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Simultaneous thermogravimetry–mass spectrometry studies of a pyrolytic decomposition of mixtures of different plastic wastes/coking coal were carried out. The investigation was performed at temperatures up to 1000 °C in a helium atmosphere under dynamic conditions at a heating rate of 25 °C/min. Five thermoplastics, commonly found in municipal wastes: low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a plastic mixture rich in polyolefins were selected. Thermogravimetric parameters, together with different characteristic ion fragments from selected libraries of evolving products during the co-pyrolysis process were monitored, such as hydrogen, CO 2 and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Based on the results obtained, a synergistic effect between coal and individual residues has been found. The maximum interaction occurs at temperatures close to the maximum release of volatile matter of the plastic waste. There is a delay in the decomposition of the plastics that together with the changes in the composition of the volatile matter evolved, promote interactions between the components and have negative effects on coal fluidity. The polyolefinic wastes (HDPE, LDPE and PP) degrade at temperatures close to that of maximum coal degradation, modifying the thermal behaviour of the coal to a lesser degree. However, PS and PET, that release their volatile matter mostly in the early stage of the coal decomposition, show a more pronounced influence on the thermal behaviour. Moreover, the kinetic data demonstrates that the addition of polyolefins increases the energy required to initiate pyrolysis compared to PS and PET. All of these results agree with the fact that polyolefins reduce coal fluidity in a more moderate way than PET and PS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dinoflagellates are eukaryotic microalgae with distinct chromosomes throughout the cell cycle which lack histones and nucleosomes. The molecular organization of these chromosomes is still poorly understood. We have analysed the presence of telomeres in two evolutionarily distant and heterogeneous dinoflagellate species (Prorocentrum micans and Amphidinium carterae) by FISH with a probecontaining the Arabidopsis consensus telomeric sequence. Telomere structures were identified at the chromosome ends of both species during interphase and mitosis and were frequently associated with the nuclear envelope. These results identify for the first time telomere structures in dinoflagellate chromosomes, which are formed in the absence of histones. The presence of telomeres supports the linear nature of dinoflagellate chromosomes. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preferred temperature (PT) of Poecilia sphenops (Pisces, Poeciliidae) (n = 240; 1.13 ± 0.06 g wet weight; 3.26 ± 0.88 cm standard length) from Presa Piedra Azul, Oaxaca, Mexico, was measured at acclimation temperature of 20 °C, 23 °C, 26 °C, 29 °C, 32 °C and 35 °C. The thermal preference of males was 25.5 °C in summer and 29.6 °C in winter; whereas females preferred 29 °C in both seasons. Fish held at 20 °C and 23 °C preferred temperatures 36% higher than their acclimation temperature (AT), and those held at 35 °C and 32 °C preferred 30% and 20% lower temperatures than their AT. In intermediate temperatures, no significant differences between PT and AT were found. The interval of thermal selection based on the higher (HAT) and lower (LAT) avoidance temperatures was of 10-14 °C and not different between sexes in both seasons. Knowledge of the thermal biology of P. sphenops based on the preferred and avoidance temperatures was very important in order to understand the capacity of the species to adapt to the thermal changes occurring in its habitat. Based on the results, we can recommend the use of P. sphenops in aquaculture owing to its thermal plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because environmental factors play an important role in the sexual proportions in fish and given that the studies that evaluate the interactions of such factors are scarce, the purpose of this work was to determine the combined effect of pH/temperature (23, 26 and 29 °C; pH 6, 7 and 8) on sex determination of Poecilia sphenops Valenciennes. The trial started with newborn organisms (n = 180) that were maintained in aquaria for 6 months until they could be separated by sex. Afterwards, nine groups of four females (0.81–1.48 g) and two males (0.36–0.63 g) were distributed in 20-L aquaria until fertilization, gestation and offspring birth took part. The offspring were grown under the same conditions until they reached sexual maturity. The results indicated the strong interaction of the factors (P < 0.05) with a lower male/female ratio at pH 7 both at 23 °C (M/F = 0.12) as well as at 30 °C (M/F = 0.10) and higher ratios at pH 8 at similar temperatures (M/F = 0.7) to 23 °C and (M/F = 0.6) to 26 °C. The females dominated in all the combinations; the least favourable combinations were 23 and 26 °C at pH 8 with 0.7 and 0.6 M/F ratios respectively. The results obtained in the laboratory explain very closely the behaviour of the population of P. sphenops from Oaxaca in the natural environment that can be used in aquaculture for baitfish production and also for aquaculture purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shows that the Pismo clam, Tivela stultorum, has a positive scope-for-growth in all salinity-temperature combinations. Definition of scope-for-growth; Importance of determining scope-for-growth in understanding organism-environment functional interactions; Physiological responses necessary to calculate scope-for-growth.

