Artykuły w czasopismach na temat „Karok (Indiens)”

A classification of patterned design on Yurok, Karok, and Hupa baskets by the crystallographic symmetry classes which structure the design elements reveals that traditional designs, designated as “ours” by Yurok, Karok, and Hupa informants were recognized by these informants as “put together right” when they were consistently structured by two symmetries, p112 and pma2. Baskets said to be “not ours” were judged as “against the law” because, although they were also frequently structured by the two traditional symmetries, they were distinguishable by the addition of new colors and motifs. Ironically, despite the increasing breakup of California Indian society by white culture, turn-of-the century white collector demand for “authentic” baskets served to preserve the structure of the traditional design system. Collector demand enabled the Indians to make a living producing baskets, but these were only traditional in some aspects (structure) while other aspects were altered so that the “sale” baskets would be clearly distinct from those they made for their own use.

The harsh environmental conditions coupled with a long history of overgrazing have altered the ecology of the arid Tanqua Karoo rangelands in South Africa, which necessitates rehabilitation. However, a suitable method for monitoring rangeland function over time is required for sustainable management. In this study, vegetation characteristics and landscape function indices were used to rate and compare rangeland conditions in 43 sites distributed among three vegetation types: Tanqua Karoo, Tanqua Wash Riviere, and Tanqua Escarpment Shrubland, which occupy different landscapes in the Tankwa Karoo National Park. The results showed low values of vegetation volume (mean of 10.1 m3 per 100 m−2) and low vegetated patches (mean of 29% patches vs 71% fetches). The overall landscape function indices (soil stability, water infiltration, and nutrient recycling) were low and amounted to 55%, 28%, and 17%, respectively. Amongst the various examined landscapes, the escarpment had the highest values of most of the measured landscape functionality parameters, and the open plains had the lowest values. This revealed high heterogeneity of soil properties and vegetation characteristics amongst the different vegetation types, mainly influenced by altitudinal gradients. The higher-lying landscapes on the escarpment are relatively more functional and more susceptible to improvement when compared to the lower-lying landscapes on the plains. The landscape functionality approach (LFA) approach demonstrated that some of the examined vegetation types had insignificant improvement in landscape functionality likely not to improve in the near term due to existing low patchiness, higher fetch space and low LFA indices coupled with the low annual rainfall of the region. The landscape functionality approach has provided a suitable benchmark for assessing and monitoring the diverse vegetation types in this arid part of the world.

Silalahi M, Nisyawati. 2018. The ethnobotanical study of edible and medicinal plants in the home garden of Batak Karo subethnic in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 229-238. The cultivation of plants in home gardens for self-sufficiency is a long tradition in Karo District, but the documentation of local knowledge about edible and medicinal plants in home gardens in Karo District is limited. This study aimed to (i) document the uses of the edible and medicinal plants in home gardens; (ii) to analyze the diversity of edible and medicinal plants in home gardens. Data were collected using the ethnobotanical surveys and interviews methods. The Shannon Weiner and Margalef indices were calculated to determine the diversity levels of medicinal and edible species in the home gardens of Karo ethnic. The surveys were conducted in 30 home gardens (7 villages), Karo District, North Sumatra. The 85 recorded species belonged to 43 families, and 73 genera were used as edible and medicinal plants. The plants studied in the home gardens used for human consumption were i.e. fruits, vegetables, spices, tubers and medicinal plants. Among 85 plant species growing in home gardens, 52 species were cultivated, and the rest were semi cultivated. Home gardens had the Shannon Wiener index ranging from 1.164 to 3.123 while Margalef index ranging from 0.929-2.531.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce new methods to measure the indirect control power of firms in complex corporate shareholding structures using the concept of power indices from cooperative game theory. The proposed measures vary in desirable properties satisfied, as well as in the bargaining models of power indices used to construct them. Hence, they can be used to produce different pictures of the coalitional strength of firms in control of other firms in mutual shareholding networks with the presence of cycles. Precisely, in the framework of Karos and Peters from 2015, ten power indices substitute the original Shapley and Shubik power index in a modular fashion. In this way, we obtain a set of new measures called aggregated indices. The float shareholders typically hold less than 5 percent of the outstanding shares, which is an uncertain element of indirect control in complex shareholding structures. The fuzzy number seems appropriate to model these shareholders’ behavior. The novelty is that we model the behavior of float using Z-fuzzy numbers. The new methods are tested in an example.

In the rites of seeing off the conscripts in the Kostroma and Vologda regions the Ural Federal University Toponymic expedition recorded the custom of decorating a tree at the exit from the village or hanging such a decorated tree on the pediment of a recruit’s house, and the custom of breaking or wrapping the trees tops on the edge of the village (this was done also to mark some other significant events in human life). The article shows that these customs have different origins, they were included from different sources into the recruit’s leaving rite during its formation in the 18th–19th centuries. The custom of decorating trees is a direct borrowing from the wedding ceremony and comes from the common Slavic tradition to decorate a wedding tree, symbolizing “girlish beauty”. The custom of breaking a tree top has a substratum origin and probably goes back to the tradition of the Kostroma Meria, which is reconstructed on the basis of Uralo-Yukaghir concepts about a person’s connection with a tree and the ancient custom of marking important events in human life (rites de passages) by making a personal tree by breaking off branches on coniferous trees preserved by Karelians (karsikko), Udmurts and Yukaghirs, which penetrated into North America in ancient times and was found among the Karok Indians in Northern California.

Abstract Recent investigations of the shale gas potential in the main Karoo Basin have concentrated on the Whitehill Formation within the Ecca Group. This study focuses on the shale gas potential of the underlying Prince Albert Formation using the parameters of volume porosity, permeability, total organic carbon (TOC), vitrinite reflectance and Rock-Eval data. Shale samples were retrieved from three surface localities in the southern part of the main Karoo Basin and from core of three boreholes drilled through the Prince Albert Formation near Ceres, Mervewille and Willowvale. The sampling localities occur near the borders of the prospective shale gas areas (“sweet spots”) identified for the Whitehill Formation. Kerogen was found to be Type IV with hydrogen indices less than 65 mg/g. Shale porosities are between 0.08 and 5.6% and permeabilities between 0 and 2.79 micro-Darcy, as determined by mercury porosimetry. TOC varies between 0.2 and 4.9 weight % and vitrinite reflectance values range from 3.8 to 4.9%. Although the porosity and TOC values of the Prince Albert Formation shales are comparable with, but at the lower limits of, those of the gas-producing Marcellus shale in the United States (porosities between 1 and 6% and TOC between 1 and 10 weight %), the high vitrinite reflectance values indicate that the shales are overmature with questionable potential for generating dry gas. This overmaturity is probably a result of an excess depth of burial, tectonic effects of the Cape Orogeny and dolerite intrusions. However, viable conditions for shale gas might exist within the “sweet spot” areas, which were defined for the Whitehill Formation.

