Production of tropane alkaloids in Hyoscyamus niger (black henbane) hairy roots grown in bubble-column and spray bioreactors

Hairy root cultures of Hyoscyamus niger were cultivated in shake-flasks, a bubble-column bioreactor and a hybrid bubble-column/spray bioreactor and evaluated for alkaloid production. The latter gave the highest anisodamine content (0.67 mg/g dry wt) whereas scopolamine, hyoscyamine and cuscohygrine concentrations were highest in the bubble-column reactor (5.3, 1.6 and 26.5 mg/g dry wt, respectively). Both bioreactors gave similar productivities of scopolamine (1 and 0.98 mg/l day) and cuscohygrine (5 and 5.4 mg/l day), but anisodamine productivity was 3.5-fold higher in the hybrid bioreactor (HB) (0.02 and 0.07 mg/l day, respectively). Elicitation with methyl jasmonate increased scopolamine productivity by 146 % in roots grown in the HB whereas their permeabilization with DMSO caused 4-, 5-, 25- and 28-fold increase in scopolamine, hyoscyamine, anisodamine and cuscohygrine concentrations in the growth medium. In situ extraction with Amberlite XAD-2 doubled scopolamine productivity in the hybrid reactor after 50 days

Correlation of Ki-67 and MCM-2 proliferative marker expression with grade of histological malignancy (G) in ductal breast cancers.

The study aimed at examining a relationship between expression of Ki-67 antigen and minichromosome maintenance 2 protein (MCM-2) and a grade of histological malignancy G in ductal breast cancers. The function of widely used marker of proliferation Ki-67 is still not clear. In contrast, the MCM-2 protein is well known to play an important role in controlling the cell cycle. Both proteins represent small protein molecules, which manifest nuclear expression only during cell division of normal and neoplastic cells. Their expression is noted in several malignant tumours. These studies were conducted on 56 archival paraffin blocks of ductal breast cancers. Immunohistochemical reactions were performed using monoclonal Ki-67- and MCM-2-specific antibodies. Statistical analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between expressions of two proteins (r=0.6;

Sea lice (Lepeophtherius salmonis) detection and quantification around aquaculture installations using environmental DNA

The naturally occurring ectoparasite salmon lice (Lepeophtherirus salmonis) poses a great challenge for the salmon farming industry, as well as for wild salmonids in the Northern hemisphere. To better control the infestation pressure and protect the production, there is a need to provide fish farmers with sensitive and efficient tools for rapid early detection and monitoring of the parasitic load. This can be achieved by targeting L. salmonis DNA in environmental samples. Here, we developed and tested a new L. salmonis specific DNA-based assay (qPCR assay) for detection and quantification from seawater samples using an analytical pipeline compatible with the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) for autonomous water sample analysis of gene targets. Specificity of the L. salmonis qPCR assay was demonstrated through in-silico DNA analyses covering sequences of different L. salmonis isolates. Seawater was spiked with known numbers of nauplii and copepodite free-swimming (planktonic) stages of L. salmonis to investigate the relationship with the number of marker gene copies (MGC). Finally, field samples collected at different times of the year in the vicinity of a salmon production farm in Western Norway were analyzed for L. salmonis detection and quantification. The assay specificity was high and a high correlation between MGC and planktonic stages of L. salmonis was established in the laboratory conditions. In the field, L. salmonis DNA was consequently detected, but with MGC number below that expected for one copepodite or nauplii. We concluded that only L. salmonis tissue or eDNA residues were detected. This novel study opens for a fully automatized L. salmonis DNA quantification using ESP robotic to monitor the parasitic load, but challenges remain to exactly transfer information about eDNA quantities to decisions by the farmers and possible interventions.publishedVersio

Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in deep-water subarctic sediments (Faroe-Shetland Channel)

We would like to thank Premier Oil Ltd for providing sediment samples from FSC135. We would also like to thank the chief scientist Dr George Slesser, the FRV Scotia captain and crew, and Marine Scotland scientific staff for their assistance in sediment sampling from stations FSC500 and FSC1000. This research was funded by the NERC award NE/L00819X/1. E.G. was funded by the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland), and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Bismuth modified gold nanoelectrode ensemble for stripping voltammetric determination of lead

The preparation of bismuth modified ensembles of gold nanoelectrodes (Bi-NEE) is described for the first time. Bi-NEEs are characterized and successfully applied for anodic stripping voltammetric measurement of trace Pb(II). Optimization of the experimental parameters provided low detection limits of 60 ng L−1 and 30 ng L−1 by using in-situ and ex-situ bismuth film deposition, respectively, after a 3 min accumulation step

