In sexually reproducing organisms, male ejaculates are complex traits that are potentially subject to many different selection pressures. Recent experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that postmating sexual selection, and particularly sexual conflict, may play a key role in the evolution of the proteinaceous components of ejaculates. However, this evidence is based almost entirely on the...

The effect of external pH on growth of alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4 was studied in steady-state, pH-controlled cultures at various pH values. Generation times of 54 and 38 min were observed at external pH values of 7.5 and 10.6, respectively. At more alkaline pH values, generation times increased, reaching 690 min at pH 11.4; this was approximately the upper limit of pH for growth with doub...

Silver (Ag) in ionic form is toxic to microbial cells, but environmentally friendly and safe for humans. This study aims synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNP) using Gram-positive bacterial isolate (B. firmus E65) as a bioreductor test its activity an antimicrobial against Eschericia coli, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. (Xoo) the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides under in-vitro assays. AgNP was obt...

Although life-history trade-offs result from the differential acquisition and allocation of nutritional resources to competing physiological functions, many aspects of this topic remain poorly understood. Wing-polymorphic insects, which possess alternative morphs that trade off allocation to flight capability versus early reproduction, provide a good model system for exploring this topic. In th...

The wing-polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus, has a flight-capable morph (LW[f]: long winged with functional flight muscles) and a flightless morph (SW: short winged with reduced nonfunctional flight muscles) that differ genetically in many aspects of lipid metabolism. To determine whether these differences result from genetically based alterations in endocrine regulation, the juvenile hormone ...

The three-dimensional structure (3D structure) of Xyn11A, a family 11 xylanase from Bacillus firmus K-1, was obtained through homology modeling. To study the substrate-binding site of Xyn11A, six xylooligosaccharides, xylobiose to xyloheptaose (X2-X7), were docked into the active site of Xyn11A by molecular docking. Based on the docked energy and estimated free energy of binding combined with m...