Eight canola genotypes chosen from a preliminary screening study with either high or low nitrogen (N) and/or sulfur (S) efficiency indices were tested for consistency in S and/or N efficiency between vegetative stage and maturity. Soil labelling was used to assess 15N/N or 34S/S uptake, and a leaf feeding–labelling technique was used to study transport and remobilisation of N and S. Plants were grown under glasshouse conditions using deficient or adequate N and/or S supply. Nitrogen and S uptake in plants was assessed using the following criteria: growth, N and/or S concentration, and 15N and/or 34S atom excess in above-ground plant parts. Transport and remobilisation of N and S were assessed via the same assessment criteria in plants at 2 days (1st harvest) and 6 days (2nd harvest) after commencement of leaf-labelling. Genotype Wesway was more efficient than Westar in taking up N during the vegetative stage as well as in remobilising N from leaves, stems, and siliques to seeds at maturity. Genotype Surpass 402 CL appeared to be more efficient than Karoo in taking up S during the vegetative stage and particularly during the maturity stage, but was less efficient than Karoo in remobilising S from leaves and stems to siliques and seeds at maturity. Soil and leaf labelling techniques using 15N and 34S appeared to be useful tools for studying uptake, transport, and remobilisation of N and S during the vegetative and maturity stages in canola genotypes differing in N- or S-use efficiency.

There is little information on amino acid composition of xylem and phloem sap in canola genotypes differing in use efficiency of nitrogen (N) and/or sulfur (S). Four canola genotypes with either high or low N- and/or S-use efficiency indices were grown in a glasshouse using deficient or adequate N and/or S supply. Xylem sap was obtained by vacuum extraction 46 days after sowing. Phloem sap was collected via bleeding from the petioles of the maturing siliques 120 days after sowing. Among the genotypes, Wesway (N-use efficient) had the highest concentrations of total N, glutamine (235 mmol/L), and asparagine (14 mmol/L) in the xylem sap in the vegetative stage. In contrast, genotype Westar (classified previously as N-use inefficient) had the highest concentrations of most amino acids in the phloem sap among genotypes grown at deficient N supply. Compared with the other tested genotypes, Surpass 402 CL (S-use efficient) had a higher concentration of S, and Karoo (S-use inefficient) had higher concentrations of glutamate and methionine, in the xylem sap in the vegetative stage. Similarly, Karoo had a higher concentration of methionine under adequate S supply and of glutamate under deficient S in the phloem sap at maturity. In conclusion, in canola phloem sap, the most important amino acid for N transport is glutamine, and for S transport methionine and the glutathione-precursor glutamate. It does not appear there is a relationship between differential N- or S-use efficiency of canola genotypes and the concentration of N- or S-transporting amino acids in the phloem sap.

Rangeland monitoring aims to determine whether grazing management strategies meet the goals of sustainable resource utilization. The development of sustainable grazing management strategies requires an understanding of the manner in which grazing animals utilize available vegetation. In this study, we made use of livestock tracking, in situ observations and Sentinel-2 imagery to make rangeland scale observations of vegetation conditions in a semi-arid environment, to better understand the spatial relationships between vegetation conditions and sheep movement patterns. We hypothesized that sheep graze more selectively under low stocking rates—resulting in localized overgrazing. We also assessed the importance of image spatial resolution, as it was assumed localized effects of grazing will be best explained by higher resolution imagery. The results showed that livestock tend to congregate along drainage lines where soils are deeper. The findings demonstrate how the spatial analysis of remotely sensed data can provide a landscape-scale overview of livestock movement patterns. This study illustrates that high-resolution normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data can be used as a grazing management tool to determine the spatial variability of productive areas across the semi-arid Upper Karoo rangelands and identify preferred grazing areas.

This paper examines music as a medium for delivering da’wah material. It aims to reveal in depth the meaning of da’wah in the album Thank You Allah by Maher Zain and show the da’wah material contained in it. To fail the data, primary data from Maher Zain's Thank You Allah Album video clip on YouTube Awakening Record is used, as well as audio music from the joox application. Data analysis was carried out using Charles Sander Pierce's theory of semiotic analysis, which focused on the signs arising in each data. To know and interpret the meaning in each sign in the data will be separated into 3 parts, namely: symbols, icons, and indices that will be continuous in the Triangle Meaning theory. The results showed that the existence of music on social media, provides an opportunity for musicians to preach to spread the teachings of Islam. through music. One of the most famous musicians in the religious music industry is Maher Zain. The first album released was Thank You Allah. The album contains 8 title tracks namely; baraka Allah lakuma, Ya Nabi Salam Alayka, Insha Allah, Palestine Will be Free, For the Rest of My life, Allah hi Allah Kiya Karo, Thank You Allah and Open Your Eyes, the songs contain material of da'wah aqidah, Shari'a/worship and also morals.

Abstract The loss of carbonate production during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ca. 183 Ma) is hypothesized to have been at least partly triggered by ocean acidification linked to magmatism from the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province (southern Africa and Antarctica). However, the dynamics of acidification have never been directly quantified across the T-OAE. Here, we present the first record of temporal evolution of seawater pH spanning the late Pliensbachian and early Toarcian from the Lusitanian Basin (Portugal) reconstructed on the basis of boron isotopic composition (δ11B) of brachiopod shells. δ11B declines by ∼1‰ across the Pliensbachian-Toarcian boundary (Pl-To) and attains the lowest values (∼12.5‰) just prior to and within the T-OAE, followed by fluctuations and a moderately increasing trend afterwards. The decline in δ11B coincides with decreasing bulk CaCO3 content, in parallel with the two-phase decline in carbonate production observed at global scales and with changes in pCO2 derived from stomatal indices. Seawater pH had declined significantly already prior to the T-OAE, probably due to the repeated emissions of volcanogenic CO2. During the earliest phase of the T-OAE, pH increased for a short period, likely due to intensified continental weathering and organic carbon burial, resulting in atmospheric CO2 drawdown. Subsequently, pH dropped again, reaching the minimum in the middle of the T-OAE. The early Toarcian marine extinction and carbonate collapse were thus driven, in part, by ocean acidification, similar to other Phanerozoic events caused by major CO2 emissions and warming.

- J. Angerler, Jýrg Schneider, From upland to irrigated rice; The development of wet-rice agriculture in Rejang Musi, Southwest Sumatra. Berlin: Reimer, 1995, 214 pp. [Berner Sumatra-Forschungen.] - R.H. Barnes, Janet Hoskins, The play of time; Kodi perspectives on calendars, history, and exchange. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993, xx + 414 pp. - Karin Bras, Christel Lýbben, Internationaler Tourismus als Faktor der Regionalentwicklung in Indonesien; Untersucht am Beispiel der Insel Lombok. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer, 1995, xiv + 178 pp. - Peter Boomgaard, Florentino Rodao, Espaýoles en Siam (1540-1939); Una aportaciýn al estudio de la presencia hispana en Asia Oriental. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientýficas, 1997, xix + 206 pp. [Biblioteca de Historia 32.] - Hans Hýgerdal, Winarsih Partaningrat Arifin, Babad Sembar; Chroniques de lýest javanais. Paris: Presses de lýýcole Francaise dýExtrýme Orient, 1995, 149 pp. [EFEO monographie 177.] - Els M. Jacobs, Gerrit J. Knaap, Shallow waters, rising tide; Shipping and trade in Java around 1775. Leiden: KITLV Press, 1996. [Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 172.] - Roy E. Jordaan, John Miksic, Ancient history. Singapore: Archipelago Press/Editions Didier Millet, n.d., 148 pp. [The Indonesian Heritage Series 1.] - Victor T. King, Penelope Graham, Iban shamanism; An analysis of the ethnographic literature. Canberra: Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, 1987 (reprint 1994), x + 174 pp. [Occasional Paper.] - Rita Smith Kipp, Simon Rae, Breath becomes the wind; Old and new in Karo religion. Dunedin: University of Otago Press, 1994, viii + 306 pp. - Niels Mulder, Raul Pertierra, Explorations in social theory and Philippine ethnography. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1997, xii + 262 pp. - Anthony Reid, Luc Nagtegaal, Riding the Dutch tiger; The Dutch East Indies Company and the northeast coast of Java, 1680-1743 (translated by Beverly Jackson). Leiden: KITLV Press, 1996, x + 250 pp. Index, maps, tables, graphs. - Cornelia M.I. van der Sluys, Signe Howell, For the sake of our future; Sacrificing in eastern Indonesia, Leiden: Centre for Non-Western Studies, 1996, xi + 398 pp. [CNWS Publication 42.] - Jaap Timmer, Bernard Juillerat, Children of the blood; Society, reproduction and cosmology in New Guinea (translated from the French by Nora Scott). Oxford: Berg, 1996, xxx + 601 pp., glossary, bibliography, index. [Explorations in Anthropology.]

