scholarly journals Isolation of Actinomycetes with Cellulolytic and Antimicrobial Activities from Soils Collected from an Urban Green Space in the Philippines

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jann Eldy L. Daquioag ◽  
Gil M. Penuliar
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Soil Microorganisms ◽  
Antimicrobial Activities ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Cellulolytic Activity ◽  
Candida Spp ◽  
Commercially Important ◽  
The University

Actinomycetes are one of the most important groups of soil bacteria that are recognized as sources of commercially important enzymes and antimicrobials. Actinomycetes, however, are largely underestimated and uncharacterized in underexplored habitats such as green spaces in urban areas. This study aimed to isolate actinomycetes from soils in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus and determine their cellulolytic and antimicrobial activities. A total of 235 isolates were purified from the soil samples collected. Cellulolytic and antimicrobial activities were observed in 114 and 18 isolates, respectively. The cell-free supernatants of 31 isolates exhibited high cellulolytic activities. Two isolates, in particular EWLG2 and EPNA9, had 0.596 FPU and 0.885 FPU cellulolytic activity, respectively. Seven isolates exhibited antimicrobial activities in the screening methods used. The crude extracts of isolates AWLG9, AWLG8, AWLG10, AULG1, APLG2, and AWLG13 had minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values ranging from 31.25 µg/mL to 500 µg/mL against Candida spp. Isolates AULG1 and EPLG5 were active against the bacterial test microorganisms and had MIC values ranging from 250 µg/mL to 500 µg/mL. DNA sequencing identified the isolates which exhibited high cellulolytic and antimicrobial activities as Bacillus sp. and Streptomyces sp., with percent identities ≥98%. This study shows that green spaces are rich sources of soil microorganisms that have cellulolytic and antimicrobial activities. It is recommended that the isolates obtained in this study be examined further for possible applications in bioethanol production and pharmacology.

scholarly journals 6th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 436
Author(s):  
Richard Smardon
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Conference Theme ◽  
The Social ◽  
University Of Massachusetts ◽  
The University

This editorial is an overview of a Special Issue of Land entitled “Selected Papers from the6th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning: Adapting and Expanding Contracting Cities.” This Special Issue of land contains six papers—most of which were presented at the 6th Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning (Fábos et al. 2019) held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst 28–30 March 2019.The Fábos conference theme was to explore the social and economic potential of linear green spaces in urban areas that are declining or expanding.

scholarly journals Identifying urban food trees in campus green spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 918 (1) ◽  
pp. 012022
Author(s):  
A B Rangkuti ◽  
A Susilowati ◽  
M M Harahap ◽  
A H Iswanto
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Food System ◽  
Urban Sustainability ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Alternative Food ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Ecological Services ◽  
The University

Abstract The environmental impact of food is one of the drivers of cities’ growing interest in the developed food system in urban areas, one of which is campus green space. Green spaces (GS) on campus accompany native trees, landscaping, and water features for nurturing wildlife and people in the surrounding campus. In addition, GS can provide food sources such as fruit, alternative food, seeds, and nuts. This study aims to identify food trees in 120 hectares of the University Sumatera Utara campus area through field inventory methods. Our research showed that 49 species belong to 18 families and 1536 individuals USU campus produce beneficial food for people surrounding campus, either fruit, nuts, and alternative food. Thus, we conclude that the university’s green space can support the urban area’s vision as food providers and ecological services for achieving urban sustainability. Furthermore, gathering and gleaning from green space provides opportunities for inhabitants to maintain urban resources and deeply interact with nature.

scholarly journals Flora of herbaceous and arboreous plants in Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo, Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seikan Kurata ◽  
Naoko Ishikawa ◽  
Diego Vasques ◽  
Masayuki Saito ◽  
Osamu Kurashima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Herbaceous Plants ◽  
Green Area ◽  
Garden Plants ◽  
The University

