The importance of color and body size for reproductive decision making by males and females of the giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879) (Decapoda, Caridea, Palaemonidae).

The selection and expression of conspicuous colorations in animals is often related to anti-predation strategies and sociosexual communication. The giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879) is a species with three male morphotypes that vary in claws' coloration and the size of the animals. It has been suggested that male reproductive quality might be associated to their coloration, but evidence is still conflicting.

Practical and Rapid Membrane-Based Biosensor for Phenol Using Copper/Calcium-Enzyme Hybrid Nanoflowers.

Phenol, a pollutant frequently found in chemical industries effluents, is highly toxic even in low concentrations. This study reports a green, simple, and rapid method for qualitative phenol biosensing using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) hybrid nanoflowers made with copper (Cu-hNF) or calcium (Ca-hNF) ions. The enzyme was immobilized through protein-inorganic self-assembly into hybrid structures and subsequently supported onto a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane.

Nanoflowers: A New Approach of Enzyme Immobilization.

Enzymes are biocatalysts known for versatility, selectivity, and brand operating conditions compared to chemical catalysts. However, there are limitations to their large-scale application, such as the high costs of enzymes and their low stability under extreme reaction conditions. Immobilization techniques can efficiently solve these problems; nevertheless, most current methods lead to a significant loss of enzymatic activity and require several steps of activation and functionalization of the supports.