BIOTECHNOLOGY

A process originally developed for algae harvesting shows promise as a solution for treating flowback water from hydraulic fracturing operations. Los Angeles-based technology company OriginOil has developed products to enable the industrial scale harvesting of algae into renewable crude oil that is compatible with the current worldwide petroleum refining infrastructure. In recent third party testing, OriginOil's Solids Out of Solution System--powered by its Single Step Extraction technology, a solids separation and dewatering process--removed 98 percent of hydrocarbons from a sample of West Texas oil well flowback water in the first stage alone. The flowback water was tested in the lab – OriginOil is now getting out into the field to run commercial programs. "We have only tested our process on frac flowback from oil wells and have yet to test on frac fluid from gas wells," said OriginOil CEO Riggs Eckelberry, but said he believes OriginOil's technology can he...

The researchers say tapioca and sweet potato are rich in starch and can produce ethanol through fermentation. SWEET tea-time treats may soon find their way into your car’s petrol tank — a research team from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s (Utar) Faculty of Engineering and Science is studying the use of cassava, better known as tapioca, and sweet potato in the production of biofuels. “Rising global crude oil prices has prompted the search for alternative energy sources to reduce the reliance on crude oil, and this has opened up a lot of opportunities worldwide,” says Dr Low Chong Yu, who leads the research team comprising students Lim Syly, Koh Cin Cong and Voon Meng Seap. Dr Low says unlike fossil fuels which are depleting, biofuels are renewable energy sources, which can not only reduce air pollution and greenhouse effects caused by burning of fossil fuels, but also enable sustainable development that provides employment and improves economy. Dr Low adds that the dev...

Some of the Fellowship Details in INDIA

It is notified for information of all concerned that the SLET Commission, Assam will hold the SET (State Eligibility Test) to examine eligibility for appointment of Lecturer in Colleges and Universities on 09-09-12 in the centres located at the Universities of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, and at Sikkim Govt. College for Sikkim State. For this the following schedule has been fixed: Date of issue of application form : From 27-04-12 to 10-07-12 Last date of receipt of fees and forms: 25-07-12 Date of Test : 09-09-12 And for other information : http://www.sletne.org/

Photo :  Chikilidae with a clutch of eggs and newly hatched young ones. At the centre eggs which are ready to hatch. (Right) Chikilidae with eggs. Scientists have discovered a new family of limbless amphibians from northeast India with their ancient lineage traced to eastern and western parts of Africa, a relationship preserved from the time the southern continents broke up more than 150 million years ago. Kerala-born Delhi University scientist S.D. Biju and co-researchers from India and Europe have reported their discovery in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. They have named the new family as Chikilidae and the new genus as Chikila, deriving the name from the Northeast Indian tribal language of Garo. Until this discovery, there were only nine known families of legless amphibians, also called caecilians, found across the wet tropical regions of Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, parts of East and West Africa, the Seychelles and northe...

1. Aquaculture: an international journal for freshwater and marine researchers interested in the exploration, improvement and management of all aquatic food resources. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00448486 2. Journal of Marine Science: Research & Development:   The Journal of Marine Science: Research and Development emphasizes the geological, physical, chemical, and biological aspects of marine environment. http://omicsonline.org/jmsrdhome.php 3. Marine Biology: Marine Biology publishes original and internationally significant contributions from all fields of marine biology . http://www.springer.com/environment/aquatic+sciences/journal/227 3. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology : The Journal provides a forum for work on the biochemistry, physiology, behavior, and genetics of marine plants and animals in relation to their ecology. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-experimental-marine-biology-and-ecology 4. Aquatic Sciences: Aq...

The most common acid fast staining method is Ziehl-Neelsen Staining method, it was described by two German doctors Franz Ziehl, a bacteriologist and Friedrich Neelsen, a pathologist. this method is used to identify acid fast organisms like Mycobacterium. Principle :- The lipoid capsule of the acid fast organism are of high molecular weight and remain waxy in room temperature so normal aqueous stain are unable to stain the cell. So in this method Carbolfuchsin are heat steamed and so that the lipoid capsule of the organism takes up the carbolfuchsin. Technique :-1. Prepare a smears of organisms to be stained.                     2. Heat fix the smears.                     3. Cut a absorbant paper to fit the slide leaving one end for handling. Do not allow the paper to               protude beyond the slide,but smears must be covered. ...