Rapid detection of target bacteria is crucial to provide a safe food supply and to prevent foodborne diseases. Herein, we present an optical biosensor for identification and quantification of Escherichia coli (E. coli, used as a model indicator bacteria species) in complex food industry process water. The biosensor is based on a nanostructured, oxidized porous silicon (PSi) thin film which is f...

1. Desertification negatively impacts a large proportion of the global human population and > 30% of the terrestrial land surface. Better methods are needed to detect areas that are at risk of desertification and to ameliorate desertified areas. Biological soil crusts are an important soil lichen-moss-microbial community that can be used toward these goals, as (i) bioindicators of desertificati...

To date, the overwhelming majority of genomics programs in plants have been directed at model or crop plant species, meaning that very little of the naturally occurring sequence diversity found in plants is available for characterization and exploitation. In contrast, 'xenogenomics' refers to the discovery and functional analysis of novel genes and alleles from indigenous and exotic species, pe...

Microorganisms are fundamental to biogeochemical processes, as microbial metabolism significantly contributes to the regulation of terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, the impact of the community of soil microbes within the mycorrhizosphere has not been examined in detail due to the difficulty of tracking micro-scale processes in natural microbial communities in complex soil habitats.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are substantial burden on the human population in terms of both morbidity and mortality, and this drives the need for new discovery and use of antibiotics for treatment. Antibiotic resistance can be naturally occurring. An example of that is that Penicillin-resistant Bacillus licheniformis spores were isolated from dried soil from the roots of plants preserved in B...

There is increasing interest among growers in novel establishment systems for cover crops that can rehabilitate and protect soil. Cropping intensification has led to yield declines, compacted and poor quality soil, and increased pest problems. Cover crops in the Brassica (mustard) family offer benefits in soil conservation, improvement in soil quality, reduction in nitrate leaching, and suppres...

Probiotics in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis as hydrogen peroxide1, 2,4,5,6. A number of factors are thought to disturb the balance of vaginal micro-flora, including repeated antibiotic use, hormonal imbalances, chronic stress and a processed diet7, 9. Opportunistic pathogens, such as the yeast Candida, may take advantage of this change in the vaginal environment. Although Candida is...

This study was conducted to determine caeca micro flora and tannin effects on amino acid availability (AAA) values for different grain sorghum cultivars (GSC). Three GSCs including low tannin (0.09%, LTS), medium tannin (0.19%, MTS) and high tannin (0.37%, HTS) were selected to determine AA availability compare to the corn by using the true metabolizable energy (TME) assay with both intact (INT...

Dental plaques are the biofilms or the microbial population associated with the oral cavity and is responsible for several clinical conditions that affect the host system. Despite the fact that, the oral micro flora offer certain benefit to the host by offering protection to the epithelial cell from damage and enhances the digestion of some substrates, their harmful consequences cannot be denie...

OBJECTIVE To determine the present status of plant communities and their possible association with the habitat in Malam Jabba, Swat, Pakistan. METHODS A study on the phytoecology was conducted in various ecologically important sites of Malam Jabba, Swat, Pakistan from 2002 to 2004. The altitude of these sites ranged from 1 200 m to 3 200 m. Quadrat method was used for evaluation of plants com...