Recent studies revealed that green spaces in urban areas are critical for conservation of native biodiversity and that assessment of the present flora of green spaces in urban areas is critical for protection of the native biodiversity. The Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo embraces a relevant green area, located in a highly urbanised area in Tokyo Metropolis (35.66 N 139.68 E, Japan). The total area of this Campus is 25.4 ha, from which, 4.5 ha are covered by vegetation. Although intense urbanisation can be observed around the Campus, new insect species had been reported for the Campus area, suggesting that the biodiversity on the Campus still demands some attention. Differently from fauna surveys, no flora survey has been done for more than 30 years on the Campus. In this study, we have extensively surveyed the plants diversity on the Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo, aiming for an update of the plants list on this green urban area in Tokyo. The survey covered all herbaceous and arboreous plants growing wild on the Campus. Garden plants were excluded in this survey because these plants were supposed to be cultivated. The final dataset contained, in total, 324 taxa, from which 234 were herbaceous plants and 90 were arboreous plants. The top three taxa are as follows: Poaceae (38 taxa), Asteraceae (34 taxa) and Rosaceae (14 taxa), respectively. This is the first update to the Flora of the Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo in 30 years and represent an important contribution to conservation of native species in the Tokyo metropolis.

Biscogniauxia (Hypoxylon) Canker or Dieback in Trees

EDIS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Paez ◽  
Jason A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Root Disease ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Quercus Spp

Biscogniauxia canker or dieback (formerly called Hypoxylon canker or dieback) is a common contributor to poor health and decay in a wide range of tree species (Balbalian & Henn 2014). This disease is caused by several species of fungi in the genus Biscogniauxia (formerly Hypoxylon). B. atropunctata or B. mediterranea are usually the species found on Quercus spp. and other hosts in Florida, affecting trees growing in many different habitats, such as forests, parks, green spaces and urban areas (McBride & Appel, 2009).  Typically, species of Biscogniauxia are opportunistic pathogens that do not affect healthy and vigorous trees; some species are more virulent than others. However, once they infect trees under stress (water stress, root disease, soil compaction, construction damage etc.) they can quickly colonize the host. Once a tree is infected and fruiting structures of the fungus are evident, the tree is not likely to survive especially if the infection is in the tree's trunk (Anderson et al., 1995).

Synthesis of Novel 3(N,N-dialkylamino)alkyl/phenyl Substituted Thieno [2,3-d]pyrimidinones as H1-Anti-Histaminic and Antimicrobial Agents

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-70
Author(s):  
Shiv Dev Singh ◽  
Arvind Kumar ◽  
Firoz Babar ◽  
Neetu Sachan ◽  
Arun Kumar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Potassium Hydroxide ◽  
Antimicrobial Agents ◽  
Pyrimidine Ring ◽  
Antimicrobial Activities ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Chlorpheniramine Maleate ◽  
In Vivo Screening

Background: Thienopyrimidines are the bioisoster of quinazoline and unlike quinazoline exist in three isomeric forms corresponding to the three possible types annulation of thiophene to the pyrimidine ring viz thieno[2,3-d] pyrimidine, thieno[3,2-d] pyrimidine and thieno[3,4-d]pyrimidine. Heterocyclic containing the thienopyrimidinone moiety exhibits various pronounced activities such as anti-hypertensive, analgesic and anti-inflammatory, antiviral, platelet aggregation inhibitory, antiprotozoal bronchodilatory, phosphodiesterase inhibitory, antihistaminic, antipsychotic and antimicrobial activity. Objective: Synthesis of novel 3(N,N-dialkylamino)alkyl/phenyl substituted thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidinones as H1-anti-histaminic and antimicrobial agents. Methods: A series of 3-[(N,N-dialkylamino)alkyl/phenyl]-2-(1H)thioxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo(b) thieno(2,3-d)pyrimidine-4(3H)-ones[4a-d], their oxo analogous [5a-d] and 3-[(N,N-dialkylamino)alkyl]- 2-chlorophenyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo(b)thieno(2,3-d)pyrimidine- 4 (3H)-ones[6a-d]derivative were synthesized from 2-amino-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo(b)thiophene-3-carboxylic acid by nucleophilic substitution of different N,N-dialkyl alkylene/phenylene diamines on activated 3-acylchloride moiety followed by cyclocondensation with carbon disulfide and ethanolic potassium hydroxide to get [4a-d] and in second reaction by condensation with 4-chlorobenzoyl chloride to get [6a-d] by single pot novel innovative route. The oxo analogous [5a-d] were prepared by treating derivatives [4a-d] with potassium permagnate in ethanolic KOH. The synthesized compound were evaluated for H1-antihistaminic and antimicrobial activities. Results: All synthesized compounds exhibited significant H1-antihistaminic activity by in vitro and in vivo screening methods and data were verified analytically and statistically. The compound 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b showed significant H1-antihistaminiic activity than the reference standard chlorpheniramine maleate. The compound 6d, 6c, 5c and 4c exhibited significant antimicrobial activity.

