Brucella, Un Genre Bactérien En Expansion : Nouvelles Especes, Nouveaux Réservoirs

Over the past twenty years, the number of species of the genus Brucella has doubled, with the identification of six acterial species together with an enlarged range of mammalian hosts (baboons, foxes, marine mammals) and, more surprisingly, in several species of anurans. The phenotypic study of these bacteria species shows sometimes original characteristics (negative oxidase reactions), different growth curves and improved survival capacities in certain nutrient-depleted environments or acidic conditions. This article presents the knowledge acquired recently on these species and the investigations carried out recently in anurans, the first non-mammalian reservoir harboring bacteria of this genus and being associated with rare human infection cases. © 2020 Academie Veterinaire de France

Vertical distribution of 137Cs in the undisturbed soil profiles in the basin of pčinja river, southeastern serbia

The 137Cs activity concentrations in six undisturbed soil profiles collected during 2013 in the basin of Pčinja River, southeastern Serbia, were determined gamma-ray spectrometrically. Average value of six undisturbed soil profiles by layers was calculated and vertical distribution of 137Cs activity concentration at 5 cm interval samples was shown by average profile. The 137Cs activity concentrations varied between 0.29 and 70.9 Bq kg-1 with a mean of 10.7 Bq kg-1. Even 27 years after Chernobyl accident 74% of deposited 137Cs was found in the first 20 cm of the soil

Wild Boar Tissue Levels of Cadmium, Lead and Mercury in Seven Regions of Continental Croatia

Concentrations of cadmium, mercury and lead were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry in the kidney and muscle of free-living wild boar (n = 169) from hunting grounds in seven counties of continental Croatia. Mean levels of metals (mg/kg) in muscle and kidney of boars ranged as follows: Cd: 0.005–0.016 and 0.866–4.58, Pb: 0.033–0.15 and 0.036–0.441, Hg: 0.004–0.012 and 0.04–0.152. In all seven regions, concentrations exceeded the permitted values (muscle and kidney mg/kg: cadmium 0.05/1; lead 0.1/0.5; mercury 0.03/0.1) in 13.6% and 71.6% of samples (muscle and kidney, respectively) for cadmium; 13.6% and 8.9% for lead; 19.5% and 2.4% for mercury. There were significant differences among the regions. Vukovar-Srijem and Virovitica-Podravina Counties were highly contaminated with cadmium, Sisak-Moslavina and Virovitica-Podravina Counties with lead and Brod-Posavina County had highest mercury concentrations. These results suggest a detailed investigation of physiological and environmental factors contributing to accumulation of metals in boars

Kinetics and modeling of the extraction of flax seed oil (Linum usitatissimum L.) by supercritical carbon dioxide

The object of this study is supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of flax seed oil (Linum usitatissimum L.) at the pressures of 30, 40 and 50 MPa, temperatures of 47 and 52 °C, extraction time of 4 h, special flows of solvent of 8.8 kg/(kg h), and particle size fractions of grinding material of 0.16-0.315, 0.315-0.80 and 0.80-2.00 mm. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of the flax seed oil on the laboratory scale, with the special interest in the influence of the extraction pressure, temperature, extraction time, and grinding of ground material on the overall yield of the flax seed oil was investigated. Experimental results of the oil yields were compared with the data obtained by the mathematical model of Hong et al. [I.K. Hong, S.W. Rho, K.S. Lee, K.P. Yoo, Korean J. Chem. Eng. 7 (1990) 40], presented in the literature

Pulsed laser deposition method for fabrication of cds/tio2 and pbs photoelectrodes for solar energy application

Titanium films sputtered on FTO glass were used for obtaining highly oriented titania nanotubes via anodization technique. Then, pulsed laser deposition of CdS was carried out for sensitizing of similar to 60 nm wide titania nanotubes by applying 50, 100, 150 or 200 subsequent laser pulses. Scanning electron microscopy was used to indicate which samples had the open nanotubular structure of titania preserved after the deposition of CdS. Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that a higher number of applied laser pulses results in the increase of Cd and S quantity within samples. Pulsed laser deposition technique was also employed for the fabrication of PbS counter electrode. I-V characteristics of the photovoltaic cells consisting the obtained electrodes were measured and compared under one-sun illumination. The photovoltaic cell with photoanode sensitized with CdS by applying 150 laser pulses showed the highest current density and voltage among the investigated cell

Biodegradation of petroleum sludge and petroleum polluted soil by a bacterial consortium: a laboratory study

This article presents a study of the efficiency and degradation pattern of samples of petroleum sludge and polluted sandy soil from an oil refinery. A bacterial consortium, consisting of strains from the genera Pseudomonas, Achromobacter, Bacillus and Micromonospora, was isolated from a petroleum sludge sample and characterized. The addition of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients and a chemical surfactant to both the samples and bioaugmentation to the soil sample were applied under laboratory conditions. The extent of biodegradation was monitored by the gravimetric method and analysis of the residual oil by gas chromatography. Over a 12-week experiment, the achieved degree of TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbon) degradation amounted to 82-88% in the petroleum sludge and 86-91% in the polluted soil. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was utilized to determine the biodegradability and degradation rates of n-alkanes, isoprenoids, steranes, diasteranes and terpanes. Complete degradation of the n-alkanes and isoprenoids fractions occurred in both the samples. In addition, the intensities of the peaks corresponding to tricyclic terpenes and homohopanes were decreased, while significant changes were also observed in the distribution of diasteranes and steranes

Rhenium(I) and technetium-99m(I) fac-tricarbonyl complexes with 4-(imidazolin-2-yl)-3-thiabutanoic acid derivatives as tridentate ligands: Synthesis and structural characterization

Two rhenium(l) tricarbonyl complexes, with the monoanionic tridentate NSO type ligand, 4-(imidazolin-2-yl)-3-thiabutanoic acid and 4-(N-ethylimidazolin-2-yl)-3-thiabutanoic acid were synthesized and isolated in pure form. Both complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis. The solid-state structure of 4-(imidazolin-2-yl)-3-thiabutanoic acid and of both complexes was established by X-ray crystallography. The geometry about the rhenium is octahedral. The analogous technetium-99m complexes were also prepared quantitatively by the reaction of both ligands with the fac-[(99m)Tc(CO)(3)(H(2)O)(3)](+) synthon and their identity was established by chromatographic comparison to their rhenium congeners. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Benzimidazole derivatives as NSO ligands for the fac-[M(CO)(3)](+) (M = Re, Tc-99m)

Two rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes with the tridentate monoanionic NSO ligands, 4-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-3-thiabutanoic acid (complex 3) and [1-(11-carboxyundecanyl)-4-(benzimidazol-2-yl)]-3-thiabutanoic acid (complex 4) were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods and elemental analysis. X-ray crystallographic analysis of complex 3 revealed a distorted octahedral geometry around rhenium defined by the three facially bound CO groups and the NSO donor atom set of the tridentate ligand. The analogous technetium-99m complexes (complexes 5 and 6) were also prepared quantitatively by reaction of the NSO ligands with the fac-[Tc-99m(H2O)(3)(CO)(3)](+) synthon and their identity was established by chromatographic comparison to their rhenium congeners. Biodistribution in mice of complex 6 bearing the fatty acid chain showed significant heart uptake (6.26 +/- 0.79% ID/g p.i.) at 1 min accompanied, however, with a heart: blood ratio below 1. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved