Commodification Practices in the Begawe Sasak’s Lombok Tradition

The begawe tradition, which has become the popular culture of Sasaknese, has begun shifted by the consumption of mass cultures, such as catering services, the use of tools or begawe needs, starting to be replaced by industrial products for rent or sale. The forms of commodification in the begawe tradition, especially in begibung (eating together) and betulung (helping each other), two things that become the ‘aura’ of begawe. This difference can be seen from the shifting values, from the principle of kinship to individualism; of various equipment that is transformed and then commercialized. The new ethnography in this case study becomes the basis for examining the commodification practice in the begawe tradition, which switches to catering services and traditional equipment and replaces by modern equipment. The author, who is part of the Sasak community, also takes a participatory approach in begawe events held by the community. This shows that the alienation of popular culture in society cannot be contained by massive mass culture, so that people, which were initially established with high social values, began to form individualist societies that competed to show their social status. The consumption of signs/symbols has formed a society trapped in a pseudo-need that is unwittingly oppressive. Awareness to be critical and filter the mass culture needs a sphere for negotiation to return the spirit of the social community based on kinship interaction.

Variables Governing Photosynthesis and Growth in Microalgae Mass Cultures

Since the 1950s, microalgae have been grown commercially in man-made cultivation units and used for biomass production as a source of food and feed supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and lately biofuels, as well as a means for wastewater treatment and mitigation of atmospheric CO2 build-up. In this work, photosynthesis and growth affecting variables—light intensity, pH, CO2/O2 exchange, nutrient supply, culture turbulence, light/dark cell cycling, biomass density and culture depth (light path)—are reviewed as concerns in microalgae mass cultures. Various photosynthesis monitoring techniques were employed to study photosynthetic performance to optimize the growth of microalgae strains in outdoor cultivation units. The most operative and reliable techniques appeared to be fast-response ones based on chlorophyll fluorescence and oxygen production monitoring, which provide analogous results.

Controlling of two destructive zooplanktonic predators in Chlorella mass culture with surfactants

Background Predatory flagellates and ciliates are two common bio-contaminants which frequently cause biomass losses in Chlorella mass culture. Efficient and targeted ways are required to control these contaminations in Chlorella mass cultivation aiming for biofuel production especially. Results Five surfactants were tested for its ability to control bio-contaminations in Chlorella culture. All five surfactants were able to eliminate the contaminants at a proper concentration. Particularly the minimal effective concentrations of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) to completely eliminate Poterioochromonas sp. and Hemiurosomoida sp. were 8 and 10 mg L−1, respectively, yet the photosynthesis and viability of Chlorella was not significantly affected. These results were further validated in Chlorella mass cultures in 5, 20, and 200 m2 raceway ponds. Conclusions A chemical method using 10 mg L−1 SDBS as pesticide to control predatory flagellate or ciliate contamination in Chlorella mass culture was proposed. The method helps for a sustained microalgae biomass production and utilization, especially for biofuel production.

Mass Culture

‘Mass culture’, understood as popular commercialized cultures, existed in Germany from the late nineteenth century as part of its modern, industrialized society. After 1918, the expansion of leisure time, technological innovations, the growth of new and existing audiences, and new regulatory frameworks led to an expansion and diversification of these cultures. One of the most important characteristics of Weimar-era mass cultures was the central role of the modern mass media in their dissemination: the 1920s saw the development of a tightly integrated media ensemble comprising sound film, radio, popular recorded music, the mass press, and book clubs, which remained stable until the proliferation of television in the 1960s. Many observers interpreted this as the growth of a homogeneous ‘mass culture’, produced on an industrial scale and sold like a common commodity, evoking fears of cultural erosion and mind control. This chapter uses this term in the plural to avoid such generalizations, putting a focus on the importance of gender, class, ethnicity, and location in the production and consumption of mass cultures.

Controlling of flagellates and ciliates contaminations in Chlorella mass culture

Background: Flagellates and ciliates are two common bio-contaminants which frequently cause biomass losses in Chlorella mass culture. Efficient and targeted ways are required to control contaminations in Chlorella mass cultivation aiming for biofuel production especially. Results: Five surfactants were tested for its ability to control bio-contaminations in Chlorella culture. All five surfactants were able to eliminate the contaminants at a proper concentration. Particularly the minimal effective concentrations of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) to completely eliminate Poterioochromonas sp. and Hemiurosomoida sp. were 8 mg L−1 and 10 mg L−1, respectively, yet the photosynthesis and viability of Chlorella was not significantly affected. These results were further validated in Chlorella mass cultures in 5, 20, and 200 m2 raceway ponds. Conclusions: A chemical method using 10 mg L-1 SDBS as pesticide to control flagellates or ciliates contamination in Chlorella mass culture was proposed. The method helps for a sustained microalgae biomass production and utilization, especially for biofuel production.

