A novel design of a photosynthetic microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is constructed. It is a membrane-less and mediator-free apparatus with a gilding gold mesh as an anode and a graphite carbon cloth as a cathode. The electrode spacing is 4 cm. Spirulina platensis is aggregated and deposited on the anode to form a thin biofilm. Results show that the chlorophyll (Chl) content of the biofilm attributed the PMFC's electricity performance. The open circuit voltage (OCV) reading of PMFC is proportional to Chl content when the Chl was below 0.5mg. The maximal OCV of PMFC is 0.49 V. When the PMFC was connected to an external resistance of 1 kΩ, a maximum power density of 10 mW m(-2) was obtained. This designed PMFC yielded competitively high OCV and power density as compared to other microbial fuel cells reported in the literature.

Polarons, the combined motion of electrons in a cloth of their lattice distortions, are a key transport feature in doped manganites. To develop a profound understanding of the colossal resistance effects induced by external fields, the study of polaron correlations and the resulting collective polaron behavior, i.e., polaron ordering and transition from polaronic transport to metallic transport is essential. We show that static long-range ordering of Jahn-Teller polarons forms a polaron solid which represents a new type of charge and orbital ordered state. The related noncentrosymmetric lattice distortions establish a connection between colossal resistance effects and multiferroic properties, i.e., the coexistence of ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic ordering. Colossal resistance effects due to an electrically induced polaron solid-liquid transition are directly observed in a transmission electron microscope with local electric stimulus applied in situ using a piezo-controlled tip. Our results shed light onto the colossal resistance effects in magnetic field and have a strong impact on the development of correlated electron-device applications such as resistive random access memory (RRAM).

In response to increasing concern about home hygiene, the use of antibacterial products to reduce microorganisms in kitchen sponges and cleaning cloths is strongly promoted by some producers of detergent for domestic use. The effects of an antibacterial dishwashing liquid on Escherichia coli, Salmonella Enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus were investigated in a modified suspension test and in used sponges with and without food residues under laboratory conditions. A limited study was conducted in households to assess the efficacy of antibacterial dishwashing liquid as used by the consumer. In the suspension tests, S. aureus and B. cereus were shown to be susceptible to low concentrations of antibacterial dishwashing liquid (0.5%), whereas E. coli and Salmonella Enteritidis maintained their initial numbers for at least 24 h at 25 degrees C. At higher concentrations (2 to 4%), all test organisms decreased to below the detection limit after 24 h. Over a 24-h period, the antibacterial dishwashing liquid did not significantly reduce these organisms in used sponges in which food residues were present. The antibacterial product did not reduce the competitive microorganisms either. Similar results were found for sponges involved in daily household use. The results of this study demonstrate that the antibacterial dishwashing liquid was effective in reducing pathogens in the suspension test but not in the used sponges. This finding indicates that to determine the efficacy of antibacterial products, their use in a household setting must be considered.

Our visual environment is full of texture-"stuff" like cloth, bark, or gravel as distinct from "things" like dresses, trees, or paths-and humans are adept at perceiving subtle variations in material properties. To investigate image features important for texture perception, we psychophysically compare a recent parametric model of texture appearance (convolutional neural network [CNN] model) that uses the features encoded by a deep CNN (VGG-19) with two other models: the venerable Portilla and Simoncelli model and an extension of the CNN model in which the power spectrum is additionally matched. Observers discriminated model-generated textures from original natural textures in a spatial three-alternative oddity paradigm under two viewing conditions: when test patches were briefly presented to the near-periphery ("parafoveal") and when observers were able to make eye movements to all three patches ("inspection"). Under parafoveal viewing, observers were unable to discriminate 10 of 12 original images from CNN model images, and remarkably, the simpler Portilla and Simoncelli model performed slightly better than the CNN model (11 textures). Under foveal inspection, matching CNN features captured appearance substantially better than the Portilla and Simoncelli model (nine compared to four textures), and including the power spectrum improved appearance matching for two of the three remaining textures. None of the models we test here could produce indiscriminable images for one of the 12 textures under the inspection condition. While deep CNN (VGG-19) features can often be used to synthesize textures that humans cannot discriminate from natural textures, there is currently no uniformly best model for all textures and viewing conditions.

