Cloning, sequencing, and identification of Phage 16, an unknown salmonella or EHEC (enterohemorrhagic E. coli) bacteriophage

Bacteriophage are viruses that infect, replicate and kill bacteria. Salmonella and EHEC food poisoning are caused by Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. Bacteriophage can be used to prevent food poisoning by application to food products or processing machinery. Bacteriophage P16 specifically infects Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. We cloned fragments of the P16 genome, sequence the DNA and used bioinformatics to identify P16. Phage P16 is a Salmonella phage similar to Stitch. A phylogenetic tree inferring relationships of P16 and other bacteriophage was created

Cloning and sequencing of the depolymerase-like gene from Bacteriophage J25

Bacteriophage are viruses that infect, replicate and kill bacteria. Salmonella and EHEC food poisoning are caused by Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. Bacteriophage can be used to prevent food poisoning by application to food products or processing machinery. Bacteriophage J25 specifically infects Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. We cloned fragments of the J25 genome, sequence the DNA and used bioinformatics to identify J25. We used genome data from similar bacteriophage in Genbank to design primers to amplify the depolymerase-like gene. We amplified and cloned this gene. When expressed, the gene product will be test with bacteriophage food treatment where it should augment bacteriophage killing

Thermal radiation and near-field energy density of thin metallic films

We study the properties of thermal radiation emitted by a thin dielectric slab, employing the framework of macroscopic fluctuational electrodynamics. Particular emphasis is given to the analytical construction of the required dyadic Green's functions. Based on these, general expressions are derived for both the system's Poynting vector, describing the intensity of propagating radiation, and its energy density, containing contributions from non-propagating modes which dominate the near-field regime. An extensive discussion is then given for thin metal films. It is shown that the radiative intensity is maximized for a certain film thickness, due to Fabry-Perot-like multiple reflections inside the film. The dependence of the near-field energy density on the distance from the film's surface is governed by an interplay of several length scales, and characterized by different exponents in different regimes. In particular, this energy density remains finite even for arbitrarily thin films. This unexpected feature is associated with the film's low-frequency surface plasmon polariton. Our results also serve as reference for current near-field experiments which search for deviations from the macroscopic approach

Integrin α8β1 regulates adhesion, migration and proliferation of human intestinal crypt cells via a predominant RhoA/ROCK-dependent mechanism

Background. Integrins are transmembrane αβ heterodimer receptors that function as structural and functional bridges between the cytoskeleton and ECM (extracellular matrix) molecules. The RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartate tripeptide motif)-dependent integrin α8β1 has been shown to be involved in various cell functions in neuronal and mesenchymal-derived cell types. Its role in epithelial cells remains unknown

A mutation in Nischarin causes otitis media via LIMK1 and NF-κB pathways

Otitis media (OM), inflammation of the middle ear (ME), is a common cause of conductive hearing impairment. Despite the importance of the disease, the aetiology of chronic and recurrent forms of middle ear inflammatory disease remains poorly understood. Studies of the human population suggest that there is a significant genetic component predisposing to the development of chronic OM, although the underlying genes are largely unknown. Using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis we identified a recessive mouse mutant, edison, that spontaneously develops a conductive hearing loss due to chronic OM. The causal mutation was identified as a missense change, L972P, in the Nischarin (NISCH) gene. edison mice develop a serous or granulocytic effusion, increasingly macrophage and neutrophil rich with age, along with a thickened, inflamed mucoperiosteum. We also identified a second hypomorphic allele, V33A, with only modest increases in auditory thresholds and reduced incidence of OM. NISCH interacts with several proteins, including ITGA5 that is thought to have a role in modulating VEGF-induced angiogenesis and vascularization. We identified a significant genetic interaction between Nisch and Itga5; mice heterozygous for Itga5-null and homozygous for edison mutations display a significantly increased penetrance and severity of chronic OM. In order to understand the pathological mechanisms underlying the OM phenotype, we studied interacting partners to NISCH along with downstream signalling molecules in the middle ear epithelia of edison mouse. Our analysis implicates PAK1 and RAC1, and downstream signalling in LIMK1 and NF-κB pathways in the development of chronic OM

Robustness evaluation and improvement method for automated material handling systems

Planning and operating automated material handling systems (AMHS) for microelectronics and semiconductor manufacturing have become increasingly important for modern high-volume production lines. As a service system for the manufacturing process, reliable material supply to the process equipment is mandatory, and the scope of operating an AMHS is on the prompt. To ensure and improve the quality of AMHS, an approach for measuring and quantifying the AMHS performance of alternative planning variants is required. Fraunhofer IPA and AMD have developed an approach for robustness evaluation of AMHS configurations. This approach is very efficient when comparing alternative planning variants and different configuration parameters of the system, in order to provide both cost efficient and reliable material delivery

XTRA - ein natuerlichsprachliches Zugangssystem zu Expertensystemen

SIGLETIB Hannover: RO 3552(39) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman