Transcriptomic Analysis of the White-rot Basidiomycete Lentinus Squarrosulus to Provide Insights Into Its Lignocellulose Biodegradation Ability

BackgroundBasidiomycetes are of special interest in biotechnological research for their versatile potential in the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass, chiefly attributed to ligninolytic enzymes along with exo, endo β-glucanases, xylanases, esterases, pectinases, mannanases, cellobiohydrolases, polysaccharide monooxygenases. Relatively little is known about the metabolic process and the subsequent polysaccharide degradation. Transcriptomic analysis of lignicolous fungi grown on different substrates, although attempted by researchers, has focused on a fairly small group of species reporting the expression of fungal genes in response to lignocellulosic biomass as a substrate. This study accordingly reports analysis of transcriptome of a white-rot Basidiomycete L.squarrosulus grown in simple potato dextrose broth supplemented with aromatic compound, reactive black dye to gain an insight into the degradation ability of the fungus. RNA was sequenced using Illumina NextSeq 500 to obtain 6,679,162 high-quality paired-end reads that were assembled de novo using CLC assembly cells to generate 25,244 contigs. Putative functions were assigned for the 10,494 transcripts based on sequence similarities through BLAST2GO 5.2 and Function annotator.ResultsFunctional assignments revealed enhanced oxidoreductase activity through the expression of diverse biomass-degrading enzymes and their corresponding coregulators. CAZyme analysis through dbCAN and CUPP revealed the presence of 6 families of polysaccharide lyases, 51 families of glycoside hydrolases, 23 families of glycoside transferases, 7 families of carbohydrate esterases and 10 families of auxiliary activities. Genes encoding ligninolytic enzymes and auxiliary activities among the transcript sequences were identified through gene prediction by AUGUSTUS and FGENESH. Biochemical analysis of several biomass-degrading enzymes substantiated the functional predictions.ConclusionIn essence, L. squarrosulus grown in a simple medium devoid of lignocellulosic substrate demonstrated the presence of a repertoire of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes, simplying that a source of lignocellulose is not required for the expression of these biomass-degrading enzymes. This study on the transcriptome analysis of L. squarrosulus revealed significant facts on this front and will definitely enhance the knowledge about the biodegradative ability of this fungus, potentially paving the way for efficient biotechnological applications utilizing its potency in biomass degradation and its future functional exploitation in biomass conversion applications.

Creating the Innovative University

Universities are among the oldest institutions in the world. In America, most of the highest-ranked universities were founded in the 19th century or earlier. Despite their age, universities need to innovate, perhaps now more than ever, to serve evolving societal needs, modernize through use of technology, stay financially viable, and fulfill their missions. University innovation is more than inventorship, technology transfer, and commercialization. It entails developing a culture that stimulates novel and integrated change through education, research, and public service as well as clinical care, athletics, the arts, and various auxiliary activities. This article shows how innovation appears in university rankings and in university mission statements, providing insights into how universities can become innovative universities.

The changing role of the church – Diaconia of the Orthodox Church in Greece during the years of the economic crisis 2010–2018

The economic crisis in Greece in 2010–2018 caused a deep recession there. Unemployment rose to very high levels, and social distress increased. In this study, we use publically available internet material to present the many auxiliary activities the Greek Orthodox Church used to respond to the situation. Many of them were typical forms of diaconal activity, but new types of work for the church can also be seen in diocesan activities. The Orthodox Church in Greece does not present all the auxiliary activities in public. However, based on the material available, the article hypothesizes that the role of the Orthodox Church in Greek society has changed during the economic crisis. The church became a supporting factor in society.

Development dynamics of outsourcing of auxiliary activities among Polish medical entities in the years 2012–2018

Introduction: In the face of insufficient resources, healthcare providers are forced to constantly analyse and evaluate the financial economy and, within the economic framework, to rationally reduce the costs of their activities. Outsourcing is one of the ways to rationalise costs in healthcare. It concerns both core and ancillary activities. The aim of this study was to present the dynamics of outsourcing development of auxiliary activities of medical entities in Poland.Materials and methods: Analysis was based on the results of surveys conducted in 2012, 2014, and 2018. In 2012, 153 medical entities qualified for analysis, 156 in 2014, and 750 in 2018. The number of entities using outsourcing is presented, together with an indication of the type of services covered by outsourcing, reasons for outsourcing, benefits and drawbacks that the entities have noted, including measurement of financial effectiveness of outsourcing, and monitoring of the outsourcing partner.Results: Medical entities usually outsource waste treatment services, likely due to the difficulty for medical entities to meet the strict requirements set out in the law. The least frequently outsourced service is nutrition, which most likely results from the dissatisfaction of medical entities with the services provided by external companies.Conclusions: Excessive cost of maintaining employees was a common justification for outsourcing. Financial efficiency is the most desirable effect and the most frequent stimulus for medical entities undertaking various types of activities, including outsourcing in the field of auxiliary activities.

OPERATIONALANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL CUT-TO-LENGTH FOREST HARVESTING SYSTEM

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to conduct an operational analysis of forest harvesting activities in a mechanized of the system cut to length in eucalypt plantations in south of Bahia, to determine the distribution of operation times, productivity, operational efficiency and mechanical availability of two models of harvester and two models of forwarder, evaluating these machines in three modules harvesting methodology through time and motion studies. Auxiliary activities corresponded to the lowest percentages within the operating times (mean 1.9% to 1.8% for harvester and forwarder), already operating activities were those that had the highest percentages. The first shift was presented the worst results of operations for the harvester (average 66.3%) and the third shift for the forwarder (55.5%). For the harvester module 1 showed the best result of productive times (average 70.36%). In relation to the forwarder, this same module showed the worst results with unproductive times (average of 22.17%). The availability and mechanical parameters were superior productivity for the forwarder (mean 82.31% and 51.33 m3/h, respectively), as indicators of degree of utilization and operational efficiency were higher in harvester (average 85.01% and 66.41%, respectively). Thus, for the forwarder, the parameters mechanical availability and productivity were higher, while for the harvester, they were the indicators of degree of utilization and operational efficiency