The Mercury-Tolerant Microbiota of the Zooplankton Daphnia Aids in Host Survival and Maintains Fecundity under Mercury Stress.

Many aquatic organisms can thrive in polluted environments by having the genetic capability to withstand suboptimal conditions. However, the contributions of microbiomes under these stressful environments are poorly understood. We investigated whether a mercury-tolerant microbiota can extend its phenotype to its host by ameliorating host survival and fecundity under mercury-stress. We isolated microbiota members from various clones of Daphnia magna, screened for the mercury-biotransforming merA gene, and determined their mercury tolerance levels. We then introduced the mercury-tolerant microbiota, Pseudomonas-10, to axenic D. magna and quantified its merA gene expression, mercury reduction capability, and measured its impact on host survival and fecundity. The expression of the merA gene was up-regulated in Pseudomonas-10, both in isolation and in host-association with mercury exposure. Pseudomonas-10 is also capable of significantly reducing mercury concentration in the medium. Notably, mercury-exposed daphnids containing only Pseudomonas-10 exhibited higher survival and fecundity than mercury-exposed daphnids supplemented with parental microbiome. Our study showed that zooplankton, such as Daphnia, naturally harbor microbiome members that are eco-responsive and tolerant to mercury exposure and can aid in host survival and maintain host fecundity in a mercury-contaminated environment. This study further demonstrates that under stressful environmental conditions, the fitness of the host can depend on the genotype and the phenotype of its microbiome

The Bacterial Type III Secretion System as a Target for Developing New Antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance in pathogens requires new targets for developing novel antibacterials. The bacterial type III secretion system (T3SS) is an attractive target for developing antibacterials as it is essential in the pathogenesis of many Gram-negative bacteria. The T3SS consists of structural proteins, effectors and chaperones. Over 20 different structural proteins assemble into a complex nanoinjector that punctures a hole on the eukaryotic cell membrane to allow the delivery of effectors directly into the host cell cytoplasm. Defects in the assembly and function of the T3SS render bacteria non-infective. Two major classes of small molecules, salicylidene acylhydrazides and thiazolidinones, have been shown to inhibit multiple genera of bacteria through the T3SS. Many additional chemically and structurally diverse classes of small molecule inhibitors of the T3SS have been identified as well. While specific targets within the T3SS of a few inhibitors have been suggested, the vast majority of specific protein targets within the T3SS remain to be identified or characterized. Other T3SS inhibitors include polymers, proteins and polypeptides mimics. In addition, T3SS activity is regulated by its interaction with biologically relevant molecules, such as bile salts and sterols, which could serve as scaffolds for drug design

AHP Approach for Determining Category in Social Media Content Creation in Order to Maximize Revenue per Mille (RPM)

This study utilizes the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in the selection of an optimal niche or category of videos for maximizing view count. The main income from videos is derived from RPM, which is a set amount per thousand views. A set of criteria was determined from attributes in the dataset that logically contribute to either the videos’ SEO or trend/popularity. The criteria in question were also determined by commonalities across a vast number of video content platforms, which focus more on the essential attributes of a video. In order to perform pairwise comparison, weights were derived from coefficients generated using Linear Regression. Following the creation of the model, we identify the categories with the highest potential for gaining views. Based on the results, the study may be performed in another time frame to reflect the major shifts in public interest over time. Thus, the importance of its repeatability and degree of usability across datasets from different platforms is emphasized. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2022-03-01-07 Full Text: PD

Evaluation of graduating students of the impact of graduate school education and services in Rizal Technological University

The students are the reasons for the establishment of learning institutions which are the key factors to quality education. At present, the mission of the RTU-GS is to produce world-class professionals and leaders to meet the multifarious expectations and needs of society. Since 1977 up to presents, no one has ever conducted a research on graduate students' assessment of the Graduate School and its student services. It is in this end that the researchers brought about an exit interview to Graduate School graduating students.This study used the causal comparative design and had 80 respondents representing the RTU graduating students' population for school year 2012-2013. The respondents were described as to gender, age, GS course and number of year of degree completion.From the salient findings of the study, the researchers concluded that the GS graduating students are very satisfied with the personal impact of education, the development of their professional skill, and the personnel and various offices. The GS students suggest the fixed format on thesis writing, special lanes or windows for business transaction and the maintenance of good interpersonal relationship between school personnel and students. The overall rating of the GS students of the education is very satisfactory. Finally, there are significant differences in the assessment of GS students by personnel and offices

Post Wildfire Vegetation Response to the Wildland-Urban Interface: A Case Study of the Station Fire

