scholarly journals In SituBiomineralization and Particle Deposition Distinctively Mediate Biofilm Susceptibility to Chlorine

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (10) ◽  
pp. 2886-2892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaobao Li ◽  
David L. Chopp ◽  
William A. Russin ◽  
Paul T. Brannon ◽  
Matthew R. Parsek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Deposition ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Mineral Deposits ◽  
Mineral Formation ◽  
Fluorescent Tracer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Microbial Biofilms ◽  
Essential Properties ◽  
Internal Transport

ABSTRACTMicrobial biofilms and mineral precipitation commonly co-occur in engineered water systems, such as cooling towers and water purification systems, and both decrease process performance. Microbial biofilms are extremely challenging to control and eradicate. We previously showed thatin situbiomineralization and the precipitation and deposition of abiotic particles occur simultaneously in biofilms under oversaturated conditions. Both processes could potentially alter the essential properties of biofilms, including susceptibility to biocides. However, the specific interactions between mineral formation and biofilm processes remain poorly understood. Here we show that the susceptibility of biofilms to chlorination depends specifically on internal transport processes mediated by biomineralization and the accumulation of abiotic mineral deposits. Using injections of the fluorescent tracer Cy5, we show thatPseudomonas aeruginosabiofilms are more permeable to solutes afterin situcalcite biomineralization and are less permeable after the deposition of abiotically precipitated calcite particles. We further show that biofilms are more susceptible to chlorine killing after biomineralization and less susceptible after particle deposition. Based on these observations, we found a strong correlation between enhanced solute transport and chlorine killing in biofilms, indicating that biomineralization and particle deposition regulate biofilm susceptibility by altering biocide penetration into the biofilm. The distinct effects ofin situbiomineralization and particle deposition on biocide killing highlight the importance of understanding the mechanisms and patterns of biomineralization and scale formation to achieve successful biofilm control.

scholarly journals Heterotrophic Archaea Contribute to Carbon Cycling in Low-pH, Suboxic Biofilm Communities

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (23) ◽  
pp. 8321-8330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas B. Justice ◽  
Chongle Pan ◽  
Ryan Mueller ◽  
Susan E. Spaulding ◽  
Vega Shah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bacterial Proteins ◽  
Microbial Biofilms ◽  
Solution Interface ◽  
Mine Acid

ABSTRACTArchaea are widely distributed and yet are most often not the most abundant members of microbial communities. Here, we document a transition fromBacteria- toArchaea-dominated communities in microbial biofilms sampled from the Richmond Mine acid mine drainage (AMD) system (∼pH 1.0, ∼38°C) and in laboratory-cultivated biofilms. This transition occurs when chemoautotrophic microbial communities that develop at the air-solution interface sink to the sediment-solution interface and degrade under microaerobic and anaerobic conditions. The archaea identified in these sunken biofilms are from the classThermoplasmata, and in some cases, the highly divergent ARMAN nanoarchaeal lineage. In several of the sunken biofilms, nanoarchaea comprise 10 to 25% of the community, based on fluorescentin situhybridization and metagenomic analyses. Comparative community proteomic analyses show a persistence of bacterial proteins in sunken biofilms, but there is clear evidence for amino acid modifications due to acid hydrolysis. Given the low representation of bacterial cells in sunken biofilms based on microscopy, we infer that hydrolysis reflects proteins derived from lysed cells. For archaea, we detected ∼2,400 distinct proteins, including a subset involved in proteolysis and peptide uptake. Laboratory cultivation experiments using complex carbon substrates demonstrated anaerobic enrichment ofFerroplasmaand Aplasma coupled to the reduction of ferric iron. These findings indicate dominance of acidophilic archaea in degrading biofilms and suggest that they play roles in anaerobic nutrient cycling at low pH.

Mathematical Model Investigation of Far-Field Transport of Ocean-Dumped Sewage Sludge Related to Remote Sensing

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-39
Author(s):  
C Y Kuo
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Approximate Model ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Far Field ◽  
New York Bight ◽  
Mean Current

An existing, three-dimensional, Eulerian-Lagrangian finite-difference model was modified and used to examine the far-field transport processes of dumped sewage sludge in the New York Bight. Both in situ and laboratory data were utilized in an attempt to approximate model inputs such as mean current speed, vertical and horizontal diffusion coefficients, particle size distributions, and specific gravities. Concentrations of the sludge near the sea surface predicted from the computer model were compared qualitatively with those remotely sensed.

