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Tiivistelmä. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää, mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat musiikkisuhteen kehitykseen ja miten koulu voi tukea positiivisen musiikkisuhteen kehitystä perusopetuksessa. Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan myös musiikinopetusta vuoden 2014 perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteissa. Musiikkisuhde on laaja käsite ja niin se on ymmärretty myös tässä työssä. Tutkimuksessa musiikkisuhteeseen vaikuttavat tekijät on jaettu kolmeen kategoriaan: musiikilliseen minäkuvaan, musiikilliseen maailmankuvaan ja musiikilliseen kompetenssiin. Näitä kaikkia on tarkasteltu omina kategorioinaan vaikka ne myös väistämättä limittyvät toimiessaan keskinäisessä vuorovaikutuksessa. Musiikillinen minäkuva, josta käytetään myös synonyymiä musiikillinen minäkäsitys, muodostuu yksilön minäpystyvyydestä, minäkäsityksestä musiikillisen osaamisen suhteen, musiikillisista muistoista ja kokemuksista sekä tunnetason tapahtumista. Musiikillinen maailmankuva rakentuu niin ikään musiikillisista muistoista, musiikkimausta sekä musiikkiin liitetyistä arvoista ja asenteista. Musiikillinen kompetenssi pitää sisällään musiikin tiedollisen ja taidollisen osaamisen sekä musiikkiin liittyvät harrastus- ja opiskelukokemukset. Yhdessä tämä kokonaisuus muodostaa yksilön henkilökohtaisen musiikkisuhteen. Perusopetuksessa koulu on keskeisessä asemassa yksilön musiikkisuhteen vahvistamisessa tai heikentämisessä. Kouluaikaisilla muistoilla ja kokemuksilla, jotka liittyivät niin soittamiseen kuin opettajan palautteeseen osoittautui olevan kauaskantoisia vaikutuksia. Oppilaiden yksilöllinen huomioiminen, monipuolisten musiikillisten kokemusten mahdollistaminen ja musiikillisen maailmankuvan laajentaminen erilaisia musiikillisia kokemuksia tarjoamalla ovat tärkeitä tekijöitä oppilaan musiikkisuhteen kehittämisessä. Oppilaan musiikillisen minäkuvan tukeminen positiivisen palautteen kautta on erityisen tärkeää, sillä opettajan antamalla palautteella ja asennoitumisella oli sekä musiikillista minäpystyvyyttä vahvistavia että heikentäviä vaikutuksia. Erityisen herkässä asemassa ovat heikon musiikillisen minäpystyvyyden oppilaat, joille opettajan palautteella oli erityisen suuri vaikutus. Tässä tutkimuksessa on esitelty myös muutamia konkreettisia ideoita peruskoulun musiikinopetukseen hyödynnettäväksi soveltaen aiempia tutkimuksia sekä tutkijan henkilökohtaisia kokemuksia.

As the world continues in the quest to fight global warming and environmental pollution by gradually moving to renewable sources of energy, there is also a need to reduce building energy consumption by refurbishing old and historic buildings to meet the required energy standards. While this approach may differ from city to city across the globe, the refurbishment of old and historic buildings would make a significant impact. That is why it is necessary to educate building owners or occupants by simulating the existing energy consumption and proposing appropriate refurbishment strategies. Because the accuracy of energy simulation is directly proportional to the amount of data available and its reliability, there is a need to find creative ways of supplying incomplete or missing building information. The present paper describes a concept that enables individual building occupants or owners to provide this missing information. Implemented and tested with the 3D city model of Aachen, the proof-of-concept enables individual building owners or occupants to perform energy simulations based on energy information supplied.

We have developed novel di-, tri-, and tetrafunctional benzoxazine monomers (BZ2, BZ3, and BZ4), solely containing benzoxazine moieties arranged one after the other on the backbone, to discover the role of additional oxazine moiety on thermal properties. A tandem reaction was adapted, at first a ring-closure and then subsequent Mannich condensation by reacting 2-((4-hydroxyphenyl)aminomethyl)phenol (HPAMP) and aniline/4-amino-2-((phenylamino)methyl)phenol/4-amino-2-(((4-hydroxy-3-((phenylamino)methyl)phenyl)amino)methyl)phenol in the presence of paraformaldehyde to obtain BZ2/BZ3/BZ4. Tetrafunctional benzoxazine monomers containing an intermediate group (R-BZ4) were also synthesized by reacting HPAMP and p-phenylenediamine/4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (PDA/DDM) to understand the differences in thermal properties due to the distance created by those between two benzoxazine moieties. The observations (in DSC and TGA analysis) with increase in number of oxazine rings include (i) reduction in curing temperatur...

Evaluation of anionic surfactant (AS) quantities in the environment has been the subject of intensive worldwide investigation. Even so, significant questions related to their presence in Algerian wastewaters discharged into the Mediterranean Sea remain. For the first time, monitoring of AS in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) located about 30 km west of Algiers was carried out. Four sampling points were selected to inspect the behavior of AS and investigate surfactant removal efficiencies of the WWTP: untreated wastewaters (UW), samples clarified via primary treatment, samples biologically treated and treated waters. To achieve this work, a spectrophotometric method of AS determination has been developed. Dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium was chosen as a reference because of its low costs and its high response, compared to other AS commonly used by this method. The effects of pH, time of extraction, and washing step were studied. The volume of solvent was optimized. The calibration curve was linear and exhibited a significant coefficient of correlation. The lower limit of detection was found to be around 10−6 M. Mechanical and biological treatments remove 53 % of AS from wastewaters before being discharged into the aquatic environment. It was found that the concentration of AS discharged into the Mediterranean Sea in the studied region reaches 10−4 M.

Several bis-benzoxazine monomers (Va-BBz)s were synthesized using a naturally occurring phenol: vanillin, different diamines such as ethylene diamine (EDA), diaminodiphenyl sulphone (DDS), diaminodiphenyl ether (DDE), diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM) and 2,2′-bis [4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl] propane (BAPP) and paraformaldehyde. The structure of the bis-benzoxazine monomers was characterized by FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR. The effect of structure on curing behaviour and thermal properties was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The poly(bis-benzoxazine)s derived from vanillin had high Tg (202–255 °C), high char yield (52–76%) and excellent thermal stability due to highly cross-linked nature of the polymer. Adhesive strength of cured resins (i.e. poly(Va-BBz)s) were also evaluated at 200 °C.

For the quantitative generation of uranous from uranyl ions in the presence of hydrazine in nitric acid medium, electrochemical reduction was carried out in divided and undivided cells. The influence of process conditions, viz. current density, concentration of nitric acid and hydrazine was studied for 50, 100 and 150 g/l of U(VI) solutions. The performance of the cathodes (titanium and platinum) was evaluated by calculating the conversion efficiencies in the reduction process using these electrodes for the reduction of 100 g/l U(VI) at 6 mA/cm2 as the cathodic current density. Batch mode experiments using Ti cathode revealed the reduction reaction of U(VI) to follow zero order kinetics and the simultaneous reduction of nitric acid to follow first order kinetics. From the temperature dependence, the activation energy for the reduction of U(VI) was determined to be 4.05 kJ/mol. The chemical stability of U(IV) in nitric acid–hydrazine medium, under ambient conditions of temperature and pressure was established from the amount of U(VI) produced from U(IV) by aerial oxidation over a period of 16 weeks.

In a contemporary salt-free flowsheet of nuclear fuel reprocessing, uranous ions are used as a reducing agent to accomplish the separation of uranium and plutonium from each other which is normally produced electrochemically. In the present study, continuous mode electrochemical reduction of uranyl ions in nitric acid medium and in the presence of hydrazine nitrate was carried out in a divided cell at three different feed flow rates and cathodic current densities for the purpose of optimizing the process conditions for better conversion efficiency. A correlation function is described as a mathematical model in which, mass transfer parameter is expressed as a function of current density and flow rate. From the multivariable nonlinear regression of the experimental data, rate parameter was determined. The electro reduction of uranyl ions was not influenced by the initial acidity. The maximum conversion rate of 87 % was obtained for the electro-reduction of 100 g/l U(VI) in 3 M nitric acid with feed flow rate as 0.3 l/h and current density as 15 mA/cm2. The results for the reduction of 100 g/l uranyl ions indicate that an optimum flow rate of about 0.5 l/h and 15 mA/cm2 as cathodic current density may suffice for the conversion with efficiency better than 60 %. The calculated steady state concentrations for U(IV) were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.

