In Vitro Biodegradation of Polyester-Based Plastic Materials by Selected Bacterial Cultures

A simple and rapid in vitro test was designed for the assessment of the biodegradation of polyester-based plastics by selected biodegrading bacterial strains. Variovorax paradoxus LMG 16137 was used for the degradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae LMG 17238 fo the synthetic-based polyesters poly(-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate), and a starch-PCL blend. Degradation by the bacteria was studied in liquid medium with the plastics (films, granules, and injection-molded test bars) as sole sources of carbon. Degradation was followed through gravimetry, growth of the culture, and tensile testing. The effects of incubation time, inoculum density, aeration, incubation temperature, and pH of the medium on the mass loss were investigated and conditions optimized. The test allowed to obtain reproducible results on the mass loss of plastic samples in less than 3 weeks and yielded excellent partially degraded samples for further analysis.     

Influence of organic matter decomposition on soluble carbon and its copper-binding capacity

Bulk and low molecular weight (LMW) (<1 kDa) water-extractable carbon were collected from fresh and microbially degraded wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L.) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) residues to monitor early-stage humification over an 8-wk incubation. Copper complexation parameters were determined for both bulk and LMW water-extractable C for both plant materials in a separate 1-wk incubation. Humification progressed through increasing molar absorptivity (A285) and phenolic and total acidity (TA), and through an increase in average molecular size and degree of polymerization as determined by ultrafiltration and changes in fluorescence peak locations. Such dynamic transformations demonstrate that while humification is a bulk property, with C breakdown and stabilization occurring simultaneously and continuously in soil, its early stages can be effectively monitored for fresh plant residues. Significant changes consistently occurred during the first 7 d of the incubation and were more pronounced for LMW fractions than bulk extracts. For both residues, water-extractable C extracted initially and following a 7-d incubation desorbed and complexed 0.11 to 0.55 mmol resin-bound Cu g(-1) C. Low molecular weight water-extractable C generated the higher values within this range, and values increased consistently following incubation. Potential concerns regarding LMW soluble Cu complexes include percolation through soils or runoff into adjacent water bodies as well as effects on plant root development.     

Impacts on air pollution in urban areas

Environmental management involves controlling various forms of pollution to levels that do not pose a threat to the health of the people and the environment in general. This paper presents a framework to analyze sources of local air pollution in cities. Using an OLS model, an investigation is performed of the relationship among the concentrations of air pollutants [more precisely, concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), dust, nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon oxide (CO) and ozone (O₃)], economic activities, and meteorology. Time series analysis leads to a model, that explains a high degree of the variance in the air pollution data. The model is applied to daily time series from three measurement stations in innsbruck, Austria. Estimation results of the model generally fit with the expected relations. Space heating influences SO₂, dust, and NO, while NO₂ levels are primarily affected by traffic. These results also indicate interdependent relations among the pollutants NO, NO₂, O₃, and CO; O₃ levels depend on temperature and sunshine.     

Co-carcinogene oder bedingt krebsauslösende Faktoren

Within the last 10 years numerous new and typical exogenous cocarcinogens were identified chemically as well as biologically and characterized biochemically as initiation or tumor promoters. They are highly irritant diterpene esters of plant origin. Promoters of this type were recently detected also in the Euphorbiacea Croton flavens L., the multiple use of which for stimulants according to local habits was previously held responsible for the unusually high rate of esophageal cancer on Curacao. This detection confirms for the first time that in the etiology of human cancer besides solitary carcinogens (first-order carcinogenic risk factors) also cocarcinogens of the promoter type have to be considered (second-order carcinogenic risk factors). — The active principles of the diterpene ester type are the strongest promoters known so far; they are noninitiators and nonmutagens. Of the manyfold biochemical activities of these promoters the three most actual are: the TPA molecule does not require activation by metabolic alteration, it releases very rapidly prostaglandin E₂ from cellular membranes and it activates latent DNA-viral genoms.     

A longitudinal study of age-specific reproductive output and body condition among male rhesus macaques,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Macaca mulatta</Emphasis>

In many mammalian species, male reproductive success appears to climb sharply at young adulthood, form a brief plateau during prime ages, and decline among older animals, a pattern often attributed to reduced physical condition with ageing. However, solid evidence to either substantiate or refute this profile among nonhuman primates is lacking. Here, we combine a decade of genetic analysis of paternity among free-ranging rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, with information about body condition in order to evaluate how changes in morphology might govern age-specific reproduction among males. We show that age-specific reproductive success traverses the same life history profile as found in other mammals, but reductions in reproductive output with advanced age were associated with reduced chances of survivorship rather than accompanied by diminished body condition. We demonstrate that variance in male age at onset of reproduction is three times greater than variance in female age at onset of reproduction. We provide the first evidence from primates that age-specific reproductive output among males is not a consequence of age-related changes in body condition, but reflects social and demographic factors.