Pituitary adenoma producing growth hormone and adrenocorticotropin: a histological, immunocytochemical, electron microscopic, and in situ hybridization study

1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 1111-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalman Kovacs ◽  
Eva Horvath ◽  
Lucia Stefaneanu ◽  
Juan Bilbao ◽  
William Singer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Hormone ◽  
In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Pituitary Adenoma ◽  
Immunoelectron Microscopy ◽  
Secretory Granules ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Separate Cell ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors report on the morphological features of a pituitary adenoma that produced growth hormone (GH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This hormone combination produced by a single adenoma is extremely rare; a review of the available literature showed that only one previous case has been published. The tumor, which was removed from a 62-year-old man with acromegaly, was studied by histological and immunocytochemical analyses, transmission electron microscopy, immunoelectron microscopy, and in situ hybridization. When the authors used light microscopy, the tumor appeared to be a bimorphous mixed pituitary adenoma composed of two separate cell types: one cell population synthesized GH and the other ACTH. The cytogenesis of pituitary adenomas that produce more than one hormone is obscure. It may be that two separate cells—one somatotroph and one corticotroph—transformed into neoplastic cells, or that the adenoma arose in a common stem cell that differentiated into two separate cell types. In this case immunoelectron microscopy conclusively demonstrated ACTH in the secretory granules of several somatotrophs. This was associated with a change in the morphological characteristics of secretory granules. Thus it is possible that the tumor was originally a somatotropic adenoma that began to produce ACTH as a result of mutations that occurred during tumor progression.

scholarly journals Competition between Metals for Binding to Methanobactin Enables Expression of Soluble Methane Monooxygenase in the Presence of Copper

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 1024-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhagyalakshmi Kalidass ◽  
Muhammad Farhan Ul-Haque ◽  
Bipin S. Baral ◽  
Alan A. DiSpirito ◽  
Jeremy D. Semrau
Keyword(s):  
Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Copper Uptake ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Soluble Methane Monooxygenase ◽  
Sds Page ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Membrane Bound

ABSTRACTIt is well known that copper is a key factor regulating expression of the two forms of methane monooxygenase found in proteobacterial methanotrophs. Of these forms, the cytoplasmic, or soluble, methane monooxygenase (sMMO) is expressed only at low copper concentrations. The membrane-bound, or particulate, methane monooxygenase (pMMO) is constitutively expressed with respect to copper, and such expression increases with increasing copper. Recent findings have shown that copper uptake is mediated by a modified polypeptide, or chalkophore, termed methanobactin. Although methanobactin has high specificity for copper, it can bind other metals, e.g., gold. Here we show that inMethylosinus trichosporiumOB3b, sMMO is expressed and active in the presence of copper if gold is also simultaneously present. Such expression appears to be due to gold binding to methanobactin produced byM. trichosporiumOB3b, thereby limiting copper uptake. Such expression and activity, however, was significantly reduced if methanobactin preloaded with copper was also added. Further, quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR) of transcripts of genes encoding polypeptides of both forms of MMO and SDS-PAGE results indicate that both sMMO and pMMO can be expressed when copper and gold are present, as gold effectively competes with copper for binding to methanobactin. Such findings suggest that under certain geochemical conditions, both forms of MMO may be expressed and activein situ. Finally, these findings also suggest strategies whereby field sites can be manipulated to enhance sMMO expression, i.e., through the addition of a metal that can compete with copper for binding to methanobactin.

scholarly journals Specificity of Associations between Bacteria and the Coral Pocillopora meandrina during Early Development

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (20) ◽  
pp. 7467-7475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Apprill ◽  
Heather Q. Marlow ◽  
Mark Q. Martindale ◽  
Michael S. Rappé
Keyword(s):  
Small Subunit ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Polymorphism Analysis ◽  
Roseobacter Clade ◽  
Small Subunit Rrna ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sterile Seawater ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Coral Health

ABSTRACTRelationships between corals and specific bacterial associates are thought to play an important role in coral health. In this study, the specificity of bacteria associating with the coralPocillopora meandrinawas investigated by exposing coral embryos to various strains of cultured marine bacteria, sterile seawater, or raw seawater and examining the identity, density, and location of incorporated cells. The isolates utilized in this experiment included members of the Roseobacter and SAR11 clades of theAlphaproteobacteria, aPseudoalteromonasspecies of theGammaproteobacteria, and aSynechococcusspecies of theCyanobacteriaphylum. Based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of small-subunit rRNA genes, similarities in bacterial communities associated with 170-h-old planulae were observed regardless of treatment, suggesting that bacteria may have been externally associated from the outset of the experiment. Microscopic examination ofP. meandrinaplanulae by fluorescencein situhybridization with bacterial and Roseobacter clade-specific oligonucleotide probes revealed differences in the densities and locations of planulae-associated cells. Planulae exposed to either raw seawater or strains ofPseudoalteromonasand Roseobacter harbored the highest densities of internally associated cells, of which 20 to 100% belonged to the Roseobacter clade. Planulae exposed to sterile seawater or strains of the SAR11 clade andSynechococcusdid not show evidence of prominent bacterial associations. Additional analysis of the raw-seawater-exposed planulae via electron microscopy confirmed the presence of internally associated prokaryotic cells, as well as virus-like particles. These results suggest that the availability of specific microorganisms may be an important factor in the establishment of coral-bacterial relationships.

