Recent research into the commercial exploitation of genetically engineered micro-organisms (GEMs) in the environment, for bioremediation and improvement of plant growth and protection, has raised concerns regarding associated potential risks. This in turn has led to legislation regarding environmental release of GEMs such that detailed information on their ecology and environmental impact must ...

Methane was the most abundant hydrocarbon released during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Beyond relevancy to this anthropogenic event, this methane release simulates a rapid and relatively short-term natural release from hydrates into deep water. Based on methane and oxygen distributions measured at 207 stations throughout the affected region, we find that within ~1...

Aim: In the present study, the main objective was to develop a multiparticulate system containing chitosan microspheres for colon-specific drug delivery of capecitabine for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: This study was based on the microbial degradability of chitosan microspheres. The microspheres were prepared with chitosan by emulsion cross linking method. A factor...

Intracellular products such as recombinant insulin, which are typically produced in microbial host cells, demand a product release step to remove them from the cell. How this is performed determines the quantity of released contaminants, the particle size distribution of cell debris and the physical properties of the resultant process stream, which all impact on the performance of the downstrea...

Abstract Melting glacier ice surfaces host active microbial communities that enhance glacial melt, contribute to biogeochemical cycling, and nourish downstream ecosystems; but these remain poorly characterised. Over the coming decades, forecast ‘peak melt’ of Earth’s glaciers necessitates an improvement in understanding state fate supraglacial ecosystems better predict effects climate change up...

The inhibitory effects of antibiotics (tetracycline, doxycycline, amoxicillin), an anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen) and an analgesic (paracetamol) on the via nitrite nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes were investigated. Biomass was collected from a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and was spiked with fixed pharmaceutical concentrations (i.e. 50-500 mgL). Then, batch activity tests were conduc...

Abstract Forest soils contain a large amount of organic carbon and contribute to terrestrial sequestration. However, we still have poor understanding what nutrients limit soil microbial metabolism that drives release across the range boreal tropical forests. Here used ecoenzymatic stoichiometry methods investigate patterns nutrient limitations within profiles (organic, eluvial parent material h...

Materials and coatings that inhibit bacterial colonization are of interest in a broad range of biomedical, environmental, and industrial applications. In view of the rapid increase in bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics, the development of new strategies that target nonessential pathways in bacterial pathogens-and that thereby limit growth and reduce virulence through nonbiocidal m...

The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in textiles for enhanced anti-microbial properties has led to concern about their release and impact on both human and environmental health. Here a novel method for in situ visualization of AgNP release from silver-impregnated wound dressings is introduced. By combining an environmental scanning electron microscope, a gaseous analytical detector and a pel...