. An efficient ethanol production requires
four components: fermentable carbohydrates, an efficient yeast strain, a few nutrients
and simple culture conditions. Present study deals with bio ethanol production from
de oiled and oiled rice bran by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Comparative study of bio
ethanol production and effect of incubation was also studied. Results indicate that
maximum 8.58% of bio ethanol was produced from de oiled rice bran and 9.12% of bio
ethanol was produced from oiled rice bran. Oiled rice bran is more efficient for
bio ethanol production due to high carbohydrate content and fifth day was optimum
incubation for better production.
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Response Surface Methodology Optimization of Process
Parameters for Silage Production by Effective Microorganisms using Central Composite
Design
Norfahana Abd-Talib1,2,3, Siti Hamidah Mohd-Setapar1,2*, Faizah Musa Nor1 and Kamal
Khamis Aidee3
In this work, the effect of Activated Effective Microorganism
(EM-A) on the quality of rice straw silages production have been studied by using
Ash, crude protein, (CP) and crude fibre, (CF) levels as indicators. Treatments
occur in two different types of silo (plastic bag and glass jar), different chopping
lengths (1, 2, 4, 5 and 6cm) and different fermentation days (2, 12, 26, 40 and
50 days) to get the optimum performance of silage. Results showed that treatment
with EM-A slowdown the degradation of CP content and decreased ash and CF content
effectively compared to control rice straw. There were significant effects of type
of silo on ash and CF content (P<0.05) and slightly significant on CP (P<0.10).
No significant effect of fermentation day (P>0.10) was observed on ash, CP or CF
content. The optimization point reached highest desirability of 0.660 in glass jar
silo, 5cm chopping length and 40 days fermentation with highest CP recovery at 2.01%
and lowest ash and CF content at 4.25% and 15.59% respectively. Highest desirability
will be obtained from wider range of parameters used in silage production optimization
study.
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Preparation and Antibacterial Activity of Silver Coated
Activated Carbon from Rice Husks
Altintig Esra*, Bilgin Seyhan and Arabaci Gulnur
Silver has been in use since time because of its antibacterial
effects. In the present century, the use of antibacterial metals in industry as
disinfectant, by loading into inorganic materials is increasing and developing.
But due to the emergence of several antibiotics the use of these silver compounds
has decreased remarkably. In this study, activated carbons were produced from rice
husks by chemical activation with zinc chloride (ZnCl2) at 700◦C in N2 atmosphere.
Rice husk activated carbon supporting silver (RHC/Ag) was prepared by activation
and chemical reduction. The RHC/Ag composites were characterized by SEM, XRD, BET
and FTIR. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the Ag particles were distributed
uniformly on the rice husk (RHC) matrix. The antibacterial effects of characterized
composites were also determined against Escherichia coli. A good antibacterial performance
of the RHC/Ag composite powders was discovered against E.coli.
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Extra Cellular Acid Pectinase production from Three
Different Bacillus Species and Their Bioscouring Efficiency in Cotton Fabrics
Senthilraja K.,1 Sreelakshmi S.N.,1 Vasanthi N.S.1 and Saravanan D.2*
An acidic, extra cellular pectinase from three species
of Bacillus was optimized under submerged fermentation and its application tested
for textile processing as a bioscouring agent in grey cotton fabric. The effectiveness
of bioscouring was evaluated by measuring weight loss, wettability, crease recovery,
ruthenium red dye test and FTIR. The results confirmed that pectinase from all the
three species of Bacillus can be used as bioscouring agent of cotton fabrics. However,
bioscouring with pectinase of B.licheniformis could be as much effective as the
conventional alkaline scouring. The present study observed the efficacy of acidic,
extracellular pectinase from three species of Bacillus viz., Bacillus subtilis,
B.licheniformis and B.amyloliqufaciens to bioscour grey cotton fabric at pH 5 and
50°C temperature at a concentration of 1000U with a treatment time of 60 min and
to remove pectin without damaging the fabric property by environmentally favorable
method.
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Evaluation of Antioxidant Properties and Phytochemical
analysis in the stem and leaves of Ceriops tagal mangroves
Jadhav B.L.,1* Quraishi Firdaus Mukhtar1 and Pagare B.G.2
The antioxidant activity and antioxidant phyto¬chemicals
in the stem and leaves of Ceriops tagal species of Goa coast were studied. Present
results have confirmed scavenging free radicals potential of C. tagal. IC50 values
for DPPH radical scavenging of stem and leaves were 19.98 ug/mL and 29.97ug/mL respectively.
The reducing power of both the parts of plant increased dose dependently in which
the leaves showed higher reducing power. The HPTLC analysis of stem and leaves indicated
the presence of flavonoids, anthraglycosides, bitter principle, saponins, terpenoids
and essential oils. The antioxidant potential of C. tagal may be related to the
presence of quality and quantity of these secondary metabolites.
