Development of a Multicomponent Microbiological Soil Inoculant and Its Performance in Sweet Potato Cultivation.

The cultivation and consumption of sweet potato () are increasing globally. As the usage of chemical fertilizers and pest control agents during its cultivation may lead to soil, water and air pollution, there is an emerging need for environment-friendly, biological solutions enabling increased amounts of healthy crop and efficient disease management. Microbiological agents for agricultural purposes gained increasing importance in the past few decades.

Solubility determination as an alternative to migration measurements.

Solubility values for six UV stabilisers (Cyasorb UV-1164, Tinuvin P, Tinuvin 234, Tinuvin 326, Tinuvin 327 and Tinuvin 1577) and five antioxidants (Irgafos 168, Irganox 1010, Irganox 3114, Irganox 3790 and Irganox 565) were determined in all the liquid food simulants (3% (m/V) acetic acid-water mixture, 10% (V/V), 20% (V/V), 50% (V/V) ethanol-water mixture and vegetable oil) proposed in European Union Regulation No. 10/2011/EC, as well as in fruit juice and cola drink. The applied method was obtained by modification of the method for the determination of water solubility as described in OECD guideline Test No.

A potential role of aminoglycoside resistance in endemic occurrence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains in lower airways of mechanically ventilated patients.

Altogether, 98 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from a 5-bed intensive care unit were fingerprinted with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and tested for aminoglycoside resistance genes aac(6')-Ib, aac(3″)-IIa, ant(2″)-Ia, armA, rmtA, and rmtB and integrons and virulence genes/operons phzI, phzII, phzM, phzS, apr, lasB, plcH, plcN, pilA, algD, toxA, exoS, exoT, exoY, and exoU. Two major clusters were identified (49 and 19 isolates), harbouring aac(6')-Ib, blaPSE-1, and ant(3″)-Ia genes or ant(2″)-Ia gene, respectively, on a class I integron. Most virulence genes except for exoU and pilA were found.

MRI driven magnetic microswimmers.

Capsule endoscopy is a promising technique for diagnosing diseases in the digestive system. Here we design and characterize a miniature swimming mechanism that uses the magnetic fields of the MRI for both propulsion and wireless powering of the capsule. Our method uses both the static and the radio frequency (RF) magnetic fields inherently available in MRI to generate a propulsive force.