Adsorption of pesticides ametryn, aldicarb, dinoseb and diuron from aqueous solution onto high specific area activated carbon-cloth was studied. Kinetics of adsorption was followed by in situ UV-spectroscopy and the data were treated according to various rate models. The extent of adsorption was determined at the end of 125 min adsorption period. Rate constants and the extent of adsorption for the four pesticides were found to follow the order: dinoseb>> ametryn>> diuron>> aldicarb. Adsorption isotherms were derived at 25 degrees C on the basis of batch analysis. Isotherm data were treated according to Langmuir and Freundlich models. The fits of experimental data to these equations were examined. The types of interactions between the surface and pesticide molecules were discussed.

BACKGROUND

Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) is a non-invasive and fast technique for measuring microvascular blood flow that recently has found clinical use for burn assessment and evaluation of flaps. Tissue motion caused by for example breathing or patient movements may however affect the measurements in these clinical applications, as may distance between the camera and the skin and tissue curvature. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the effect of frame rate, number of frames/image, movement of the tissue, measuring distance and tissue curvature on the measured perfusion.

METHODS

Methyl nicotinate-induced vasodilation in the forearm skin was measured using LSCI during controlled motion at different speeds, using different combinations of frame rate and number of frames/image, and at varying camera angles and distances. Experiments were made on healthy volunteers and on a cloth soaked in a colloidal suspension of polystyrene microspheres.

RESULTS

Measured perfusion increased with tissue motion speed. The relation was independent of the absolute perfusion in the skin and of frame rate and number of frames/image. The measured perfusion decreased with increasing angles (16% at 60°, p = 0.01). Measured perfusion did not vary significantly between measurement distances from 15 to 40 cm (p = 0.77, %CV 0.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Tissue motion increases and measurement angles beyond 45° decrease the measured perfusion in LSCI. These findings have to be taken into account when LSCI is used to assess moving or curved tissue surfaces, which is common in clinical applications.

BACKGROUND

Athletic tape has been used on the ankle to decrease range of motion and to prevent injuries. Results from previous research found that with physical exercise athletic tape loses some of its restricting properties; recently, a new self-adherent taping product was developed that may restrict range of motion regardless of exercise.

OBJECTIVE

Self-adherent tape will maintain ankle range of motion restriction more than traditional white cloth tape both before and after activity.

METHODS

Controlled laboratory study.

METHODS

Twenty volunteers participated in testing procedures on 3 separate days, 1 for each taping condition (self-adherent, white cloth, and no tape). The participant's ankle range of motion was measured with an electrogoniometer before application of the tape, immediately after application of the tape, and after 30 minutes of physical exercise. Range of motion was measured in 2 planes of motion: inversion to eversion and dorsiflexion to plantar flexion.

RESULTS

White cloth tape and self-adherent tape both restricted inversion to eversion range of motion immediately after application, but with 30 minutes of exercise only the self-adherent tape maintained the decreased range of motion. For dorsiflexion to plantar flexion range of motion, the white tape and self-adherent tape both significantly decreased range of motion immediately after application and after the exercise protocol.

CONCLUSIONS

The self-adherent tape maintained range of motion restriction both before and after exercise. Conversely, the white cloth tape lost some of its restrictive properties after 30 minutes of exercise.

