243 research outputs found
Phacoemulsification Versus Peripheral Iridotomy in the Management of Chronic Primary Angle Closure: Long-Term Follow-Up
Primary angle closure occurs as a result of crowded anterior segment anatomy, causing appositional contact between the peripheral iris and trabecular meshwork, thereby obstructing aqueous outflow. Several studies highlight the role of the crystalline lens in its pathogenesis. The objective of this work is to compare the long-term efficacy of phacoemulsification versus laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) in the management of chronic primary angle closure (CPAC). Prospective case-control study with 30 eyes of 30 patients randomly divided in two groups: 15 eyes in the LPI group and 15 eyes in the IOL group. Patients in the LPI group underwent LPI using argon and Nd:YAG laser. Patients in the IOL group underwent phacoemulsification with posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Examinations before and after the procedure included gonioscopy, Goldmann applanation tonometry, and anterior chamber evaluation using the Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug camera. The mean follow-up time was 31.13 ± 4.97 months. There was a statistically significant reduction in the intraocular pressure (IOP) and number of anti-glaucoma medications (p < 0.01) only in the IOL group. Anterior chamber depth, angle, and volume were all higher in the IOL group (p < 0.01) at the end of the follow-up period. Phacoemulsification with posterior chamber IOL implantation results in a higher anterior chamber depth, angle, and volume, when compared to LPI. Consequently, phacoemulsification has greater efficacy in lowering IOP and preventing its long-term increase in patients with CPAC and cataract
Selection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for efficient very high gravity bio-ethanol fermentation processes
An optimized very high gravity (VHG)
glucose medium supplemented with low cost nutrient
sources was used to evaluate bio-ethanol production
by 11 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. The industrial
strains PE-2 and CA1185 exhibited the best
overall fermentation performance, producing an ethanol
titre of 19.2% (v/v) corresponding to a batch
productivity of 2.5 g l-1 h-1, while the best laboratory
strain (CEN.PK 113-7D) produced 17.5% (v/v)
ethanol with a productivity of 1.7 g l-1 h-1. The
results presented here emphasize the biodiversity
found within S. cerevisiae species and that naturally
adapted strains, such as PE-2 and CA1185, are likely
to play a key role in facilitating the transition from
laboratory technological breakthroughs to industrialscale
bio-ethanol fermentations.Fundação para a CiĂȘncia e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PTDC/BIO/66151/2006, SFRH/
BD/64776/2009, SFRH/BPD/44328/
200
TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives
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Uncertainties in steric sea level change estimation during the satellite altimeter era: concepts and practices
This article presents a review of current practice in estimating steric sea level change, focussed on the treatment of uncertainty. Steric sea level change is the contribution to the change in sea level arising from the dependence of density on temperature and salinity. It is a significant component of sea level rise and a reflection of changing ocean heat content. However tracking these steric changes remains still a significant challenge for the scientific community. We review the importance of understanding the uncertainty in estimates of steric sea level change. Relevant concepts of uncertainty are discussed and illustrated with the example of observational uncertainty propagation from a single profile of temperature and salinity measurements to steric height. We summarise and discuss the recent literature on methodologies and techniques used to estimate steric sea level in the context of the treatment of uncertainty. Our conclusions are that progress in quantifying steric sea level uncertainty will benefit from: greater clarity and transparency in published discussions of uncertainty, including exploitation of international standards for quantifying and expressing uncertainty in measurement; and the development of community ârecipesâ for quantifying the error covariances in observations and from sparse sampling, and for estimating and propagating uncertainty across spatio-temporal scales
Expression variability of co-regulated genes differentiates Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains
Background: Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Bakerâs yeast) is found in diverse ecological niches and is characterized by
high adaptive potential under challenging environments. In spite of recent advances on the study of yeast
genome diversity, little is known about the underlying gene expression plasticity. In order to shed new light onto
this biological question, we have compared transcriptome profiles of five environmental isolates, clinical and
laboratorial strains at different time points of fermentation in synthetic must medium, during exponential and
stationary growth phases.
Results: Our data unveiled diversity in both intensity and timing of gene expression. Genes involved in glucose
metabolism and in the stress response elicited during fermentation were among the most variable. This gene
expression diversity increased at the onset of stationary phase (diauxic shift). Environmental isolates showed lower
average transcript abundance of genes involved in the stress response, assimilation of nitrogen and vitamins, and
sulphur metabolism, than other strains. Nitrogen metabolism genes showed significant variation in expression
among the environmental isolates.
Conclusions: Wild type yeast strains respond differentially to the stress imposed by nutrient depletion, ethanol
accumulation and cell density increase, during fermentation of glucose in synthetic must medium. Our results
support previous data showing that gene expression variability is a source of phenotypic diversity among closely
related organisms.Fundação para a CiĂȘncia e TecnologiaThe authors wish to thank Adega Cooperativa da Bairrada, Cantanhede,
Portugal, for providing the commercial strains
Expression of Trichoderma reesei cellulases CBHI and EGI in Ashbya gossypii
To explore the potential of Ashbya gossypii as a
host for the expression of recombinant proteins and to
assess whether protein secretion would be more similar to
the closely related Saccharomyces cerevisiae or to other
filamentous fungi, endoglucanase I (EGI) and cellobiohydrolase
I (CBHI) from the fungus Trichoderma reesei were
successfully expressed in A. gossypii from plasmids
containing the two micron sequences from S. cerevisiae,
under the S. cerevisiae PGK1 promoter. The native signal
sequences of EGI and CBHI were able to direct the
secretion of EGI and CBHI into the culture medium in A.
gossypii. Although CBHI activity was not detected using 4-
methylumbelliferyl-ÎČ-D-lactoside as substrate, the protein
was detected by Western blot using monoclonal antibodies.
EGI activity was detectable, the specific activity being
comparable to that produced by a similar EGI producing S.
cerevisiae construct. More EGI was secreted than CBHI, or
more active protein was produced. Partial characterization
of CBHI and EGI expressed in A. gossypii revealed
overglycosylation when compared with the native T. reesei
proteins, but the glycosylation was less extensive than on
cellulases expressed in S. cerevisiae.Fundação para a CiĂȘncia e a Tecnologia (FCT
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