The destruction of soluble carbonaceous compounds formed during the dissolution of sintered uranium mono carbide pellets in 11.5 M nitric acid at 65 °C has been investigated by employing mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) method, in which process 0.05 and 0.01 M Ag(II) and 0.1 and 0.06 M Ce(IV) were used as the regenerable catalysts. The current density and temperature of the process for maximum destruction efficiency were optimized to be 25 mA/cm2 and 75 °C respectively. The electro-oxidation behaviour of the mediator ions Ag(II) and Ce(IV) with respect to their concentration in the removal of organics and the dependence of temperature on the stabilities of the two electrochemical catalysts were compared. The effect of fission product elements in a synthetic dissolver solution on the performance of Ag(II) mediator in oxidizing the carbon content was discussed. The destruction efficiency of MEO process in eliminating the soluble organics was ascertained to be better than that of direct electrochemical oxidation method as well as prolonged oxidation of the organics with concentrated nitric acid.

Chitin from squid pen (Loligo sp.) and kiddi shrimp shell (Parapenaeopsis stylifera) were treated at room temperature (30 ± 2°C) with four different concentrations of sodium hydroxide: 20, 30, 40, and 50% w/w. With 50% sodium hydroxide solution, within 108 h, the chitin from squid pen was deacetylated to give chitosan. But it required 126 h at 40% and 144 h at 30% concentration of sodium hydroxide. In the case of chitin from Parapenaeopsis stylifera, complete deacetylation took place after 120 h and 168 h at 50 and 40% concentrations of sodium hydroxide, respectively. But shrimp shell on treatment with 20 and 30% sodium hydroxide solutions and squid pen kept at 20% sodium hydroxide were not sufficiently deacetylated even after 480 h. Properties like degree of deacetylation, viscosity and molecular weight of the prepared chitosan samples were studied. Minimum alkali concentration required for the formation of chitosan at room temperature was found to be 30% for squid chitin and 40% for shrimp chitin. With ...

Sausage is a commonly used food and it is gaining wide popularity in the recent years. In this work, sausage was prepared from minced Rohu (Labeo rohita) fillets using a standard recipe with and without addition of the preservative, potassium sorbate, in permitted levels and packed in natural casings. The prepared sausages showed appealing appearance with characteristic resilient properties. The evaluation of their physical, chemical, organoleptic and microbiological characteristics during storage at 5 and 25C was carried out. After 2 days of storage at ambient temperature, the control samples (without potassium sorbate) lost their cohesive nature and appeared pasty and sticky, accompanied by water oozing out and detachment from the casing due to fermentation and subsequent gas formation, as evidenced by fermented odor, decreased pH and increased total bacterial count. In the case of samples with potassium sorbate (treated), these symptoms of spoilage were observed after 4 days of storage. Similarly, the control samples at refrigerated temperature (5C) were found spoiled after 13 days of storage and those with the preservative were spoiled after 16 days. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Acceptability of freshwater fish to the market can be increased by value addition. Sausage is already a well-accepted product in the commercial market. Freshwater fish has a muddy flavor, which is an unpalatability for consumption. Therefore, we introduced the addition of mint to avoid the muddy flavor. We tried different storage conditions for the sausage and tried the effect of potassium sorbate for increasing shelf life. Spices such as cloves, cinnamon, ginger, etc., were added to the sausage, which were also found to increase the shelf life. From the study, we have optimized the suitable temperature and storage days for obtaining the acceptable product.

