Determination of petroleum-degrading bacteria isolated from crude oil-contaminated soil in Turkey

In order to establish an experimental basis for bioremediation of soil  contaminated with crude oil, 33 strains of bacteria with hydrocarbon-degrading ability were isolated from the contaminated soil in Adana, Batman and Adiyaman, Turkey. The strains were identified as Pseudomons spp.,  Paucimonas lemoignei, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Eschericha spp.,  Enterobacter spp. Citrobacter koseri, Acinetobacter spp., Aeromonas caviae,  Sphingobacterium multivorum, Klebsiella pneumoniae. Pseudomons  aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida biotype A, Citrobacter amalonaticus GC subgroup A and Acinetobacter genomospecies, respectively. The ability to utilize crude oil as carbon source for their growth was ascertained. These bacterial isolates obtained in this study have catabolic capabilities for the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. Further study under soil conditions may be necessary to determine biodegradation potential of bacterial mixture tested in contaminated soil.Key words: Soil, crude oil, soil pollution, bacteria, biodegradation

Kratkotrajno očuvanje sperme potočne pastrmke (salmo trutta macrostigma): delovanje ekstendera na pokretljivost

Cilj eksperimenta je bila procena spermatoloških parametara kratkotrajno čuvane sperme potočne pastrmke (Salmo trutta macrostigma) korišćenjem različitih ekstendera. Mleč je uzorkovan od odraslih mužjaka istiskanjem rukom, bez anestezije. Po određivanju najvažnijih karakteristika sperme (volumen, pokretljivost, trajanje pokretljivosti, gustina, pH) uzorci sperme koji su pokazali >80 pokretljivosti su prikupljeni i razblaženi u odnosu 1:3 sa tri različita ekstendera. Razblažena sperma je čuvana 72 sata na 4°C. Tokom čuvanja na svaka 24 h je procenjivan motilitet spermatozoida (%). U zaključku, rezultati studije su pokazali da se ekstender I pokazao boljim od druga 2 za kratkotrajno očuvanje sperme potočne pastrmke

Prediction in bilingual children: The missing piece of the puzzle

A wealth of studies has shown that more proficient monolingual speakers are better at predicting upcoming information during language comprehension. Similarly, prediction skills of adult second language (L2) speakers in their L2 have also been argued to be modulated by their L2 proficiency. How exactly language proficiency and prediction are linked, however, is yet to be systematically investigated. One group of language users which has the potential to provide invaluable insights into this link is bilingual children. In this paper, we compare bilingual children’s prediction skills with those of monolingual children and adult L2 speakers, and show how investigating bilingual children’s prediction skills may contribute to our understanding of how predictive processing works

Effects of protein deficiency on testosterone levels, semen quality and testicular histology in the developing male rat

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of protein deficiency on plasma testosterone levels, epididymal sperm characteristics and testicular histology in the developing male rat. Twenty four Wistar albino rats were used in the study and were fed with a diet variously containing 3 %, 10 % and 20 % protein. Plasma testosterone levels were significantly lower in rats fed 3 % protein when compared to rats fed 10 % and 20 % protein (P<0.05). Testicular weight in protein deficient rats (rats fed 3 % and 10 % protein) was significantly lower than that of a control group (20 % protein) (P<0.05). No sperm was present in the epididymal duct lumen, but germ cells were observed in some duct lumens in rats fed 3 % protein. Epididymal weight decreased significantly in rats fed 3 % protein compared to rats fed 10 % and 20 % protein (P<0.05). The results of this study clearly show that protein deficiency in developing male rats adversely affects gonadal endocrine function, testicular histology and spermatogenesis

Determination of minerals and trace elements in soils and the relation with its concentrations in sugar beets

Twelve sugar beets and corresponding soil samples from the plantation near Malatya, Turkey were analyzed for mineral and trace element contents. Thirteen metals (Al, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn) were selected and analyzed quantitatively by FAAS/FAES and ETAAS. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to explore samples based on the element contents. The principal component analysis analysis of sugar beet samples yielded five principal components which were able to explain about 84% of the total variance in the data set. The number of principal components that are higher than one was four for the soil samples and were able to explain 83% of total variance. Hierarchical cluster analysis of sugar beet samples and corresponding soil samples resulted in two main clusters based on the geographic regions of the samples. In terms of the elements being analyzed, the hierarchical cluster analysis method resulted in 3-4 clusters of the elements in both sugar beet and soil samples

Multicellular Interactions in 3D Engineered Myocardial Tissue

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the US and many countries worldwide. Current cell-based clinical trials to restore cardiomyocyte (CM) health by local delivery of cells have shown only moderate benefit in improving cardiac pumping capacity. CMs have highly organized physiological structure and interact dynamically with non-CM populations, including endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Within engineered myocardial tissue, non-CM populations play an important role in CM survival and function, in part by secreting paracrine factors and cell-cell interactions. In this review, we summarize the progress of engineering myocardial tissue with pre-formed physiological multicellular organization, and present the challenges toward clinical translation

Effects of Thiamethoxam on Vespula Germanica (F.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Damage of pesticides used in agriculture on non-target organisms (except honey bees) is not sufficiently considered and neglected. Studies showed that wild bees, like honey bees, were also affected by pesticides. Wild bee species should also be protected because of their importance in pollination and biological control and also in order to protect biodiversity. Effects of pesticides on wild bees should be investigated without delay and precautions should be taken to protect the generations of wildlife. In addition, while increasing the agricultural areas, habitat for wild pollinators should be established.In this study, effect of Thiamethoxam, an agriculturally active agent in the neonicotinoid group, commonly used in agriculture fields, on the European wasp (Vespula germanica) was investigated. For this purpose, 2 molar carnation-flavored syrup in a petri dish was placed in a field where wild bees are frequent, and wild bees had got accustomed there. Trial doses were prepared with thiamethoxam dose commonly used in agricultural areas (15 ml/100 L water) and 50% dilutions of this dose (15.00, 7.50, 3.75, 1.87, 0.93, 0.46, 0.23, 0.12, 0.06 ml/100 L water) and fed in 2 molar syrup. Those who returned to the carnation petri dish after feeding were recorded at the 1st, 4th and 24th hours.At the end of the study, bees fed with 15.00, 7.50, and 3.75 ml / 100 L doses of the pesticide all died. One hour after pesticide ingestion, 84.73% of the control group and 13.33% of the bees fed with 1.87 ml / 100L dose, were alive and returned to the syrup petri dish