Epigenetic variation in natural populations with contrasting habitats might be an important element, in addition to the genetic variation, in plant adaptation to environmental stress. Here, we assessed genetic, epigenetic, and cytogenetic structure of the three Lilium bosniacum populations growing on distinct habitats. One population was growing under habitual ecological conditions for this spe...

A total of 336 three-component strong-motion recordings from the Mw 6.35 Niu Dou earthquake of 25 June 1995 at a focal depth of 39.9 km in northern Taiwan are used to study the effects on strong ground motion due to Moho reflection of S waves. The residuals of both horizontal peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity (PGV) recorded from the earthquake are analyzed. The results con...

In grazed, grassland soils, sheep urine generates heterogeneity in ammonia concentrations, with potential impact on ammonia oxidizer community structure and soil N cycling. The influence of different levels of synthetic sheep urine on ammonia oxidizers was studied in grassland soil microcosms. ‘Total’ and active ammonia oxidizers were distinguished by comparing denaturing gradient gel electroph...

Focusing on soil liquefaction, the seismic records during the Niigata-ken earthquake in 1964, the southern Hyogo prefecture earthquake in 1995 and the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake are analyzed by the non-stationary Fourier spectra. The shift of dominant frequency in the seismic record of Kawagishi-cho during the Niigata-ken earthquake is evaluated based on the time-variant pr...

A significant number of pathogenic microorganisms can be found in environmental reservoirs (air, water, soil). It is important to assess the viability status of these organisms to determine whether they pose a threat to public health. Classical methods for determining viability are time consuming. Hence, molecular methods have been developed to address this problem. Molecular methods offer spee...

Ralstonia solanacearum is a pathogenic bacterium that causes wilt in over 200 plant species. Here we report a rapid and sensitive detection of R. solanacearum using an isothermal method for copying DNA known as loop-mediated amplification (LAMP). A set of four primers was designed to replicate the gene coding for the flagellar subunit, fliC, and conditions for detection were optimized to comple...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Several environmental mycobacteria have been shown to be important human pathogens linked to immunomodulation especially in relation to effect on vaccination. Hence identification of mycobacteria to the species level is not only relevant to patient management but also to understand epidemiology of mycobacterial diseases and effect on vaccination. We undertook this study t...

Landfarm soil is used to bioremediate oil wastes from petrochemical industries. We developed a simplified protocol for microbial DNA extraction of tropical landfarm soil using only direct lysis of macerated material. Two samples of tropical landfarm soil from a Brazilian refinery were analyzed by this protocol (one consisted of crude oil-contaminated soil; the other was continuously enriched fo...

Although the Amazon Basin is well known for its diversity of flora and fauna, this report represents the first description of the microbial diversity in Amazonian soils involving a culture-independent approach. Among the 100 sequences of genes coding for small-subunit rRNA obtained by PCR amplification with universal small-subunit rRNA primers, 98 were bacterial and 2 were archaeal. No duplicat...

The ecology of hydrocarbon degradation by microbial populations in the natural environment is reviewed, emphasizing the physical, chemical, and biological factors that contribute to the biodegradation of petroleum and individual hydrocarbons. Rates of biodegradation depend greatly on the composition, state, and concentration of the oil or hydrocarbons, with dispersion and emulsification enhanci...