The world currently obtains its energy from the fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. However, the international crisis in the Middle East, rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves as well as climate change have driven the world towards renewable energy sources which are abundant, untapped and environmentally friendly. Malaysia has abundant biomass resources generated from the agricult...

Chinook salmon alevins were exposed during their labile period for sex differentiation to different concentrations of bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME), primary sewage effluent, secondary sewage effluent (SE), 17ss-estradiol, testosterone, and nonylphenol. After exposure for 29 days post hatching (DPH), fish were allowed to grow until 103 and 179 DPH, at which time their genetic sex was deter...

A method for the aerobic treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) was investigated in shake-flask experiments using a consortium developed from POME compost. POME was initially centrifuged at 4,000 g for 15 min and the supernatant was enriched with (NH4)2SO4 (0.5%) and yeast extract (0.25%) to boost its nitrogen content. At optimum pH (pH 4) and temperature (40°C) conditions, the chemical oxy...

An estimated 500,000 individuals in the US, mostly steroid-dependent asthmatics, suffer severe adverse reactions to sulfites in foods, beverages, and pharmaceutical products. In an attempt to understand the pathogenesis of sulfite hypersensitivity, we have developed an assay for the determination of total serum sulfite by utilizing: (a) reductive release of serum protein-bound sulfite; (b) deri...

Membrane filtration can be used in the pulp and paper industry to recover material as well as prevent waste by-products from entering the water course. In addition, depending on the application, membrane systems can be used to remove impurities or to concentrate and purify, either as an aid to recovering valuable raw material or to improve product yields. With increasingly strict legislation on...

This is a study of the impact of cyanide from mining waste on riparian communities, primarily vegetation, near Whitewood Creek, downstream from Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, South Dakota. Cyanide is used in gold processing, and the effluent, until fairly recently, was discharged directly into Gold Run Creek which empties into Whitewood Creek. Vegetation, soil, and water were collected from four ...

The oxidation of sulfite by Thiobacillus thiooxidans was studied at various pH values with changing concentrations of potassium sulfite. The optimal pH for sulfite oxidation by cells was a function of sulfite concentrations, rising with increasing substrate concentrations, while that by the cell extracts was unaffected. The sulfite oxidation by cells was inhibited at high sulfite concentrations...

Phosphorus (P), an essential element required for crop growth has no substitute. The global food security depends on phosphorus availability in soil for crop production. World phosphorus reserves are fast depleting and with an annual increase of 2.3% in phosphorus demand, the current reserves will be exhausted in coming 50-100 years. India and other Western countries are forced to import phosph...

A vena sativa , Chloroplasts, Protoplasts, Sulfite Efflux, Sulfite Uptake Processes of J5S-labelled sulfite uptake and efflux by oat protoplasts and their chloroplasts are very rapid: during the first minutes (or perhaps even seconds) after sulfite supply a state of equilibrium is established between the protoplasts and their chloroplasts and the incubation medium. Bicarbonate concentrations ra...

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that is highly resistant to different oxidative stresses. How reactive sulfur species (RSS) such as sulfite regulate gene expression and the role of the transcription factor Zcf2 and the sulfite exporter Ssu1 in such responses are not known. Here, we show that C. albicans specifically adapts to sulfite stress and that Zcf2 is required for tha...