Determines the preferred temperatures of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella and brema carp, Megalobrama amblycephala when held in single-species and mixed populations in both horizontal and vertical gradients. Wet weight intervals of the carp species; Partition of habitat by thermoregulatory behavior; Existence of a complementary relationship between the grass and brema carp species.

We studied the fine structural organization of the meristematic nucleus in roots of Lycopesicon esculentum (tomato) using ultracytochemical and immunocytochemical approaches. The nucleus has a non-reticulate (i.e. low DNA content) structure whose supramolecular organization differs in some respects from that in reticulate nuclei, principally in the organization of the chromocentres associated with the nuclear envelope, with which centromeric structures appear to be associated. The main difference at the nucleolar level is found in the fibrillar centres, which have a low amount of DNA labelling and in which inclusions of condensed chromatin are present only very rarely. The distribution of nucleolar DNA amongst the nucleolar compartments is similar to that in reticulate nucleoli as demonstrated using an anti-DNA monoclonal antibody. Tomato nuclei have nucleolus-associated bodies or karyosomes, like other plant species with a low DNA content and non-reticulate nuclear organization. The nuclear ribonucleoprotein structures in the inter- and perichromatin regions, namely inter- and perichromatin fibrils and granules, show similar ultrastructural and cytochemical characteristics in both types of nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the fine structure of the fibrillar centres of the nucleolus in Allium cepa cells in ultrathin, sections of in vivo fixed roots. The ultrastructural observations have allowed us to consider each nucleolar fibrillar centre as an active zone in the nucleolar chromatin loop, and to propose a possible model for the organization of the different components of the nucleolus within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes a novel route for the preparation of pitches by oxidative polymerization of an industrial anthracene oil (AO) in a microwave semi-pilot equipment consisting in a multi-mode applicator having a 2.45 GHz magnetron with variable microwave power. The experimental five variables of microwave heating of AO air-blowing range between 320 and 380 °C (temperature), 0.2–3.9 °C min−1 (heating rate), 1.5–5 h (soaking time), 16–20.5% (air/AO ratio) and 200–1500 g (initial weight). Their effect on the overall microwave air-blowing process is evaluated by means of a statistical analysis. A detailed characterization of the pitches has been carried out in terms of ultimate analysis, softening point, solubility parameters (toluene insolubles (TI) and quinoline insolubles (QI)) and thermogravimetric analysis. The experiments were also carried out by using conventional heating for comparative purposes. The detailed study of the electric energy consumption of the overall microwave treatment allows estimating a significant electric energy saving of about 20% when compared to conventional heating thus representing an excellent result in the production of carbon precursors. • Novel route of anthracene oil-based pitches preparation in microwave heating. • Detailed characterization of pitches including the thermogravimetric analysis. • Microwave air-blowing process evaluated by means of a statistical analysis. • Evaluation of energy benefits of microwave heating when compared to conventional one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the multinucleate cells induced in Allium cepa L. meristems, the nuclei surrounded by the largest cytoplasm environment complete replication earlier (advanced nuclei), but have a longer G2, than the others (delayed nuclei). Thus, all nuclei break down the nuclear envelope and start metaphase simultaneously. The present report shows that this synchronization relies on a checkpoint mechanism. When completion of replication was prevented in the delayed nuclei (due to in vivo 5-aminouracil feeding initiated when the advanced nuclei were already in G2), the metaphase was also further delayed in the advanced ones. In turn, some of the delayed nuclei overrode the G2 checkpoint (adaptation) and entered into mitosis with broken chromatids (Del Campo et al., 1997). Anoxic UVA (313 nm) irradiation apparently prevents the binding of regulatory proteins to Br-DNA. The present report shows that late replicating sequences are the targets of the checkpoint signal produced by the still replicating nuclei. This signal delays metaphase in the advanced nuclei, whose DNA is already fully replicated. Thus, when the already replicated sequences of late replicating DNA was modified in the advanced nuclei by bromosubstitution followed by anoxic UVA irradiation, they entered into mitosis without any delay, ignoring the inhibitory signals produced by the still replicating nuclei. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]