Performance Evaluation of the New Environmentally Friendly Additive for Enhanced Fluid Loss and Rheological Properties of Drilling Fluid

Environmental protection during drilling is necessary for onshore oil and gas development. With the available additives, it is impossible to design a drilling fluid system that is both efficient and environmentally friendly. Nevertheless, due to their high cost and complicated manufacturing procedure, several environmentally friendly drilling fluid additives cannot be utilised widely. This study used broad bean peel powder (BBPP) as a drilling fluid additive to improve drilling fluid performance. All the necessary experimental tests for rheology and filtration were conducted in an ambient condition. According to the results, BBPP reduced the drilling fluid's alkalinity by 10–39% and enhanced its rheological characteristics (plastic viscosity, gel strength). However, the BBPP had a negligible effect on other properties, including mud weight and yield point. Furthermore, adding fine (FBBPP) and Medium (MBBPP) broad bean peel powder improved the filtration properties of the reference mud. However, FBBPP was more effective in reducing the filter cake thickness and fluid loss from 1.75 mm and 20.4 mL to 1.0 mm and 13.3 mL, respectively. The ability of BBPP to improve rheological properties and decrease filtration properties makes them beneficial to a successful drilling operation

Data from: Evolution of the plastid genomes in diatoms

Diatoms are a monophyletic group of eukaryotic, single-celled heterokont algae. Despite years of phylogenetic research, relationships among major groups of diatoms remain uncertain. Here we assess diatom phylogenetic relationships using the plastid genome (plastome). The 22 previously published diatom plastomes showed variable genome size, gene content and extensive rearrangement. We report another 18 diatom plastome sequences ranging in size from 119,120 to 201,816 bp. Plagiogramma staurophorum had the largest plastome sequenced so far due to large inverted repeats and a 2971 bp group II intron insertion in petD. The previously reported loss of psaE, psaI and psaM genes in Rhizosolenia imbricata also occurred in the closely related species Rhizosolenia fallax. In the largest genome-scale phylogeny yet published for diatoms based on 103 shared plastid-coding genes from 40 diatoms and Triparma laevis as the outgroup, Leptocylindrus was recovered as sister to the remaining diatoms and the clade of Attheya plus Biddulphia was recovered as sister to pennate diatoms, strongly rejecting monophyly of two of the three proposed classes of diatoms. Our study also revealed extensive gene loss and a strong positive correlation between sequence divergence and gene order change in diatom plastomes

Gene expression profiling to elucidate the pharmacological and toxicological effects of Ricinus communis L. leaf extract in mammalian cells

Ricinus communis is a traditional medicinal plant which has been utilized for centuries for treatment of various conditions. Due to the presence of diverse phytochemicals, Ricinus is an outstanding natural resource to discover new drugs for various diseases such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis, ulcer and asthma. In this study, we performed whole-genome gene expression profiling using RNA-Seq to determine the differentially expressed genes in a mammalian cell line after exposure to Ricinus leaf extract and elucidate their pharmacological effects in order to support its ethnomedicinal uses. Various genes involved in cancer, inflammation, atherosclerosis and diabetes were found to be differentially regulated after exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of the Ricinus extract in MCF7 cells. An important gene involved in cancer progression and metastasis, that is, PIK3R3 (Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit gamma), was downregulated in MCF7 cells after treatment with Ricinus extract. PIK3R3 is an important component of the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway which is essential for cell proliferation, angiogenesis, inhibition of apoptosis and metastasis to distant organs. The Ricinus extract downregulated the expression of DPP4 (Dipeptidyl peptidase-4) and upregulated the expression of PPAR-γ (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) which are crucial in controlling blood glucose levels. Expression of TNFAIP6 (Tumor necrosis factor-inducible gene 6), which is shown to mediate anti-inflammatory and protective effects, was increased after treatment with Ricinus extract. We also analyzed the genes which might also confer toxicity. Our gene expression profiling data corroborate the potential therapeutic benefits of Ricinus communis plant

Supplementary Information for the evolution of the plastid genomes in diatoms

This file contains supplementary information for the book chapter. Table A to G contains additional information of the genome size, genome rearrangement, and correlation between genome rearrangement etc

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KAU007 Extract Modulates Critical Virulence Attributes and Biofilm Formation in Sinusitis Causing Streptococcus pyogenes

