Carbon source dependent promoters in yeasts

Budding yeasts are important expression hosts for the production of recombinant proteins. The choice of the right promoter is a crucial point for efficient gene expression, as most regulations take place at the transcriptional level. A wide and constantly increasing range of inducible, derepressed and constitutive promoters have been applied for gene expression in yeasts in the past; their different behaviours were a reflection of the different needs of individual processes. Within this review we summarize the majority of the large available set of carbon source dependent promoters for protein expression in yeasts, either induced or derepressed by the particular carbon source provided. We examined the most common derepressed promoters for Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeasts, and described carbon source inducible promoters and promoters induced by non-sugar carbon sources. A special focus is given to promoters that are activated as soon as glucose is depleted, since such promoters can be very effective and offer an uncomplicated and scalable cultivation procedure

Reinigung und Charakterisierung der Diethylentriaminpenta(methylenphosphonsäure) - DTPMP

Synthesebedingt fällt die DTPMP als dunkelbraune, zähflüssige Lösung mit zahlreichen Verunreinigungen an. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Herstellung einer hochreinen, festen DTPMP. Hierfür wurden zwei unterschiedliche Reinigungsmethoden untersucht. Durch Umkristallisation und anschließendes Rühren in Ethanol konnte mit 95 % eine höhere Reinheit als bisher veröffentlicht erzielt werden. Eine alternative Reinigungsmethode stellt die Ausfällung als Erdalkali-DTPMP-Salz und anschließende Auflösung in Schwefelsäure und Abtrennung des entstehenden Erdalkalisulfats dar, wobei eine Reinheit > 99 % erzielt wurde. Zur strukturellen Charakterisierung wurden zahlreiche Kristallisationsexperimente zur Züchtung von Kristallen der DTPMP als Säure und deren Alkali- und Erdalkalisalzen durchgeführt. Weiterhin wurde das thermische Verhalten der DTPMP und deren Salzen charakterisiert. Unter den zahlreichen möglichen Anwendungen der DTPMP wurde beispielhaft die Wirksamkeit auf die Gipskristallisation untersucht

Metabasins or a state space aggregation for finite Markov chains with exponentially small transition probabilities

Motiviert durch Erkenntnisse aus der theoretischen Chemie wird in dieser Arbeit für ungeordnete Systeme, charakterisiert durch eine hoch-dimensionale Energiefunktion und exponentiell kleine Übergangswahrscheinlichkeiten, eine Aggregation des Zustandsraumes und damit ein aggregierter Prozess mit folgenden Eigenschaften hergeleitet: Der aggregierte Prozess besitzt eine asymptotische Markov-Eigenschaft und verhält sich wie ein Trap-Modell, seine Verweildauern lassen sich mittels der Energiefunktion angeben und die räumlichen Zuwächse sind annähernd unkorreliert. Großen Einfluss hat hier die Theorie der Metastabilität. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wird zunächst allgemein und dann konkret an obigem aggregierten Prozess untersucht, welche Auswirkungen die Verlangsamung einer Markovkette durch Einführung zufälliger Verweildauern auf die Mischrate hat. Es werden mit Hilfe von Spektraltheorie und Kopplungsargumenten Resultate für Markovsche und auch semi-Markovsche verlangsamte Ketten bewiesen

Epidemiology and surveillance of human (neuro)cysticercosis in Europe: is enhanced surveillance required?

objectives To report on relevant national surveillance systems of (N)CC and taeniasis (the infection with the adult tapeworm) in the European Union/European Economic Area and to assess the magnitude of (N)CC occurrence by retrieving information on cases for the period 2000–2016. methods (N)CC cases were retrieved via national reporting systems, a systematic literature search, contact with clinicians and a search for relevant ‘International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems’ (ICD)-based data. results Mandatory notification systems for (N)CC were found in Hungary, Iceland and Poland. Ten cases were reported in Poland and none in Hungary and Iceland. Through the systematic literature review and information given by clinicians, 263 individual and 721 aggregated (N)CC cases from 19 European countries were identified. ICD-based data were obtained from five countries. From 2000 to 2016, a total of 3489 cases (N)CC cases were coded: 832 in Italy, eight in Latvia, 357 in Portugal, 2116 in Spain and 176 in Sweden. conclusion Despite being classified as a possible eradicable disease, (N)CC is still diagnosed across Europe, yet its true extent and impact remain unclear.Cost, Cystine