Background-Concept of mizaj in the Unani system of medicine is a wide area of research. Mizajis the main thing that confers a legitimate shape and construction to the human body and makes an individual skilled to appropriately carry out his functions. In the event that the Mizajof an individual is changed, his capabilities, as well as designs, will generally change, bringing about diseases. Any demeanour of a sound individual addresses a decent profile of the normal state which keeps ideal concordance between the milieu Interieur (the environment inside the body) and the environment outside. Therefore, it is important to understand its link to physiology of clotting time, which may be influenced by individual mizaj(body type). So, it is necessary to find out its relationship with clotting time which may be influenced by individual mizaj(body type) and it can be considered as a decisive advantage to selecting an appropriate diagnostic tool for treatment in clinical practice. Research in this area is very scanty and inconclusive, therefore the participants of young age and clinically healthy have been chosen as the subject of study. Objective(s)-The objective of the present study is to find out the nature of mizaj (body type) with clotting time. Material and Methods-Using simple random sampling in Delhi (India) Sixty-two (62) college students fromAyurvedic and Unani Tibbia college and Hospital, Karol Bagh were selected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria and asked to complete the Mizaj questionnaire followed by checking of clotting time of each paticipants face to face under supervison. SPSS statistics software 22.0 was used for was used to establish a database for statistical description. The One-way ANOVA test in SPSS was used to analyze the differences between the groups. P < 0.05 suggested that the difference was statistically significant. Results-Based on the results it is found that clotting time is lowest in people having Damvi Mizaj and safravi Mizajand highest in balghamiand saudavi mizajwhich is in concordance with the experimental hypothesis of this research work. Conclusion-From this study, it is clear that a possible correlation between clotting time (CT) and Mizaj certainly does exist. After that, clotting time could be considered as one of the diagnostic indices of temperament.

Introduction: In Unani medicine, mizaj is an area of extensive research. Mizaj’s theory is based on the four humor hypothesis from antiquity. Buqrat, a Greek physician (Hippocrates, 460–370 BC), was the one who organized and developed it. Blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm, he thought, are responsible for some human emotions, feelings, and actions. It is therefore important to understand how it relates to functions of the body, which may be influenced by individual mizaj (body type). A diagnostic tool that is suitable for each body type can be selected using this information. Research in this field is limited and conflicting, so young and healthy people were selected for the study. This can be considered a decisive advantage in selecting an appropriate diagnostic tool for treatment in clinical practice if it can be linked to hemoglobin count, which may be affected by individual mizaj (body type). As research in this area is very scarce and inconclusive, participants of young age and clinically healthy have been chosen for the study. Objective: The present study is to find out the nature of mizaj (body type) with hemoglobin count. Methodology:Using simple random sampling in Delhi (India) Sixty (60) college students from Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College and Hospital, Karol Bagh were selected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria and asked to complete the Mizaj questionnaire followed by checking of hemoglobin count of each participant face to face under supervision. SPSS statistics software 22.0 was used to establish a database for statistical description. The One-way ANOVA test in SPSS was used to analyze the differences between the groups. P < 0.05 suggested that the difference was statistically significant. Results Based on the results it is found that hemoglobin count is highest in people having Damvi Mizaj and lowest in balghami which is in concordance with the experimental hypothesis of this research work. Conclusion: From this study, it is clear that a possible correlation between haemoglobin count and Mizaj certainly does exist. After that, clotting time could be considered as one of the diagnostic indices of temperament.

Abstract On the last page of his 1937 book “Our Wandering Continents” Alex Du Toit advised the geological community to develop the field of “comparative geology”, which he defined as “the study of continental fragments”. This is precisely the theme of this paper, which outlines my research activities for the past 28 years, on the continental fragments of the Indian Ocean. In the early 1990s, my colleagues and I were working in Madagascar, and we recognized the need to appreciate the excellent geological mapping (pioneered in the 1950s by Henri Besairie) in a more modern geodynamic context, by applying new ideas and analytical techniques, to a large and understudied piece of continental crust. One result of this work was the identification of a 700 to 800 Ma belt of plutons and volcanic equivalents, about 450 km long, which we suggested might represent an Andean-type arc, produced by Neoproterozoic subduction. We wondered if similar examples of this magmatic belt might be present elsewhere, and we began working in the Seychelles, where late Precambrian granites are exposed on about 40 of the &gt;100 islands in the archipelago. Based on our new petrological, geochemical and geochronological measurements, we built a case that these ~750 Ma rocks also represent an Andean-type arc, coeval with and equivalent to the one present in Madagascar. By using similar types of approaches, we tracked this arc even further, into the Malani Igneous Province of Rajasthan, in northwest India. Our paleomagnetic data place these three entities adjacent to each other at ~750 Ma, and were positioned at the margins, rather than in the central parts of the Rodinia supercontinent, further supporting their formation in a subduction-related continental arc. A widespread view is that in the Neoproterozoic, Rodinia began to break apart, and the more familiar Gondwana supercontinent was assembled by Pan-African (~500 to 600 Ma) continental collisions, marked by the highly deformed and metamorphosed rocks of the East African Orogen. It was my mentor, Kevin Burke, who suggested that the present-day locations of Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites (called “ARCs”) and their Deformed equivalents (called “DARCs”), might mark the outlines of two well-defined parts of the Wilson cycle. We can be confident that ARCs formed originally in intracontinental rift settings, and we postulated that DARCs represent suture zones, where vanished oceans have closed. We also found that the isotopic record of these events can be preserved in DARC minerals. In a nepheline syenite gneiss from Malawi, the U-Pb age of zircons is 730 Ma (marking the rifting of Rodinia), and that of monazites is 522 Ma (marking the collisional construction of Gondwana). A general outline of how and when Gondwana broke apart into the current configuration of continental entities, starting at about 165 Ma, has been known for some time, because this record is preserved in the magnetic properties of ocean-floor basalts, which can be precisely dated. A current topic of active research is the role that deep mantle plumes may have played in initiating, or assisting, continental fragmentation. I am part of a group of colleagues and students who are applying complementary datasets to understand how the Karoo (182 Ma), Etendeka (132 Ma), Marion (90 Ma) and Réunion (65 Ma) plumes influenced the break-up of Gondwana and the development of the Indian Ocean. Shortly after the impingement of the Karoo plume at 182 Ma, Gondwana fragmentation began as Madagascar + India + Antarctica separated from Africa, and drifted southward. Only after 90 Ma, when Madagascar was blanketed by lavas of the Marion plume, did India begin to rift, and rapidly drifted northward, assisted by the Marion and Deccan (65 Ma) plumes, eventually colliding with Asia to produce the Himalayas. It is interesting that a record of these plate kinematics is preserved in the large Permian – Eocene sedimentary basins of western Madagascar: transtensional pull-apart structures are dextral in Jurassic rocks (recording initial southward drift with respect to Africa), but change to sinistral in the Eocene, recording India’s northward drift. Our latest work has begun to reveal that small continental fragments are present in unexpected places. In the young (max. 9 Ma) plume-related, volcanic island of Mauritius, we found Precambrian zircons with ages between 660 and 3000 Ma, in beach sands and trachytic lavas. This can only mean that a fragment of ancient continent must exist beneath the young volcanoes there, and that the old zircons were picked up by ascending magmas on their way to surface eruption sites. We speculate, based on gravity inversion modelling, that continental fragments may also be present beneath the Nazareth, Saya de Malha and Chagos Banks, as well as the Maldives and Laccadives. These were once joined together in a microcontinent we called “Mauritia”, and became scattered across the Indian Ocean during Gondwana break-up, probably by mid-ocean ridge “jumps”. This work, widely reported in international news media, allows a more refined reconstruction of Gondwana, suggests that continental break-up is far more complex than previously perceived, and has important implications for regional geological correlations and exploration models. Our results, as interesting as they may be, are merely follow-ups that build upon the prescient and pioneering ideas of Alex Du Toit, whose legacy I appreciatively acknowledge.

Environments containing significant concentration of NaCl such as salt lakes harbor extremophiles microorganisms which have a great biotechnology interest. To explore the diversity of Bacteria in Chott Tinsilt (Algeria), an isolation program was performed. Water samples were collected from the saltern during the pre-salt harvesting phase. This Chott is high in salt (22.47% (w/v). Seven halophiles Bacteria were selected for further characterization. The isolated strains were able to grow optimally in media with 10–25% (w/v) total salts. Molecular identification of the isolates was performed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. It showed that these cultured isolates included members belonging to the Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Planococcus and Halobacillus genera with less than 98% of similarity with their closest phylogenetic relative. The halophilic bacterial isolates were also characterized for the production of biosurfactant and industrially important enzymes. Most isolates produced hydrolases and biosurfactants at high salt concentration. In fact, this is the first report on bacterial strains (A4 and B4) which were a good biosurfactant and coagulase producer at 20% and 25% ((w/v)) NaCl. In addition, the biosurfactant produced by the strain B4 at high salinity (25%) was also stable at high temperature (30-100°C) and high alkalinity (pH 11).Key word: Salt Lake, Bacteria, biosurfactant, Chott, halophiles, hydrolases, 16S rRNAINTRODUCTIONSaline lakes cover approximately 10% of the Earth’s surface area. The microbial populations of many hypersaline environments have already been studied in different geographical regions such as Great Salt Lake (USA), Dead Sea (Israel), Wadi Natrun Lake (Egypt), Lake Magadi (Kenya), Soda Lake (Antarctica) and Big Soda Lake and Mono Lake (California). Hypersaline regions differ from each other in terms of geographical location, salt concentration and chemical composition, which determine the nature of inhabitant microorganisms (Gupta et al., 2015). Then low taxonomic diversity is common to all these saline environments (Oren et al., 1993). Halophiles are found in nearly all major microbial clades, including prokaryotic (Bacteria and Archaea) and eukaryotic forms (DasSarma and Arora, 2001). They are classified as slight halophiles when they grow optimally at 0.2–0.85 M (2–5%) NaCl, as moderate halophiles when they grow at 0.85–3.4 M (5–20%) NaCl, and as extreme halophiles when they grow at 3.4–5.1 M (20–30%) NaCl. Hyper saline environments are inhabited by extremely halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms such as Halobacillus sp, Halobacterium sp., Haloarcula sp., Salinibacter ruber , Haloferax sp and Bacillus spp. (Solomon and Viswalingam, 2013). There is a tremendous demand for halophilic bacteria due to their biotechnological importance as sources of halophilic enzymes. Enzymes derived from halophiles are endowed with unique structural features and catalytic power to sustain the metabolic and physiological processes under high salt conditions. Some of these enzymes have been reported to be active and stable under more than one extreme condition (Karan and Khare, 2010). Applications are being considered in a range of industries such as food processing, washing, biosynthetic processes and environmental bioremediation. Halophilic proteases are widely used in the detergent and food industries (DasSarma and Arora, 2001). However, esterases and lipases have also been useful in laundry detergents for the removal of oil stains and are widely used as biocatalysts because of their ability to produce pure compounds. Likewise, amylases are used industrially in the first step of the production of high fructose corn syrup (hydrolysis of corn starch). They are also used in the textile industry in the de-sizing process and added to laundry detergents. Furthermore, for the environmental applications, the use of halophiles for bioremediation and biodegradation of various materials from industrial effluents to soil contaminants and accidental spills are being widely explored. In addition to enzymes, halophilic / halotolerants microorganisms living in saline environments, offer another potential applications in various fields of biotechnology like the production of biosurfactant. Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds synthesized from plants and microorganisms. They reduce surface tension and interfacial tension between individual molecules at the surface and interface respectively (Akbari et al., 2018). Comparing to the chemical surfactant, biosurfactant are promising alternative molecules due to their low toxicity, high biodegradability, environmental capability, mild production conditions, lower critical micelle concentration, higher selectivity, availability of resources and ability to function in wide ranges of pH, temperature and salinity (Rocha et al., 1992). They are used in various industries which include pharmaceuticals, petroleum, food, detergents, cosmetics, paints, paper products and water treatment (Akbari et al., 2018). The search for biosurfactants in extremophiles is particularly promising since these biomolecules can adapt and be stable in the harsh environments in which they are to be applied in biotechnology.OBJECTIVESEastern Algeria features numerous ecosystems including hypersaline environments, which are an important source of salt for food. The microbial diversity in Chott Tinsilt, a shallow Salt Lake with more than 200g/L salt concentration and a superficies of 2.154 Ha, has never yet been studied. The purpose of this research was to chemically analyse water samples collected from the Chott, isolate novel extremely or moderate halophilic Bacteria, and examine their phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics with a view to screening for biosurfactants and enzymes of industrial interest.MATERIALS AND METHODSStudy area: The area is at 5 km of the Commune of Souk-Naâmane and 17 km in the South of the town of Aïn-Melila. This area skirts the trunk road 3 serving Constantine and Batna and the railway Constantine-Biskra. It is part the administrative jurisdiction of the Wilaya of Oum El Bouaghi. The Chott belongs to the wetlands of the High Plains of Constantine with a depth varying rather regularly without never exceeding 0.5 meter. Its length extends on 4 km with a width of 2.5 km (figure 1).Water samples and physico-chemical analysis: In February 2013, water samples were collected from various places at the Chott Tinsilt using Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of 35°53’14” N lat. and 06°28’44”E long. Samples were collected randomly in sterile polythene bags and transported immediately to the laboratory for isolation of halophilic microorganisms. All samples were treated within 24 h after collection. Temperature, pH and salinity were measured in situ using a multi-parameter probe (Hanna Instruments, Smithfield, RI, USA). The analytical methods used in this study to measure ions concentration (Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, HCO3−, SO42−) were based on 4500-S-2 F standard methods described elsewhere (Association et al., 1920).Isolation of halophilic bacteria from water sample: The media (M1) used in the present study contain (g/L): 2.0 g of KCl, 100.0/200.0 g of NaCl, 1.0 g of MgSO4.7HO2, 3.0 g of Sodium Citrate, 0.36 g of MnCl2, 10.0 g of yeast extract and 15.0 g agar. The pH was adjusted to 8.0. Different dilutions of water samples were added to the above medium and incubated at 30°C during 2–7 days or more depending on growth. Appearance and growth of halophilic bacteria were monitored regularly. The growth was diluted 10 times and plated on complete medium agar (g/L): glucose 10.0; peptone 5.0; yeast extract 5.0; KH2PO4 5.0; agar 30.0; and NaCl 100.0/200.0. Resultant colonies were purified by repeated streaking on complete media agar. The pure cultures were preserved in 20% glycerol vials and stored at −80°C for long-term preservation.Biochemical characterisation of halophilic bacterial isolates: Bacterial isolates were studied for Gram’s reaction, cell morphology and pigmentation. Enzymatic assays (catalase, oxidase, nitrate reductase and urease), and assays for fermentation of lactose and mannitol were done as described by Smibert (1994).Optimization of growth conditions: Temperature, pH, and salt concentration were optimized for the growth of halophilic bacterial isolates. These growth parameters were studied quantitatively by growing the bacterial isolates in M1 medium with shaking at 200 rpm and measuring the cell density at 600 nm after 8 days of incubation. To study the effect of NaCl on the growth, bacterial isolates were inoculated on M1 medium supplemented with different concentration of NaCl: 1%-35% (w/v). The effect of pH on the growth of halophilic bacterial strains was studied by inoculating isolates on above described growth media containing NaCl and adjusted to acidic pH of 5 and 6 by using 1N HCl and alkaline pH of 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 using 5N NaOH. The effect of temperature was studied by culturing the bacterial isolates in M1 medium at different temperatures of incubation (4°C–55°C).Screening of halophilic bacteria for hydrolytic enzymes: Hydrolase producing bacteria among the isolates were screened by plate assay on starch, tributyrin, gelatin and DNA agar plates respectively for amylase, lipase, protease and DNAse activities. Amylolytic activity of the cultures was screened on starch nutrient agar plates containing g/L: starch 10.0; peptone 5.0; yeast extract 3.0; agar 30.0; NaCl 100.0/250.0. The pH was 7.0. After incubation at 30 ºC for 7 days, the zone of clearance was determined by flooding the plates with iodine solution. The potential amylase producers were selected based on ratio of zone of clearance diameter to colony diameter. Lipase activity of the cultures was screened on tributyrin nutrient agar plates containing 1% (v/v) of tributyrin. Isolates that showed clear zones of tributyrin hydrolysis were identified as lipase producing bacteria. Proteolytic activity of the isolates was similarly screened on gelatin nutrient agar plates containing 10.0 g/L of gelatin. The isolates showing zones of gelatin clearance upon treatment with acidic mercuric chloride were selected and designated as protease producing bacteria. The presence of DNAse activity on plates was determined on DNAse test agar (BBL) containing 10%-25% (w/v) total salt. After incubation for 7days, the plates were flooded with 1N HCl solution. Clear halos around the colonies indicated DNAse activity (Jeffries et al., 1957).Milk clotting activity (coagulase activity) of the isolates was also determined following the procedure described (Berridge, 1952). Skim milk powder was reconstituted in 10 mM aqueous CaCl2 (pH 6.5) to a final concentration of 0.12 kg/L. Enzyme extracts were added at a rate of 0.1 mL per mL of milk. The coagulation point was determined by manual rotating of the test tube periodically, at short time intervals, and checking for visible clot formation.Screening of halophilic bacteria for biosurfactant production. Oil spread Assay: The Petridis base was filled with 50 mL of distilled water. On the water surface, 20μL of diesel and 10μl of culture were added respectively. The culture was introduced at different spots on the diesel, which is coated on the water surface. The occurrence of a clear zone was an indicator of positive result (Morikawa et al., 2000). The diameter of the oil expelling circles was measured by slide caliber (with a degree of accuracy of 0.02 mm).Surface tension and emulsification index (E24): Isolates were cultivated at 30 °C for 7 days on the enrichment medium containing 10-25% NaCl and diesel oil as the sole carbon source. The medium was centrifuged (7000 rpm for 20 min) and the surface tension of the cell-free culture broth was measured with a TS90000 surface tensiometer (Nima, Coventry, England) as a qualitative indicator of biosurfactant production. The culture broth was collected with a Pasteur pipette to remove the non-emulsified hydrocarbons. The emulsifying capacity was evaluated by an emulsification index (E24). The E24 of culture samples was determined by adding 2 mL of diesel oil to the same amount of culture, mixed for 2 min with a vortex, and allowed to stand for 24 h. E24 index is defined as the percentage of height of emulsified layer (mm) divided by the total height of the liquid column (mm).Biosurfactant stability studies : After growth on diesel oil as sole source of carbone, cultures supernatant obtained after centrifugation at 6,000 rpm for 15 min were considered as the source of crude biosurfactant. Its stability was determined by subjecting the culture supernatant to various temperature ranges (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 100 °C) for 30 min then cooled to room temperature. Similarly, the effect of different pH (2–11) on the activity of the biosurfactant was tested. The activity of the biosurfactant was investigated by measuring the emulsification index (El-Sersy, 2012).Molecular identification of potential strains. DNA extraction and PCR amplification of 16S rDNA: Total cellular DNA was extracted from strains and purified as described by Sambrook et al. (1989). DNA was purified using Geneclean® Turbo (Q-BIO gene, Carlsbad, CA, USA) before use as a template in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. For the 16S rDNA gene sequence, the purified DNA was amplified using a universal primer set, forward primer (27f; 5′-AGA GTT TGA TCM TGG CTC AG) and a reverse primer (1492r; 5′-TAC GGY TAC CTT GTT ACG ACT T) (Lane, 1991). Agarose gel electrophoresis confirmed the amplification product as a 1400-bp DNA fragment.16S rDNA sequencing and Phylogenic analysis: Amplicons generated using primer pair 27f-1492r was sequenced using an automatic sequencer system at Macrogene Company (Seoul, Korea). The sequences were compared with those of the NCBI BLAST GenBank nucleotide sequence databases. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by the neighbor-joining method using MEGA version 5.05 software (Tamura et al., 2011). Bootstrap resembling analysis for 1,000 replicates was performed to estimate the confidence of tree topologies.Nucleotide sequence accession numbers: The nucleotide sequences reported in this work have been deposited in the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database. The accession numbers are represented in table 5.Statistics: All experiments were conducted in triplicates. Results were evaluated for statistical significance using ANOVA.RESULTSPhysico-chemical parameters of the collected water samples: The physicochemical properties of the collected water samples are reported in table 1. At the time of sampling, the temperature was 10.6°C and pH 7.89. The salinity of the sample, as determined in situ, was 224.70 g/L (22,47% (w/v)). Chemical analysis of water sample indicated that Na +and Cl- were the most abundant ions (table 1). SO4-2 and Mg+2 was present in much smaller amounts compared to Na +and Cl- concentration. Low levels of calcium, potassium and bicarbonate were also detected, often at less than 1 g/L.Characterization of isolates. Morphological and biochemical characteristic feature of halophilic bacterial isolates: Among 52 strains isolated from water of Chott Tinsilt, seven distinct bacteria (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B4 and B5) were chosen for further characterization (table 2). The colour of the isolates varied from beige, pale yellow, yellowish and orange. The bacterial isolates A1, A2, A4, B1 and B5 were rod shaped and gram negative (except B5), whereas A3 and B4 were cocci and gram positive. All strains were oxidase and catalase positive except for B1. Nitrate reductase and urease activities were observed in all the bacterial isolates, except B4. All the bacterial isolates were negative for H2S formation. B5 was the only strain positive for mannitol fermentation (table 2).We isolated halophilic bacteria on growth medium with NaCl supplementation at pH 7 and temperature of 30°C. We studied the effect of NaCl, temperature and pH on the growth of bacterial isolates. All the isolates exhibited growth only in the presence of NaCl indicating that these strains are halophilic. The optimum growth of isolates A3 and B1 was observed in the presence of 10% NaCl, whereas it was 15% NaCl for A1, A2 and B5. A4 and B4 showed optimum growth in the presence of 20% and 25% NaCl respectively. A4, B4 and B5 strains can tolerate up to 35% NaCl.The isolate B1 showed growth in medium supplemented with 10% NaCl and pH range of 7–10. The optimum pH for the growth B1 was 9 and they did not show any detectable growth at or below pH 6 (table 2), which indicates the alkaliphilic nature of B1 isolate. The bacterial isolates A1, A2 and A4 exhibited growth in the range of pH 6–10, while A3 and B4 did not show any growth at pH greater than 8. The optimum pH for growth of all strains (except B1) was pH 7.0 (table 2). These results