Observations on the life cycles of aquatic Oligochaeta in aquaria

Observations on the life cycles of aquatic oligochaetes were made in the period 1962–2017 at the Võrtsjärv Limnological Station (Estonia) using small aquaria with sieved profundal mud covered with unaerated water. The aquaria were mostly inseminated with 10 juvenile worms and checked four times a year, changing the mud and eliminating the progeny, until the natural death of the original worms. Besides, mass cultures were kept in bigger aquaria. Many individuals of Tubifex tubifex, T. newaensis, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, L. udekemianus, Ilyodrilus templetoni, Psammoryctides barbatus, Spirosperma ferox, Potamothrix moldaviensis, P. vejdovskyi, P. bavaricus, Stylodrilus heringianus and Rhynchelmis tetratheca survived for several years, reproduced repeatedly, and died out one by one during the observation period. In some cases, the most longevous individuals reached an age of up to 8 years (I. templetoni), 10–12 years (T. tubifex), 15–17 years (L. hoffmeisteri, P. barbatus, S. heringianus), or even more than 20 years (L. udekemianus, S. ferox, T. newaensis). Criodrilus lacuum did not reproduce in aquaria, although the oldest individual spent 46 years there. Potamothrix hammoniensis, Lophochaeta ignota, Lamprodrilus isoporus, most naidines and some others did not thrive in aquaria and usually died without reproducing. In a cellar, where temperature conditions imitated seasonal fluctuations in lakes, or when the aquaria were maintained at continuously low temperature, the lifetime of worms was often longer than at room temperature. At elevated temperatures (+25° to +35°C) T. tubifex and L. hoffmeisteri formed cocoons mostly with only 1–2 eggs while their life span was then shorter. Architomic clones of Potamothrix bedoti, Bothrioneurum vejdovskyanum, Aulodrilus pluriseta and A. japonicus survived and propagated for years. The architomic Lumbriculus variegatus was thriving only when fed, e.g., with yeast. Uniparental reproduction by parthenogenesis was observed in T. tubifex, L. hoffmeisteri and S. heringianus kept or reared single. Two special races(?) were noted both within T. tubifex and L. udekemianus.

Enhanced triacylglycerol (TAG) and protein accumulation in transgenic diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana with altered photosynthetic pigmentation

ABSTRACTMicroalgal productivity in mass cultures is limited by the inefficiency with which available light energy is utilized. In dense cultures, cells closest to the light source absorb more light energy than they can use and dissipate the excess, while light penetrance into the culture is steeply attenuated. Reducing microalgal light harvesting and/or dissipating capacity per cell may improve total light utilization efficiency in mass cultures. In this study, two transgenic lines of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana with altered photosynthetic pigment content are evaluated with respect to photosynthetic parameters, growth, and macromolecule accumulation. In one line, violaxanthin de-epoxidase-like 2 (VDL2) is overexpressed (OE), resulting in a reduction of the diadinoxanthin cycle pigments, which are involved in light energy dissipation (non-photochemical quenching, NPQ), accompanied by a stoichiometric increase in the light-harvesting pigment fucoxanthin. No differences in the maximum potential quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) or light-limited photosynthetic rate (α) were found. However, when adapted to 30 µmol photons m−2 sec−1, the VDL2 OE maximum relative electron transport rate (rETRmax) upon exposure to saturating light intensities was 86-95% of wild type (WT). When adapted to 300 µmol photons m−2 sec−1, VDL2 OE saturated photosynthesis at 62-71% of the light intensity needed to saturate WT (Ek). NPQ was substantially lower at and below 300 µmol photons m−2 sec−1. VDL2 OE accumulated up to 3.4 times as much triacylglycerol (TAG) as WT during exponential growth, and up to twice as much protein. Growth in terms of culture density was up to 7% slower. TAG and protein accumulation inversely correlated with NPQ. The second line evaluated was obtained by using antisense RNA to simultaneously silence or knock down (KD) both LUT1-like (LTL) genes, hypothesized to catalyze an intermediate carotenoid biosynthesis step of converting β-carotene to zeaxanthin. Overall reduction of photosynthetic pigment content without altering the relative abundance of individual pigments resulted. No significant differences in photosynthetic parameters compared to WT were found. LTL KD grew at a rate comparable to WT and accumulated up to 40% more TAG during exponential growth, while protein content was reduced by 11-19%. LTL KD cells were elongated and 5-10% smaller than WT, and cultures contained auxospores, indicating stress that may relate to a cell cycle progression defect.