Persisters show heritable phenotype and generate bacterial heterogeneity and noise in protein expression

Persisters are a small subpopulation of bacteria that survive a lethal concentration of antibiotic without antibiotic resistance genes. Isolation of persisters from normally dividing population is considered difficult due to their slow growth, low numbers and phenotypic shift i.e. when re-grown in antibiotic free medium, they revert to parent population. Inability to isolate persisters is a major hindrance in this field of research. Here we reject the ‘phenotypic shift’ phenomenon exhibited by persisters. Persisters, on the other hand, exhibit a heritable phenotype and can be easily isolated from a normally dividing population that allows their selective growth. Rather than a single subset, they comprise many distinct subgroups each exhibiting different growth rates, colony sizes, antibiotic tolerance and protein expression levels. Clearly, they are one of the sources of bacterial heterogeneity and noise in protein expression. Existence of persisters in normally dividing population can explain some of the unsolved puzzles like antibiotic tolerance, post-antibiotic effect and viable but non-culturable bacterial state. We hypothesize that persisters are aging bacteria

Persisters show heritable phenotype and generate bacterial heterogeneity and noise in protein expression

Persisters are a small subpopulation of bacteria that survive a lethal concentration of antibiotic without antibiotic resistance genes. Isolation of persisters from normally dividing population is considered difficult due to their slow growth, low numbers and phenotypic shift i.e. when re-grown in antibiotic free medium, they revert to parent population. Inability to isolate persisters is a major hindrance in this field of research. Here we reject the ‘phenotypic shift’ phenomenon exhibited by persisters. Persisters, on the other hand, exhibit a heritable phenotype and can be easily isolated from a normally dividing population that allows their selective growth. Rather than a single subset, they comprise many distinct subgroups each exhibiting different growth rates, colony sizes, antibiotic tolerance and protein expression levels. Clearly, they are one of the sources of bacterial heterogeneity and noise in protein expression. Existence of persisters in normally dividing population can explain some of the unsolved puzzles like antibiotic tolerance, post-antibiotic effect and viable but non-culturable bacterial state. We hypothesize that persisters are aging bacteria

HEIDEGGER AND INDIAN THINKING: THE HERMENEUTIC OF A “BELONGING-TOGETHER” OF NEGATION AND AFFIRMATION

ABSTRACT: According to Heidegger the questioning of Being is unique to western philosophical tradition, however we see that the hermeneutic of Being is explicit in inter-cultural context of thinking. Understanding Brahman as “one ” and “the same ” Śankara speaks together with Heidegger the same hermeneutic of ontological monism. Due to the reason that there is no explicit terminological equivalent of the word ‘Being ’ in Śankara’s thinking, the hermeneutic of Śankara’s ontological understanding of Brahman and its distinction as “Saguna ” and “Nirguna ” are not sufficiently explored. In an inter-cultural ontological context, it is important not to insist on terminological equivalence, but to search for hermeneutic depth. Similarly Madhyamaka-Buddhism of Nāgārjuna describes the universe as totally devoid of reality, called ‘Śūnya ’ or void, which is an expression of nihilism; it is comparable to Heidegger’s observation of the concealing of Being as “nihil”. The hermeneutic of these explicit ontological characters of Being, as concealment and un-concealment allow us to discover a sabotaging brotherhood, because the nihil and something are ontologically two essential sides of the same thinking

The Performance of the Buffalo Economy Since the Great Recession

In August 2017, The Worker Institute convened high level leaders over the course of two days, around a discussion of Buffalo, NY Since the Great Recession. With presentations, panels, and a visit to the UAW Local 774, participants gained a deeper understanding of the economic restructuring that followed the Great Recession and where this large metropolitan area stands today. Here, you will find links to the resources that were presented during this two day convening

Bypassing the bust: the stability of upstate New York's housing markets during the recession

Over the past decade, the United States has seen real estate activity swing from boom to bust. But upstate New York has been largely insulated from this volatility, with metropolitan areas such as Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse even registering home price increases during the recession. An analysis of upstate housing markets over the most recent residential real estate cycle indicates that the region's relatively low incidence of nonprime mortgages and the better-than-average performance of these loans contributed to this stability.Recessions ; Real estate investment ; Subprime mortgage ; Housing - Finance ; Mortgage loans

New measures of economic growth and productivity in upstate New York

Newly available measures of GDP at the metropolitan area level now afford a more comprehensive view of regional economic activity. An analysis of upstate New York's economic performance using these measures points to below-average output growth between 2001 and 2006 along with productivity levels and productivity growth below the U.S. average. The region's performance overall, however, is somewhat better than that of many manufacturing-oriented metro areas in the Great Lakes region.Federal Reserve District, 2nd ; Productivity ; Industrial productivity - Measurement ; Gross domestic product

The role of colleges and universities in building local human capital

Colleges and universities can contribute to the economic success of a region by deepening the skills and knowledge—or human capital—of its residents. Producing graduates who join the region’s educated workforce is one way these institutions increase human capital levels. In addition, the knowledge and technologies created through research activities at area universities may not only attract new firms to a region but also help existing businesses expand and innovate. These “spillover effects” can in turn raise the region’s demand for high-skilled workers.Human capital ; Universities and colleges ; Regional economics ; Technology - Economic aspects ; Research

Small Colony Variants and Senescent Bacteria

Small colony variants (SCVs) are bacterial subpopulation that grow slowly and form smaller colonies. They have been described for a wide range of bacterial species, but most extensively studied for Staphylococci. They are considered as mutants that are auxotrophic to hemin, thiamine or thymidine. In the presence of auxotrophic agents, they revert to normal growth. They are tolerant to many antibiotics and are implicated in chronic and persistent infections. In this presentation, it is proposed that most of them are normal senescent bacteria that do not revert in the presence of auxotrophic agents. SCVs can explain the concentration dependent killing property, long post-antibiotic effect and increased resistance to aminoglycosides

Skill sets required for librarians in the post pandemic scenario: An assessment

Abstract Since December 2019, the world as a whole has been gripped under the pandemic Covid 19. The pandemic spread in such speed that countries had to shut down their all activities. Libraries are also affected a lot because of this and their clientele were restricted to approach the libraries as per the Standard Operating Protocols. When the clientele are not coming to the libraries, the library professionals have no other way, but to depend on alternative solutions to serve them. Fortunately, they had the most pragmatic solution, the ubiquitous network of networks. In the normal circumstances, to manage a library and to help the library clientele, librarians were equipped with a good number of skills. But the new normal in the post pandemic time envisages more than what they had. New skills are essential to deal with this present situation. This article identifies and explains the new sets of skills required by librarians in the post pandemic scenario