In the past, wildfires served as a method for mother nature to promote biodiversity and to help maintain a functioning ecosystem. However, climate change alters the fire regime, significantly impacting vegetation recovery. Human disturbances and increased land use and land cover heighten vegetation disruption and abundance after a fire. Wildland-urban interface (WUI) – the region where the vegetation intermingles with the roads, houses, and human-made structures – threatens vegetation and the human population. Overall vegetation recovery after the Station Fire of 2009 spread through the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County was observed using Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Normalized Difference Burn Ratio (nDBR) spectral indices. In addition, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) images were used to measure aboveground biomass (AGB). The study analyzed vegetation biomass recovery by comparing human disturbances and the level of fire severity within the Station Fire perimeter. Low and moderate fire severity were compared in detail against WUI and non-WUI regions by quantifying the amount of biomass in the specified regions. Linear regression model results showed vegetation recovery rates were slower in WUI regions than in non-WUI regions despite having similar regeneration patterns while AGB rebound was similar across both region categories

Load Transfer Analysis in Short Carbon Fibers with Radially-Aligned Carbon Nanotubes Embedded in a Polymer Matrix

A novel shortfiber composite in which the microscopic advanced fiber reinforcements are coated with radially aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is analyzed in this study. A shear-lag model is developed to analyze the load transferred to such coated fibers from the aligned-CNT reinforced matrix in a hybrid composite application. It is found that if the carbon fibers are coated with radially aligned CNTs, then the axial load transferred to the fiber is reduced due to stiffening of the matrix by the CNTs. Importantly, it is shown that at low loading of CNTs in the polymer matrix, there is a significant reduction in the maximum interfacial shear stress, e.g., at 1% CNTs, there is an ~25 % reduction in this maximum stress. Further, the modification in the load sharing between the fiber and the matrix plateaus at ~2% CNT matrix loading, indicating a small but critical window for engineering the interface in this manner. Effects of the variation of the aspect ratio of the fiber, CNT volume fraction and the application of radial load on the load transferred to such CNT coated fibers are also investigated

Benefits and difficulties of the national service training program in Rizal Technological University

The primary purpose of this study is to ascertain the benefits of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) implementation and to identify the problems encountered by its implementers. Results showed that the benefits derived from the program were topped by enhancement of skills on basic leadership with emphases on the ability to listen and ability to communicate which were rated very important and very much benefited among other training aspects of the program. Results also revealed that students are aware of the importance of physical, mental and social health as well as the observance of proper hygiene for overall sense of well-being. Although recreation is one aspect that the respondents find important, appreciation of it underscores the need to have more time for assignments and projects as most of the respondents are enrolled in their respective courses with 29 units, making them unable to appreciate the perks of involving themselves into various recreational activities. Problems in the implementation showed lack of provision of materials and equipment and of budgetary allocation which rendered full implementation weak as students and faculty involved in the community immersion have to rely on their own resources, in addition to the indifference and passivity of the local government officials. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that: the school administrators need to allocate adequate budget for materials and equipment; periodic faculty development trainings and; to look into the passive attitude of the local officials to ensure that implementation NSTP projects will benefit both clients and implementers

The very fast evolution of Sakurai's object

V4334 Sgr (a.k.a. Sakurai's object) is the central star of an old planetary nebula that underwent a very late thermal pulse a few years before its discovery in 1996. We have been monitoring the evolution of the optical emission line spectrum since 2001. The goal is to improve the evolutionary models by constraining them with the temporal evolution of the central star temperature. In addition the high resolution spectral observations obtained by X-shooter and ALMA show the temporal evolution of the different morphological components.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures to appear in the Proceedings of the IAU Symp. 323: "Planetary nebulae: Multi-wavelength probes of stellar and galactic evolution". Eds. X.-W. Liu, L. Stanghellini and A. Karaka

Understanding Parental Ethnotheories and Practices About Healthy Eating: Exploring the Developmental Niche of Preschoolers

Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (i.e., belief systems) and practices about preschoolers’ healthy eating guided by the developmental niche framework. Design: Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology. Setting: Home. Participants: Participants were 20 parents of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from a quantitative investigation. A majority of the participants were white, female, married, well educated, and working full time. Methods: Participants who completed the quantitative survey were asked to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed. From the pool of participants who expressed their willingness to participate in the interviews, 20 participants were selected using a random number generator. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation (n ¼ 20). Thematic analysis was performed. Results: Three themes and 6 subthemes emerged: theme 1—parental ethnotheories about healthy eating included subthemes of knowledge about healthy eating, motivations to promote healthy child development through healthy eating, and sources of knowledge about healthy eating (e.g., doctors, social media, government guidelines, positive family-of-origin experiences); theme 2—parental ethnotheories that supported organization of children’s physical and social settings included structured mealtime routines and food socialization influences (e.g., grandparents, siblings, and childcare programs); and theme 3—parental ethnotheories that supported children’s learning about healthy eating included parent–child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities (e.g., meal preparation, visiting farmer’s market, grocery shopping, gardening, cooking, baking). Conclusion: Findings advance the literature on parental practices about healthy eating. Parental ethnotheories (e.g., beliefs, motivations, knowledge, and skills) matter. Developmental niche of preschoolers (i.e., physical and social settings, childrearing practices, and parental ethnotheories) constitutes an interactive system in which ethnotheories serve as guides to parental practices. Fostering nutrition education and parent–child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities are recommended to promote children’s healthy eating in daily routines