Cloning and expression of pullulanase gene from locally isolated bacillus SP

Bacterial pullulanase represents one of th e starch-degrading enzymes that are widely used in the starch processing indu stry along with amylases. Amylases hydrolyze a -(1,4 )-glycosidic linkage in starch to produce a mixture of glucose , maltooligo sacchari de and limited a-dextrin. All the remaining a -(1,6)-glycosid ic branches in the products are hydrolyzed by p ullulanase. This is an advantage t o improve glucose production by coupling pullulanase and amylase in the p rocess. As such, many pullulana e enzyme has been isolated and one has been showing optimum pH of 10-10.5 which is suitable for use in dishwasher detergent additive in removal of star ch stain. We have recently iso lated a few bacterias that have shown potentially pullulanase producers by the holo-zone in pullulan-plate assay. One of them, we named Bacillus –1 sho ws a bigger holo-zone among others, Bacillus- 1 is highly active in pH more than 7. The enzyme also shows a mo derate activity to wards starch that may be indicates be side hydrolyzes a -(1,6)-glycosidic linkage in starch, it also hydrolyzes a -(1,4)- glycosidi c simi lar to a -amylase. Unfortunately the enzyme from wild-type bacteria is in lower yield an d in this studies, we intend to clone and sequence the pullulanase gene and also expressed the gene in a high expression system to be able to produce in a high yield before characterizing expressed protein

Organising for Effective Academic Entrepreneurship

The contribution has three parts. In the first part the concept of academic entrepreneurship is explained, defined and put into the context of the entrepreneurial university. In the second part four cases are described: - (1) The Nikos case at the University of Twente: In Nikos teaching, research and spin-off activities are combined into one research institute. - (2) The NICENT case at the University of Ulster: NICENT is set up under the Science and Enterprise Centre activities in the UK. It focuses on education and training of students (undergraduates, graduates and post-graduates) and the stimulation of academic entrepreneurship in the academic constituency. - (3) The S-CIO case at Saxion Universities for Applied Sciences: In 2004 Saxion set up this Centre to have a one-stop shop for all entrepreneurial activities at the University. - (4) The Chair in Technological Entrepreneurship at Tshwane University: The focus of the Chair is on education of (under)graduate students in (technological) entrepreneurship and on the stimulation of entrepreneurship in the wider community. Each case has its own specific angle on academic entrepreneurship and in the thrid part the four cases are compared and analysed according to the model presented in the first part. Finally, some conclusions are formulated regarding the organisation of effective academic entrepreneurship

Establishment of computational biology in Greece and Cyprus: Past, present, and future.

We review the establishment of computational biology in Greece and Cyprus from its inception to date and issue recommendations for future development. We compare output to other countries of similar geography, economy, and size—based on publication counts recorded in the literature—and predict future growth based on those counts as well as national priority areas. Our analysis may be pertinent to wider national or regional communities with challenges and opportunities emerging from the rapid expansion of the field and related industries. Our recommendations suggest a 2-fold growth margin for the 2 countries, as a realistic expectation for further expansion of the field and the development of a credible roadmap of national priorities, both in terms of research and infrastructure funding

Networks and the Development of the Irish Biotechnology Sector

Biotechnology, an umbrella term describing combinations of engineering and scientific knowledge from an array of disciplines used to produce products and processes from living organisms, has been identified as a key sector for future economic developments among industrialised and industrialising nations as it blurs traditional boundaries between various industries. The Irish Government has introduced a series of initiatives to facilitate the development of an internationally competitive indigenous biotechnology sector since the late 1990s, yet no in-depth analysis of the sector relative to international sectoral characteristics, structures, or policy themes have informed their design or implementation. This thesis analyses the Irish sector in the context of global sectoral developments by studying the Post-Fordist organisational structure of the international sector, where biotechnology firms interact with various actors at different stages of the sectoral value chain in a variety of innovative networks determined by place specific actor and institution endowments that form local knowledge communities. Through qualitatively investigating the Irish sector's actors and collaborative network structure, the thesis analyses the implications of the nature and character of these elements for the sector's future sustainability and development, and appraises existing Government policies relating to sectoral developments. The thesis found that the on-going initiatives have facilitated significant advances, yet have not addressed the legacy of pre-initiative resource and skill capacity weaknesses, while the sectoral value chain is fragmented as actors have developed poor networking arrangements due to their conservative natures, and the relative absence of key sector actors, skills and resources. These issues demonstrate that a complex overarching policy framework is required so as to engender the long-term development of a regionally tailored, systems-based support ecosystem which addresses existing structural weaknesses, and which facilitates and drives entrepreneurial and innovative activities throughout the sector's value chain

Marine Biotechnology: A New Vision and Strategy for Europe

Marine Board-ESF The Marine Board provides a pan-European platform for its member organisations to develop common priorities, to advance marine research, and to bridge the gap between science and policy in order to meet future marine science challenges and opportunities. The Marine Board was established in 1995 to facilitate enhanced cooperation between European marine science organisations (both research institutes and research funding agencies) towards the development of a common vision on the research priorities and strategies for marine science in Europe. In 2010, the Marine Board represents 30 Member Organisations from 19 countries. The Marine Board provides the essential components for transferring knowledge for leadership in marine research in Europe. Adopting a strategic role, the Marine Board serves its Member Organisations by providing a forum within which marine research policy advice to national agencies and to the European Commission is developed, with the objective of promoting the establishment of the European Marine Research Area