Surfaces coated with the naturally-occurring polysaccharide chitosan (partially deacetylated poly N-acetyl glucosamine) resisted biofilm formation by bacteria and yeast. Reductions in biofilm viable ...cell numbers ranging from 95% to 99.9997% were demonstrated for Staphylococcus
epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans on chitosan-coated surfaces over a 54-h experiment in comparison to controls. For instance, chitosan-coated surfaces reduced S. epidermidis surface-associated
growth more than 5.5
10
log units (99.9997%) compared to a control surface. As a comparison, coatings containing a combination of the antibiotics minocycline and rifampin reduced S. epidermidis growth by 3.9
10
log units (99.99%) and coatings containing the antiseptic
chlorhexidine did not significantly reduce S. epidermidis surface associated growth as compared to controls. The chitosan effects were confirmed with microscopy. Using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy and fluorescent-dye-loaded S. epidermidis, the permeabilization of these
cells was observed as they alighted on chitosan-coated surfaces. This suggests chitosan disrupts cell membranes as microbes settle on the surface. Chitosan offers a flexible, biocompatible platform for designing coatings to protect surfaces from infection.
Predatory fish in the wild consume whole prey including hard skeletal parts like shell and bone. Shell and bone are made up of the buffering minerals calcium carbonate (CaCO
) and calcium phosphate ...(Ca
(PO
)
). These minerals resist changes in pH, meaning they could have physiological consequences for gastric acidity, digestion and metabolism in fish. Using isocaloric diets supplemented with either CaCO
, Ca
(PO
)
or CaCl
as non-buffering control, we investigated the impacts of dietary buffering on the energetic cost of digestion (i.e. specific dynamic action or SDA), gastric pH, the postprandial blood alkalosis (the "alkaline tide") and growth in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Increases in dietary buffering were significantly associated with increased stomach chyme pH, postprandial blood HCO
, net base excretion, the total SDA and peak SDA but did not influence growth efficiency in a 21 day trial. This result shows that aspects of a meal that have no nutritional value can influence the physiological and energetic costs associated with digestion in fish, but that a reduction in the SDA will not always lead to improvements in growth efficiency. We discuss the broader implications of these findings for the gastrointestinal physiology of fishes, trade-offs in prey choice in the wild, anthropogenic warming and feed formulation in aquaculture.
In wetland-adapted plants, such as rice, it is typically root apexes, sites of rapid entry for water/nutrients, where radial oxygen losses (ROLs) are highest. Nutrient/toxic metal uptake therefore ...largely occurs through oxidized zones and pH microgradients. However, the processes controlling the acquisition of trace elements in rice have been difficult to explore experimentally because of a lack of techniques for simultaneously measuring labile trace elements and O2/pH. Here, we use new diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT)/planar optode sandwich sensors deployed in situ on rice roots to demonstrate a new geochemical niche of greatly enhanced As, Pb, and Fe(II) mobilization into solution immediately adjacent to the root tips characterized by O2 enrichment and low pH. Fe(II) mobilization was congruent to that of the peripheral edge of the aerobic root zone, demonstrating that the Fe(II) mobilization maximum only developed in a narrow O2 range as the oxidation front penetrates the reducing soil. The Fe flux to the DGT resin at the root apexes was 3-fold higher than the anaerobic bulk soil and 27 times greater than the aerobic rooting zone. These results provide new evidence for the importance of coupled diffusion and oxidation of Fe in modulating trace metal solubilization, dispersion, and plant uptake.
