A New Tetracyclic Bromopyrrole-Imidazole Derivative through Direct Chemical Diversification of Substances Present in Natural Product Extract from Marine Sponge Petrosia (Strongylophora) sp.

Chemical diversification of substances present in natural product extracts can lead to a number of natural product-like compounds with a better chance of desirable bioactivities. The aim of this work was to discover unprecedented chemical conversion and produce new compounds through a one-step reaction of substances present in the extracts of marine sponges. In this report, a new unnatural tetracyclic bromopyrrole-imidazole derivative, rac-6-OEt-cylindradine A (1), was created from a chemically diversified extract of the sponge Petrosia (Strongylophora) sp. We also confirmed that 1 originated from naturally occurring (-)-cylindradine A (2) via a new reaction pattern. Moreover, (-)-dibromophakellin (3) and 4,5-dibromopyrrole-2-carboxylic acid (4), as well as 2, were reported herein for the first time in this genus. Studies on the possible reaction mechanism and bioactivities were also conducted. The results indicate that the direct chemical diversification of substances present in natural product extracts can be a speedy and useful strategy for the discovery of new compounds.     

Spatio-Temporal Variation of the Bacterial Communities along a Salinity Gradient within a Thalassohaline Environment (Saline di Tarquinia Salterns,Italy)

The “Saline di Tarquinia” salterns have been scarcely investigated regarding their microbiological aspects. This work studied the structure and composition of their bacterial communities along the salinity gradient (from the nearby sea through different ponds). The communities showed increasing simplification of pond bacterial diversity along the gradient (particularly if compared to those of the sea). Among the 38 assigned phyla, the most represented were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Differently to other marine salterns, where at the highest salinities Bacteroidetes dominated, preponderance of Proteobacteria was observed. At the genus level the most abundant taxa were Pontimonas, Marivita, Spiribacter, Bordetella, GpVII and Lentibacter. The α-diversity analysis showed that the communities were highly uneven, and the Canonical Correspondence Analysis indicated that they were structured by various factors (sampling site, sampling year, salinity, and sampling month). Moreover, the taxa abundance variation in relation to these significant parameters were investigated by Generalized Linear Models. This work represents the first investigation of a marine saltern, carried out by a metabarcoding approach, which permitted a broad vision of the bacterial diversity, covering both a wide temporal span (two years with monthly sampling) and the entire salinity gradient (from the nearby sea up to the crystallisation ponds).     

Macrocystis pyrifera Extract Residual as Nutrient Source for the Production of Sophorolipids Compounds by Marine Yeast Rhodotorula rubra

Seaweed processing generates liquid fraction residual that could be used as a low-cost nutrient source for microbial production of metabolites. The Rhodotorula strain is able to produce antimicrobial compounds known as sophorolipids. Our aim was to evaluate sophorolipid production, with antibacterial activity, by marine Rhodotorula rubra using liquid fraction residual (LFR) from the brown seaweed Macrocystis pyrifera as the nutrient source. LFR having a composition of 32% w/w carbohydrate, 1% w/w lipids, 15% w/w protein and 52% w/w ash. The best culture condition for sophorolipid production was LFR 40% v/v, without yeast extract, artificial seawater 80% v/v at 15 °C by 3 growth days, with the antibacterial activity of 24.4 ± 3.1 % on Escherichia coli and 21.1 ± 3.8 % on Staphylococcus aureus. It was possible to identify mono-acetylated acidic and methyl ester acidic sophorolipid. These compounds possess potential as pathogen controllers for application in the food industry.     

Decay and nonexistence of global solutions of a quasilinear riser equation

We study qualitative properties of a quasilinear wave equation of fourth order that models the mechanical vibrations of a marine riser. Our analysis characterizes global and nonglobal solutions with respect to the norm of some Hilbert space, if energy is strictly less than the potential well depth. We employ invariant sets to show our results. In particular, we show that globality implies exponential decay to zero, and nonglobality is due to blow up. Both results are shown with respect to the norm of the solution in the Hilbert space. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characteristics of selenium in australian marine biota

The occurrence, distribution and speciation of selenium in Australian marine biota is discussed. Biochemical pathways for the accumulation of selenium by marine organisms are also postulated. Comparison of the levels of selenium in macroalgae, fish, crustaceans and molluscs indicates that preferential accumulation of selenium by particular taxa does not occur. Phaeophyta have significantly lower selenium concentrations than Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta. Fish have lower selenium contents in muscle tissues than molluscs and crustaceans. Marine animals with different dietary intake (planktonic vs herbivorous vs carnivorous) are not observed to have significantly different levels of selenium (P>0.05). Selenium in all the organisms studied was predominantly associated with free amino-acids or protein residues and was not present as characterizable inorganic selenium species (SeO₃^2?, SeO₄^2?). These results indicate that selenium is probably only incorporated into biota for specific biochemical purposes with any exces selenium being excreted or eliminated.     