indicate that A1, A2, A3, A4, B4 and B5 are neutrophilic in nature. All the bacterial isolates exhibited optimal growth at 30°C and no detectable growth at 55°C. Also, detectable growth of isolates A1, A2 and A4 was observed at 4°C. However, none of the bacterial strains could grow below 4°C and above 50°C (table 2).Screening of the halophilic enzymes: To characterize the diversity of halophiles able to produce hydrolytic enzymes among the population of microorganisms inhabiting the hypersaline habitats of East Algeria (Chott Tinsilt), a screening was performed. As described in Materials and Methods, samples were plated on solid media containing 10%-25% (w/v) of total salts and different substrates for the detection of amylase, protease, lipase and DNAse activities. However, coagulase activity was determined in liquid medium using milk as substrate (figure 3). Distributions of hydrolytic activity among the isolates are summarized in table 4.From the seven bacterial isolates, four strains A1, A2, A4 and B5 showed combined hydrolytic activities. They were positive for gelatinase, lipase and coagulase. A3 strain showed gelatinase and lipase activities. DNAse activities were detected with A1, A4, B1 and B5 isolates. B4 presented lipase and coagulase activity. Surprisingly, no amylase activity was detected among all the isolates.Screening for biosurfactant producing isolates: Oil spread assay: The results showed that all the strains could produce notable (>4 cm diameter) oil expelling circles (ranging from 4.11 cm to 4.67 cm). The average diameter for strain B5 was 4.67 cm, significantly (P < 0.05) higher than for the other strains.Surface tension and emulsification index (E24): The assimilation of hydrocarbons as the sole sources of carbon by the isolate strains led to the production of biosurfactants indicated by the emulsification index and the lowering of the surface tension of cell-free supernatant. Based on rapid growth on media containing diesel oil as sole carbon source, the seven isolates were tested for biosurfactant production and emulsification activity. The obtained values of the surface tension measurements as well as the emulsification index (E24) are shown in table 3. The highest reduction of surface tension was achieved with B5 and A3 isolates with values of 25.3 mN m−1 and 28.1 mN m−1 respectively. The emulsifying capacity evaluated by the E24 emulsification index was highest in the culture of isolate B4 (78%), B5 (77%) and A3 (76%) as shown in table 3 and figure 2. These emulsions were stable even after 4 months. The bacteria with emulsification indices higher than 50 % and/or reduction in the surface tension (under 30 mN/m) have been defined as potential biosurfactant producers. Based on surface tension and the E24 index results, isolates B5, B4, A3 and A4 are the best candidates for biosurfactant production. It is important to note that, strains B4 and A4 produce biosurfactant in medium containing respectively 25% and 20% (w/v) NaCl.Stability of biosurfactant activities: The applicability of biosurfactants in several biotechnological fields depends on their stability at different environmental conditions (temperatures, pH and NaCl). For this study, the strain B4 appear very interesting (It can produce biosurfactant at 25 % NaCl) and was choosen for futher analysis for biosurfactant stability. The effects of temperature and pH on the biosurfactant production by the strain B4 are shown in figure 4.biosurfactant in medium containing respectively 25% and 20% (w/v) NaCl.Stability of biosurfactant activities: The applicability of biosurfactants in several biotechnological fields depends on their stability at different environmental conditions (temperatures, pH and NaCl). For this study, the strain B4 appear very interesting (It can produce biosurfactant at 25 % NaCl) and was chosen for further analysis for biosurfactant stability. The effects of temperature and pH on the biosurfactant production by the strain B4 are shown in figure 4. The biosurfactant produced by this strain was shown to be thermostable giving an E-24 Index value greater than 78% (figure 4A). Heating of the biosurfactant to 100 °C caused no significant effect on the biosurfactant performance. Therefore, the surface activity of the crude biosurfactant supernatant remained relatively stable to pH changes between pH 6 and 11. At pH 11, the value of E24 showed almost 76% activity, whereas below pH 6 the activity was decreased up to 40% (figure 4A). The decreases of the emulsification activity by decreasing the pH value from basic to an acidic region; may be due to partial precipitation of the biosurfactant. This result indicated that biosurfactant produced by strain B4 show higher stability at alkaline than in acidic conditions.Molecular identification and phylogenies of potential isolates: To identify halophilic bacterial isolates, the 16S rDNA gene was amplified using gene-specific primers. A PCR product of ≈ 1.3 kb was detected in all the seven isolates. The 16S rDNA amplicons of each bacterial isolate was sequenced on both strands using 27F and 1492R primers. The complete nucleotide sequence of 1336,1374, 1377,1313, 1305,1308 and 1273 bp sequences were obtained from A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B4 and B5 isolates respectively, and subjected to BLAST analysis. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that the isolated strains belong to the genera Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Planococcus and Halobacillus as shown in table 5. The halophilic isolates A2 and A4 showed 97% similarity with the Halomonas variabilis strain GSP3 (accession no. AY505527) and the Halomonas sp. M59 (accession no. AM229319), respectively. As for A1, it showed 96% similarity with the Halomonas venusta strain GSP24 (accession no. AY553074). B1 and B4 showed for their part 96% similarity with the Salinivibrio costicola subsp. alcaliphilus strain 18AG DSM4743 (accession no. NR_042255) and the Planococcus citreus (accession no. JX122551), respectively. The bacterial isolate B5 showed 98% sequence similarity with the Halobacillus trueperi (accession no. HG931926), As for A3, it showed only 95% similarity with the Staphylococcus arlettae (accession no. KR047785). The 16S rDNA nucleotide sequences of all the seven halophilic bacterial strains have been submitted to the NCBI GenBank database under the accession number presented in table 5. The phylogenetic association of the isolates is shown in figure 5.DICUSSIONThe physicochemical properties of the collected water samples indicated that this water was relatively neutral (pH 7.89) similar to the Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake (USA) and in contrast to the more basic lakes such as Lake Wadi Natrun (Egypt) (pH 11) and El Golea Salt Lake (Algeria) (pH 9). The salinity of the sample was 224.70 g/L (22,47% (w/v). This range of salinity (20-30%) for Chott Tinsilt is comparable to a number of well characterized hypersaline ecosystems including both natural and man-made habitats, such as the Great Salt Lake (USA) and solar salterns of Puerto Rico. Thus, Chott Tinsilt is a hypersaline environment, i.e. environments with salt concentrations well above that of seawater. Chemical analysis of water sample indicated that Na +and Cl- were the most abundant ions, as in most hypersaline ecosystems (with some exceptions such as the Dead Sea). These chemical water characteristics were consistent with the previously reported data in other hypersaline ecosystems (DasSarma and Arora, 2001; Oren, 2002; Hacěne et al., 2004). Among 52 strains isolated from this Chott, seven distinct bacteria (A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B4 and B5) were chosen for phenotypique, genotypique and phylogenetique characterization.The 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that the isolated strains belong to the genera Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Planococcus and Halobacillus. Genera obtained in the present study are commonly occurring in various saline habitats across the globe. Staphylococci have the ability to grow in a wide range of salt concentrations (Graham and Wilkinson, 1992; Morikawa et al., 2009; Roohi et al., 2014). For example, in Pakistan, Staphylococcus strains were isolated from various salt samples during the study conducted by Roohi et al. (2014) and these results agreed with previous reports. Halomonas, halophilic and/or halotolerant Gram-negative bacteria are typically found in saline environments (Kim et al., 2013). The presence of Planococcus and Halobacillus has been reported in studies about hypersaline lakes; like La Sal del Rey (USA) (Phillips et al., 2012) and Great Salt Lake (Spring et al., 1996), respectively. The Salinivibrio costicola was a representative model for studies on osmoregulatory and other physiological mechanisms of moderately halophilic bacteria (Oren, 2006).However, it is interesting to note that all strains shared less than 98.7% identity (the usual species cut-off proposed by Yarza et al. (2014) with their closest phylogenetic relative, suggesting that they could be considered as new species. Phenotypic, genetic and phylogenetic analyses have been suggested for the complete identification of these strains. Theses bacterial strains were tested for the production of industrially important enzymes (Amylase, protease, lipase, DNAse and coagulase). These isolates are good candidates as sources of novel enzymes with biotechnological potential as they can be used in different industrial processes at high salt concentration (up to 25% NaCl for B4). Prominent amylase, lipase, protease and DNAase activities have been reported from different hypersaline environments across the globe; e.g., Spain (Sánchez‐Porro et al., 2003), Iran (Rohban et al., 2009), Tunisia (Baati et al., 2010) and India (Gupta et al., 2016). However, to the best of our knowledge, the coagulase activity has never been detected in extreme halophilic bacteria. Isolation and characterization of crude enzymes (especially coagulase) to investigate their properties and stability are in progress.The finding of novel enzymes with optimal activities at various ranges of salt concentrations is of great importance. Besides being intrinsically stable and active at high salt concentrations, halophilic and halotolerant enzymes offer great opportunities in biotechnological applications, such as environmental bioremediation (marine, oilfiel) and food processing. The bacterial isolates were also characterized for production of biosurfactants by oil-spread assay, measurement of surface tension and emulsification index (E24). There are few reports on biosurfactant producers in hypersaline environments and in recent years, there has been a greater increase in interest and importance in halophilic bacteria for biomolecules (Donio et al., 2013; Sarafin et al., 2014). Halophiles, which have a unique lipid composition, may have an important role to play as surface-active agents. The archae bacterial ether-linked phytanyl membrane lipid of the extremely halophilic bacteria has been shown to have surfactant properties (Post and Collins, 1982). Yakimov et al. (1995) reported the production of biosurfactant by a halotolerant Bacillus licheniformis strain BAS 50 which was able to produce a lipopeptide surfactant when cultured at salinities up to 13% NaCl. From solar salt, Halomonas sp. BS4 and Kocuria marina BS-15 were found to be able to produce biosurfactant when cultured at salinities of 8% and 10% NaCl respectively (Donio et al., 2013; Sarafin et al., 2014). In the present work, strains B4 and A4 produce biosurfactant in medium containing respectively 25% and 20% NaCl. To our knowledge, this is the first report on biosurfactant production by bacteria under such salt concentration. Biosurfactants have a wide variety of industrial and environmental applications (Akbari et al., 2018) but their applicability depends on their stability at different environmental conditions. The strain B4 which can produce biosurfactant at 25% NaCl showed good stability in alkaline pH and at a temperature range of 30°C-100°C. Due to the enormous utilization of biosurfactant in detergent manufacture the choice of alkaline biosurfactant is researched (Elazzazy et al., 2015). On the other hand, the interesting finding was the thermostability of the produced biosurfactant even after heat treatment (100°C for 30 min) which suggests the use of this biosurfactant in industries where heating is of a paramount importance (Khopade et al., 2012). To date, more attention has been focused on biosurfactant producing bacteria under extreme conditions for industrial and commercial usefulness. In fact, the biosurfactant produce by strain B4 have promising usefulness in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries and for bioremediation in marine environment and Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) where the salinity, temperature and pH are high.CONCLUSIONThis is the first study on the culturable halophilic bacteria community inhabiting Chott Tinsilt in Eastern Algeria. Different genera of halotolerant bacteria with different phylogeneticaly characteristics have been isolated from this Chott. Culturing of bacteria and their molecular analysis provides an opportunity to have a wide range of cultured microorganisms from extreme habitats like hypersaline environments. Enzymes produced by halophilic bacteria show interesting properties like their ability to remain functional in extreme conditions, such as high temperatures, wide range of pH, and high salt concentrations. These enzymes have great economical potential in industrial, agricultural, chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological applications. Thus, the halophiles isolated from Chott Tinsilt offer an important potential for application in microbial and enzyme biotechnology. In addition, these halo bacterial biosurfactants producers isolated from this Chott will help to develop more valuable eco-friendly products to the pharmacological and food industries and will be usefulness for bioremediation in marine environment and petroleum industry.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSOur thanks to Professor Abdelhamid Zoubir for proofreading the English composition of the present paper.CONFLICT OF INTERESTThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.Akbari, S., N. H. Abdurahman, R. M. Yunus, F. Fayaz and O. R. Alara, 2018. Biosurfactants—a new frontier for social and environmental safety: A mini review. Biotechnology research innovation, 2(1): 81-90.Association, A. P. H., A. W. W. Association, W. P. C. 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The Hantam–Tanqua–Roggeveld subregion falls within the Succulent Karoo and Fynbos Biomes, which are both recognised as global biodiversity hotspots that should be conserved. The objective of this study was to gather baseline biodiversity information that can be used to guide conservation efforts. A total of 40 Whittaker plots were surveyed in the subregion and the various diversity parameters calculated from the data were compared across the subregion and to available data for the Succulent Karoo and Fynbos Biomes. Species richness per 1000 m2 ranged from nine to 100 species across the subregion. Species richness for all plot sizes < 1000 m2 was significantly lower for the Tanqua Karoo than for both the Winter Rainfall Karoo and Mountain Renosterveld. The latter two areas did not differ significantly from each other with regard to species richness. Species richness was significantly higher only at the 1000 m2 scale in the Mountain Renosterveld compared to the Winter Rainfall Karoo. Evenness and Shannon and Simpson indices did not differ significantly between the Mountain Renosterveld and Winter Rainfall Karoo; however, these values were significantly higher than for the Tanqua Karoo. A principal coordinate analysis of species richness data at seven plot sizes produced three distinct clusters. One cluster represented the Tanqua Karoo, with low species richness, evenness, and Shannon and Simpson indices. Another cluster represented mostly Mountain Renosterveld vegetation, which was characterised by a high species richness, evenness, and Shannon and Simpson indices. The third cluster was formed by the remaining Mountain Renosterveld plots as well as the Winter Rainfall Karoo plots.The high species richness values found in the various vegetation units can add valuable information to the conservation planning arena by providing information on biodiversity parameters and their spatial distribution. This information can assist with conservation efforts in the Hantam, Tanqua and Roggeveld areas.Conservation implications: Conservation and development of the Hantam–Tanqua– Roggeveld subregion is hampered by a lack of information on floristic diversity. The results of the current study indicated areas of low diversity and contrasting areas of high diversity. These data can be used to guide effective conservation and management of the floristic diversity.

