Role of phycoremediation for nutrient removal from wastewaters: a review

The presence of high concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and nutrients in wastewater generated industrially or domestically has resulted in significant water pollution situations and subsequently is leading to adverse health problems. Algae have been used in various applications in environmental biotechnology especially for phycoremediation as a tertiary wastewater treatment strategy through assimilation of high concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus for their growth, thus reducing potential eutrophication problems. This article discusses the role of phycoremediation to remove COD, BOD and nutrients from wastewater. The mechanism for nutrient removal from wastewater, challenges to process development and current commercial-scale algae-based wastewater treatment are reviewed too. It appears that phycoremediation plays a vital role to treat wastewaters efficiently

Peroxidase extraction from jicama skin peels for phenol removal

Phenol and its derivatives exist in various types of industrial effluents, and are known to be harmful to aquatic lives even at low concentrations. Conventional treatment technologies for phenol removal are challenged with long retention time, high energy consumption and process cost. Enzymatic treatment has emerged as an alternative technology for phenol removal from wastewater. These enzymes interact with aromatic compounds including phenols in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, forming free radicals which polymerize spontaneously to produce insoluble phenolic polymers. This work aims to extract peroxidase from agricultural wastes materials and establish its application for phenol removal. Peroxidase was extracted from jicama skin peels under varying extraction conditions of pH, sample-to-buffer ratio (w/v %) and temperature. Experimental results showed that extraction process conducted at pH 10, 40% w/v and 25oC demonstrated a peroxidase activity of 0.79 U/mL. Elevated temperatures slightly enhanced the peroxidase activities. Jicama peroxidase extracted at optimum extraction conditions demonstrated a phenol removal efficiency of 87.5% at pH 7. Phenol removal efficiency was ∼ 97% in the range of 30 - 40oC, and H2O2 dosage has to be kept below 100 mM for maximum removal under phenol concentration tested

Cultivation of E. coli carrying a plasmid-based Measles vaccine construct (4.2 kbp pcDNA3F) employing medium optimisation and pH-temperature induction techniques

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plasmid-based measles vaccines offer great promises over the conventional fertilised egg method such as ease of manufacture and mimic wild-type intracellular antigen expression. The increasing number of clinical trials on plasmid-based measles vaccines has triggered the need to make more in less time.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this work, we investigated the process variables necessary to improve the volumetric and specific yields of a model plasmid-based measles vaccine (pcDNA3F) harboured in <it>E. coli </it>DH5<it>α</it>. Results from growth medium optimisation in 500 mL shake flasks by response surface methodology (RSM) generated a maximum volumetric yield of 13.65 mg/L which was 1.75 folds higher than that of the base medium. A controlled fed-batch fermentation employing strategic glycerol feeding and optimised growth conditions resulted in a remarkable pcDNA3F volumetric yield of 110 mg/L and a specific yield of 14 mg/g. In addition, growth pH modification and temperature fluctuation between 35 and 45°C were successfully employed to improve plasmid production.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Production of a high copy number plasmid DNA containing a foreign gene of interest is often hampered by the low plasmid volumetric yield which results from the over expression of foreign proteins and metabolic repressors. In this work, a simple bioprocess framework was employed and successfully improved the production of pcDNA3F.</p

Principal component analysis of early generation sorghum lines for yield-contributing traits and resistance to midge

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a staple food crop in Niger. Its production is constrained by sorghum midge (Stenodiplosis sorghicola Coquillett 1898) and by the use of low-yielding, local sorghum varieties. To improve sorghum productivity, farmers need high-yielding and midge-resistant sorghum cultivars. The objective of this research is to evaluate genetic diversity among sorghum inbred lines for yield, yield-contributing traits, and resistance to midge. Two-hundred and eighty-two lines (280 recombinant inbred lines plus two checks) were evaluated at two experimental sites in Niger. An alpha (0.1) lattice design with two replications was used to conduct the trial. Principal component analysis was used to determine the relationship between grain yield and resistance to midge. The first three principal components (PC) accounted for 56.22% of the total genotypic variation. Based on the similarity of traits within and between members of clusters, genotypes were divided into 18 clusters. Genetic variability was present for the traits under study in the tested germplasm. Hybridization of midge-resistant genotypes from different clusters should be able to yield new genotypes combining high yield and other desirable yield-contributing traits

FRET spectroscopy—towards effective biomolecular probing

The advent of super-resolution microscopy has been a major breakthrough in bioscience research, allowing accurate molecular signaling analysis of cellular and biological materials. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) spectroscopy, for instance, has emerged to be significant over the past few decades, owing to its non-invasive spatiotemporal cellular and subcellular probing abilities. The success of FRET has been the resurgence of fluorescent proteins (FPs) and sophisticated imaging techniques. The developments in FP and FRET-based techniques have made FRET investigations possible in diverse biotechnological fields. However, the current literature suffers a dearth in terms of a review that explains the fundamental principles (with examples) of the major areas of FRET application. This article presents a retrospective overview of the salient exploits and advancements of FRET spectroscopy and discusses the current challenges with some options. Moreover, some of the much anticipated future applications have been highlighted