Diffusion coefficients of metal ions and metal–ligand complexes in hydrogels were measured at ionic strengths of 0.1–100
mmol
L
−1 using a diffusion cell. The three different types of hydrogel were ...all based on polyacrylamide and have been commonly used in the technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), where accurate diffusion coefficients are essential for the assessment of the concentrations of labile metal in solution. There was little difference in the diffusion coefficients of either Cu and Cd measured in gels with thicknesses of 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6
mm, showing that any diffusion boundary layer in solution was negligibly small. The diffusion coefficients of Pb, Ni, Cu and Cd in simple inorganic solutions was independent of ionic strength (1–100
mmol
L
−1), except at very low ionic strengths (0.1
mmol
L
−1) where the value of
D was 50% lower. This observation is consistent with the gel having a positive charge that creates a Donnan partitioning of cations at the gel surface. Diffusion coefficient of Pb complexes decreased with increasing size of the ligand, in the order of diglycolic acid (DGA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), fulvic acid and humic acid. In freshwaters the contribution of fulvic acid species to measured DGT mass should be considered. No significant difference was found between the rate of diffusion of Cu and Cd through the mostly commonly used gel and the filter membrane at the face of the DGT device. Diffusion coefficients obtained using a gel with small pore size (restricted gel) plus filter membrane were higher than those obtained using the restricted gel alone. It may be necessary to modify the standard DGT equation for restricted gel deployments, to take into account the difference in diffusion between the gel and the filter membrane.
Agroecological zones within Bangladesh with low levels of arsenic in groundwater and soils produce rice that is high in arsenic with respect to other producing regions of the globe. Little is known ...about arsenic cycling in these soils and the labile fractions relevant for plant uptake when flooded. Soil porewater dynamics of field soils (n = 39) were recreated under standardized laboratory conditions to investigate the mobility and interplay of arsenic, Fe, Si, C, and other elements, in relation to rice grain element composition, using the dynamic sampling technique diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT). Based on a simple model using only labile DGT measured arsenic and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), concentrations of arsenic in Aman (Monsoon season) rice grain were predicted reliably. DOC was the strongest determinant of arsenic solid-solution phase partitioning, while arsenic release to the soil porewater was shown to be decoupled from that of Fe. This study demonstrates the dual importance of organic matter (OM), in terms of enhancing arsenic release from soils, while reducing bioavailability by sequestering arsenic in solution.
Shallow coastal and estuarine habitats function as nurseries for many juvenile fish. In this comparative study, metabolic profiles of two New Zealand finfish, snapper (
Chrysophrys auratus
) and ...yellow-eyed mullet—YEM (
Aldrichetta forsteri
) that as juveniles share the same temperate coastal environments, were examined. Metabolic parameters (routine and maximum metabolic rates, and specific dynamic action—SDA) were investigated at a set of temperatures (13, 17, 21 °C) within the range juveniles both species experience annually. SDA was also determined for a range of different feed rations to investigate the effects of meal size on postprandial metabolic response. Temperature was a strong modulator of snapper and YEM metabolic profile (routine and maximum metabolic rates, and absolute and factorial aerobic scope). Metabolic rates increased with temperature in both species as did absolute scope in YEM, though for snapper, it was only greater at the highest temperature. Factorial scope behaved in the same fashion for the two species, being greatest at 13 °C. Both absolute and factorial scope were ~ twofold greater in YEM than in snapper across the entire temperature range. Temperature also affected SDA response in snapper, while in YEM, SDA parameters were largely unaffected when temperature increased from 17 to 21 °C. Snapper were able to consume a large range of meal sizes (0.5–3.0% body mass—BM) with meal sizes > 1% BM having a pronounced effect on numerous SDA parameters, whereas mullet appeared to consume more limited ration sizes (≤ 1.0% BM). In both species, rations ≤ 1% BM produced similar changes in SDA parameters identifying comparable digestive bio-energetics. Overall, our metabolic characterisations demonstrate that both species can adjust to the variable temperate environmental temperatures and manage the energetic costs of digestion and feed assimilation. Yet, despite these general similarities, YEM’s greater aerobic scope may point to better physiological adaptation to the highly variable temperate coastal environment than were observed in snapper.
Polyomaviruses are a family of DNA tumor viruses that are known to infect mammals and birds. To investigate the deeper evolutionary history of the family, we used a combination of viral metagenomics, ...bioinformatics, and structural modeling approaches to identify and characterize polyomavirus sequences associated with fish and arthropods. Analyses drawing upon the divergent new sequences indicate that polyomaviruses have been gradually co-evolving with their animal hosts for at least half a billion years. Phylogenetic analyses of individual polyomavirus genes suggest that some modern polyomavirus species arose after ancient recombination events involving distantly related polyomavirus lineages. The improved evolutionary model provides a useful platform for developing a more accurate taxonomic classification system for the viral family Polyomaviridae.
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