Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Active Ones (active + ones)
Selected AbstractsFailure of the ammonia oxidation process in two pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants is linked to shifts in the bacterial communitiesJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005L. Wittebolle Abstract Aims:, To investigate whether two different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) , treating the same pharmaceutical influent , select for a different bacterial and/or ammonia oxidizing bacterial (AOB) community. Methods and Results:, Molecular fingerprinting demonstrated that each WWTP had its own total bacterial and AOB community structure, but Nitrosomonas eutropha and N. europea were dominant in both WWTP A and B. The DNA and RNA analysis of the AOB communities revealed different patterns; so the most abundant species may not necessarily be the most active ones. Nitritation failures, monitored by chemical parameter analysis, were reflected as AOB community shifts and visualized by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-based moving window analysis. Conclusions:, This research demonstrated the link between functional performance (nitritation parameters) and the presence and activity of a specific microbial ecology (AOB). Clustering and moving window analysis based on DGGE showed to be valuable to monitor community shifts in both WWTPs. Significance and Impact of the Study:, This study of specific community shifts together with functional parameter analysis has potential as a tool for relating functional instability (such as operational failures) to specific-bacterial community shifts. [source] Biochemical composition of the Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda from the Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean Sea) in different stages of sexual maturityJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006N. Zaboukas The content (% wet mass) in water, ash, lipid, crude protein, DNA and RNA of different tissues was determined during sexual maturation of bonitos Sarda sarda from the Aegean Sea. A total of 220 specimens were collected in the following stages of sexual maturity: immature, resting, developing, mature, spawning and spent. Highest lipid levels in the white muscle, red muscle and liver were measured in immature specimens, while lowest levels were found in spawning bonitos. The gradual percentage of lipid reduction from immature to spawning bonitos was relatively higher in the liver (females 71·2% and males 64·4%) than in the white (females 59·2% and males 53·5%) and red (females 62·1% and males 51·7%) muscle. Lipid levels in the gonads increased gradually from the immature to spawning stage. The decrease of lipid in the somatic tissues was more intense in females than in males, and gonadal lipid content was higher in females than in males. There was a strong reverse correlation between water and lipid percentage in all tissues. Protein content decreased significantly only in spawning bonitos. The percentage of protein reduction from immature to spawning stage was relatively higher in males than in females in both white (females 3·4% and males 4·6%) and red (females 4·6% and males 5·1%) muscles. Protein content in the liver was significantly lower than in the other tissues, being highest in mature females. Gonadal protein content in females increased with maturation and decreased after spawning. The content in ash exhibited considerable stability. The RNA:DNA ratio exhibited a similar pattern of variation in both muscles. The RNA:DNA ratio increased during gonadal development gradually from the developing to spent stage. It was concluded that in S. sarda during gonadal development, there was an increase in gonadal lipid accompanied by a decrease in somatic tissue lipid reserves. Thus, reproductive inactive bonitos have more lipid in their edible part and a higher nutritional value than active ones. [source] BIOACTIVE POLAR LIPIDS IN OLIVE OIL, POMACE AND WASTE BYPRODUCTSJOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2008HARALABOS C. KARANTONIS ABSTRACT Olive oil protects against atherosclerosis because of biologically active microconstituents. In this study, total polar lipids from olive oil, pomace, pomace oil and waste byproducts were extracted, fractionated by thin layer chromatography and tested for their bioactivity. The most active ones were further purified on high-performance liquid chromatography, and the resulting lipid fractions were tested for their bioactivity. Bioactive compounds were determined in all samples with the exception of olive pomace oil. These lipids inhibited platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation and also induced platelet aggregation. The bioactive compound from olive pomace has been chemically characterized as a glycerylether-sn-2-acetyl glycolipid based on mass spectra. Chemical determinations and mass spectrometry data reinforce the assumption that these active microconstituents share both similar bioactivity and common structural features. The existence of PAF antagonists in polar lipid extracts from olive oil waste by-products render them biologically valuable materials for the food industry that could be used for the production of functional foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Isolated bioactive polar lipids from waste by-products of the olive oil industry that act as inhibitors of platelet-activating factor (PAF) may be used for enrichment and production of foods with higher nutritional value, as PAF plays a major role in inflammatory disorders, including atherosclerosis development. [source] Synthesis of new deuterium-labelled lignanolactonesJOURNAL OF LABELLED COMPOUNDS AND RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, Issue 13 2008Eija Leppälä Abstract Deuteration of several lignanolactones, using 2H3PO4·BF3/2H2O as the deuteration reagent, is described, affording new stable isotopically pure polydeuterated lignans. All aromatic hydrogens are exchanged, including the less active ones. The order of 1H/2H exchange is studied by comparing calculated electrostatic potential values and experimental observations. Labile deuteriums are exchanged back to hydrogens with methanolic HCl to achieve stable isotopically pure compounds. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Design, synthesis, characterization and antibacterial properties of copper(II) complexes with chromone-derived compoundsAPPLIED ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2010Zahid H. Chohan Abstract A new series of six chromone-derived compounds and their Cu(II) complexes was synthesized and characterized by their physical, spectral and analytical data The elemental analysis data of the complexes agree well with the proposed composition of the compounds, which were found to be dimeric in nature with two hydrazine molecules bridging the two copper atoms through coordination. The ligands and their Cu(II) complexes were screened for their in-vitro antibacterial activity against four Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri) and two Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial strains by the agar-well diffusion method. The ligands were found to exhibit either no or low to moderate activities against one or more of the bacterial species, whereas all the metal complexes exhibited moderate to high activities against different bacterial species. The ligands which were inactive before complexation turned active and less active ones became more active upon coordination with copper ions. Overall, the complexes 7,12 showed comparatively much higher activities than the ligands. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Synthesis of New 2,3-Dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one Derivatives for Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory EvaluationARCHIV DER PHARMAZIE, Issue 5 2010Osama I. El-Sabbagh Abstract Starting from isatoic anhydrides, several new 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives bearing chalcone or pyrazole or thiazole moieties at the third position were synthesized. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities for most compounds were studied at a dose level of 50 mg/kg via the acetic-acid-induced writhing-response method and carrageenan-induced edema method, respectively. The study showed that the chalcones bearing a 4-chlorophenyl group 4c or 4-nitrophenyl group 4b were the most active ones as analgesics. Both chalcone 4c and N -phenyl pyrazole bearing 4-methoxy phenyl group 5b showed a higher anti-inflammatory activity than celecoxib but still lower than that of diclofenac sodium. Moreover, the chalcone 4c has nearly the same ulcerogenic index as the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib. [source] The Prevalence of Destructive Leadership BehaviourBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2010Merethe Schanke Aasland This study investigates the prevalence of the four types of destructive leadership behaviour in the destructive and constructive leadership behaviour model, in a representative sample of the Norwegian workforce. The study employs two estimation methods: the operational classification method (OCM) and latent class cluster (LCC) analysis. The total prevalence of destructive leadership behaviour varied from 33.5% (OCM) to 61% (LCC), indicating that destructive leadership is not an anomaly. Destructive leadership comes in many shapes and forms, with passive forms prevailing over more active ones. The results showed that laissez-faire leadership behaviour was the most prevalent destructive leadership behaviour, followed by supportive,disloyal leadership and derailed leadership, while tyrannical leadership behaviour was the least prevalent destructive leadership behaviour. Furthermore, many leaders display constructive as well as destructive behaviours, indicating that leadership is not either constructive or destructive. The study contributes to a broader theoretical perspective on what must be seen as typical behaviour among leaders. [source] Aryloxy Phosphoramidate Triesters: a Technology for Delivering Monophosphorylated Nucleosides and Sugars into CellsCHEMMEDCHEM, Issue 11 2009Youcef Mehellou Dr. Abstract Prodrug technologies aimed at delivering nucleoside monophosphates into cells (protides) have proved to be effective in improving the therapeutic potential of antiviral and anticancer nucleosides. In these cases, the nucleoside monophosphates are delivered into the cell, where they may then be further converted (phosphorylated) to their active species. Herein, we describe one of these technologies developed in our laboratories, known as the phosphoramidate protide method. In this approach, the charges of the phosphate group are fully masked to provide efficient passive cell-membrane penetration. Upon entering the cell, the masking groups are enzymatically cleaved to release the phosphorylated biomolecule. The application of this technology to various therapeutic nucleosides has resulted in improved antiviral and anticancer activities, and in some cases it has transformed inactive nucleosides to active ones. Additionally, the phosphoramidate technology has also been applied to numerous antiviral nucleoside phosphonates, and has resulted in at least three phosphoramidate-based nucleotides progressing to clinical investigations. Furthermore, the phosphoramidate technology has been recently applied to sugars (mainly glucosamine) in order to improve their therapeutic potential. The development of the phosphoramidate technology, mechanism of action and the application of the technology to various monophosphorylated nucleosides and sugars will be reviewed. [source] | ||||||||||