Non-perennial rivers (N-PRs) make up two thirds of all rivers in South Africa, yet many are ungauged. Traditionally, it has been assumed that when a flow is recorded, there is water throughout that river. These assumptions have led to incorrect estimations of available water resources. This work thus aimed at developing a new spatially explicit framework, for monitoring river water availability in a N-PR system. The Tankwa River in South Africa was used for testing this approach. The length of the river reach with water was determined using the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data derived indices. Image thresholding was applied to Sentinel-1, and the normalised difference water index (NDWI) to Sentinel-2. Sentinel-2 yielded an overall accuracy (OA) of 85%, whereas Sentinel-1 yielded an OA of 38%. The analysed reach of the Tankwa River had an actual length of 9 244 m. Based on the performance of Sentinel-2 data, further analysis was undertaken using Sentinel images acquired during the months of February, May and July of 2016. The results indicated that the lengths of the reaches of inundated Tankwa River were 2 809 m, 3 202 m and 2 890 m, respectively. Overall, the findings of this study show that an estimated length of a river inundated by water can be determined using new-generation Sentinel data and these results provide new insights on the dynamics of N-PRs – a previously challenging task with broadband multispectral satellite datasets.

AbstractThe ability to validate satellite observations with ground‐based data sets is vital for the spatiotemporal assessment of productivity trends in semi‐arid ecosystems. Modeling ecosystem scale parameters such as gross primary production (GPP) with the combination of satellite and ground‐based data however requires a comprehensive understanding of the associated drivers of how the carbon balance of these ecosystems is impacted under climate change. We used GPP estimates from the partitioning of net ecosystem measurements (net ecosystem exchange) from three Eddy Covariance (EC) flux tower sites and applied linear regressions to evaluate the ability of Sentinel‐2 vegetation indices (VIs) retrieved from Google Earth Engine to estimate GPP in semi‐arid ecosystems. The Sentinel‐2 normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and the land surface water index (LSWI) were each assessed separately, and also in combination with selected meteorological variables (incoming radiation, soil water content, air temperature, vapor pressure deficit) using a bi‐directional stepwise linear regression to test whether this can improve GPP estimates. The performance of the MOD17AH2 8‐day GPP was also tested across the sites. NDVI, EVI and LSWI were able to track the phase and amplitude patterns of EC estimated gross primary production (GPPEC) across all sites, albeit with phase delays observed especially at the Benfontein Savanna site (Ben_Sav). In all cases, the VI estimates improved with the addition of meteorological variables except for LSWI at Middleburg Karoo (Mid_Kar). The least improvement in R2 was observed in all EVI‐based estimates—indicating the suitability of EVI as a single VI to estimate GPP. Our results suggest that while productivity assessments using a single VI may be more favorable, the inclusion of meteorological variables can be applied to improve single VIs estimates to accurately detect and characterize changes in GPP. In addition, we found that standard MODIS products better represent the phase than amplitude of productivity in semi‐arid ecosystems, explaining between 68% and 83% of GPP variability.