WOS: 000392316000003, This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new records, per country, are as follows: Spain: the cryptogenic calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna is reported from a new location in the Alicante region. Algeria: the rare Atlanto-Mediterranean bivalve Cardium indicum is reported from Annaba. Tunisia: new distribution records for the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois miles from Zembra Island and Cape Bon. Italy: the ark clam Anadara transversa is reported from mussel cultures in the Gulf of Naples, while the amphipod Caprella scaura and the isopods Paracerceis sculpta and Paranthura japonica are reported as associated to the -also allochthonous- bryozoan Amathia verticillata in the Adriatic Sea; in the latter region, the cosmopolitan Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensis is also reported, a rare finding for the Mediterranean. Slovenia: a new record of the non-indigenous nudibranch Polycera hedgpethi in the Adriatic. Greece: several new reports of the introduced scleractinian Oculina patagonica, the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina, the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (all Atlantic), and the lionfish Pterois miles (Indo-Pacific) suggest their ongoing establishment in the Aegean Sea; the deepest bathymetric record of the invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea in the Mediterranean Sea is also registered in the Kyklades, at depths exceeding 70 m. Turkey: new distribution records for two non-indigenous crustaceans, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic origin) and the moon crab Matuta victor (Indo-Pacific origin) from the Bay of Izmir and Antalya, respectively; in the latter region, the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali, is also reported. Lebanon: an array of records of 5 alien and one native Mediterranean species is reported by citizen-scientists; the Pacific jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata and the Indo-Pacific teleosteans Tylerius spinosissimus, Ostracion cubicus, and Lutjanus argentimaculatus are reported from the Lebanese coast, the latter notably being the second record for the species in the Mediterranean Sea since 1977; the native sand snake-eel Ophisurus serpens, rare in the eastern Mediterranean, is reported for the first time from Lebanon, this being its easternmost distribution range; finally, a substantial number of sightings of the lionfish Pterois miles further confirm the current establishment of this lessepsian species in the Levantine., COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TD1209 Alien Challenge project; East and South European Network for Invasive Alien Species - a tool to support the management of alien species in Bulgaria (ESENIAS-TOOLS) (EEA) project [33-51/30.06.2015]; EEA GRANTS; Public Investments Programme (PIP) of the Hellenic Republic; Cretaquarium, Nadhera Babali would like to thank Mr Nabil Hadjadji and Mr Mhamed Laid for taking pictures of the specimen of Cardium indicum during collection, which helped with identification of the collection date and site, as well as Mr Samuel Iglesias for valuable guidance. Gianna Servello and Fabio Crocetta acknowledge the study of the alien species recorded in the Italian Seas that was partially funded by the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TD1209 Alien Challenge (GS) and the East and South European Network for Invasive Alien Species - a tool to support the management of alien species in Bulgaria (ESENIAS-TOOLS) (EEA funded: Contract No. -33-51/30.06.2015) (FC) projects. Francesco Tiralongo is grateful to the fishermen of the vessel "Oreste" (3288) who caught the specimen of Lobotes surinamensis, for providing the information and the picture. The reports of Caulerpa cylindracea, Oculina patagonica, and Enchelycore anatina were conducted along a survey in the Aegean Sea within the framework of the MARISCA project, co-funded (85%) by EEA GRANTS, 2009-2014, and the Public Investments Programme (PIP) of the Hellenic Republic (15%). Thomas Hasiotis and Stelios Katsanevakis thank Kostas Tsiamis for his comments on an earlier draft of their manuscript. Michail Ragkousis and Vasilis Gerovasileiou are thankful to Nina Premezzi and Ioannis Havakis who provided information and photos about the later record of E. anatina. Aspasia Sterioti sincerely thanks Cretaquarium for support and funding, G. Vardanis for the transportation and photo of the species and C.K. Doxa for the photo of the species. Fabio Crocetta and Michel Bariche acknowledge Messrs T. Assal, M. Ali Ibrahim, J. Bacha, J. Bahout, V. Bayrakdarian, D. Captan, K. Greig, M. Hado, M. Hayek, J.-P. Massoud K. Merhabi, W. Nini, H. Rifai, N. Saidi, E. Saliba, I. Sidawi, N. Weber, and several other fishermen and scuba divers who kindly provided records, photographs and videos of the reported animals from Lebanon. Finally, thanks are due to all anonymous reviewers for critical reading and providing helpful and constructive comments on the included articles.

Background: Helicobacter pylori is the major causative factor of ulcer but the use of ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have also been implicated in development of ulcer. The purpose of the present study was to determine the anti-ulcer effect of glucosamine. Methods: The protective effect of glucosamine on ibuprofen-induced peptic ulcer in male albino rats was studied with respect to changes in the volume of gastric juice, acid output, pepsin activity, activities of membrane bound ATPases, protein content, glycoprotein components and histopathology. Results: Oral administration of ibuprofen caused significant increase in the number of lesions in the gastric mucosa, increases in the volume of gastric juice and acidity, and decreased activity of pepsin. The levels of protein content and glycoprotein components (hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid) and ATPase activities were also observed. Oral pretreatment with glucosamine resulted in significant reduction in the number of lesions in the gastric mucosa and decreases in the volume of gastric juice and acidity. The pepsin activity was also maintained at near normalcy. Prior oral administration of glucosamine significantly prevented the ibuprofen-induced depletion of protein and glycoprotein components and maintained the activities of membrane bound ATPases as compared to untreated ulcer induced group of rats. Conclusion: The anti-ulcerogenic activity of glucosamine might be ascribable to its ability to neutralize the hydrochloric acid secreted into the stomach and to its capability to strengthen the mucosal barrier by increasing mucosal glycoprotein synthesis and to its free radical scavenging property. Histopathological investigations of the mucosal tissue also support the anti-ulcerogenic effect of glucosamine.