Methodology for in situ stress intensity factor determination on cracked structures by digital image correlation

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Richter‐Trummer ◽  
P.M.G.P. Moreira ◽  
S.D. Pastrama ◽  
M.A.P. Vaz ◽  
P.M.S.T. de Castro
Keyword(s):  
Stress Intensity Factor ◽  
Stress Intensity ◽  
Digital Image Correlation ◽  
Intensity Factor ◽  
Digital Image ◽  
Strain Field ◽  
Image Correlation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cracked Structures

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology for in situ stress intensity factor (SIF) determination that can be used for the analysis of cracked structures. The technique is based on digital image correlation (DIC) combined with an overdetermined algorithm.Design/methodology/approachThe linear overdeterministic algorithm for calculating the SIF based on stress values around the crack tip is applied to a strain field obtained by DIC.FindingsAs long as the image quality is sufficiently high, a good accuracy can be obtained for the measured SIF. The crack tip can be automatically detected based on the same strain field. The use of the strain field instead of the displacement field, eliminates problems related to the rigid body motion of the analysed structure.Practical implicationsIn future works, based on the applied techniques, the SIF of complex cracked plane stress structures can be accurately determined in real engineering applications.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates application of known techniques, refined for other applications, also the use of stress field for SIF overdeterministic calculations.

scholarly journals Pyrobaculum yellowstonensis Strain WP30 Respires on Elemental Sulfur and/or Arsenate in Circumneutral Sulfidic Geothermal Sediments of Yellowstone National Park

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (17) ◽  
pp. 5907-5916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. J. Jay ◽  
J. P. Beam ◽  
A. Dohnalkova ◽  
R. Lohmayer ◽  
B. Bodle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Elemental Sulfur ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physiological Attributes ◽  
And Function ◽  
Metagenome Sequence

ABSTRACTThermoproteales(phylumCrenarchaeota) populations are abundant in high-temperature (>70°C) environments of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and are important in mediating the biogeochemical cycles of sulfur, arsenic, and carbon. The objectives of this study were to determine the specific physiological attributes of the isolatePyrobaculum yellowstonensisstrain WP30, which was obtained from an elemental sulfur sediment (Joseph's Coat Hot Spring [JCHS], 80°C, pH 6.1, 135 μM As) and relate this organism to geochemical processes occurringin situ. Strain WP30 is a chemoorganoheterotroph and requires elemental sulfur and/or arsenate as an electron acceptor. Growth in the presence of elemental sulfur and arsenate resulted in the formation of thioarsenates and polysulfides. The complete genome of this organism was sequenced (1.99 Mb, 58% G+C content), revealing numerous metabolic pathways for the degradation of carbohydrates, amino acids, and lipids. Multiple dimethyl sulfoxide-molybdopterin (DMSO-MPT) oxidoreductase genes, which are implicated in the reduction of sulfur and arsenic, were identified. Pathways for thede novosynthesis of nearly all required cofactors and metabolites were identified. The comparative genomics ofP. yellowstonensisand the assembled metagenome sequence from JCHS showed that this organism is highly related (∼95% average nucleotide sequence identity) toin situpopulations. The physiological attributes and metabolic capabilities ofP. yellowstonensisprovide an important foundation for developing an understanding of the distribution and function of these populations in YNP.

scholarly journals Enzymatic Degradation of Phenazines Can Generate Energy and Protect Sensitive Organisms from Toxicity

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle C. Costa ◽  
Megan Bergkessel ◽  
Scott Saunders ◽  
Jonas Korlach ◽  
Dianne K. Newman
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Redox Activity ◽  
Mycobacterium Fortuitum ◽  
Active Metabolites ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Phenazine Production ◽  
Physiological Benefits

