This study was conducted to determine soil properties that correlate with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) spore numbers in semiarid calcareous soils of Hamadan province in northwestern of Iran. Soil samples from six sites managed differently were collected from a 0 to 30 cm depth. The results showed that land use and management systems had a significant effect on AMF spore number in soi...

Recovery of spores and crystals from the fermentation broth of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was studied using the membrane separation technology. Four types of polymeric membranes, with different characteristics, in the range of microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) were used for evaluating their permeate flux and spore–crystal recovery capacity. Results indicated that both MF and UF mem...

Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff. belonging to the Apiaceae family, is well known for its medicinal and nutritional importance, endemic to Iran. Seed dormancy is a major problem present in Kelussia odoratissima leading to low germination percentage; thus, improvement of seed germination and breaking seed dormancy is important. Piriformospora indica, a root-colonizing endo...

The electrocatalytic oxidation of captopril (CAP) was studied by modified carbon nanotubes paste electrode in the presence of isoproterenol (ISPT) using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry and square wave voltammetry (SWV). Also, the values of catalytic rate constant (k), and electron transfer coefficient (α) for CAP were calculated. The mechanism of CA electrochemical behavior at the mo...

The insecticidal properties of Cry-endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have long been used as spore-crystals in commercial spray formulations for insect control. Recently, some Bt-endotoxin genes have been cloned in many different plants. Toxicological evaluations of three spore-crystal endotoxins, BtCry1Ia, BtCry10Aa and BtCry1Ba6 from B. thuringiensis, were carried out on mice to unde...

Calcification is a detrimental process in vascular ageing and in diseases such as atherosclerosis and arthritis. In particular, small calcium phosphate (CaP) crystal deposits are associated with inflammation and atherosclerotic plaque de-stabilisation. We previously reported that CaP particles caused human vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) death and that serum reduced the toxic effects of the ...

The crystalline inclusion of Bacillus thuringiensis, dissolved in 8 m urea containing 10% 2-mercaptoethanol and dialyzed to pH 8.3 to 8.5, was compared with a fraction obtained by the same extraction procedure from spores broken by dry rupture. The two fractions behaved similarly on chromatography with Sephadex G-100 and diethylaminoethyl cellulose. The preparations behaved identically on acryl...