We have studied the protective effect of chitosan on isoniazid- and rifampicin-induced hepatotoxicity with respect to the changes in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes (in serum), lipid components and lipid peroxidation (in serum and liver). The oral administration of antitubercular drugs caused a significant elevation in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes and cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids and lipid peroxidation in serum and liver of experimental rats. There was a slight decline in the level of phospholipids in liver tissue also observed. Co-administration of chitosan significantly prevented the antitubercular drugs-induced elevation in the levels of serum diagnostic marker enzymes (alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase) in experimental groups of rats. It exerted a significant antilipidemic effect against isoniazid- and rifampicin-induced hepatitis by maintaining the levels cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids and phospholipids in serum and liver at near normalcy. A tendency to prevent the isoniazid- and rifampicin-induced lipid peroxidation was also observed. The results of the present study indicated that the hepatoprotective effect of chitosan might be ascribable to its antilipidemic effect and/or antioxidant property.

Carboxymethylchitin was prepared at different reaction temperatures and from alkali chitin with different concentrations of alkali. Properties of the product were studied. Alkali chitin were prepared using freshly prepared sodium hydroxide of 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65% (w/w) concentration and carboxymethylated using monochloroacetic acid at controlled (35–40 °C) and uncontrolled (30–80 °C) temperature conditions. Molecular weight, viscosity, degree of deacetylation, etc. of the resultant product, i.e. carboxymethylchitin were determined. It was found that the reaction temperature has a profound influence on the property of the product than alkali concentration. A hygroscopic and completely water-soluble product was formed. Optimum conditions for the production of carboxymethylchitin were found to be 60% NaOH concentration and at 35–40 °C reaction temperature. At these conditions, it was obtained with a molecular weight of 4.11×106 Da, viscosity 1926 cP and degree of deacetylation 45.02%.

The present study examined the antiulcer effect of glucosamine on mucosal antioxidant defense system in ibuprofen-induced peptic ulcer in male albino rats. The number of lesions in the gastric mucosa, volume of gastric juice, acid output, pepsin activity, lipid peroxides, reduced glutathione content and the activities of glutathione dependent antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase) and antiperoxidative enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) were determined. Prior oral administration of glucosamine significantly prevented the ibuprofen-induced increases in the number of lesions in the gastric mucosa, volume of gastric juice and acidity. It also maintained the activity of pepsin at near normal level. Oral pretreatment of glucosamine exerted a significant antioxidant effect by preventing ibuprofen-induced lipid peroxidation and by maintaining the level of reduced glutathione and the activities of mucosal antioxidant enzymes at near normalcy. The results of the present investigation indicate that the antiulcer activity of glucosamine is related to its ability to neutralize the hydrochloric acid secreted into the stomach and to its antioxidant capability to inhibit ibuprofen-induced lipid peroxidation.

Fermentation of shrimp shell in jaggery broth using Bacillus subtilis for the production of chitin and chitosan was investigated. It was found that B. subtilis produced sufficient quantities of acid to remove the minerals from the shell and to prevent spoilage organisms. The protease enzyme in Bacillus species was responsible for the deprotenisation of the shell. The pH, proteolytic activity, extent of demineralization and deprotenisation were studied during fermentation. About 84% of the protein and 72% of the minerals were removed from the shrimp shell after fermentation. Mild acid and alkali treatments were given to produce characteristic chitin and their concentrations were standardized. Chitin was converted to chitosan by N-deacetylation and the properties of chitin and chitosan were studied. FTIR spectral analysis of chitin and chitosan prepared by the process was carried out and compared with spectra of commercially available samples.

