Understanding Organics at the Grassroots Level: An analysis of Ecuadorian and Canadian perceptions

There is a growing public concern over the genetic alteration and use of chemicals in conventionally produced agriculture. The perceived risk of such agricultural production has prompted the rising popularity of organic alternatives in both developed and developing nations. These products are defined by their reliance on traditional means that do not require the use of harmful chemicals or pesticides in their production. The organic movement in South America has been defined not only by perceived risks, but also by a desire to preserve traditional ways of life. This is accomplished through grants and funding to indigenous farmers in these regions, allowing them to continue their practice. By interviewing a number of individuals in Ecuador and Canada involved in three levels of the organic process (consumers, distributors, and producers) this study determined common cultural and intercultural conceptions of organic practices. These findings were then related to a number of recommendations for three distinct systems (small-scale farming, free trade, and certification) that are currently relevant to the organic movement

Deconstruction over Demolition: Manasc Isaac Architects a case study

This photographic documentary examines everyday activism through the lens of sustainable construction. There are many misconceptions about the construction industry and its impact on the environment. Focusing on the Edmonton-based architectural firm Manasc Isaac, this project aims to define sustainable development and explore the procedures practiced in this specific industry by using photography to bring awareness to forward-thinking architectural processes

A Novel Modeling Approach to Stochastically Evaluate the Impact of Pore Network Geometry, Chemistry and Topology on Fluid Transport

Fine-grained sandstones, siltstones, and shales have become increasingly important to satisfy the ever-growing global energy demands. Of particular current interest are shale rocks, which are mudstones made up of organic and inorganic constituents of varying pore sizes. These materials exhibit high heterogeneity, low porosity, varying chemical composition and low pore connectivity. Due to the complexity and the importance of such materials, many experimental, theoretical and computational eforts have attempted to quantify the impact of rock features on fuids difusivity and ultimately on permeability. In this study, we introduce a stochastic kinetic Monte Carlo approach developed to simulate fuid transport. The features of this approach allow us to discuss the applicability of 2D vs 3D models for the calculation of transport properties. It is found that a successful model should consider realistic 3D pore networks consisting of pore bodies that communicate via pore throats, which however requires a prohibitive amount of computational resources. To overcome current limitations, we present a rigorous protocol to stochastically generate synthetic 3D pore networks in which pore features can be isolated and varied systematically and individually. These synthetic networks do not correspond to real sample scenarios but are crucial to achieve a systematic evaluation of the pore features on the transport properties. Using this protocol, we quantify the contribution of the pore network’s connectivity, porosity, mineralogy, and pore throat width distribution on the difusivity of supercritical methane. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to rank the signifcance of the various network features on methane difusivity. Connectivity is found to be the most important descriptor, followed by pore throat width distribution and porosity. Based on such insights, recommendations are provided on possible technological approaches to enhance fuid transport through shale rocks and equally complex pore networks. The purpose of this work is to identify the signifcance of various pore network characteristics using a stochastic KMC algorithm to simulate the transport of fuids. Our fndings could be relevant for applications that make use of porous media, ranging from catalysis to radioactive waste management, and from environmental remediation to shale gas production

A Point Mutation in the Transcriptional Repressor PerR Results in a Constitutive Oxidative Stress Response in Clostridioides difficile 630(delta)Derm

The human pathogen Clostridioides difficile has evolved into the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea. The bacterium is capable of spore formation, which even allows survival of antibiotic treatment. Although C. difficile features an anaerobic lifestyle, we determined a remarkably high oxygen tolerance of the laboratory reference strain 630Δerm. A mutation of a single nucleotide (single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]) in the DNA sequence (A to G) of the gene encoding the regulatory protein PerR results in an amino acid substitution (Thr to Ala) in one of the helices of the helix-turn-helix DNA binding domain of this transcriptional repressor in C. difficile 630Δerm. PerR is a sensor protein for hydrogen peroxide and controls the expression of genes involved in the oxidative stress response. We show that PerR of C. difficile 630Δerm has lost its ability to bind the promoter region of PerR-controlled genes. This results in a constitutive derepression of genes encoding oxidative stress proteins such as a rubrerythrin (rbr1) whose mRNA abundance under anaerobic conditions was increased by a factor of about 7 compared to its parental strain C. difficile 630. Rubrerythrin repression in strain 630Δerm could be restored by the introduction of PerR from strain 630. The permanent oxidative stress response of C. difficile 630Δerm observed here should be considered in physiological and pathophysiological investigations based on this widely used model strain

The metalloproteinase ADAM10 requires its activity to sustain surface expression

The metalloproteinase ADAM10 critically contributes to development, inflammation, and cancer and can be controlled by endogenous or synthetic inhibitors. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that loss of proteolytic activity of ADAM10 by either inhibition or loss of function mutations induces removal of the protease from the cell surface and the whole cell. This process is temperature dependent, restricted to mature ADAM10, and associated with an increased internalization, lysosomal degradation, and release of mature ADAM10 in extracellular vesicles. Recovery from this depletion requires de novo synthesis. Functionally, this is reflected by loss and recovery of ADAM10 substrate shedding. Finally, ADAM10 inhibition in mice reduces systemic ADAM10 levels in different tissues. Thus, ADAM10 activity is critically required for its surface expression in vitro and in vivo. These findings are crucial for development of therapeutic ADAM10 inhibition strategies and may showcase a novel, physiologically relevant mechanism of protease removal due to activity loss

