The biosorption of particulates and metal ions by fungal mycelium.

Particulate adsorption by Mucor flavus and Neurospora crassa is a physical property of the cell wall, independent of both cellular metabolism and the production of extracellular polymers. Initial attractive forces responsible for particulate adsorption by N. crassa are mainly electrostatic in nature and this mechanism probably holds for M. flavus also. The outer glucan layer of the cell wall of N. crassa, although able to adsorb particulates, was not as efficient as the underlying protein layer at particle adsorption. Young, growing mycelium generally adsorbs the , -, largest amount of particles, due to the continued production of adsorption sites and the entrapment of particulates by hyphae. Factors increasing adsorption include nutrient starvation of mycelium and incubation with low concentrations of magnesium ions. Relatively high concentrations of mercury and copper ions decrease adsorption perhaps due to the precipitation and adsorption of the corresponding metal sulphides on the mycelial surface thereby effectively physically interfering with further particulate adsorption. Optimum conditions for adsorption are a temperature of 250C and a slightly acid pH value. Also, small particles are more readily adsorbed than large particles. Mucor flavus can adsorb clays and this ability may be used to treat industrial effluents which contain large amounts of clay minerals. An acid pH and a temperature of 250C are optimum conditions for clay adsorption by the fungus. Low concentrations of montmorillonite and kaolinite increase biomass production by Aspergillus niger in submerged culture, due to the inhibition of pellet formation by the fungus. The clays cause A. niger to grow in a more filamentous form and presumably would affect other fungi in a similar way. The use of clays to control fungal morphology may be important in several industrial fermentations. Low concentrations of the fungicide thiram stimulated the growth of Aspergillus niger in the presence of montmorillonite. Immobilization of fungi by magnetic means is possible due to their ability to adsorb magnetite. This method could also be used to remove fungi from fermentation media as an alternative to filtration or centrifugation. Even though older hyphae of Penicillium chrysogenum are unable to adsorb magnetite, this fungus can still be magnetically immobilized if it is grown from a spore suspension in the presence of magnetite. Either the spores or young hyphae of this fungus adsorb magnetite, producing pellets with magnetic properties. Magnetite adsorption occurs optimally at a temperature of 250C and is constant over a wide range of pH values. Waste mycelium of A. niger from the surface fermentation method of citric acid production can be magnetically removed from solution after adsorbing magnetite. Dilute solutions of sodium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate desorbed magnetite attached to mycelial surfaces. Silver is accumulated selectively by A. niger waste mycelium produced by the surface fermentation method of citric acid production. The process is rapid, maximum uptake occurring twenty minutes after initial exposure of the mycelium to a silver solution. Silver accumulation by the mycelium is relatively insensitive to changes in pH and temperature, a slight decrease in uptake only occurring at a temperature of 800C. Dilute solutions of H2S04 and HNO3 desorb silver from the mycelial surface. However, this process is relatively inefficient and more effective desorbents need to be found to make the silver accumulation process economically viable

Odesa Will Never be a \u27Russian\u27 City Again

Russophone poet Galina Itskovich wrote the statement serving as the title of this text about the identity of her native Odesa, Ukraine in 2023, more than a year and a half after the full-scale invasion by Russia. I propose an examination of the relationship of contemporary Odesan writers to the Russian language. Sources for this examination include the work of writers in or from Odesa such as Galina Itskovich, Maria Galina, Oleg Fesenko, and Igor Bozhko. To discuss what this situation means for translation, such as is demanded by Ukraine’s 2019 law on the status of the Ukrainian language, I use the ideas of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o as a critical lens for establishing a decolonial approach to considering Russophone literary writing in Odesa after February 2022. Of specific use for this project will be Ngũgĩ’s ideas about how a colonial language such as English or Russian, while not necessarily being a language utilized by a given writer themselves, can be utilized as an interlanguage for translation between subjugated languages such as Gĩkũyũ or Ukrainian. The tension surrounding Russian can open a discourse on translation between Russian and Ukrainian in Ukraine. While the war continues, translation cannot determine what the relationship between these languages will be. But translation can help articulate questions about the relationship between colonialism and language

Soil Fungal Community Responses to the Silver Nanoparticles Contamination as Assessed by Illumina Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

The increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) due to its excellent antimicrobial activity in commercial products prompting concerns about their fate in the environment. The toxicity of AgNPs is mainly the result of Ag+ ions. In this study, soil was experimentally contaminated with 100 mg kg-1 of AgNO3 to investigate its effect on fungal soil community. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the soil was extracted at the 6th, 12th, and 24th month of observation and assessed by Illumina Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The results show that, the pollutant change fungal community in soil. After 12 months incubated the number of fungal species in the soil reduced significantly and 40% of the community was dominated by one species

Marked Population Structure and Recent Migration in the Critically Endangered Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)

A multitude of factors influence how natural populations are genetically structured, including dispersal barriers, inhomogeneous habitats, and social organization. Such population subdivision is of special concern in endangered species, as it may lead to reduced adaptive potential and inbreeding in local subpopulations, thus increasing the risk of future extinctions. With only 6600 animals left in the wild, Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) are among the most endangered, but also most enigmatic, great ape species. In order to infer the fine-scale population structure and connectivity of Sumatran orangutans, we analyzed the most comprehensive set of samples to date, including mitochondrial hyper-variable region I haplotypes for 123 individuals and genotypes of 27 autosomal microsatellite markers for 109 individuals. For both mitochondrial and autosomal markers, we found a pronounced population structure, caused by major rivers, mountain ridges, and the Toba caldera. We found that genetic diversity and corresponding long-term effective population size estimates vary strongly among sampling regions for mitochondrial DNA, but show remarkable similarity for autosomal markers, hinting at male-driven long-distance gene flow. In support of this, we identified several individuals that were most likely sired by males originating from other genetic clusters. Our results highlight the effect of natural barriers in shaping the genetic structure of great ape populations, but also point toward important dispersal corridors on northern Sumatra that allow for genetic exchang

