BACKGROUND Cyanobacteria can utilize solar energy and convert carbon dioxide into biofuel molecules in one single biological system. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a model cyanobacterium for basic and applied research. Alkanes are the major constituents of gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. A two-step alkane biosynthetic pathway was identified in cyanobacteria recently. It opens a door to achieve p...

We estimated dry matter digestibility and intake (DMI) in wapiti hinds using the double n-alkane method. We also assessed intra-ruminal controlled-release devices (CRD) for administering n-alkane markers C32 and C36. Nine wapiti hinds were offered alfalfa-based compounded diet for ad libitum consumption and actual DMI was measured daily (mean: 9.2 1.6 kg DM/day). The DMI estimate for C33:C32 (9...

Square wave voltammetry for the reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was measured in 100 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 8) at gold electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) containing either an alkane thiol or aromatic ring thiol structures. At 15 Hz, the electrochemical sensitivity (µA/ppm) was similar for all SAMs tested. However, at 60 Hz, the SAMs containing aromatic ...

The reaction catalyzed by cyanobacterial aldehyde deformylating oxygenase is of interest both because of its potential application to the production of biofuels and because of the highly unusual nature of the deformylation reaction it catalyzes. Whereas the proton in the product alkane derives ultimately from the solvent, the identity of the proton donor in the active site remains unclear. To i...

Modern spectroscopic techniques such as time-resolved second-harmonic-generation spectroscopy allow molecules to be examined selectively directly at phase interfaces. Two-phase systems formed by glycerol/water and alkane layers have previously been studied by time-resolved second-harmonic-generation spectroscopic measurements. In this molecular dynamics study, a triphenylmethane dye was inserte...

This study aimed to assess the use of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) as an alternative or a complement to n-alkane markers for estimation of diet composition of goats fed 7 different diets, composed of different proportions of herbaceous (Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens) and heathland woody species (Erica umbellata, Erica cinerea, Calluna vulgaris, Erica arborea, and Ulex gallii), in a...

Evaluating the importance of natural marine hydrocarbon seeps to global methane budgets requires correctly predicting the gas fraction lost by the seep bubbles during transit through the water column. In the Santa Barbara Channel, California, three widely differing seeps (depth, flux, oiliness) were visited and observations were made of seep gas partial pressures, Pi, near the surface for alkan...

The paper describes a signal method for processing GC-MS signals to extract usable information hidden in the chromatogram thus reducing the labour and time required to handle the data and increasing the quality and objectivity of the results. The method is focused on two relevant parameters for identification and characterization of the n-alkane series present in complex samples (in particular ...

Fungal lignocellulolytic enzymes are promising agents for oxidizing pollutants. This study investigated degradation of Number 6 "Bunker C" fuel oil compounds by the white-rot fungi Irpex lacteus, Trichaptum biforme, Phlebia radiata, Trametes versicolor, and Pleurotus ostreatus (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes). Averaging across all studied species, 98.1%, 48.6%, and 76.4% of the initial Bunker C ...