Bacterioplankton Community as a Biological Element for Reservoirs Water Quality Assessment

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is used to evaluate the water quality of aquatic ecosystems. Phytoplankton is the only biological element considered in the reservoirs water quality assessment. In this study, we aimed to assess the use of the bacterioplankton community as an indicator of water quality, using a culture-independent assay (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, DGGE). Four Portuguese reservoirs (Miranda, Pocinho, Aguieira and Alqueva) were analysed in four periods (autumn 2018, spring and autumn 2019, and spring 2020). Bacterial total abundance had similar values for Miranda, Pocinho and Aguieira, and generally lower values for Alqueva. Diversity and richness values did not show a clear trend. Negative correlations were observed between some nutrients and the bacterial community. Overall, members of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Nitrospirae and Proteobacteria were identified in all sampling sites. In Alqueva, no spatial, temporal or water body quality relationships with bacterial community were observed, which may be due to its higher size, low water velocity rate and higher residence times. However, in Miranda, Pocinho and Aguieira, a strong spatial and temporal bacterial community dynamic was observed. Furthermore, the presence of some species (e.g., Acinetobacter sp.) may reflect the poor water quality that was not detected by the WFD approach.

The Biota of the Florentine Tondo

This paper describes and identifies the biological elements depicted in Virgin with Child, Young St. John the Baptist and an Angel by Piero di Cosimo (1462-1522) from the permanent collection of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, which include a bird, an insect, a mushroom and 10 vegetables, seven of which in flowering. Starting with an analysis of the probable symbolic roles of each biological element based on individual natural and biological properties then proceeding to interpret the presence of each vis-à-vis its relation to the others, this article shows the undeniable convergence of each object’s meaning: birth, death and regeneration (or reproduction) likened to the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.

Efficiency of cultivation of intermediate cover crops as a biological element of the fertilizer system at no-till in the Crimea

The aim is to create the fundamental biologization’s components of no-till system in the environment of foothill-steppe Crimea’s area, to explore the effect of different kinds of cover crops on the indications of soil fertility, on the crop productivity and on the seeds’ quality of the agricultural crops in terms of poor and unstable humidification. During the cultivation of the cover crops in no-till system the reserves of available humidity in the thickness of one metre were acceptable after the growing of vicia – 107,6 millimeters and on the control (without the cover crops) – 99,6 millimeters. The least reserves of available for the plants humidity were in the option with winter rape, as in pure form (59,3 millimeters), as in combination with vicia (44,9 millimeters). The highest crop productivity of cover crops’ green mass was in all cases with the using of the multicomponent combination. It exceeds the crop productivity of the cover crops consisting of 1-2 and 3 sping crops more than twice as much and almost more than 10 times – the crop productivity of the winter rye.

Підготовка компонентів селективної поверхні трансдюсера імунного біосенсора для індикації Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The article presents the results of research to obtain specific components of the preparation selective biosensor surface for further development the immune biosensor test-system for the express – indication of bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and their detection in biological material and in the environment. Specific antiserum and immunoglobulins to P. aeruginosa were obtained by autors. The resulting surface modification components for activity and specificity of the specific compounents were tested using analytical device imunosensor «Plasmon-6», based on surface plasmon resonance. Biosensors are defined as any measuring device that contains a biological element. It combines the exquisite selectivity of biology with the processing power of modern microelectronics and optoelectronics to offer powerful new analytical tools with major applications in the field of medicine, environmental studies, food and processing industries. These analytical devices are based on the union between biological and physio-chemical components. Biological components include macro-molecules such as antibodies, enzymes, tissue slices which are used to recognize and interact with a specific analyte. Physiochemical components are usually referred to as transducers which converts the interactions into signals; it is later amplified with respect to its concentration of analyte. The transducer may use potentiometric, amperometric, optical, magnetic, colorimetric devices. A target analyte in the external membrane must be able to enter the biosensor. The external membrane of the biosensor must be permeable to the analyte where the biosensor is sensitive to it. The biological element inside the biosensor then interacts with chemical species through a biochemical reaction which in turn produces another chemical product and characterized by change in mechanical, electrical properties. The output signal may be a conventional electrochemical signal depending on the type of transducer it uses. Assessment of P. aeruginosa was carried out using an analytical device - immunosensor, with immobilized specific antibodies on the transducer surface. The antibodies have interact with cell antigens, and the resulting shift value resonance angle recorded. Changing the angle depends on the amount of the immune complexes formed on the transducer surface. From the obtained results on the selective surface of transducer of the imunosensor, we can see, that the diagnostic system works with IgG concentration of 1 mg/ml, working titer of 1:7 in polyclonal antibodies against P. aeruginosa. The resulting antiserum specific immunoglobulins can be used in preparing the selective surface of immune biosensor.

Between Progressivism and Institutionalism: Albert Benedict Wolfe on Eugenics

Albeit concerned with the biological element in social evolution, Albert B. Wolfe was among the very few economists of the progressive era who openly expressed their concerns about certain implications of eugenic rhetoric for the social science. Specifically, Wolfe questioned the strong hereditary boundaries that more extreme eugenicists suggested about human beings. A careful examination of Wolfe’s writings reveals that his reaction was rooted in the belief that many of the social problems that eugenicists attributed to hereditary limitations were actually imputable to the influence that the social, economic, and physical environment exercised on the individuals.

Biosensors

Biosensor1 is a diagnostic tool in which a biological element is used to sense a chemical and its amount in a given sample, and then the sensed information (i.e., data) is transferred to a transducer which converts this signal to electrical signal. In this way, it transforms a biological response into an electrical signal. It also detects, records, and transmits data generated due to physiological change or any chemicals presence in the area being analyzed. The analysis is accurate and reliable. In other words, biosensor can be termed as a device used in a biological derived sensing element2 integrated with a physiochemical transducer, producing an electrical signal (Turner, 1996). The resulting electrical signal is a measure of the amount of chemical or combination of chemicals being detected. Sometimes Biosensors are referred as the living organisms, which are used as a sensor to detect the environmental change.