Diversity of organisms

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip James
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
The Common ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Diversity Of Life

The focus of this chapter is an examination of the diversity of living organisms found within urban environments, both inside and outside buildings. The discussion commences with prions and viruses before moving on to consider micro-organisms, plants, and animals. Prions and viruses cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. Micro-organisms are ubiquitous and are found in great numbers throughout urban environments. New technologies are providing new insights into their diversity. Plants may be found inside buildings as well as in gardens and other green spaces. The final sections of the chapter offer a discussion of the diversity of animals that live in urban areas for part or all of their life cycle. Examples of the diversity of life in urban environments are presented throughout, including native and non-native species, those that are benign and deadly, and the common and the rare.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Equity and Regional Management of Some Urban Green Space Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Main Urban Area of Xi’an City

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
Hui Dang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Yumeng Zhang ◽  
Zixiang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Xi’An City

Urban green spaces can provide many types of ecosystem services for residents. An imbalance in the pattern of green spaces leads to an inequality of the benefits of such spaces. Given the current situation of environmental problems and the basic geographical conditions of Xi’an City, this study evaluated and mapped four kinds of ecosystem services from the perspective of equity: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, air purification, and climate regulation. Regionalization with dynamically constrained agglomerative clustering and partitioning (REDCAP) was used to obtain the partition groups of ecosystem services. The results indicate that first, the complexity of the urban green space community is low, and the level of biodiversity needs to be improved. The dry deposition flux of particulate matter (PM2.5) decreases from north to south, and green spaces enhance the adsorption of PM2.5. Carbon sequestration in the south and east is higher than that in the north and west, respectively. The average surface temperature in green spaces is lower than that in other urban areas. Second, urban green space resources in the study area are unevenly distributed. Therefore, ecosystem services in different areas are inequitable. Finally, based on the regionalization of integrated ecosystem services, an ecosystem services cluster was developed. This included 913 grid spaces, 12 partitions, and 5 clusters, which can provide a reference for distinct levels of ecosystem services management. This can assist urban managers who can use these indicators of ecosystem service levels for planning and guiding the overall development pattern of green spaces. The benefits would be a maximization of the ecological functions of green spaces, an improvement of the sustainable development of the city, and an improvement of people’s well-being.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Differences in Walking Time of Children and Adolescents to Public Green Spaces in Urban Areas—Results of the German Environmental Survey (2014–2017)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2326
Author(s):  
Julia Rehling ◽  
Christiane Bunge ◽  
Julia Waldhauer ◽  
André Conrad
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Environmental Survey ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Public Green Space ◽  
Walking Time

Public green spaces have a high potential for a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing, especially in urban areas. Studies on environmental justice indicate socially unequal access possibilities to urban green spaces. This article presents results on associations between individual socioeconomic position (SEP) and walking time from home to public green spaces in young people living in urban areas with more than 20,000 inhabitants in Germany. Data were derived from the German Environmental Survey for Children and Adolescents 2014–2017 (GerES V), the environmental module of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS Wave 2). The sample comprises 1149 participants aged 3 to 17 years. A total of 51.5% of the participants reach a public green space on foot within five and 72.8% within ten minutes from home. The lower the participant’s SEP, the longer the walking time. Logistic regression models controlling for age group, sex, migration background, and region of residence show that participants with a low SEP have a significantly higher risk (odds ratio = 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.31–2.99) of needing more than ten minutes to walk from home to a public green space than participants with a high SEP. GerES V data indicate that young people living in urban areas in Germany do not equally benefit from the health-promoting potential of green spaces, which is an important aspect of environmental health inequalities.