A Cross-Sectional Study of People with Epilepsy and Neurocysticercosis in Tanzania: Clinical Characteristics and Diagnostic Approaches.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a major cause of epilepsy in regions where pigs are free-ranging and hygiene is poor. Pork production is expected to increase in the next decade in sub-Saharan Africa, hence NCC will likely become more prevalent. In this study, people with epilepsy (PWE, n=212) were followed up 28.6 months after diagnosis of epilepsy. CT scans were performed, and serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of selected PWE were analysed. We compared the demographic data, clinical characteristics, and associated risk factors of PWE with and without NCC. PWE with NCC (n=35) were more likely to be older at first seizure (24.3 vs. 16.3 years, p=0.097), consumed more pork (97.1% vs. 73.6%, p=0.001), and were more often a member of the Iraqw tribe (94.3% vs. 67.8%, p=0.005) than PWE without NCC (n=177). PWE and NCC who were compliant with anti-epileptic medications had a significantly higher reduction of seizures (98.6% vs. 89.2%, p=0.046). Other characteristics such as gender, seizure frequency, compliance, past medical history, close contact with pigs, use of latrines and family history of seizures did not differ significantly between the two groups. The number of NCC lesions and active NCC lesions were significantly associated with a positive antibody result. The electroimmunotransfer blot, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was more sensitive than a commercial western blot, especially in PWE and cerebral calcifications. This is the first study to systematically compare the clinical characteristics of PWE due to NCC or other causes and to explore the utility of two different antibody tests for diagnosis of NCC in sub-Saharan Africa

Consideration of the Mechanisms for Tidal Bore Formation in an Idealized Planform Geometry

A tidal bore is a positive wave traveling upstream along the estuary of a river, generated by a relatively rapid rise of the tide, often enhanced by the funneling shape of the estuary. The swell produced by the tide grows and its front steepens as the flooding tide advances inland, promoting the formation of a sharp front wave, i.e., the tidal bore. Because of the many mechanisms and conditions involved in the process, it is difficult to formulate an effective criterion to predict the bore formation. In this preliminary analysis, aimed at bringing out the main processes and parameters that control tidal bore formation, the degrees of freedom of the problem are largely reduced by considering a rectangular channel of constant width with uniform flow, forced downstream by rising the water level at a constant rate. The framework used in this study is extremely simple, yet the problem is still complex and the solution is far from being trivial. From the results of numerical simulations, three distinctive behaviors emerged related to conditions in which a tidal bore forms, a tidal bore does not form, and a weak bore forms; the latter has a weakly steep front and after the bore formed it rapidly vanishes. Based on these behaviors, some criteria to predict the bore formation are proposed and discussed. The more effective criterion, suitably rearranged, is checked against data from real estuaries and the predictions are found to compare favorably with the available data

Investigating health impacts of natural resource extraction projects in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, and Tanzania: protocol for a mixed methods study

Natural resource extraction projects offer both opportunities and risks for sustainable development and health in host communities. Often, however, the health of the community suffers. Health impact assessment (HIA) can mitigate the risks and promote the benefits of development but is not routinely done in the developing regions that could benefit the most.; Our study aims to investigate health and health determinants in regions affected by extractive industries in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, and Tanzania. The evidence generated in our study will inform a policy dialogue on how HIA can be promoted as a regulatory approach as part of the larger research initiative called the HIA4SD (Health impact assessment for sustainable development) project.; The study is a concurrent triangulation, mixed methods, multi-stage, multi-focus project that specifically addresses the topics of governance and policy, social determinants of health, health economics, health systems, maternal and child health, morbidity and mortality, and environmental determinants, as well as the associated health outcomes in natural resource extraction project settings across four countries. To investigate each of these health topics, the project will (1) use existing population-level databases to quantify incidence of disease and other health outcomes and determinants over time using time series analysis; (2) conduct two quantitative surveys on mortality and cost of disease in producer regions; and (3) collect primary qualitative data using focus groups and key informant interviews describing community perceptions of the impacts of extraction projects on health and partnership arrangements between the projects and local and national governance. Differences in health outcomes and health determinants between districts with and without an extraction project will be analyzed using matched geographical analyses in quasi-Poisson regression models and binomial regression models. Costs to the health system and to the households from diseases found to be associated with projects in each country will be estimated retrospectively.; Fieldwork for the study began in February 2019 and concluded in February 2020. At the time of submission, qualitative data collection had been completed in all four study countries. In Burkina Faso, 36 focus group discussions and 74 key informant interviews were conducted in three sites. In Ghana, 34 focus group discussions and 64 key informant interviews were conducted in three sites. In Mozambique, 75 focus group discussions and 103 key informant interviews were conducted in four sites. In Tanzania, 36 focus group discussions and 84 key informant interviews were conducted in three sites. Quantitative data extraction and collection is ongoing in all four study countries. Ethical approval for the study was received in all four study countries prior to beginning the fieldwork. Data analyses are underway and results are expected to be published in 2020 and 2021.; Disentangling the complex interactions of resource extraction projects with their host communities requires an integrative approach drawing on many methodologies under the HIA umbrella. By using complementary data sources to address the question of population health in project areas from several angles, bias and missing data will be reduced, generating high-quality evidence to aid countries in moving toward sustainable development.; DERR1-10.2196/17138