A Fat-Destroying Fungus

Trichosporon aneurinolyticum, a new thiamine-destroying fungus.

The production of thiaminase by a bacterium of the intestinal tract as an etiologic factor of beriberi has received considerable study by Japanese work ers. Chang (1) observed that when a thiamine solution was placed in the sigmoidal colon of a patient having habitual constipation combined with beri beri, the vitamin soon disappeared. The first discovery of a thiaminase producing micro-organism...

Destroying Civilization, Destroying Nature

Permutations Destroying Arithmetic Structure

Given a linear form C1X1 + · · · + CnXn, with coefficients in the integers, we characterize exactly the countably infinite abelian groups G for which there exists a permutation f that maps all solutions (α1, . . . , αn) ∈ Gn (with the αi not all equal) to the equation C1X1+ · · ·+CnXn = 0 to non-solutions. This generalises a result of Hegarty about permutations of an abelian group avoiding arit...

Destroying Biological Hazards

Destroying Biological Hazards Anthrax. Mad Cow Disease. Biological Weapons. These words have filled headlines, increasing anxiety around the world. The threat of such biological hazards, both natural and man-made, has created unprecedented challenges for public health institutions and hospitals, as well as for national defense. These biohazards demand fast and effective decontamination techniques.

Methods of destroying bacterial spores

The spores of Bacillus spp. are found widely distributed in nature, which may cause contamination of the environment and eventually diseases to humans and animals. The formation of the bacterial spore is a sophisticated mechanism by which some bacteria remain viable inadequate when subjected to survival stress such as lack of nutrients. The spores are highly resistant to heat, radiation, variou...