“Neptune Balls” Polysaccharides: Disentangling the Wiry Seagrass Detritus

Each year, high amounts of dead seagrass material are washed ashore at beaches world-wide. In the Mediterranean region, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica is responsible for huge agglomerates of ball-like seagrass litter. As these are often removed due to touristic reasons, a reuse method would be a step towards a more ecologically oriented society. In this study, the main polysaccharide components were analyzed, in order to propose possible usage options. To do this, different aqueous fractions were extracted, analyzed by classical carbohydrate analysis methods (GC-FID/MS, colorimetric assay and elemental analysis), and purified by ion-exchange chromatography, as well as selective precipitation with a detecting agent for highly glycosylated glycoproteins. The obtained purified fractions were analyzed in detail and a linkage-type analysis of the most promising extract was conducted via permethylation. Only low amounts of glycoproteins, as well as medium amounts of the characteristic apiogalacturonan were likely to be present, while xylan seemed to be the most abundant polysaccharide in most fractions. A partial structural proposal showed general accordance with land plant xylans, presenting reuse options in the field of biofuel and bioplastic generation.

Reverse engineering of a mechanistic model of gene expression using metastability and temporal dynamics

Differentiation can be modeled at the single cell level as a stochastic process resulting from the dynamical functioning of an underlying Gene Regulatory Network (GRN), driving stem or progenitor cells to one or many differentiated cell types. Metastability seems inherent to differentiation process as a consequence of the limited number of cell types. Moreover, mRNA is known to be generally produced by bursts, which can give rise to highly variable non-Gaussian behavior, making the estimation of a GRN from transcriptional profiles challenging. In this article, we present CARDAMOM (Cell type Analysis from scRna-seq Data achieved from a Mixture MOdel), a new algorithm for inferring a GRN from timestamped scRNA-seq data, which crucially exploits these notions of metastability and transcriptional bursting. We show that such inference can be seen as the successive resolution of as many regression problem as timepoints, after a preliminary clustering of the whole set of cells with regards to their associated bursts frequency. We demonstrate the ability of CARDAMOM to infer a reliable GRN from in silico expression datasets, with good computational speed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of a method which uses the concept of metastability for performing GRN inference.

Characterization of secondary metabolites in kasturi mango (Mangifera casturi) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Indonesia is a high biodiversity country for underutilized fruits. Indonesian underutilized fruits contain several beneficial functional foods that are very useful for human health. This study aimed to analyze the secondary metabolites found in Kasturi mango (Mangifera casturi). Fruit sampling was carried out in Hulu Sungai Selatan and Banjar, South Kalimantan. Five types of Kasturi mango were used, namely Kasturi, Pinari, Palipisan, Cuban, and Rawa-rawa, which included aril and rind. The results of this research showed that there are specific compounds in each type. Analysis of secondary metabolites using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in Kasturi aril showed that specific compounds were obtained in the Kasturi type, such as 13-tetradecenal ethyl elaidate, spinacene, and (23S)-ethylcholest-5-en-3.beta.-ol. The Rawa-rawa type contained specific compounds such as tetradecanoic acid and cis-vaccenic acid. Analysis of secondary metabolites with GC-MS in Kasturi rind showed that the Kasturi type contained specific compounds, such as distearil phosphite and 13-octadecenoic acid. The Rawa-rawa type contained specific compounds such as docosane and triacontyl acetate. Based on, characterization of secondary metabolites using GC-MS, Kasturi mango showed the high variation of secondary metabolites among their types.

Elastic Property Modeling, Extended Elastic Impedance (EEI) and Curve-Pseudo Elastic Impedance (CPEI) Inversion for Pore Type Analysis and Hydrocarbon Distribution in Carbonate Reservoir, Kujung I Formation, “Humaira” Field, North East Java Basin

The complexity of the pore shape in carbonate rocks causes the need for a special strategy to characterize carbonate reservoir. The more information used, the more accurate the reservoir characterization will be. Pore type analysis is the important study because it relates to the fluid flow properties. The elastic property modeling show a good match to the actual data. The results of the well log and petrophysical data analysis show that the gas zone is located at the upper side of Kujung I Formation. Based on rock physics modeling result, the possible pore type developing in the Kujung I Formation is reference pore with the dominance of the aspect ratio value of about 0.17-0.19. The carbonate layer containing hydrocarbons is characterized by low Lamda-Rho, Lamda/Mu values and a low Poisson ratio. Porous carbonate layer, characterized by a low Mu-Rho value. The slice results show that the gaseous area is located on the anticline. The zone that has good porosity indicated by low Mu-Rho. In the IN-3 well there are no hydrocarbons, this analysis is in accordance with the geological condition of the IN-3 well which is in a low area on the time structure map. The inversion results show a good match between CPEI against water saturation log and CPEI against porosity log.