One hundred twenty-six Black Angus yearling heifers were used in a 119-d study to assess the effect of shade allocation (0, 2.0, 3.3, or 4.7 m(2)/animal) on the performance and welfare of feedlot cattle. Shade treatments were replicated 4 times and the no-shade treatment was replicated twice. Shade was provided by 70% solar block shade cloth, attached to a 4-m-high frame with a north-south orientation. Cattle were randomly allocated to a pen (9/pen; 19.2 m(2)/animal) within treatment. Performance was assessed using DMI, G:F, ADG, HCW, dressing percentage, and rump fat depth. Climatic data (ambient and black globe temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, relative humidity, and rainfall) were recorded. From these data, the heat load index (HLI) was calculated. When the daily maximum HLI (HLI(Max)) was <86, individual panting score (0 = no panting; 4 = open mouth, tongue extended), animal location (eating, drinking, under shade), and animal posture (standing or lying) were collected at 0600, 1200, and 1800 h. When HLI(Max) was ≥ 86, these data were collected every 2 h between 0600 and 1800 h. Feed intake was recorded weekly and water intake was recorded daily on a pen basis. When HLI(Max) was ≥ 86, mean panting score (MPS: mean of animals within treatment) was greatest (1.02; P < 0.001) for unshaded cattle compared with cattle in the shade treatments, which were similar (0.82; P = 0.81). During heat waves, the MPS of unshaded cattle was greater (2.66; P < 0.001) than that for shaded cattle. The MPS of cattle in the 2.0 m(2)/animal treatment (2.43 ± 0.13) was greater (P < 0.001) than that of cattle in the 3.3 (2.11 ± 0.13) and 4.7 m(2)/animal (2.03 ± 0.13) treatments. The MPS of cattle in the 3.3 and 4.7 m(2)/animal treatments were similar (P = 0.09). Number standing was similar (P = 0.98) between unshaded and shaded at 2.0 m(2)/animal treatments with 4.75 and 4.76 animals/pen, respectively. Fewer (P < 0.0001) were standing in the 3.3 (4.19 animals/pen) and 4.7 m(2)/animal (4.06 animals/pen) treatments. Fewer (P = 0.004) cattle were under the shade at 2.0 m(2)/animal (47.1%) compared with the number under the shade at 3.3 (53.7%) and 4.7 m(2)/animal (53.6%). Unshaded cattle had the smallest (0.085 ± 0.006) G:F ratio (P = 0.01), followed by cattle shaded at 4.7 m(2)/animal (0.104 ± 0.006; P ≤ 0.001). There was no difference (P = 0.12) between the 2.0 and 3.3 m(2)/animal treatments. There were no differences (P>> 0.10) for final BW, HCW, dressing percentage, and rump fat depth. Cattle with access to shade had smaller panting scores, which suggests improved welfare, and had better feed efficiency. Shade reduced the intensity of the heat load but did not fully remove the effect of heat.

BACKGROUND

The hospital environment has been suggested as playing an important role in the transmission of hospital-associated (HA) pathogens. However, studies investigating the contamination of the hospital environment with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Clostridium difficile have generally focused on point prevalence studies of only a single pathogen. Research evaluating the roles of these two pathogens, concurrently, in the general hospital environment has not been conducted. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and identify risk factors associated with MRSA and C. difficile contamination in the general environment of three community hospitals, prospectively.

METHODS

Sampling of environmental surfaces distributed over the medicine and surgical wards at each hospital was conducted once a week for four consecutive weeks. Sterile electrostatic cloths were used for environmental sampling and information regarding the surface sampled was recorded. For MRSA, air sampling was also conducted. Enrichment culture was performed and spa typing was performed for all MRSA isolates. For C. difficile, isolates were characterized by ribotyping and investigated for the presence of toxin genes by PCR. Using logistic regression, the following risk factors were examined for MRSA or C. difficile contamination: type of surface sampled, surface material, surface location, and the presence/absence of the other HA pathogen under investigation.

RESULTS

Overall, 11.8% (n=612) and 2.4% (n=552) of surfaces were positive for MRSA and C. difficile, respectively. Based on molecular typing, five different MRSA strains and eight different C. difficile ribotypes, including ribotypes 027 (15.4%) and 078 (7.7%), were identified in the hospital environment. Results from the logistic regression model indicate that compared to computer keyboards, the following surfaces had increased odds of being contaminated with MRSA: chair backs, hand rails, isolation carts, and sofas.

CONCLUSIONS

MRSA and C. difficile were identified from a variety of surfaces in the general hospital environment.Several surfaces had an increased risk of being contaminated with MRSA but further studies regarding contact rates, type of surface material, and the populations using these surfaces are warranted.

Biopotential signals are recorded mostly by using sticky, pre-gelled electrodes, which are not ideal for wearable, point-of-care monitoring where the usability of the personalized medical device depends critically on the level of comfort and wearability of the electrodes. We report a fully-wearable medical garment for mobile monitoring of cardiac biopotentials from the wrists or the neck with minimum restriction to regular clothing habits. The wearable prototype is based on elastic bands with graphene functionalized, textile electrodes and battery-powered, low-cost electronics for signal acquisition and wireless transmission. Comparison of the electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings obtained from the wearable prototype against conventional wet electrodes indicate excellent conformity and spectral coherence among the two signals.