The One Ocean Expedition: Science and Sailing for the Ocean We Want

The One Ocean Expedition (OOE) was a 20-month long circumnavigation of the globe by the Norwegian sail training vessel Statsraad Lehmkuhl, and a recognised part of the UN decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The ship was equipped with modern instrumentation to collect high-quality data on ocean physics, chemistry, and biology. Many of the data series were available in near real time from an open repository. The scientific programme was executed along the sailing route of Statsraad Lehmkuhl, with occasional stops for stationary work. The aim of the data collection on board the vessel was to improve knowledge about the state of the world's ocean with regards to the distribution and diversity of organisms, environmental status, climate, and human pressures on the marine ecosystem. Another aim of the expedition was to educate ocean scientists and strengthen ocean literacy. The main types of instrumentation are sensors that measure continuously underway including echosounder, hydrophone, temperature and salinity probes, and various instruments that collect and analyse water sampled from an inlet in the ship's hull, including for environmental DNA and microplastic. Here, we describe the scientific instrumentation onboard Statsraad Lehmkuhl and present preliminary results from the Atlantic part of the expedition. While there are many challenges to using a sail ship for scientific purposes, there are also some key benefits as the vessel is quiet and has a low footprint. Furthermore, the use of a common set of instruments and procedures across the ocean also removes an uncertainty factor when comparing data between ocean areas.The One Ocean Expedition: Science and Sailing for the Ocean We WantpublishedVersio

The One Ocean Expedition: Science and Sailing for the Ocean We Want

Source at https://www.hi.no/hi.The One Ocean Expedition (OOE) was a 20-month long circumnavigation of the globe by the Norwegian sail training vessel Statsraad Lehmkuhl, and a recognised part of the UN decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The ship was equipped with modern instrumentation to collect high-quality data on ocean physics, chemistry, and biology. Many of the data series were available in near real time from an open repository. The scientific programme was executed along the sailing route of Statsraad Lehmkuhl, with occasional stops for stationary work. The aim of the data collection on board the vessel was to improve knowledge about the state of the world's ocean with regards to the distribution and diversity of organisms, environmental status, climate, and human pressures on the marine ecosystem. Another aim of the expedition was to educate ocean scientists and strengthen ocean literacy. The main types of instrumentation are sensors that measure continuously underway including echosounder, hydrophone, temperature and salinity probes, and various instruments that collect and analyse water sampled from an inlet in the ship's hull, including for environmental DNA and microplastic. Here, we describe the scientific instrumentation onboard Statsraad Lehmkuhl and present preliminary results from the Atlantic part of the expedition. While there are many challenges to using a sail ship for scientific purposes, there are also some key benefits as the vessel is quiet and has a low footprint. Furthermore, the use of a common set of instruments and procedures across the ocean also removes an uncertainty factor when comparing data between ocean areas

Pressure and temperature effects on deep‐sea hydrocarbon‐degrading microbial communities in subarctic sediments

Funding information: Natural Environment Research Council, Grant/Award Number: NE/I023465/1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS LJP was funded through MarCRF funds for a PhD project designed by UW, JA, and AG and awarded to LJP. The crew and scientific staff of the RRS Discovery are thanked for assistance in sample collection. Kathrin Vossen and Val Johnston are thanked for assistance with hydrocarbon extractions and DNA sampling. Michael Mcgibbon and Annette Raffan are thanked for assistance with sediment characterization. DY051 and pressure chambers were funded through NERC grant no. NE/I023465/1 to UW. Evina Gontikaki was funded by the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland), and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions. DATA ACCESSIBILITY The raw sequencing data are available in the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) under the accession number PRJEB25365.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

UPRIGHT, a resilience-based intervention to promote mental well-being in schools: study rationale and methodology for a European randomized controlled trial

Background: Adolescence is crucial period for laying the foundations for healthy development and mental wellbeing. The increasing prevalence of mental disorders amongst adolescents makes promotion of mental well-being and prevention interventions at schools important. UPRIGHT (Universal Preventive Resilience Intervention Globally implemented in schools to improve and promote mental Health for Teenagers) is designed as a whole school approach (school community, students and families) to promote a culture of mental well-being and prevent mental disorders by enhancing resilience capacities. The present article aims at describing the rationale, conceptual framework, as well as methodology of implementation and evaluation of the UPRIGHT intervention.Methods: UPRIGHT project is a research and innovation project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 754919 (Duration: 48 months). The theoretical framework has been developed by an innovative and multidisciplinary approach using a co-creation process inside the UPRIGHT Consortium (involving seven institutions from Spain, Italy, Poland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland). Resulted is the UPRIGHT programme with 18 skills related to 4 components: Mindfulness, Coping, Efficacy and Social and Emotional Learning. Among the five Pan-European regions, 34 schools have been currently involved (17 control; 17 intervention) and around 6000 adolescents and their families are foreseen to participate along a 3-year period of evaluation. Effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated as a randomized controlled trial including quantitative and qualitative analysis in the five Pan-European regions representative of the cultural and socioeconomic diversity. The cost-effectiveness assessment will be performed by simulation modelling methods.Discussion: We expect a short- to medium-term improvement of mental well-being in adolescents by enhancing resilience capacities. The study may provide robust evidence on intrapersonal, familiar and social environmental resilience factors promoting positive mental well-being.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03951376. Registered 15 May 2019