Background: The science–policy interface process – known as a ‘scientific assessment’ – has risen to prominence in the past few decades. Complex assessments are appropriate for issues which are both technically complicated, multifaceted and of high societal interest. There is increasing interest from the research community that studies biological invasions to undertake such an assessment. Objectives: Providing the relevant background and context, the article describes key principles and steps for designing, planning, resourcing and executing such a process, as well as providing evidence of high-impact assessments enhancing scientific careers. Method: Experience from international and national assessments, most recently the South African scientific assessment for the Shale Gas Development in the Central Karoo, was used to develop this guiding generic template for practitioners. Analyses of researcher publication performances were undertaken to determine the benefit of being involved in assessments. Results: The key success factors for assessments mostly relate to adherence to ‘process’ and ‘governance’ aspects, for which scientists are sometimes ill-equipped. As regards publication outputs, authors involved in assessment processes demonstrated higher H-indices than their environmental scientist peers. We have suggested causal explanations for this. Conclusion: Effectively designed and managed assessments provide the platform for the ‘co-production of knowledge’ – an iterative and collaborative process involving scientists, stakeholders and policymakers. This increases scientific impact in the society–policy domain. While scientists seem concerned that effort directed towards assessments comes at the detriment of scientific credibility and productivity, we have presented data that suggest the opposite.