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Genetic diversity and relationship among 40 rice accessions
from North-Eastern Zone of Tamil Nadu using morphological and SSR markers
Thenmozhi P.1,2 and Rajasekaran C.2*
The present investigation was focused on morphological
and molecular characterization of 40 rice accessions collected from North-Eastern
Zone of Tamil Nadu. Morphological characterization using 14 quantitative traits
was done in a field experiment in a randomized block design. The aim of the work
was to study the genetic diversity among closely related genotypes using Morphological
and Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers and to select accessions that can be used
as potential parents in a future breeding program. The dendrograms based on morphological
traits and SSR markers were used to group the accessions. Genetic relatedness among
accessions based on SSR molecular marker data was presented in the form of a dendrogram
using the unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean (UPGMA). Relative effectiveness
of the SSR markers and genetic diversity among accessions as revealed by botanical
descriptors were compared. The UPGMA classified the 40 accessions into nine morphological
clusters whereas the SSR markers classified the 40 accessions into 12 cluster groups.
Under morphological clustering ADT 36 and Poongar, Kullakar were the most distantly
related and under SSR markers ADT 36 and TKM 3 are more distantly related. Hence
these distinct accessions should be used in future breeding programs for improving
yield and quality characteristics of rice. SSR markers free from environmental influence,
were more discriminatory and informative as they were able to differentiate more
pairs of accessions than the botanical descriptors.
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In vitro protocol for rapid mass propagation of Solanum
stramoenifolium, a medicinal plant
Bukkambudhi Krishnaswamy Manjunatha,* Shinduja R. and Rashmi K. P.
An efficient propagation and regeneration system via
indirect and direct shoot organogenesis for a medicinal plant Solanum stramoenifolium
was established. High activity cytokinins (BAP) could directly induce adventitious
multiple shoots from nodal explants within 3 weeks of culture. Indirect organogenesis
through callus was successfully achieved in the cultures supplemented with auxin
followed by shoot induction and root induction. Nodal explants when cultured on
4 µM BAP induced maximum number of shoots (19.5±0.16.)/explants within 3 weeks of
incubation, microshoots started rooting in the same medium on prolonged culture
(4-5 weeks). In vitro regenerated plants were successfully acclimatized. The leaf
and petiole explants cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2µM 2-4 D induced proliferative
green callus within 4 weeks of incubation. Proliferating callus on subculturing
to MS media supplemented with 2 µM BAP induced shoot induction, microshoots transferred
to culture supplemented with 1.0 µM IAA induced roots. Explants cultured on media
supplemented with both cytokinin and auxin combination failed to induce expected
results. Over 95% of plantlets survived following acclimatization and transfer to
a potting mixture (1:1, sand:vermiculite) in basins.
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Efficient degradation of raw chicken feather into
soluble peptides and free amino acids by a newly isolated Bacillus subtilis S1-4
Yong Bin, Yang Bin-Qing and Feng H.*
Feather is a byproduct by the poultry industry with huge
annual yield. In view of its application, keratinolytic microorganisms have been
employed to degrade feather. In order to achieve this purpose, a bacterial strain
(Bacillus subtilis S1-4) adhered to the native chicken feather was isolated and
identified by comparative genome analysis. This strain in simple basal salt cultures
could completely degrade raw chicken feathers at 5%. The contents of soluble peptides
and amino acids released from the feathers by strain S1-4 could reach 11.61 mg/ml
and 6.86 mg/ml respectively. The strain S1-4 needed a narrow pH to achieve efficient
degradation. In general, extra carbon and nitrogen sources did not improve the feather
degradation. B. subtilis S1-4 could secrete several proteases and keratinase as
well as the disulfite reductase activity, indicating that all of these enzymes are
involved in the feather degradation. In addition, the effects of several parameters
on keratinase production were primarily investigated. However, the optimal cultivating
parameters for the mass loss of substrate and keratinase production were different
suggesting that optimization of these parameters for various purposes should be
performed separately. Conclusively, these results demonstrated that B. subtilis
S1-4 is most promising in application to feather degradation.
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Purification and Characterization of Laccase from
newly isolated Thermophilic Brevibacillus sp. (Z1) and its applications in removal
of Textile Dyes
Ceyda Bozoglu1, Ahmet Adiguzel1*, Hayrunnisa Nadaroglu2*, Derya Yanmis3 and Medine
Gulluce3
Laccases are multicopper-containing oxidases (EC 1.10.3.2.)
