A Growth-Promoting Bacteria, Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84T Enhanced Salt Stress Tolerance by Activating Defense-Related Systems in Panax ginseng

Panax ginseng (C.A. Mayer) is a well-known medicinal plant used in traditional medicine in Korea that experiences serious salinity stress related to weather changes or incorrect fertilizer application. In ginseng, the use of Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84T to improve salt stress tolerance has not been thoroughly explored. Therefore, we studied the role of P. yonginensis DCY84T under short-term and long-term salinity stress conditions in a controlled environment. In vitro testing of DCY84T revealed high indole acetic acid (IAA) production, siderophore formation, phosphate solubilization and anti-bacterial activity. We determined that 10-min dip in 1010 CFU/ml DCY84T was sufficient to protect ginseng against short-term salinity stress (osmotic stress) upon exposure to 300mM NaCl treatment by enhancing nutrient availability, synthesizing hydrolyzing enzymes and inducing osmolyte production. Upon exposure to salinity stress (oxidative and ionic stress), strain DCY84T-primed ginseng seedlings were protected by the induction of defense-related systems such as ion transport, ROS scavenging enzymes, proline content, total sugars, and ABA biosynthetic genes, as well as genes involved in root hair formation. Additionally, ginseng primed with DCY84T and exposed to 300mM NaCl showed the same metabolite profile as control ginseng plants, suggesting that DCY84T effectively reduced salt stress. These results indicated that DCY84T can be widely used as a microbial inoculant to protect ginseng plants against salinity stress conditions

A Growth-Promoting Bacteria, Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84T Enhanced Salt Stress Tolerance by Activating Defense-Related Systems in Panax ginseng

Panax ginseng (C.A. Mayer) is a well-known medicinal plant used in traditional medicine in Korea that experiences serious salinity stress related to weather changes or incorrect fertilizer application. In ginseng, the use of Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84T to improve salt stress tolerance has not been thoroughly explored. Therefore, we studied the role of P. yonginensis DCY84T under short-term and long-term salinity stress conditions in a controlled environment. In vitro testing of DCY84T revealed high indole acetic acid (IAA) production, siderophore formation, phosphate solubilization and anti-bacterial activity. We determined that 10-min dip in 1010 CFU/ml DCY84T was sufficient to protect ginseng against short-term salinity stress (osmotic stress) upon exposure to 300 mM NaCl treatment by enhancing nutrient availability, synthesizing hydrolyzing enzymes and inducing osmolyte production. Upon exposure to salinity stress (oxidative and ionic stress), strain DCY84T-primed ginseng seedlings were protected by the induction of defense-related systems such as ion transport, ROS scavenging enzymes, proline content, total sugars, and ABA biosynthetic genes, as well as genes involved in root hair formation. Additionally, ginseng primed with DCY84T and exposed to 300 mM NaCl showed the same metabolite profile as control ginseng plants, suggesting that DCY84T effectively reduced salt stress. These results indicated that DCY84T can be widely used as a microbial inoculant to protect ginseng plants against salinity stress conditions

Community Participation in Two Vaccination Trials in Slums of Kolkata, India: A Multi-level Analysis

This study aims at understanding the individual and community-level characteristics that influenced participation in two consecutive vaccine trials (typhoid and cholera) in urban slums of Kolkata, India. The study area was divided into 80 geographic clusters (communities), with 59,533 subjects aged ≥2 years for analysis. A multi-level model was employed in which the individuals were seen nested within the cluster. Rates of participation in both the trials were nearly the same; those who participated in the initial trial were likely to participate in the subsequent cholera vaccine trial. Communities with predominantly Hindu population, lower percentage of households with an educated household head, or lower percentage of households owning a motorbike had higher participation than their counterparts. At individual scale, higher participation was observed among younger subjects, females, and individuals from households with a household head who had no or minimal education. Geographic patterns were also observed in participation in the trials. The results illustrated that participation in the trial was mostly influenced by various individual and community-level factors, which need to be addressed for a successful vaccination campaign

Autophagy-mediated degradation of NOTCH1 intracellular domain controls the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and cancer metastasis

Backgound Autophagy controls levels of cellular components during normal and stress conditions; thus, it is a pivotal process for the maintenance of cell homeostasis. In cancer, autophagy protects cells from cancerous transformations that can result from genomic instability induced by reactive oxygen species or other damaged components, but it can also promote cancer survival by providing essential nutrients during the metabolic stress condition of cancer progression. However, the molecular mechanism underlying autophagy-dependent regulation of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis is still elusive. Methods The intracellular level of NOTCH1 intracellular domain (NICD) in several cancer cells was studied under starvation, treatment with chloroquine or ATG7-knockdown. The autophagy activity in these cells was assessed by immunocytochemistry and molecular analyses. Cancer cell migration and invasion under modulation of autophagy were determined by in vitro scratch and Matrigel assays. Results In the study, autophagy activation stimulated degradation of NICD, a key transcriptional regulator of the EMT and cancer metastasis. We also found that NICD binds directly to LC3 and that the NICD/LC3 complex associates with SNAI1 and sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1)/p62 proteins. Furthermore, the ATG7 knockdown significantly inhibited degradation of NICD under starvation independent of SQSTM1-associated proteasomal degradation. In addition, NICD degradation by autophagy associated with the cellular level of SNAI1. Indeed, autophagy inhibited nuclear translocation of NICD protein and consequently decreased the transcriptional activity of its target genes. Autophagy activation substantially suppressed in vitro cancer cell migration and invasion. We also observed that NICD and SNAI1 levels in tissues from human cervical and lung cancer patients correlated inversely with expression of autophagy-related proteins. Conclusions These findings suggest that the cellular level of NICD is regulated by autophagy during cancer progression and that targeting autophagy-dependent NICD/SNAI1 degradation could be a strategy for the development of cancer therapeutics