This study was planned with the purpose of evaluating the drought tolerance of advanced breeding lines of chickpea in natural field conditions. Two methods were employed to impose field conditions; the first: simulating drought stress by growing chickpea genotypes at five rainfed areas, with Faisalabad as the non-stressed control environment; and the second: planting chickpea genotypes in spring to simulate a drought stress environment, with winter-sowing serving as the non-stressed environment. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and generalized linear models (GLM) models were both found to be equally effective in extracting main effects in the rainfed experiment. Results demonstrated that environment influenced seed yield, number of primary and secondary branches, number of pods, and number of seeds most predominantly; however, genotype was the main source of variation in 100 seed weight and plant height. The GGE biplot showed that Faisalabad, Kallur Kot, and Bhakkar were contributing the most in the GEI, respectively, while Bahawalpur, Bhawana, and Karor were relatively stable environments, respectively. Faisalabad was the most, and Bhakkar the least productive in terms of seed yield. The best genotypes to grow in non-stressed environments were CH39/08, CH40/09, and CH15/11, whereas CH28/07 and CH39/08 were found suitable for both conditions. CH55/09 displayed the best performance in stress conditions only. The AMMI stability and drought-tolerance indices enabled us to select genotypes with differential performance in both conditions. It is therefore concluded that the spring-sown experiment revealed a high-grade drought stress imposition on plants, and that the genotypes selected by both methods shared quite similar rankings, and also that manually computed drought-tolerance indices are also comparable for usage for better genotypic selections. This study could provide sufficient evidence for using the aforementioned as drought-tolerance evaluation methods, especially for countries and research organizations who have limited resources and funding for conducting multilocation trials, and performing sophisticated analyses on expensive software.