Five-year-old 'Spring' navel (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) orange trees were completely defruited, 50% defruited or left fully laden to study effects of fruit load on concentrations of nitrogen (N) and carbohydrate, net assimilation of CO2 (Ac) and stomatal conductance (gs) of mature leaves on clear winter days just before fruit harvest. Leaves on defruited trees were larger, had higher starch concentrations and greater leaf dry mass per area (LDMa) than leaves on fruited trees. Both Ac and gs were more than 40% lower in sunlit leaves on defruited trees than in sunlit leaves on trees with fruit. Leaves immediately adjacent to fruit were smaller, had lower leaf nitrogen and carbohydrate concentrations, lower LDMa and lower Ac than leaves on non-fruiting branches of the same trees. Removing half the crop increased individual fruit mass, but reduced fruit color development. Half the trees were shaded with 50% shade cloth for 4 months before harvest to determine the effects of lower leaf temperature (Tl) and leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference on leaf responses. On relatively warm days when sunlit Tl>> 25 degrees C, shade increased Ac and gs, but had no effect on the ratio of internal to ambient CO2 (Ci/Ca) concentration in leaves, implying that high mesophyll temperatures in sunlit leaves were more important than gs in limiting Ac. Sunlit leaves were more photoinhibited than shaded leaves on cooler days when Tl < 25 degrees C. Shade decreased total soluble sugar concentrations in leaves, but had no effect on leaf starch concentrations. Shading had no effects on canopy volume, yield or fruit size, but shaded fruit developed better external color than sun-exposed fruit. Overall, the presence of a normal fruit crop resulted in lower foliar carbohydrate concentrations and higher Ac compared with defruited trees, except on warm days when Ac was reduced by high leaf temperatures.

BACKGROUND

The use of effective cleaning/disinfectant products is important to control pathogens on healthcare surfaces. With the increasing number of wipe products available, there is a concern that combination of a formulation with the wrong material will decrease the efficacy of the product. This study aimed to use a range of efficacy test protocols to determine the efficacy of four formulations before and after binding to three commonly used wiping materials.

METHODS

Two quaternary ammonium (QAC)-based products, one hydrogen-peroxide-based product and one neutral cleaner were combined with microfibre, cotton or non-woven materials and tested for efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus with two surface tests (ASTM E2197-17 and EN13697-15) and two 'product' tests (ASTM E2967-15 and EN16615-15).

RESULTS

Overall, the impact of using different materials on formulation efficacy was limited, except for an alkyl(C12-16)dimethylbenzylammonium chloride-based product used at 0.5% v/v. The hydrogen peroxide product was the most efficacious regardless of the material used. The results from wipe test ASTM E2967-15 were consistent with those from the surface tests, but not with EN16615-15 which was far less stringent.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of different wiping cloth materials may not impact severely on the efficacy of potent disinfectants, despite the absorption of different volumes of formulation by the materials. QAC-based formulations may be at higher risk when a low concentration is used. There were large differences in efficacy depending on the standard test performed, highlighting the need for more stringency in choosing the test to make a product claim on label.

A newly isolated bacterium identified as Bacillus safensis based on biochemical tests and 16S rRNA analysis and its mutant variant created by exposure to ultraviolet radiation at 254 nm were investigated for keratinolytic activity. The wild-type strain produced 35.4-50.4 U/mL keratinase over a period of 120 h, while the mutant one yielded 64.4-108.5 U/mL keratinase for the same period of 120 h. The optimal conditions for the enzyme activities were pH 7.5 and 40 °C. The mutant and wild-type strain keratinases retained 59% and 54% of their activity after 12 h pretreatment at 40 °C, and 64% and 60% of their activity after 12 h at pH 7.5, respectively. The keratinases showed high substrate specificity for feathers, but low specificity for human and bovine hairs. The enzymes were activated by Na+, Ca2+, Fe2+ and Mg2+. However, while Mn2+ activated the enzyme from the mutant strain, it inhibited that of the wild type. The mutant and wild-type strain completely degraded whole chicken feathers after 6 and 9 days at 30 ± 2 °C, and also completely dehaired goat skin within 12 and 16 h, respectively, without damage to the skin. Similarly, remarkable destaining of blood-stained cloth occurred within 2-3 h. The obtained results showed an improvement in the properties of the mutant strain for use of the micro-organism or its enzyme as biocatalysts.

