Strategies for the application of genetically modified bacteria in corp protection

van Elsas, J.D.,van Overbeek, L.S. 숙명여자대학교 환경과학연구센터 1996 환경과학논문집 Vol.4 No.-

Genetically modified bacteria can be used for several different purposes in agronomy, but a major constraint still frustrating their wide­scale use is a lack of predictability of their efficacy. Environmental triggering of target gene expression might resolve part of this problem. Hence, different factors in bulk and rhizosphere soil which affect bacterial activity and might be useful as natural triggers are discussed in the light of the complexity of these two soil compartments. The use of tran-sposon­based promoter probe insertions to obtain environmentally induced expression of beneficial genes for use in biological control as well as impairment of survival is discussed. Pseudomonas flu-orescens promoters reacting to wheat root exudates identified are described. One insertion mutant of P. fluorescens, RIWE8, was specifically induced by proline. In soil microcosms, induction of gene expression was shown to be restricted to the rhizospheres of wheat, maize and grass. Activity of the reporter was also revealed in bacteria residing in the rhizospheres of field­grown wheat, but only between 2 and 4 weeks post­planting. Possibilities for using the promoters for the induction of expression of beneficial biocontrol genes are considered.

Microbial Community Response to a Simulated Hydrocarbon Spill in Mangrove Sediments

Rodrigo Gouvêa Taketani,Natália Oliveira Franco,Alexandre Soares Rosado,Jan Dirk van Elsas 한국미생물학회 2010 The journal of microbiology Vol.48 No.1

In this study, we examined the hypothesis that the microbial communities in mangrove sediments with different chemical and historical characteristics respond differently to the disturbance of a hydrocarbon spill. Two different mangrove sediments were sampled, one close to an oil refinery that had suffered a recent oil spill and another that had not been in contact with oil. Based on the sampled sediment, two sets of mesocosms were built, and oil was added to one of them. They were subjected to mimicked mangrove conditions and monitored for 75 days. Archaeal and bacterial communities were evaluated through PCRDGGE. Both communities showed the emergence of small numbers of novel bands in response to oil pollution. 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were constructed from both mesocosms before the addition of oil and at day 75 after oil addition. LIBSHUFF analysis showed that both mangrove-based mesocosms contained similar communities at the start of the experiment and that they were different from the initial one, as well as from each other, after 75 days. These results hint at a role of environmental history that is not obvious from community diversity indicators, but is apparent from the response to the applied stress.

Bacterial Structure and Characterization of Plant Growth Promoting and Oil Degrading Bacteria from the Rhizospheres of Mangrove Plants

Flávia Lima do Carmo,Henrique Fragoso dos Santos,Edir Ferreira Martins,Jan Dirk van Elsas,Alexandre Soares Rosado,Raquel Silva Peixoto 한국미생물학회 2011 The journal of microbiology Vol.49 No.4

Most oil from oceanic spills converges on coastal ecosystems, such as mangrove forests, which are threatened with worldwide disappearance. Particular bacteria that inhabit the rhizosphere of local plant species can stimulate plant development through various mechanisms; it would be advantageous if these would also be capable of degrading oil. Such bacteria may be important in the preservation or recuperation of mangrove forests impacted by oil spills. This study aimed to compare the bacterial structure, isolate and evaluate bacteria able to degrade oil and stimulate plant growth, from the rhizospheres of three mangrove plant species. These features are particularly important taking into account recent policies for mangrove bioremediation,implying that oil degradation as well as plant maintenance and health are key targets. Fifty-seven morphotypes were isolated from the mangrove rhizospheres on Bushnell-Haas (BH) medium supplemented with oil as the sole carbon source and tested for plant growth promotion. Of this strains, 60% potentially fixed nitrogen, 16% showed antimicrobial activity, 84% produced siderophores, 51% had the capacity to solubilize phosphate, and 33% produced the indole acetic acid hormone. Using gas chromatography, we evaluated the oil-degrading potential of ten selected strains that had different morphologies and showed Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) features. The ten tested strains showed a promising degradation profile for at least one compound present in the oil. Among degrader strains, 46% had promising PGPR potential, having at least three of the above capacities. These strains might be used as a consortium,allowing the concomitant degradation of oil and stimulation of mangrove plant survival and maintenance.

Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution of 14C-Labeled Grape Polyphenols in the Periphery and the Central Nervous System Following Oral Administration

Elsa M. Janle,Mary Ann Lila,Michael Grannan,Lauren Wood,Aine Higgins,Gad G. Yousef,Randy B. Rogers,Helen Kim,George S. Jackson,Lap Ho,Connie M. Weaver 한국식품영양과학회 2010 Journal of medicinal food Vol.13 No.4

Grape polyphenols confer potential health benefits, including prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. To determine the absorption and tissue distribution of the complex grape polyphenol mixture, 14C-labeled polyphenols were biosynthesized by grape cell suspension cultures, during co-incubation with radioisotopically labeled sucrose, and fractionated into polyphenolic subfractions. The pharmacokinetics and distribution of grape polyphenols into blood, brain, and peripheral interstitial fluid were determined by tracking the 14C label. The blood peak 14C concentration of the fractions ranged from 15 minutes to 4 hours. Absorption and tissue distribution varied greatly between fractions. Concentrations in interstitial fluid were lower than in blood. The amount of residual label in the brain at 24 hours ranged from 0.1% to 1.7% of the dose, depending on the fraction. 14C label found in the brain tissue and brain microdialysate indicated that grape polyphenols or their metabolites are able to cross the blood–brain barrier. Using 14C-labeled plant polyphenols it is possible to track the compounds or their metabolic products into any tissue and determine distribution patterns in spite of low concentrations. A central question regarding the potential role of dietary polyphenolics in neurodegenerative research is whether they are bioavailable in the brain. Our observations indicate that some grape-derived polyphenolics do reach the brain, which suggests their potential value for applications in neurodegenerative disorders.