Tuberculosis is a dangerous disease and its death toll is increasing year by year. Intake of isoniazid and rifampicin, the most common antitubercular drugs, lead to fatal hepatotoxic condition. We have studied the protective effect of chitosan supplementation against the hepatotoxicity induced by antitubercular drugs with respect to the changes in the levels of protein, albumin-globulin ratio, urea and bilirubin in the serum and diagnostic marker enzymes (alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase), protein, glycoprotein conjugates (hexose, hexosamine and sialic acid), lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione in the liver tissue of normal and experimental groups of rats. Co-administration of chitosan was found to significantly prevent the antitubercular drugs-induced alterations in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes, bilirubin and albumin/globulin ratio in experimental groups of rats. Isoniazid and rifampicin-induced lipid peroxidation was also found to be prevented by the administration of chitosan. Further, chitosan administration increased the levels of urea and protein (in serum and liver) in experimental groups compared to hepatotoxicity-induced group of rats. Levels of glycoconjugates were also maintained to near normal level by chitosan co-administration. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that chitosan is beneficial against antitubercualr drugs-induced hepatoxicity.

The utilization of some agro-industrial wastes as soil conditioners to provide free-living nitrogen-fixing bacterial populations (e.g. Azospirillum spp.) with carbon and energy sources, may be an interesting perspective for agriculture. However, the presence of ammonium nitrogen in cultivated soils and/or various wastes could inhibit the growth of the nitrogen-fixing populations. The present investigation shows that growth of Azospirillum lipoferum was restricted at a dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration equal to 135 microM, when the initial NH4Cl concentration increased from 0.5 to 0.9 g/l. The activities of both citrate synthase (CS) and isocitrate dehydrogenase were significantly decreased in the presence of 0.9 g/l NH4Cl (e.g., 40% and 66%, respectively, in cells incubated for 95 h), while ammonium assimilation occurred via the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction. Furthermore, growth limitation occurred even in the presence of 0.5 g/l NH4Cl, when the DO concentration decreased from 135 to 30 microM. The activities of both CS and succinate dehydrogenase were dramatically decreased in cells grown at the lower DO concentration (e.g., 90% and 93% respectively, in a 95 h incubation), while ammonium assimilation was limited due to the low activities of both glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamate synthase. It is concluded that the threshold of ammonium concentration at which growth of A. lipoferum is limited, depends on the DO concentration in the medium.

The effects of amino acids on growth of Azospirillum have not been studied in detail. Amino acids, as constituents of root exudates, may influence both growth and nitrogenase activity of the Azospirillum-root association. The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of asparagine and aspartic acid on growth of A. brasilense and A. lipoferum and to examine the possibility of using this character as an additional taxonomic characteristic. The results indicate that A. lipoferum grows luxuriously on asparagine and aspartic acid whereas A. brasilense grows poorly or not at all. Utilization of asparagine as the sole source of carbon offers an additional characteristic for the taxonomic separation of these two species.

Phialophora radicicola can restrict colonization of cereal and grass roots by Gaeumannomyces graminis. A. brasilense and A. lipoferum were grown in Phialophora culture filtrate medium. The parameters of growth showed that A. lipoferum is able to grow on Phialophora culture filtrate medium. In the case of A. brasilense the growth was poor in the medium. Wheat plants were inoculated with Azospirillum and Phialophora, either individually or in combination. Fresh and dry weight of the wheat plants were determined. The results showed that the dual inoculation of wheat by A. lipoferum and P. radicicola produced significantly higher dry matter production than their corresponding control.

A surface-modified carbon black (N330) has been prepared by treating it with pentaerythitol, combination of pentaerythitol and pyrogallol and a combination of pentaerythitol and resorcinol in aqueous solution at different molar concentrations. The adsorption of modifier and formation of new functional groups could be identified from the FTIR peaks. This modified carbon black has been used as one of the compounding ingredients in EPDM rubber. It was found that carbon black modified with pentaerythitol and resorcinol showed more pronounced effect than the other two. In all cases the properties like hardness, tensile strength, and modulus are found to be increasing as the concentration of modifier was increased. All these values are higher as compared to rubber compound with unmodified carbon black. While the properties like abrasion loss, compression set, elongation at break, tan delta were found to be decreasing with increase in modifier concentration. All these results points towards an improved interaction between the filler and rubber. The surface functional groups on the modified carbon black would attach to the rubber chains and will act as secondary cross linker. Calculated values of crosslink density were found to be increasing with the modifier concentrations, clearly defines the formation of secondary crosslinking.