A 12-mer peptide, identified through phage display biopanning, has been used for the first time to induce the rapid formation of ferroelectric (tetragonal) nanocrystalline BaTiO3 at room temperature from an aqueous salt precursor solution at near neutral pH. BaTiO3 is widely used in capacitors, thermistors, displays, and sensors owing to its attractive dielectric, ferroelectric, pyroelectric, optical, and electrochemical properties. Two 12-mer peptides (BT1 and BT2) were selected from a phage-displayed peptide library via binding to tetragonal BaTiO3 powder. While these peptides possessed various types of amino acids, 8 of the 12 amino acids were common to both peptides. Each of these peptides induced the formation of faceted nanoparticles (50-100 nm diameter) from an aqueous precursor solution. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction patterns obtained from these faceted nanoparticles were consistent with the BaTiO3 compound. Rietveld analyses of the X-ray diffraction patterns yielded good fits to tetragonal crystal structures, with the BaTiO3 formed in the presence of the BT2 peptide exhibiting the most tetragonal character. A coating of the latter BaTiO3 nanoparticles exhibited polarization hysteresis (a well-known characteristic of ferroelectric materials) at room temperature and a relative permittivity of 2200. Such rapid, peptide-induced precipitation at room temperature provides new opportunities for direct BaTiO3 formation on low-melting or reactive materials (e.g., plastics, cloths, bio-organics) and the low temperature integration of BaTiO3 into electronic devices (e.g., on silicon or flexible polymer substrates).

Kitchen waste oil (KWO) from catering industries or households was used as a low-cost carbon source for producing biosurfactants by self-isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Fermentation performance with KWO was superior to those with four other carbon sources, with higher optical density (OD600) of 2.33 and lower interfacial tension of 0.57 mN/m. Culture conditions for biosurfactant production were optimized, with optimal pH of 8.0 and nitrogen source concentration of 2.0 g/L, respectively. The results of infrared spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) showed that the biosurfactant was a mixture of six rhamnolipid congeners, among which Rha-Rha-C10-C10 and Rha-C10-C10 were the main components, with mass fraction of approximately 34.20 and 50.86%, respectively. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) obtained was 55.87 mg/L. In addition, the rhamnolipids exhibited excellent tolerance to temperature (20-100 °C), pH (6.0-12.0), and salinity (2-20%; w/v) in a wide range, thereby showing good stability to extreme environmental conditions. The rhamnolipids positively affected oil removal from oil sludge and KWO-contaminated cotton cloth, with removal rate of 34.13 and of 30.92%, respectively. Our results demonstrated that biosurfactant production from KWO was promising, with advantages of good performance, low cost and environmental safety.

BACKGROUND

A vast majority of Indian population are engaged in agriculture. While pesticides help in increasing crop production, inappropriate pesticide storage practice and inadequate protective measures frequently causes accidental poisoning among farmers.

OBJECTIVE

The present study was conducted to explore the pattern of pesticide use among farmers in a district of India with an attempt to identify the lacunae in their knowledge and awareness level on risks and hazards of pesticides use.

METHODS

A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted in the district of Burdwan, West Bengal, to address the study objective. Data analysis was performed by using descriptive statistical methods: Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation.

RESULTS

In the present study alpha-cypermethrin (46%) was the most commonly used pesticide followed by methyl parathion (25.6%), imidacloprid (16.4%), dichlorvos (7.8%) and phorate (4.2%). The farmers used to store pesticides mostly in cowshed (48.4%) followed by storeroom (29.6%). During spraying of pesticides, farmers experienced headache (29.8%) followed by nausea (26%), burning sensation in eyes (9.8%), cough (9.2%), muscle cramps (2%). Regarding the personal protective measures taken by the farmers for spraying, covering nose, mouth with cloth combined with bath after spraying was the most common practice (27%). When asked about suggested actions to be taken if anybody becomes sick following exposure to pesticides, 86% of farmers prefer consulting a doctor.