Capillarity-assisted fabrication of nanostructures using a less permeable mold for nanotribological applications

A simple kinetic model is presented to describe the capillary rise of a thin polymer film into a less permeable polyurethane acrylate mold. In this model, capillarity is explained by the competition between capillary and hydrodynamic forces in the course of pattern formation. For a less permeable mold, it was found that the capillary rise increases linearly with time. In addition, the contribution of viscosity and film thickness disappears such that the kinetics is solely governed by the permeation kinetics and capillary force. The present model would be useful to describe the evolution of molded nanostructures when a less permeable mold material other than polydimethylsiloxane is used for the patterning. Moreover, nanostructures with different tip shapes (rounded or dimpled) were observed depending on the fabrication temperature. The structures were tested for potential nanotribological applications such as reduction in adhesive and friction forces. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physicsclose171

Resistive Switching Memory Properties of Electrodeposited Cu2O Thin Films

The Cu2O thin film was developed using an electrodeposition approach for resistive memory application. The impact of the deposition voltage (1V, 2V, 3V, and 4V) on resistive switching (RS)/memristive properties of Cu2O thin films was studied. The XRD spectrum reveals that deposited Cu2O has a cubic crystal structure. The bipolar RS in Al/Cu2O/FTO device was clearly observed during the current-voltage (I-V) measurement. The basic memristive properties were calculated from I-V data. The charge transport studies suggested that the SCLC mechanism was responsible for device conduction, and RS was due to filamentary effect. The result suggested that the electrodeposition technique is useful to fabricate a memristive device for various applications

Resistive Switching Characteristics of Electrochemically Anodized Sub-stoichiometric Ti6O Phase

We have developed Ti6O thin film using the electrochemical anodization approach for resistive switching (RS) application. The effect of anodization time (1 h, 2 h and 3 h) on the RS/memristive properties was investigated. The structural analysis was carried out by using the XRD technique, which reveals that the formation of the sub-stoichiometric Ti6O phase. The scanning electron microscopy image reveals that the thin film has compact and porous surface morphology. The electrical results clearly show bipolar RS in Al/Ti6O/Ti device. The boost in the RS properties was achieved by increasing the anodization time. The basic memristive properties were calculated using experimental I-V data. The Schottky, Hopping and Ohmic charge transport mechanisms contribute to the conduction, whereas the filamentary effect controls the RS process of the Al/Ti6O/Ti memristive devices

PKA-activated ApAF–ApC/EBP heterodimer is a key downstream effector of ApCREB and is necessary and sufficient for the consolidation of long-term facilitation

Long-term memory requires transcriptional regulation by a combination of positive and negative transcription factors. Aplysia activating factor (ApAF) is known to be a positive transcription factor that forms heterodimers with ApC/EBP and ApCREB2. How these heterodimers are regulated and how they participate in the consolidation of long-term facilitation (LTF) has not, however, been characterized. We found that the functional activation of ApAF required phosphorylation of ApAF by PKA on Ser-266. In addition, ApAF lowered the threshold of LTF by forming a heterodimer with ApCREB2. Moreover, once activated by PKA, the ApAF–ApC/EBP heterodimer transactivates enhancer response element–containing genes and can induce LTF in the absence of CRE- and CREB-mediated gene expression. Collectively, these results suggest that PKA-activated ApAF–ApC/EBP heterodimer is a core downstream effector of ApCREB in the consolidation of LTF

Community participation in two vaccination trials in slums of Kolkata, India: A multi-level analysis

This study aims at understanding the individual and community-level characteristics that influenced par-ticipation in two consecutive vaccine trials (typhoid and cholera) in urban slums of Kolkata, India. The study area was divided into 80 geographic clusters (communities), with 59, 533 subjects aged 65 2 years for analysis. A multi-level model was employed in which the individuals were seen nested within the cluster. Rates of participation in both the trials were nearly the same; those who participated in the initial trial were likely to participate in the subsequent cholera vaccine trial. Communities with predominantly Hindu population, lower percentage of households with an educated household head, or lower percentage of households owning a motorbike had higher participation than their counterparts. At individual scale, higher participation was observed among younger subjects, females, and individuals from households with a household head who had no or minimal education. Geographic patterns were also observed in participa-tion in the trials. The results illustrated that participation in the trial was mostly influenced by various indi-vidual and community-level factors, which need to be addressed for a successful vaccination campaign