ABSTRACTDiverse bacteria, including severalPseudomonasspecies, produce a class of redox-active metabolites called phenazines that impact different cell types in nature and disease. Phenazines can affect microbial communities in both positive and negative ways, where their presence is correlated with decreased species richness and diversity. However, little is known about how the concentration of phenazines is modulatedin situand what this may mean for the fitness of members of the community. Through culturing of phenazine-degrading mycobacteria, genome sequencing, comparative genomics, and molecular analysis, we identified several conserved genes that are important for the degradation of threePseudomonas-derived phenazines: phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN), and pyocyanin (PYO). PCA can be used as the sole carbon source for growth by these organisms. Deletion of several genes inMycobacterium fortuitumabolishes the degradation phenotype, and expression of two genes in a heterologous host confers the ability to degrade PCN and PYO. In cocultures with phenazine producers, phenazine degraders alter the abundance of different phenazine types. Not only does degradation support mycobacterial catabolism, but also it provides protection to bacteria that would otherwise be inhibited by the toxicity of PYO. Collectively, these results serve as a reminder that microbial metabolites can be actively modified and degraded and that these turnover processes must be considered when the fate and impact of such compounds in any environment are being assessed.IMPORTANCEPhenazine production byPseudomonasspp. can shape microbial communities in a variety of environments ranging from the cystic fibrosis lung to the rhizosphere of dryland crops. For example, in the rhizosphere, phenazines can protect plants from infection by pathogenic fungi. The redox activity of phenazines underpins their antibiotic activity, as well as providing pseudomonads with important physiological benefits. Our discovery that soil mycobacteria can catabolize phenazines and thereby protect other organisms against phenazine toxicity suggests that phenazine degradation may influence turnoverin situ. The identification of genes involved in the degradation of phenazines opens the door to monitoring turnover in diverse environments, an essential process to consider when one is attempting to understand or control communities influenced by phenazines.

scholarly journals White Syndrome-Affected Corals Have a Distinct Microbiome at Disease Lesion Fronts

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Joseph Pollock ◽  
Naohisa Wada ◽  
Gergely Torda ◽  
Bette L. Willis ◽  
David G. Bourne
Keyword(s):  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Health States ◽  
Host Coral ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White Syndrome ◽  
Community Profiling

ABSTRACT Coral tissue loss diseases, collectively known as white syndromes (WSs), induce significant mortality on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, yet definitive confirmation of WS etiologies remains elusive. In this study, we integrated ecological disease monitoring, bacterial community profiling, in situ visualization of microbe-host interactions, and cellular responses of the host coral through an 18-month repeated-sampling regime. We assert that the observed pathogenesis of WS lesions on acroporid corals at Lizard Island (Great Barrier Reef) is not the result of apoptosis or infection by Vibrio bacteria, ciliates, fungi, cyanobacteria, or helminths. Histological analyses detected helminths, ciliates, fungi, and cyanobacteria in fewer than 25% of WS samples, and helminths and fungi were also observed in 12% of visually healthy samples. The abundances of Vibrio-affiliated sequences (assessed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing) did not differ significantly between health states and never exceeded 3.3% of reads in any individual sample. In situ visualization detected Vibrio bacteria only in summer WS lesion samples and revealed no signs of these bacteria in winter disease samples (or any healthy tissue samples), despite continued disease progression year round. However, a 4-fold increase in Rhodobacteraceae-affiliated bacterial sequences at WS lesion fronts suggests that this group of bacteria could play a role in WS pathogenesis and/or serve as a diagnostic criterion for disease differentiation. While the causative agent(s) underlying WSs remains elusive, the microbial and cellular processes identified in this study will help to identify and differentiate visually similar but potentially distinct WS etiologies. IMPORTANCE Over the past decade, a virulent group of coral diseases known as white syndromes have impacted coral reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This article provides a detailed case study of white syndromes to combine disease ecology, high-throughput microbial community profiling, and cellular-scale host-microbe visualization over seasonal time scales. We provide novel insights into the etiology of this devastating disease and reveal new diagnostic criteria that could be used to differentiate visually similar but etiologically distinct forms of white syndrome.

Problem-posing in management classrooms for collective sustainability transformation

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-496
Author(s):  
Janette Brunstein ◽  
Mark Edward Walvoord ◽  
Ed Cunliff
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Problem Posing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
Teaching Cases ◽  
Classroom Use

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the possible benefits of approaching sustainability-related teaching cases from the perspective of problem-posing (PP) instead of problem-solving (PS). Design/methodology/approach A document analysis methodology (Silverman, 2011) was used to analyze sustainability teaching case study abstracts and learning objectives from business databases. Cases were reviewed and classified as PP, PS or other. PP cases were further subclassified on one of three axes. Findings Of 117 cases reviewed, most were PS (66%) with only 9% PP. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed with recommendations for writing or converting, PS to PP cases for classroom use. Theoretical contributions include identification of three distinct and complementary views of PP, described in these axes: emancipatory; problematizing metaphors and premises; and rational, process and means-focused cases, not triggering transformative learning theory. Of 10 cases classified as PP cases, 3 were subclassified as emancipatory. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to case study titles containing “sustainability” and analyses of their descriptions and learning objectives only. Next phases of the research will examine differences in student learning between PS and PP in situ. Practical implications The research identifies a unique approach to the authoring and use of case studies that hold the potential for increasing students’ critical thinking capabilities and production of solutions to sustainability issues. Originality/value There is limited research and analysis of the identification and implications of using PP pedagogy.

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