CONCLUSIONS

The study suggested that farmers of Burdwan were exposed to highly hazardous, restricted and banned pesticides, with insufficient protection. In this situation, educational and training interventions on pesticide handling and safety precautions are urgently needed.

Diarrhoeal disease is still one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity of children in developing countries. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of diarrhoeal disease among male schoolchildren in Jeddah and to identify the associated risk factors, especially those related to drinking water and sanitation disposal. This cross-sectional study was conducted randomly where self-administered questionnaires were issued to parents through the schools. The data were collected from 1,064 respondents indicating that 14.9% of the children had diarrhoea during the previous month. The main risk factors were: the number of children under five years living in the same house (OR per child 1.34, 95% confidence intervals 1.15-1.56), being of Saudi nationality (OR 1.75, 1.08-2.84), reporting sewage spillage near the home (OR 1.69, 1.14-2.53), eating out after school hours (OR 1.74, 1.16-2.60), not drying hands after washing them (OR 1.66, 1.10-2.51), using reusable cloths or sponges to dry dishes (OR 1.70, 1.14-2.52).

Wearing face masks (alongside physical distancing) provides some protection against infection from COVID-19. Face masks can also change how people communicate and subsequently affect speech signal quality. This study investigated how three common face mask types (N95, surgical, and cloth) affected acoustic analysis of speech and perceived intelligibility in healthy subjects. Acoustic measures of timing, frequency, perturbation, and power spectral density were measured. Speech intelligibility and word and sentence accuracy were also examined using the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech. Mask type impacted the power distribution in frequencies above 3 kHz for the N95 mask, and above 5 kHz in surgical and cloth masks. Measures of timing and spectral tilt mainly differed with N95 mask use. Cepstral and harmonics to noise ratios remained unchanged across mask type. No differences were observed across conditions for word or sentence intelligibility measures; however, accuracy of word and sentence translations were affected by all masks. Data presented in this study show that face masks change the speech signal, but some specific acoustic features remain largely unaffected (e.g., measures of voice quality) irrespective of mask type. Outcomes have bearing on how future speech studies are run when personal protective equipment is worn.

A cathode is a critical factor that limits the practical application of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) in terms of cost and power generation. To develop a cost-effective cathode, we investigate a cathode preparation technique using nickel foam as a current collector, activated carbon as a catalyst and PTFE as a binder. The effects of the type and loading of conductive carbon, the type and loading of activated carbon, and PTFE loading on cathode performance are systematically studied by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The nickel foam cathode MFC produces a power density of 1190±50 mW m(-2), comparable with 1320 mW m(-2) from a typical carbon cloth Pt cathode MFC. However, the cost of a nickel foam activated carbon cathode is 1/30 of that of carbon cloth Pt cathode. The results indicate that a nickel foam cathode could be used in scaling up the MFC system.

Activated carbon cloth (ACC) was modified by the reaction between polar groups on its surface and metal alkoxides of titanium, silicon, aluminum and zirconium to enhance its capacitive deionization (CDI) performance. Incorporated state of metals and surface property of modified ACC were deduced from surface analysis results obtained using FE-SEM, XRD, XPS and zeta-potential meter. Titania was highly dispersed on the ACC surface with tetrahedral coordination, and the incorporated titania was effective to decrease physical adsorption of NaCl and to increase electric field adsorption, resulting in a significant enhancement of CDI performance. The negligible contribution of silica, alumina and zirconia modifications suggested that the small oxidation-reduction potential of titania was responsible for the enhancement of the electric field adsorption. Reversibility of adsorption and desorption operation on titania-modified ACC were also discussed relating to its CDI function.

To improve cultivation efficiency for microalgae Spirulina platensis is related to increase its potential use as food source and as an effective alternative for CO2 fixation. The present work attempted to establish a technique, namely attached cultivation, for S. platensis. Laboratory experiments were made firstly to investigate optimal conditions on attached cultivation. The optimal conditions were found: 25 g m(-2) for initial inoculum density using electrostatic flocking cloth as substrata, light intensity lower than 200 μmol m(-2) s(-1), CO2 enriched air flow (0.5%) at a superficial aeration rate of 0.0056 m s(-1) in a NaHCO3-free Zarrouk medium. An outdoor attached cultivation bench-scale bioreactor was built and a 10d culture of S. platensis was carried out with daily harvesting. A high footprint areal biomass productivity of 60 g m(-2) d(-1) was obtained. The nutrition of S. platensis with attached cultivation is identical to that with conventional liquid cultivation.