Genetic Variability and Its Implications on Early Generation Sorghum Lines Selection for Yield, Yield Contributing Traits, and Resistance to Sorghum Midge

Sorghum is the second most important cereal crop in Niger. The crop is grown in a wide range of ecological environments in the country. However, sorghum grain yield in Niger is limited by both abiotic and biotic constraints. Recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross of a local variety with a midge resistant variety and two local checks were evaluated during the 2015 rainy season across two planting dates in two environments in Niger. The objective was to investigate genetic variability for yield, yield related traits, and resistance to sorghum midge. High phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) versus genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was observed in both sites and planting dates. Across planting dates at both Konni and Maradi, grain yield, plant height, panicle weight, and midge damage had high heritability coupled with high estimates of genetic advance. At Konni, high genetic advance coupled with high heritability was detected for grain yield, plant height, panicle weight, and resistance to midge. There were similar results at Maradi for grain yield, plant height, and panicle weight. Therefore, selection might be successful for the above characters in their respective environments

Identification of stable genotypes and genotype by environment interaction for grain yield in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)

Sorghum is a staple food crop in Niger and its production is constrained by sorghum midge and the use of low yielding, local sorghum varieties. To improve sorghum productivity, it is crucial to provide farmers with high yielding sorghum cultivars that are resistant to midge. We evaluated 282 genotypes in four environments of Niger Republic. Alpha (0.1) lattice with two replications was the experimental design. Genotype and genotype by environment (GGE) biplot analysis was used to study grain yield (GY) stability and G × E interactions. The results revealed that two distinct mega environments were present. Genotype L232 was the best genotype for GY in the first planting date at Konni and the first and second planting dates (PDs) at Maradi. Genotype L17 was the best for GY in the second PD at Konni. The second PD at Konni was the most discriminating environment while the first PD at Konni is suitable for selecting widely adapted genotypes for GY

Density and distribution of western chimpanzees around a bauxite deposit in the Boé Sector, Guinea-Bissau

Funding: partial support by CEAUL (funded by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UID/MAT/00006/2019) (TAM).The Boé sector in southeast Guinea‐Bissau harbors a population of western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) that inhabits a mosaic of forest and savanna. The Boé sector contains a substantial bauxite deposit in a region called Ronde Hill, and there are plans for the construction of a mine, which may endanger the chimpanzee population. In 1‐week survey in May 2013, we used the standing crop nest counts method to obtain the number of chimpanzee nests and from that estimate the density and abundance of chimpanzees. We carried out five 1‐km line transects that covered the bauxite deposit and surrounding valleys. We used density surface modeling to analyze habitat preferences, then predicted chimpanzee nest density and distribution based on environmental variables. We found the projected location of the mine partially coincides with an area of high predicted abundances of chimpanzee nests and is surrounded by highly suitable areas for chimpanzees (northeast and southwest). We conclude the mine could have significant direct and indirect effects on this population of chimpanzees whose impacts must be carefully considered and properly mitigated if the mine is built.PostprintPeer reviewe

Introgression of drought tolerance traits into adapted Kenyan chickpea varieties using marker assisted backcrossing (MABC)

Drought is the major constraint causing considerable yield reduction in chickpea. Roots play a critical role in enhancing drought tolerance. The main objective of the study was to introgress drought tolerant root traits into Kenyan chickpea varieties through marker assisted breeding (MABC). Eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, linked to quantitative trait loci (QTL) for root and yield traits, were used to screen the parents at ICRISAT, India. In addition, 1144 single nucleotide polymorphic markers (SNPs) were also used in genotyping these parents at Legume Genomics Center, United Kingdom. Crosses were made between two selected varieties, ICCV 92944 (Chania Desi II) and ICCV 00108 (LDT 068) and ‘QTL-hotspot’ donor parent ICC 4958 that has extensive rooting system. Polymor- In the face of increasing water scarcity, breeding for higher transpiration efficiency (TE), that is, the biomass produced per unit of water transpired, has become crucial. This could be achieved by reducing plant transpiration through a better closure of the stomatal pores at the leaf surface. However, this strategy generally also lowers growth, as stomatal opening is necessary for the capture of atmospheric CO2 that feeds daytime photosynthesis. Here, we considered the reduction in transpiration rate at night (En), when photosynthesis is inactive, as a possible strategy to limit water use without altering growth. We carried out a genetic analysis for En and TE in grapevine, a major crop in drought-prone areas. A 3 year experiment was conducted on the F1 progeny from a cross between Syrah and Grenache cultiphic SSR and SNP markers were used to select progenies with root QTL at F1, BC1F1 and BC2F1 that were later advanced to BC2F3. The BC2F3 populations were evaluated for root traits at Egerton University in randomized complete block design with two replications in pot experiment. The BC2F3 families were significantly different for root dry weight (RDW), shoot dry weight (SDW), total plant dry weight (PDW) and root to shoot dry weight (R/S) ratio (R/S) for Chania Desi II x ICC 4958 and R/S for LDT 068 x ICC 4958. These lineshad significantly improved root traits compared the recurrent parents. MABC is aneffective and efficient method of introgressing complex drought tolerant traits which leads to improvement in yield especially under drought conditions