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This study describes the biotechnological significance of the by-product obtained in the production of milk products in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that the immobilization of microorganisms on carriers of various natures increases their safety. The inorganic matrices used were sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, technical brand "KMC 85/500;" colloidal silicon dioxide in the form of a commercial preparation, "Polysorb;" and the sodium form of montmorillonite from the Podgorenskoye deposit in the Voronezh region. Bacterial cells were immobilized by adding Lysobacter sp. solid sterile carrier with constant mechanical stirring in a "carrier/biomass" ratio equal to 1: (2–4). During the experiment, it was found that the mineral montmorillonite is a promising material for the immobilization of bacterial cells in order to obtain biocompositions based on them, since a positive trend in the preservation of bacterial cells was revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Belgorod Region is one of the main agro-industrial regions of Russia. The volume of production in the livestock sector in 2022 amounted to 203 billion rubles. Most often, livestock farms are located near agricultural land with plant crops, which increases the risk of contamination of the latter with various toxicants. The purpose of this work was to study and assess the contamination with heavy metal ions and toxic chemicals of the soils of agricultural lands and nearby reservoirs in the Prokhorovsky district of the Belgorod region. Watercress (Lepidium sativum) and crustaceans (Daphnia magna Straus) are bioindicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six species of large-celled Pinnularia Ehrenberg from lakes of eastern North America, P. dariana (A.W.F. Schmidt) Mills, P. alabamae Krammer, P. bihastata (A. Mann) R.M. Patrick, P. torta (A. Mann) R.M. Patrick, P. rexlowei sp. nov. and P. spinifera sp. nov. are investigated with light and scanning electron microscopy. All six species are shown to possess marginal spines, a trait sporadically encountered in Pinnularia and generally rare in raphid diatoms. Besides having spines, the six species differ in their frustular morphology, including appearance and position of spines. We summarize data on their ecology and distribution using a set of 702 sediment core samples from 424 lakes from eastern USA and Canada. Pinnularia rexlowei is only known from Quaternary lacustrine deposits in the State of Connecticut and from the surface and subfossil sediments of two lakes in northeastern USA. The other five species are relatively common, and at least one species of spine-bearing Pinnularia was found in 34% of studied lakes. Pinnularia dariana and P. torta reach as far north as Labrador, while P. alabamae, P. bihastata and P. spinifera were only encountered south of Canada. Pinnularia alabamae and P. spinifera are characteristic for lakes with relatively soft and slightly acidic water, while P. bihastata, P. dariana and P. torta are found in a wider range of physico-chemical conditions, including alkaline and eutrophic lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the warm middle Eocene (ca 45 Ma), the Napartulik area (also called 'the Geodetic Hills'), Axel Heiberg Island, northern Canada (Nunavut), was vegetated with mixed broad-leaved deciduous angiosperm and evergreen conifer forests over extensive floodplain and forested wetland habitats. Massive organic rich sedimentary successions and encapsulated in-situ tree trunks suggest these forests were drowned by frequent flooding events. The sedimentary layers contain sub-fossil amber that was produced by representatives of the Pinaceae such as Pseudolarix. The amber offered an opportunity to investigate aerial plankton and thus the chance to discover microfossils, which could provide evidence of biotic interactions associated with, or the cause of, the forest die-offs. Fifty-four amber samples were subjected to a solvent treatment for microfossil extraction followed by light microscopy, resulting in the discovery of several hundred microfossils. Unexpectedly, one-quarter of the microfossils were diatoms, which may predominantly have lived on the tree bark. Fungal spores were rare, and the pollen grains found corroborated earlier findings in litter or coal. The records of fungal spores and arthropod remains were insignificant and could, therefore, not substantially have been contributing to the forest die-offs. More resin analyses from the complete sedimentary profile would be needed to get a clearer picture of putative forest pests and prevailing environmental conditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistent identification of diatoms is a prerequisite for studying their ecology, biogeography, and successful application as environmental indicators. However, taxonomic consistency among observers has been difficult to achieve, because taxonomic information is scattered across numerous literature sources, presenting challenges to the diatomist. First, literature is often inaccessible because of cost, or its location in journals that are not widely circulated. Second, taxonomic revisions of diatoms are taking place faster than floras can be updated. Finally, taxonomic information is often contradictory across literature sources. These issues can be addressed by developing a content creation community dedicated to making taxonomic, ecological, and image-based data freely available for diatom researchers. Diatoms.org represents such a content curation community, providing open, online access to a vast amount of recent and historical information on North American diatom taxonomy and ecology. The content curation community aggregates existing taxonomic information, creates new content, and provides feedback in the form of corrections and notice of literature with nomenclatural changes. The website not only addresses the needs of experienced diatom scientists for consistent identification, but is also designed to meet users at their level of expertise, including engaging the lay public in the importance of diatom science. The website now contains over 1000 species pages contributed by over 100 content contributors, from students to established scientists. The project began with the intent to provide accurate information on diatom identification, ecology, and distribution using an approach that incorporates engaging design, user feedback, and advanced data access technology. In retrospect, the project that began as an "extended electronic book" has emerged not only as a means to support taxonomists, but for practitioners to communicate and collaborate, expanding the size of and benefits to the content curation community. In this paper, we outline the development of diatoms.org, document key elements of the project, examine ongoing challenges, and consider the unexpected emergent properties, including the value of diatoms.org as a source of data. Ultimately, if the field of diatom taxonomy, ecology, and biodiversity is to be relevant, a new generation of taxonomists needs to be trained and employed using new tools. We propose that diatoms.org is in a key position to serve as a hub of training and continuity for the study of diatom biodiversity and aquatic conditions.