Collapse behaviour in reciprocal frame structures

Elsa Garavaglia,Attilio Pizzigoni,Luca Sgambi,Noemi Basso 국제구조공학회 2013 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.46 No.4

“Reciprocal Frame” refers to a self-supporting grid structure used both for floor and roof. Using Finite Element Methods for non-linear solid mechanics and frictional-contact, this paper intends to analytically and numerically investigate the collapse behaviour of a reciprocal frame structure made of fibrereinforced concrete. Considering a simple 3-beam structure, it has been investigated using a solid finite element model. Once defined the collapse behaviour of the simple structure, the analysis has been generalized using a concentrated plasticity finite element method. Results provided will be useful for studying generic reciprocal frame structures with several beams.

Accuracy of High-Resolution MRI with Lumen Distention in Rectal Cancer Staging and Circumferential Margin Involvement Prediction

Elsa Iannicelli,Sara Di Renzo,Mario Ferri,Emanuela Pilozzi,Marco Di Girolamo,Alessandra Sapori,Vincenzo Ziparo,Vincenzo David 대한영상의학회 2014 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.15 No.1

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with lumen distention for rectal cancer staging and circumferential resection margin (CRM) involvement prediction. Materials and Methods: Seventy-three patients with primary rectal cancer underwent high-resolution MRI with a phasedarray coil performed using 60-80 mL room air rectal distention, 1-3 weeks before surgery. MRI results were compared to postoperative histopathological findings. The overall MRI T staging accuracy was calculated. CRM involvement prediction and the N staging, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed for each T stage. The agreement between MRI and histological results was assessed using weighted-kappastatistics. Results: The overall MRI accuracy for T staging was 93.6% (k = 0.85). The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for each T stage were as follows: 91.8%, 86.2%, 95.5%, 92.6% and 91.3% for the group ≤ T2; 90.4%, 94.6%, 86.1%, 87.5% and 94% for T3; 98,6%, 85.7%, 100%, 100% and 98.5% for T4, respectively. The predictive CRM accuracy was 94.5% (k =0.86); the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 89.5%, 96.3%, 89.5%, and 96.3% respectively. The N staging accuracy was 68.49% (k = 0.4). Conclusion: MRI performed with rectal lumen distention has proved to be an effective technique both for rectal cancer staging and involved CRM predicting.

Optimal design of LTA/DOCDA-PI Mixed Matrix Membrane for Oxygen Enriched Air Application

( Elsa Tsegay Tikue ),이평수 한국공업화학회 2022 한국공업화학회 연구논문 초록집 Vol.2022 No.1

Using Multiresolution Time Series Motifs to Classify Urban Sounds

Elsa Ferreira Gomes,Fábio Batista 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Software Engineering and Vol.9 No.8

The automatic classification of urban sounds is important for environmental monitoring. In this work we employ SAX-based Multiresolution Motif Discovery to generate features for Urban Sound Classification. Our approach consists in the discovery of relevant frequent motifs in the audio signals and use the frequency of discovered motifs as characterizing attributes. We explore and evaluate different configurations of motif discovery for defining attributes. In the automatic classification step we use a decision tree based algorithm, random forests and SVM. Results obtained are compared with the ones using Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) as features. MFCCs are commonly used in environmental sound analysis, as well as in other sound classification tasks. Experiments were performed on the Urban Sound dataset, which is publicly available. Our results indicate that we can separate difficult pairs of classes (where MFCC fails) using the motif approach for feature construction.

Serum Albumin Modulates the Bioactivity of Rosmarinic Acid

Elsa Brito,Andre Silva,Pedro Luis Vieira Fale,Rita Pacheco,Antonio Serralheiro,Parvez I. Haris,Lia Ascensao,Maria Luısa Serralheiro 한국식품영양과학회 2018 Journal of medicinal food Vol.21 No.8

Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a phenolic compound with biological activity. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether this compound kept its biological activity in the presence of proteins. For this purpose, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model protein, and the capacity of the RA to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and affect antioxidant activity was evaluated in the absence and presence of BSA. A mixture of phenolic compounds containing RA, obtained from a medicinal plant was added to this study. The AChE inhibitory activity of RA was reduced by ∼57% in the presence of BSA, while the antioxidant activity increased. These results lead to the investigation of the effect of RA on the BSA structure using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). At 37°C and higher temperatures, RA caused a decrease in the temperature modifications on the protein structure. Furthermore, FTIR and native-gel analysis revealed that protein aggregation/precipitation, induced by temperature, was reduced in the presence of RA. The novelty of the present work resides in the study of the enzyme inhibitory activity and antioxidant capacity of polyphenols, such as RA, in the presence of a protein. The findings highlight the need to consider the presence of proteins when assessing biological activities of polyphenols in vitro and that enzyme inhibitory activity may be decreased, while the antioxidant capacity remains or even increases.

CFD Simulation on Design and Performance of Zeolite Membranes for SF6 recovery

( Elsa Tsegay Tikue ),이평수 한국공업화학회 2023 한국공업화학회 연구논문 초록집 Vol.2023 No.0