Some of the properties of flame retardant medium density fiberboard made from rubberwood and recycled containers containing aluminum trihydroxide

The flame retardancy of medium density fiberboard (MDF) made from mixture of rubberwood fibers and recycled old corrugated containers was studied. Aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) was used as a fire retardant additive and mixed with the fibers to manufacture experimental MDF panels using wet process. Phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin in liquid, 2% based on oven dry weight of fibers, was used along with 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% of ATH. The flame retardant test was done using the limiting oxygen index (LOI) test. The other properties investigated include internal bond strength, thickness swelling and water absorption. The results showed that ATH loading increased as the LOI of MDF increased. This demonstrated that ATH could improved the fire retardant property of MDF at sufficient loading. An increase in concentration of ATH showed an increase in the IB values of MDF made without resin. MDF panels made without resin showed a progressive increase in internal bond as the composition of recycled old corrugated containers fiber increased. Addition of resin improved internal bond strength and reduced thickness swelling, and water absorption. Thickness swelling of panel increased as the composition of recycled old corrugated containers fiber increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) showed that there is indication of ATH and resin filling the void space in between fibers.     

DNA methylation based biomarkers: Practical considerations and applications

A biomarker is a molecular target analyzed in a qualitative or quantitative manner to detect and diagnose the presence of a disease, to predict the outcome and the response to a specific treatment allowing personalized tailoring of patient management. Biomarkers can belong to different types of biochemical molecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA or lipids, whereby protein biomarkers have been the most extensively studied and used, notably in blood-based protein quantification tests or immunohistochemistry. The rise of interest in epigenetic mechanisms has allowed the identification of a new type of biomarker, DNA methylation, which is of great potential for many applications. This stable and heritable covalent modification mostly affects cytosines in the context of a CpG dinucleotide in humans. It can be detected and quantified by a number of technologies including genome-wide screening methods as well as locus- or gene-specific high-resolution analysis in different types of samples such as frozen tissues and FFPE samples, but also in body fluids such as urine, plasma, and serum obtained through non-invasive procedures. In some cases, DNA methylation based biomarkers have proven to be more specific and sensitive than commonly used protein biomarkers, which could clearly justify their use in clinics. However, very few of them are at the moment used in clinics and even less commercial tests are currently available. The objective of this review is to discuss the advantages of DNA methylation as a biomarker, the practical considerations for their development, and their use in disease detection, prediction of outcome or treatment response, through multiple examples mainly focusing on cancer, but also to evoke their potential for complex diseases and prenatal diagnostics.     

Geographical variation in the genus Dendrelaphis (Serpentes: Colubridae) within the islands of south-eastern Indonesia

The south-eastern islands of Indonesia between Bali in the west and Timor in the east define a region that is at the interface of the Asian and Australasian biogeographic regions. Three subspecies of the colubrid snake Dendrelaphis pictus have previously been recognized from the region: Dendrelaphis pictus pictus (Bali and Lombok); D. p. inornatus (Sumba to Timor); and D. p. intermedius (Sumbawa to Alor). A re-examination of Dendrelaphis pictus in this region uses multivariate statistics to examine the geographic variation in head-shield and body measurements within the species. The findings re-interpret the taxonomy, indicating that D. pictus from Bali and Lombok are specifically different from D. inornatus on the remaining islands on the Banda Arc. The populations of D. inornatus on the islands of Sumbawa, Sumba, Sawu, Flores, and Lembata are subspecifically different from those on Roti, Semau, Timor, Alor, and Wetar.
Several head-shield measures are strongly correlated with longitude within D. inornatus , suggesting environmentally triggered selection gradients. However, for many variables, the two subspecies differ significantly in the direction of the trends which suggests the subspecies respond differently to these environmental gradients. There is evidence that Dendrelaphis individuals may be transported through the islands by anthropogenic agencies.     

Courtship herding in the fiddler crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Uca elegans</Emphasis>

Male and female animals are not always complicit during reproduction, giving rise to coercion. One example of a system that is assumed to involve sexual coercion is the mate herding behaviour of fiddler crabs: males push females towards the home burrow with the goal of forcing copulation at the burrow entrance. We recorded and analysed in detail the courtship behaviour of a North Australian species of fiddler crab Uca elegans. Courtship was composed of four main phases: broadcast waving, outward run, herding and at burrow display. During interactions males produced claw-waving displays which were directed posteriorly towards the female and which varied in timing and structure depending on the courtship phase. We suggest that courtship herding in U. elegans is driven primarily by mate choice for the following reasons, (1) females can evade herding, (2) no other reproductive strategies were observed, (3) males broadcast their presence and accompany courtship with conspicuous claw waves, and (4) the behaviour ends with the female leading the male into the home burrow. As an alternative function for herding in U. elegans we suggest that the behaviour represents a form of courtship guiding, in which males direct complicit females to the correct home burrow.     

High levels of polyandry,but limited evidence for multiple paternity,in wild populations of the western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus)

Polyandry, where multiple mating by females results in the temporal and spatial overlap of ejaculates from two or more males, is taxonomically widespread and occurs in varying frequencies within and among species. In decapods (crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and prawns), rates of polyandry are likely to be variable, but the extent to which patterns of multiple paternity reflect multiple mating, and thus are shaped by postmating processes that bias fertilization toward one or a subset of mated males, is unclear. Here, we use microsatellite markers to examine the frequency of multiple mating (the presence of spermatophores from two or more males) and patterns of paternity in wild populations of western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus). Our data confirm that >45% of females had attached spermatophores arising from at least two males (i.e., confirming polyandry), but we found very limited evidence for multiple paternity; among 24 clutches sampled in this study, only two arose from fertilizations by two or more males. Single inferred paternal genotypes accounted for all remaining progeny genotypes in each clutch, including several instances when the mother had been shown to mate with two or more males. These findings highlight the need for further work to understand whether polyandry is adaptive and to uncover the mechanisms underlying postmating paternity biases in this system.     

Localization of ATPese and Dynamic Change in its Activity within Root Nodules of Legumes

The study on localization of ATP-ase in root nodules of Astragalus sinicus and Sesbania cannabina shows that the particles of lead phosphate precipitates resulting from the reaction of ATP hydrolytic enzyme are distributed in cell wall, plasmolemma, cytoplasm and peribacteroid membranes etc. of the host cells. This ATP-ase plays an important role in the transportation and absorption of substances. Owing to the need of photosynthates provided for the nitrogen fixation of root nodules, the active reaction of ATP-ase in bacteroids varies with their developments. The numbers of bacteroids having ATP hydrolytic enzyme in young root nodules are significantly less than those in senescent nodules. Possibly, this active reaction is related with the physiological function of nitrogen fixation of bacteroids at different development stages.     

Optimization of a Pt-free cathode suitable for practical applications of microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are considered as a promising way for the direct extraction of biochemical energy from biomass into electricity. However, scaling up the process for practical applications and mainly for wastewater treatment is an issue because there is a necessity to get rid of unsustainable platinum (Pt) catalyst. In this study, we developed a low-cost cathode for a MFC making use of sputter-deposited cobalt (Co) as the catalyst and different types of cathode architecture were tested in a single-chambered air-cathode MFC. By sputtering the catalyst on the air-side of the cathode, increased contact with ambient oxygen significantly resulted in higher electricity generation. This outcome was different from previous studies using conventionally-coated Pt cathodes, which was due to the different technology used.