BACKGROUND

Entomopathogenic fungi are potential candidates for use in integrated vector management, with recent emphasis aimed at developing adult mosquito control methods. Here we investigated the persistence of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae when tested against female A. aegypti under field conditions.

METHODS

Black cotton cloths impregnated with M. anisopliae conidia, formulated in vegetable oil + isoparaffin, were maintained on a covered veranda for up to 30 days. At specific times, pieces of the cloths were removed, placed in Tween 80 and the resuspended conidia were sprayed directly onto mosquitoes. The persistence of conidia impregnated on black cloths using three different carriers was evaluated in test rooms. Fifty mosquitoes were released into each room and after a 5 day period, the surviving insects were captured. Another 50 insects were then released into each room. The capacity of the fungus at reducing mosquito survival was evaluated over a total of 35 days.

RESULTS

Conidia extracted from cloths maintained on the veranda for 2 to 18 days remained virulent, with 28 to 60% mosquito survival observed. Mosquito survival following exposure to fungus impregnated cloths showed that fungus + Tween caused similar reductions to that of fungus + vegetable oil. Mosquitoes exposed to the formulation fungus + vegetable oil had survival rates of 36% over the first 5 days of the experiment. Following the release of the second cohort of mosquitoes (6-11days), survival increased to 50%. The survival of the 12-17 day cohort (78%) was statistically equal to that of the controls (84%). Formulation of the fungus in vegetable oil + isoparaffin increased the persistence of the fungus, with the 18-23 day cohort (64% survival) still showing statistical differences to that of the controls (87% survival).

CONCLUSIONS

The potential of entomopathogenic fungi for the control of adult A. aegypti was confirmed under field conditions. Vegetable oil + isoparaffin formulations of M. anisopliae significantly increased the effectiveness of the fungus, thus reducing the need for frequent changes of black cloths in residences. Our future aim is to obtain effective control of mosquito populations, with cloths only needing to being replaced once a month.

Curcuma longa (turmeric) has a long history of use in medicine as a treatment for inflammatory conditions. The primary active constituent of turmeric and the one responsible for its vibrant yellow color is curcumin. Curcumin is used for treatment of wound and inflammation. It had antimicrobial and antioxidant property. It has low intrinsic toxicity and magnificent properties like with comparatively lesser side-effects. Cotton cloth is one of the most successful wound dressings which utilize the intrinsic properties of cotton fibers. Modern wound dressings, however, require other properties such as antibacterial and moisture maintaining capabilities. In this study, conventional cotton cloth was coated with Curcumin composite for achieving modern wound dressing properties. Curcumin nanocomposite is characterized. The results show that coated cotton cloth with Curcumin nanocomposite has increased drying time (74%) and water absorbency (50%). Furthermore, they show antibacterial efficiency against bacterial species present in wounds.

Over the past few decades, studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiota strongly influences the physiology, behavior, and fitness of its host. Such studies have been conducted primarily in humans and model organisms under controlled laboratory conditions. More recently, researchers have realized the importance of placing host-associated microbiota studies into a more ecological context; however, few non-destructive methods have been established to collect fecal samples from wild birds. Here, we present an inexpensive and easy-to-use kit for the non-invasive collection of feces from small birds. The portability of the collection kit makes this method amenable to field studies, especially those in remote areas. The main components of the collection kit include a flat-bottomed paper bag, a large modified weigh boat (tray), vinyl-coated hardware cloth fencing (grate), a clothespin, and a 10% bleach solution (to sterilize the tray and grate). In the paper bag, a sterile tray is placed under a small grate, which prevents the birds from contacting the feces and reduces the risk of contamination. After capture, the bird is placed in the bag for 3-5 min until it defecates. After the bird is removed from the bag, the tray is extracted and the fecal sample is moved to a collection tube and frozen or preserved. We believe that our method is an affordable and easy option for researchers studying the gut microbiota of wild birds.