INSPEÇÃO PERIÓDICA DE PULVERIZADORES NA REGIÃO DO ALTO VALE DO ITAJAÍ

O agricultor atual necessita cada vez mais de tecnologias em suas máquinas e implementos agrícolas, os quais podem ser variados, como, por exemplo, os pulverizadores de barras do tipo montado, que estão cada vez mais em uso por facilitar as pulverizações para pequenas e médias propriedades. A importância de avaliar o estado dos pulverizadores e suas calibrações está em viabilizar o controle fitossanitário, diminuindo o risco de impacto ambiental e desperdícios, e, consequentemente, os custos de produção. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o estado de pulverizadores na Região do Alto Vale do Itajaí em propriedades agrícolas na Região e no Instituto Federal Catarinense – Câmpus Rio do Sul, identificando o estado atual de conservação e uso dos pulverizadores na agricultura, podendo ajudar em novos investimentos para uma manutenção e uso adequados destes equipamentos, para contribuir com a redução de custos e contaminação ambiental, devido ao menor consumo e menores perdas, associados a uma maior eficiência das pulverizações. Na avaliação final, obteve-se como resultado que 87,5% dos pulverizadores inspecionados estavam inadequados para o uso, sendo que 30% dos destes apresentaram vazamentos nas pontas, 25% apresentaram mangueiras inadequadas ou danificadas, 75% estavam sem proteção nas partes móveis, 25% apresentaram filtros sujos e ou rasgados e 37,5% estavam com o espaçamento entre pontas inadequado

Using shotgun sequence data to find active restriction enzyme genes

Whole genome shotgun sequence analysis has become the standard method for beginning to determine a genome sequence. The preparation of the shotgun sequence clones is, in fact, a biological experiment. It determines which segments of the genome can be cloned into Escherichia coli and which cannot. By analyzing the complete set of sequences from such an experiment, it is possible to identify genes lethal to E. coli. Among this set are genes encoding restriction enzymes which, when active in E. coli, lead to cell death by cleaving the E. coli genome at the restriction enzyme recognition sites. By analyzing shotgun sequence data sets we show that this is a reliable method to detect active restriction enzyme genes in newly sequenced genomes, thereby facilitating functional annotation. Active restriction enzyme genes have been identified, and their activity demonstrated biochemically, in the sequenced genomes of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, Bacillus cereus ATCC 10987 and Methylococcus capsulatus

Removal of PCR Error Products and Unincorporated Primers by Metal-Chelate Affinity Chromatography

Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) has been used for decades to purify proteins on the basis of amino acid content, especially surface-exposed histidines and “histidine tags” genetically added to recombinant proteins. We and others have extended the use of IMAC to purification of nucleic acids via interactions with the nucleotide bases, especially purines, of single-stranded RNA and DNA. We also have demonstrated the purification of plasmid DNA from contaminating genomic DNA by IMAC capture of selectively-denatured genomic DNA. Here we describe an efficient method of purifying PCR products by specifically removing error products, excess primers, and unincorporated dNTPs from PCR product mixtures using flow-through metal-chelate affinity adsorption. By flowing a PCR product mixture through a Cu2+-iminodiacetic acid (IDA) agarose spin column, 94–99% of the dNTPs and nearly all the primers can be removed. Many of the error products commonly formed by Taq polymerase also are removed. Sequencing of the IMAC-processed PCR product gave base-calling accuracy comparable to that obtained with a commercial PCR product purification method. The results show that IMAC matrices (specifically Cu2+-IDA agarose) can be used for the purification of PCR products. Due to the generality of the base-specific mechanism of adsorption, IMAC matrices may also be used in the purification of oligonucleotides, cDNA, mRNA and micro RNAs

Prospective randomized study comparing the Teleflex Medical SaphLITE Retractor to the Ethicon CardioVations Clearglide Endoscopic System

BACKGROUND: Several minimally invasive saphenous vein harvesting techniques have been developed to reduce morbidities associated with coronary artery bypass grafting. This prospective, randomized study was designed to compare two commonly used minimally invasive saphenous vein harvesting techniques, the SaphLITE Retractor System (Teleflex Medical) and the Clearglide Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting System (Ethicon CardioVations, Inc.). METHODS: Between January 2003 and March 2004, a total of 200 patients scheduled for primary, nonemergent coronary artery bypass grafting, with or without concomitant procedures were randomized into two groups: SaphLITE (n = 100) and Clearglide (n = 100). Pre-, intra- and postoperative data was collected and subjected to statistical analysis. Randomization provided homogenous groups with respect to preoperative risk factors. RESULTS: Harvest location for the SaphLITE group was thigh (n = 40), lower leg (n = 5) and both lower leg and thigh (n = 55). The location of harvest for the Clearglide group was thigh (n = 3), lower leg (n = 16) and both lower leg and thigh (n = 81). The mean incision length was 3.6 cm (range, 2–6) in the SaphLITE group versus 2.1 cm (range, 1–4) in the Clearglide group (p < 0.05). The total incision length was 12.9 cm versus 8.9 (p < 0.05) in the SaphLITE and Clearglide groups. Conversion to the open technique occurred in 5 SaphLITE patients and 7 Clearglide patients. Intraoperative leg exploration for bleeding occurred in two of the Clearglide patients and none of the SaphLITE patients. Post-operative complications specifically related to minimally invasive harvesting technique, including a two-week post-discharge visit, were not statistically different between the groups. CONCLUSION: The saphenous vein can be safely harvested utilizing the SaphLITE and Clearglide systems. While the Clearglide system allows for fewer incisions (number and length) and less harvest time, these benefits may be outweighed by the increased cost of the Clearglide system compared to the SaphLITE retractor