and they are widely found in fungi, higher plants and bacteria. Because of their
high pH stability and thermostability, laccases from this strain have a potential
for the treatment of textile bleaching effluents. In this research, the thermophilic
test strain isolated from the Agri-Diyadin thermal springs, in the east of Turkey,
were subjected to analysis of 16S rRNA sequence. The obtained sequence data were
compared with data from the database in the Genebank and as a result it has been
identified that this organism is a member of Brevibacillus genus (GenBank number
KC292196). The laccase from Brevibacillus sp. (Z1) was purified by using precipitate
of saturation (NH4)2SO4, DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S200. The purification degree
and the molecular mass of the enzyme (93 and 110 kDa) were determined by SDS-PAGE
and gel filtration chromatography. In order to determine the enzyme's resistance
against the metal ions, the effect of metal ions such as Ca2+, Ba2+, Mn2+, Ni2+,
Co2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Fe2+, K+ and certain chemical substances such as EDTA and ascorbic
acid on the pure laccase enzyme activity have been investigated and no significant
change was observed. Vmax and Km values were calculated using Lineweaver Burk plots
for ABTS, 2,6-dimetoxyphenol and guaiacol. Purified laccase enzyme was also used
to remove some textile dyes which are used in textile industries and known to cause
major environmental problems such as Reactive Black 5, Fuchsine, Allura Red and
Acid Red 37 from waste water. Consequently, it is concluded that the purified laccase
from Brevibacillus sp. (Z1) can successfully be used for the removal of the textile
dyes from wastewater.
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Enhancement of laccase production and biotechnological
application of laccase pleurotus florida
Jenitta Emima Packiyam E.1 and Ragunathan R.2*
Laccases are oxidoreductases belonging to the multinuclear
copper-containing oxidases; they catalyze the monoelectronic oxidation of substrates
at the expense of molecular oxygen. Laccases are multi-copper oxidation of a wide
range of inorganic substances coupled with one four electron reduction of oxygen
to water. In this work laccase was produced from Pleurotus florida by using two
different production media (media I and II) and production media II was found to
be the best among two. All the laccase enzymes are extracellular glycoproteins and
many of these enzymes show considerable heterogeneity after purification, so the
enzyme is purified and parameters such as optimum day substrate concentration are
characterized. Carbon and nitrogen sources in the medium play an important role
in ligninolytic enzyme production, so effective carbon and nitrogen sources for
optimum production of laccase was also found out. The molecular mass of lacasse
isozymes varies from 50 to 100KDa. The molecular mass of partially purified lacasse
was determined by using SDS-PAGE technique. Number of industrial applications for
laccases has been proposed. In this study biopulping of saw dust using isolated
laccase was carried out and kappa number of bleached pulp was obtained.
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Molecular characterization of free living nitrogen
fixing bacteria associated with aerobic rice root zone soil and their influence
on growth and biomass of Anethum graveolens
Earanna N.,* Nandini K. and Karaba N. Nataraja
Four free living N2 fixing bacteria were isolated from
root zone soil of aerobic (upland rice) rice and identified by using 16S rRNA gene
sequence. The gene sequence showed 97-99 percent homology for Azotobacter species/strains.
Based on gene sequence homology (BLAST) they are identified as A. tropicalis, A.
vinelandii DJ, A. vinelandii ISSDS 386 and A. vinelandii ISSDS 436. Influence of
these strains either singly or in combination with the arbuscular mycorrhiza (Glomus
intraradices) on growth and herbage yield of an aromatic culinary herb Anethum graveolens
was studied in pot culture under glass house conditions. Results indicated that
all the inoculated treatments either single or in combination with the G. intraradices
increased the growth, herbage yield and nitrogen content compared to control. Among
the four Azotobacters, the Azotobacter vinelandii ISSDS 436 strain produced significantly
highest biomass and nitrogen content which is followed by A.vinelandii ISSDS 386
indicating their efficiency of nitrogen supplement to the plant.
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Therapeutic Effects of Human Epidermal Growth Factor
Oldooz Atashparvar*, Kumar Neethu S. and Seyed Amirali Raeisosadat
The discovery of EGF protein has opened new fields of
widespread importance to basic science. EGF protein is well known for use in the
cosmetic field but is also of major benefit in the management of gastric ulcer healing,
elimination of skin scars, hastening the healing process of epidermis damage on
skin etc. Human EGF protein stimulates dimerization of epidermal growth factor receptor
by attaching to the extracellular region of the EGF receptor and forms EGF-EGFR
complex. After binding the EGF to the EGF receptor, dimerization of EGFR stimulates
tyrosine kinase activity thus promoting various downstream signaling pathways by
EGF receptor tyrosine kinase to regulate proliferation and differentiation. Nowadays,
since the EGF protein activates the cells for multiply; it has been widely used
for treatment of wound and cancer in gene therapy and cancer vaccine.
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Plant Response to Abiotic Stresses: From the Perspectives
of Gene Expression
Haruna Sa’idu and Sulaiman Mohammed*
The response to abiotic stresses by some selected plants
species from the perspective of gene expression was reviewed. The plants selected
are of highly valued in terms of agriculture, the utility of the plants as a food
product has also been extensively described. Several abiotic stress factors are
considered, some can be recognized easily. However, others are difficult to identify
especially those which affect the environment and scientists believe that these
factors will increase in the future due to the harsh changes in climate, known as
global warming. Genes are chosen to review their impact at transcriptional levels
under abiotic stresses and resistance to various plants.
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