scholarly journals Country-level determinants of the severity of the first global wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: an ecological study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e042034
Author(s):  
Tiberiu A Pana ◽  
Sohinee Bhattacharya ◽  
David T Gamble ◽  
Zahra Pasdar ◽  
Weronika A Szlachetka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Ecological Study ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Bcg Vaccination ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Mean

ObjectiveWe aimed to identify the country-level determinants of the severity of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignEcological study of publicly available data. Countries reporting >25 COVID-19 related deaths until 8 June 2020 were included. The outcome was log mean mortality rate from COVID-19, an estimate of the country-level daily increase in reported deaths during the ascending phase of the epidemic curve. Potential determinants assessed were most recently published demographic parameters (population and population density, percentage population living in urban areas, population >65 years, average body mass index and smoking prevalence); economic parameters (gross domestic product per capita); environmental parameters (pollution levels and mean temperature (January–May); comorbidities (prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and cancer); health system parameters (WHO Health Index and hospital beds per 10 000 population); international arrivals; the stringency index, as a measure of country-level response to COVID-19; BCG vaccination coverage; UV radiation exposure; and testing capacity. Multivariable linear regression was used to analyse the data.Primary outcomeCountry-level mean mortality rate: the mean slope of the COVID-19 mortality curve during its ascending phase.ParticipantsThirty-seven countries were included: Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK and the USA.ResultsOf all country-level determinants included in the multivariable model, total number of international arrivals (beta 0.033 (95% CI 0.012 to 0.054)) and BCG vaccination coverage (−0.018 (95% CI −0.034 to –0.002)), were significantly associated with the natural logarithm of the mean death rate.ConclusionsInternational travel was directly associated with the mortality slope and thus potentially the spread of COVID-19. Very early restrictions on international travel should be considered to control COVID-19 outbreaks and prevent related deaths.

scholarly journals Pathogenicity of Metarhizium rileyi (Farlow) Kepler, S.A. Rehner and Humber isolates against Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) and their extracellular enzymatic activities

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurmehar Kaur Grewal ◽  
Neelam Joshi ◽  
Yadhu Suneja
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Litura ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Metarhizium Rileyi ◽  
Percent Mortality ◽  
Commercially Important ◽  
Extracellular Enzymatic Activities ◽  
Chemical Pesticides ◽  
Lepidoptera Noctuidae

Abstract Background Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a serious agricultural pest that infests many commercially important crops of Southeast Asian countries. Indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides has led to various health hazards as well as insecticide resistance. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) provide an important alternative as biological control agents. Metarhizium rileyi is an EPF with a specific host range for lepidopteran pests. The present study aimed to identify virulent M. rileyi isolate against S. litura larvae and analyse their extracellular cuticle-degrading enzyme activities. Results Three M. rileyi isolates viz M. rileyi NIPHM, M. rileyi MTCC 4254 and M. rileyi MTCC 10395 formulations were evaluated at different concentrations against 2nd instar larvae of S. litura. A maximum percent mortality of 63.33% was recorded in M. rileyi NIPHM (12 g/l), followed by M. rileyi MTCC 4254 (58.33%) at the same concentration, 10 days post-treatment. Maximum means of chitinase, protease and lipase activities (0.44, 1.58 and 2.95 U/ml, respectively) were recorded in the case of M. rileyi NIPHM. Correlation analysis was positive between enzyme activity and larval mortality. Conclusions Metarhizium rileyi NIPHM recorded the highest enzymatic activity and exhibited the maximum mortality rate against 2nd instar larvae of S. litura, suggesting the possible role of these enzymes in the pathogenicity of the fungus. Further knowledge in this regard may help in the development of enzyme-based screening methods for selecting virulent fungal isolates for the eco-friendly management of crop pests.

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