Ranging behaviour and seasonal movements of Sumatran orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) in swamp forests

The ranging behaviour of Sumatran orangutans was studied in a swamp forest within the Leuser Ecosystem, Sumatra, Indonesia. The use of line transect techniques for estimating orangutan densities from nests was also examined. The densities obtained, in conjunction with raw numbers of new nests along transects were then compared with estimates of forest productivity in an attempt to identify how orangutan movements are influenced by resource availability. Using nests as an indicator of orangutan numbers produced serious underestimates of absolute densities for a variety of reasons. These were considered to stem mostly from the use of decay rates estimated from total time to nest disappearance, whilst under­detecting older nests in censuses, and from the difficulties of detecting nests on or above transects and accurately estimating distances. The number of new nests along a transect was still considered a reliable indicator of fluctuations in absolute densities. Orangutan home ranges at Suaq Balimbing were found to be distinctly larger than previously reported elsewhere. Females appear to utilise core areas of at least 500 ha, whilst also using a peripheral excursion zone so that total home ranges probably lie between 900 ha and 1500 ha. Adult male and subadult male ranges were considered to be in excess of 3000 ha and perhaps as much as 10000 ha. There was no evidence that adult females or adult males need necessarily be transient or nomadic as previously proposed. Subadult males, however, may constitute a dispersal phase. Orangutan movements were related to fruit availability, in that they will move to areas where fruit is abundant, but also into other areas when fruit is generally scarce. Thus there was evidence that orangutans shift diets during lean periods rather than travelling large distances. There was no evidence to support the occurrence of large-scale seasonal movements of orangutans. There was evidence to suggest that dominant adult males behave differently to other, non-dominant males, in that they occupy smaller ranges, probably as a result of being able to restrict access by other males to receptive females. Non-dominant adult males tended to avoid the dominant male, whereas subadult males did not. Evidence was also found to support the existence of clusters of females with similar ranges, who may be related, preferentially associate with each other, and are to some degree synchronised reproductively

Apes in Space: Saving an Imperilled Orangutan Population in Sumatra

Deforestation rates in Sumatra are amongst the highest in the tropics. Lowland forests, which support the highest densities of orangutans, are particularly vulnerable to clearance and fragmentation because they are highly accessible. Consequently, many orangutans will, in the future, live in strictly or partially isolated populations. Whilst orangutans have been extensively studied in primary forests, their response to living in human-dominated landscapes remains poorly known, despite it being essential for their future management. Here, we focus on an isolated group of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) that co-exist with farmers in a mixed agroforest system consisting of degraded natural forest, smallholder (predominantly rubber) farms and oil palm plantations. Over 24 months we conducted the first ever spatial assessment of orangutan habitat use in the human-transformed landscape of Batang Serangan, North Sumatra. From 1,204 independent crop-raiding incidents recorded, orangutans showed strong foraging preference for mixed farmland/degraded forest habitat over oil palm patches. The core home range areas of the eight adult orangutans encompassed only 14% of the available study area. Monthly home range sizes averaged 423 ha (±139, SD) for males, and 131±46 ha for females, and were positively influenced by wild and cultivated fruit presence, and by crop consumption. The average daily distance travelled was similar for both adult males (868 m±350, SD) and females (866 m±195), but increased when orangutans raided crops. These findings show that orangutans can survive, demographically, in certain types of degraded landscapes, foraging on a mixture of crops and wild fruits. However, the poor quality habitat offered to orangutans by oil palm plantations, in terms of low food availability and as a barrier to female movements, is cause for concern since this is the land use type that is most rapidly replacing the preferred forest habitat across both Sumatran and Bornean orangutan ranges

Population Testing for Cancer Predisposing BRCA1/BRCA2 Mutations in the Ashkenazi-Jewish Community: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Technological advances raise the possibility of systematic population-based genetic testing for cancer-predisposing mutations, but it is uncertain whether benefits outweigh disadvantages. We directly compared the psychological/quality-of-life consequences of such an approach to family history (FH)-based testing

Online social networking and psychological experiences:the perceptions of young people with mental health difficulties

Objectives This study explores the interaction between online social networking experiences and wellbeing in 12 young people accessing mental health services. Methods Data from semi-structured interviews was analysed using Grounded Theory methodology. Results “Threats and judgement” and “connection and support” were experienced by adolescents, facilitated by having continuous access to a vast social network. These experiences influenced adolescents' psychological wellbeing, mediated by their responses to threat and judgement and maintaining “safe sharing” with their network. Social network use was conceived as a gamble of balancing its potentially positive and negative impact in a culture in which social network use appears to be unavoidable. Conclusions The findings indicate the importance of routine assessment and formulation of social networking use in understanding adolescents' psychological distress. Furthermore, a range of opportunities exist for clinicians to utilise the anonymity and peer support that social networks offer to broaden the range of mental health services offered to young people