Streptococcus pyogenes is one of the most common bacteria causing sinusitis in children and adult patients. Probiotics are known to cause antagonistic effects on S. pyogenes growth and biofilm formation. In the present study, we demonstrated the anti-biofilm and anti-virulence properties of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KAU007 against S. pyogenes ATCC 8668. The antibacterial potential of L. plantarum KAU007 metabolite extract (LME) purified from the cell-free supernatant of L. plantarum KAU007 was evaluated in terms of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC). LME was further analyzed for its anti-biofilm potential using crystal violet assay and microscopic examination. Furthermore, the effect of LME was tested on the important virulence attributes of S. pyogenes, such as secreted protease production, hemolysis, extracellular polymeric substance production, and cell surface hydrophobicity. Additionally, the impact of LME on the expression of genes associated with biofilm formation and virulence attributes was analyzed using qPCR. The results revealed that LME significantly inhibited the growth and survival of S. pyogenes at a low concentration (MIC, 9.76 µg/mL; MBC, 39.06 µg/mL). Furthermore, LME inhibited biofilm formation and mitigated the production of extracellular polymeric substance at a concentration of 4.88 μg/mL in S. pyogenes. The results obtained from qPCR and biochemical assays advocated that LME suppresses the expression of various critical virulence-associated genes, which correspondingly affect various pathogenicity markers and were responsible for the impairment of virulence and biofilm formation in S. pyogenes. The non-hemolytic nature of LME and its anti-biofilm and anti-virulence properties against S. pyogenes invoke further investigation to study the role of LME as an antibacterial agent to combat streptococcal infections

Conserved Gene Order and Expanded Inverted Repeats Characterize Plastid Genomes of Thalassiosirales

<div><p>Diatoms are mostly photosynthetic eukaryotes within the heterokont lineage. Variable plastid genome sizes and extensive genome rearrangements have been observed across the diatom phylogeny, but little is known about plastid genome evolution within order- or family-level clades. The Thalassiosirales is one of the more comprehensively studied orders in terms of both genetics and morphology. Seven complete diatom plastid genomes are reported here including four Thalassiosirales: <i>Thalassiosira weissflogii</i>, <i>Roundia cardiophora</i>, <i>Cyclotella</i> sp. WC03_2, <i>Cyclotella</i> sp. L04_2, and three additional non-Thalassiosirales species <i>Chaetoceros simplex</i>, <i>Cerataulina daemon</i>, and <i>Rhizosolenia imbricata</i>. The sizes of the seven genomes vary from 116,459 to 129,498 bp, and their genomes are compact and lack introns. The larger size of the plastid genomes of Thalassiosirales compared to other diatoms is due primarily to expansion of the inverted repeat. Gene content within Thalassiosirales is more conserved compared to other diatom lineages. Gene order within Thalassiosirales is highly conserved except for the extensive genome rearrangement in <i>Thalassiosira oceanica</i>. <i>Cyclotella nana</i>, <i>Thalassiosira weissflogii</i> and <i>Roundia cardiophora</i> share an identical gene order, which is inferred to be the ancestral order for the Thalassiosirales, differing from that of the other two <i>Cyclotella</i> species by a single inversion. The genes <i>ilvB</i> and <i>ilvH</i> are missing in all six diatom plastid genomes except for <i>Cerataulina daemon</i>, suggesting an independent gain of these genes in this species. The <i>acpP1</i> gene is missing in all Thalassiosirales, suggesting that its loss may be a synapomorphy for the order and this gene may have been functionally transferred to the nucleus. Three genes involved in photosynthesis, <i>psaE</i>, <i>psaI</i>, <i>psaM</i>, are missing in <i>Rhizosolenia imbricata,</i> which represents the first documented instance of the loss of photosynthetic genes in diatom plastid genomes.</p></div

Phaeodactylum tricornutum UTEX640. Valve biological interior (side towards the cell) from acid cleaned material.

<p>Fig 3a. Largely intact valve showing greatly thickened longitudinal costae around raphe. Fig. 3b. Central area of a broken valve showing recurved proximal raphe ends.</p

Phaeodactylum tricornutum UTEX640. Valve biological exterior (side towards the environment) from acid cleaned material.

<p>Fig 2a. Largely intact valve illustrating simple proximal endings of raphe in exterior view. Fig 2b. Broken valve in external view. 2c. Higher magnification of central area of the specimen in 2b. The arrow indicates the position of the recurved raphe ending, best seen in broken valves or in interior view.</p

Comparison of inverted repeat boundaries in the seven diatom species newly sequenced for this study plus the two previously sequenced Thalassiosirales.

<p>Tree is that of <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0107854#pone-0107854-g002" target="_blank">Figure 2</a> with previously sequenced outgroup taxa pruned for visual simplicity. The numbers in brown indicate plastid genome size; the numbers in black below each genome fragment indicate the sizes of the LSC, IR and SSC, respectively. Protein coding genes at the IR boundaries are listed in blue. Three red gene blocks are <i>rrn5</i>, <i>rns</i> and <i>rnl</i>, respectively. Names in bold are Thalassiosirales. Underscored names are for taxa newly sequenced for this study.</p