The chemical form and acute toxicity of arsenic compounds in marine organisms

A method for the separation and identification of inorganic and methylated arsenic compounds in marine organisms was constructed by using a hydride generation/cold trap/gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HG/CT/GC MS) measurement system. The chemical form of arsenic compounds in marine organisms was examined by the HG/CT/GC MS system after alkaline digestion. It was observed that trimethylarsenic compounds were distributed mainly in the water-soluble fraction of muscle of carnivorous gastropods, crustaceans and fish. Also, dimethylated arsenic compounds were distributed in the water-soluble fraction of Phaeophyceae. It is thought that most of the trimethylated arsenic is likely to be arsenobetaine since this compound released trimethylarsine by alkaline digestion and subsequent reduction with sodium borohydride. The major arsenic compound isolated from the water-soluble fraction in the muscle and liver of sharks was identified as arsenobetaine from IR, FAB Ms data, NMR spectra and TLC behaviour. The acute toxicity of arsenobetaine was studied in male mice. The LD₅₀ value was higher than 10 g kg⁻¹. This compound was found in urine in the non-metabolized form. No particular toxic symptoms were observed following administration. These results suggest that arsenobetaine has low toxicity and is not metabolized in mice. The LD₅₀ values of other minor arsenicals in marine organisms, trimethylarsine oxide, arsenocholine and tetramethylarsonium salt, were also examined in mice.     

Friction and Wear Behaviors of the Polydimethylsiloxane Bishydroxyalkyl-Terminated Modified Polyurethane Composites Filled with the Barium Sulfate in Dry Friction and Water Lubrication

The addition of less than 20 wt% of approximate 1 micron barium sulfate (BaSO₄) into polyurethane (PU) composites modified by bishydroxyalkyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMSBH) resulted in increases in mechanical strength and thermal conductivity and, at the same time, resulted in improvements in the friction and wear properties of the polyurethane composites. These polyurethane composites were suitable for marine use for bearings at high load under dry friction and at fast sliding speed under water lubrication. Characterization with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and an MRH-3 ring-on-block wear tester indicated that the addition of BaSO₄ disrupts the organic phase separation in the polyurethane, resulting in better tribological properties, but there is no special chemical reaction between the particles and polyurethane. Adding too much BaSO₄ resulted in higher wear rate because of inorganic–organic phase separation.     

Characterising the near-wake of a cross-flow turbine

The performance and detailed near-wake characteristics of a vertical axis, cross-flow turbine (CFT) of aspect ratio 1 were measured in a large cross-section towing tank. The near-wake at one turbine diameter downstream was examined using acoustic Doppler velocimetry, where essential features regarding momentum, energy, and vorticity are highlighted. Dominant scales and their relative importance were investigated and compared at various locations in the measurement plane. Estimates for the terms in the mean streamwise momentum and mean kinetic energy equation were computed, showing that the unique mean vertical velocity field of this wake, characterised by counter-rotating swirling motion, contributes significantly more to recovery than the turbulent transport. This result sheds light on previous CFT studies showing relatively fast downstream wake recovery compared to axial-flow turbines. Finally, predictions from a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulation with the commonly used actuator disk model were compared with the experimental results, evaluating its use as an engineering tool for studying flow in CFT arrays. Unsurprisingly, the model was not able to predict the near-wake structure accurately. This comparison highlights the need for improved parameterised engineering models to accurately predict the near-wake physics of CFTs.     

Determination of halogen levels in marine geological samples

ABSTRACT

A method for determining levels of fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), and iodine (I) in marine geological samples using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence is presented here. Samples are prepared as pressed powder pellets. The method makes full use of the advantages of the ability of the modern X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to detect ultra-light elements and high-powered X-rays. A series of calibration standards with an appropriate concentration range was developed using a standard addition method. Empirical coefficients were used to correct for matrix effects in the case of F and Cl, the rhodium Kα -Compton peak was used as internal standard for Br matrix corrections, and the rhodium Kb-Compton peak was used to correct for the matrix effect on I. For % concentration of the analyte, the precision (relative standard deviation) of the method was <5%. For concentrations <0.1%, the relative standard deviation depended heavily on the count rates (or concentration). The accuracy of the method was validated by comparison of the results to similar reference materials. The detection levels of this method (counting time100 s) were 100, 5, 0.5, and 10 µg g^?1 for F, Cl, Br, and I, respectively. The method was here used to determine the levels of halogens in samples of 19 marine sediments (China, Russia, Canada, American), 10 marine manganese nodules (China, Russia, American, Germany, India, Japan), 4 cobalt-rich crust reference materials (Russia, China), reference materials, and 3 phosphorites.