Exploring the transcriptome of non-model oleaginous microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta through high-throughput sequencing and high performance computing

GO analysis list. (DOCX 92 kb

Medical Image Contrast Enhancement via Wavelet Homomorphic Filtering Transform

A novel enhancement algorithm for magnetic resonance (MR) images based on spatial homomorphic filtering transform is proposed in this paper. By this method, the source image is decomposed into different sub-images by dyadic wavelet transform. Homomorphic filtering functions are applied in performing filtering of corresponding sub-band images to attenuate the low frequencies as well as amplify the high frequencies, and a linear adjustment is carried out on the low frequency of the highest level. Later, inverse dyadic wavelet transform is applied to reconstruct the object image. Experiment results on MR images illustrate that the proposed method can eliminate non-uniformity luminance distribution effectively, some subtle tissues can be improved effectually, and some weak sections have not been smoothed by the novel method.

Penerapan Business Process Analysis Pada Proses Produksi Untuk Mendukung Tercapainya Cost Efficiency Pada PT. X Di Surabaya

Perkembangan teknologi dan ekonomi yang berkesinambungan terus memacu bertambahnya jumlah pesaing yang mengakibatkan badan usaha saling berlomba untuk dapat mencapai tujuannya dalam memenangkan persaingan. Badan usaha harus menyiapkan diri untuk beradaptasi dalam memenuhi kebutuhan konsumen dengan memberikan nilai tambah bagi konsumen, sehingga konsumen tidak berpindah ke pesaing lain. Badan usaha diharapkan dapat menghasilkan produk yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan dan keinginan konsumen serta produk yang berkualitas karena untuk mempertahankan konsumen lama jauh lebih sulit jika dibandingakan dengan mencari konsumen yang baru. Selain marnperhatikan kualitas produk, masalah harga juga perlu mendapat perhatian karena menyangkut tingkat efisiensi yang terjadi dalarn badan usaha. Efisiensi ini juga merupakan salah satu keunggulan bersaing yang dapat diterapkan pada aktivitas-aktivitas operasional maupun non operasional dalarn badan usaha. Pada skripsi ini hanya difokuskan pada aktivitas produksi yang dimulai dari pengembangan desain produk sampai penyimpanan barang jadi di gudang. Badan usaha "X" bergerak di bidang produksi kemasan botol plastik yang nantinya digunakan untuk mengemas produk yang dihasilkan oleh customernya. Dalam memproduksi kemasan botol plastik, badan usaha "X" membagi tugas tersebut berdasarkan fungsional. Setiap permasalahan yang terjadi dalam suatu bagian tertentu merupakan tanggung jawab dari fungsi tersebut, sehingga dapat menyebabkan timbulnya disfunctional behaviour yang dapat merugikan tujuan badan usaha secara keseluruhan. Untuk mendapatkan penyelesaian masalah yang optimal maka badan usaha harus mengubah cara pandang yang fungsional dengan cara mengidentifikasikan aktivitas-aktivitas yang menyebabkan timbulnya permasalahan dan kemudian melakukan rencana perbaikan

Bioactive Compounds Isolated from Marine Bacterium Vibrio neocaledonicus and Their Enzyme Inhibitory Activities

© 2019 Natural Product Incorporation. All Rights Reserved. This study is focused on the isolation and characterization of bioactive secondary metabolites from the ethanolic extract of stems of the Panamanian plant Talisia nervosa Radlk, through a series of target-based cellular assays related to the metabolic syndrome (MetS): A combination of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), hypercholesterolemia, inflammation, and obesity. Bioassay guided fractionation allowed the isolation of four known compounds: (-)-catechin (1), methyl gallate (2), ethyl gallate (3), and ß-D-glucopyranose,1,4,6-tris(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate) (4). This is the first report of (-)-catechin (1) and ß-Dglucopyranose, 1,4,6-tris (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate) (4) from T. nervosa. Among the isolates, 1 activated PPARγ, but had no effect on PPARα. Compounds 2 - 4 activated PPARα, PPARγ and LXR. Interestingly, 2 was stronger than 3 towards all three targets. Methyl gallate (2) showed the most potent effect toward both PPARα and PPARγ with an increase of 3.0 and 13-fold, respectively, while 4 was most potent in activating LXR with a fold induction of 5.3 at concentrations of 100 μg/mL. The nitric oxide (NO) production was reduced by compounds 2 and 3 with IC50 values of 7.0 and 7.5 μg/mL, respectively. ß-Dglucopyranose, 1,4,6-tris (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate) (4) did not cause a significant increase in adipogenesis despite its strong PPARγ agonistic action (8.6-fold increase) and may represent a good candidate for the treatment of MetS without the undesirable side effect of weight gain

Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Singapore

10.3201/eid1102.040782Emerging Infectious Diseases112341-34

Calpain inhibition rescues troponin T3 fragmentation, increases Cav1.1, and enhances skeletal muscle force in aging sedentary mice

Loss of strength in human and animal models of aging can be partially attributed to a well-recognized decrease in muscle mass; however, starting at middle-age, the normalized force (force/muscle cross-sectional area) in the knee extensors and single muscle fibers declines in a curvilinear manner. Strength is lost faster than muscle mass and is a more consistent risk factor for disability and death. Reduced expression of the voltage sensor Ca2+ channel α1 subunit (Cav1.1) with aging leads to excitation-contraction uncoupling, which accounts for a significant fraction of the decrease in skeletal muscle function. We recently reported that in addition to its classical cytoplasmic location, fast skeletal muscle troponin T3 (TnT3) is fragmented in aging mice, and both full-length TnT3 (FL-TnT3) and its carboxyl-terminal (CT-TnT3) fragment shuttle to the nucleus. Here, we demonstrate that it regulates transcription of Cacna1s, the gene encoding Cav1.1. Knocking down TnT3 in vivo downregulated Cav1.1. TnT3 downregulation or overexpression decreased or increased, respectively, Cacna1s promoter activity, and the effect was ablated by truncating the TnT3 nuclear localization sequence. Further, we mapped the Cacna1s promoter region and established the consensus sequence for TnT3 binding to Cacna1s promoter. Systemic administration of BDA-410, a specific calpain inhibitor, prevented TnT3 fragmentation, and Cacna1s and Cav1.1 downregulation and improved muscle force generation in sedentary old mice.Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plat

Impairment of left atrial function and cryptogenic stroke : potential insights in the pathophysiology of stroke in the young

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality with a significant percentage classified as cryptogenic. Left atrial (LA) remodelling, a substrate for atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke development, may play a role in identification of the aetiology of cryptogenic stroke. We aimed to examine LA function to gain mechanistic insights into the pathophysiology of cryptogenic stroke in young patients otherwise at low risk for cardiovascular disease. Methods: Patients aged <60 years without traditional cardiovascular risk factors and who were diagnosed with ischaemic cryptogenic stroke or TIA were evaluated and compared to healthy controls and patients with paroxysmal AF with a CHA2DS2-VA score of 0. Conventional and novel left ventricular (LV) and LA echocardiographic parameters between the three groups were assessed. Results: Each group consisted of thirty patients. There were no significant differences in LV parameters (LVEF, LV endoGLS) between groups. LA strain in stroke patients was significantly lower compared to the controls (median 33%; interquartile range (IQ) [32/39] vs 31 [27/34]; p = 0.008). LA strain was significantly lower in AF patients compared to stroke patients (median 21% [19/22] vs 31% [27/34]; p < 0.0001). Conclusion: A stepwise reduction in measures of LA function was appreciated between controls, young stroke and paroxysmal AF groups. This may indicate dynamic LA remodelling occurring in the young stroke population and suggest a shared causal mechanism for stroke development in this group. LA strain may further refine the risk for cardioembolic stroke

Bioengineered ‘golden’ indica rice cultivars with β-carotene metabolism in the endosperm with hygromycin and mannose selection systems

Vitamin-A deficiency (VAD) is a major malnutrition problem in South Asia, where indica rice is the staple food. Indica-type rice varieties feed more than 2 billion people. Hence, we introduced a combination of transgenes using the biolistic system of transformation enabling biosynthesis of provitamin A in the endosperm of several indica rice cultivars adapted to diverse ecosystems of different countries. The rice seed-specific glutelin promoter (Gt-1 P) was used to drive the expression of phytoene synthase (psy), while lycopene β-cyclase (lcy) and phytoene desaturase (crtI), fused to the transit peptide sequence of the pea-Rubisco small subunit, were driven by the constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus promoter (CaMV35S P). Transgenic plants were recovered through selection with either CaMV35S P driven hph (hygromycin phosphotransferase) gene or cestrum yellow leaf curling virus promoter (CMP) driven pmi (phophomannose isomerase) gene. Molecular and biochemical analyses demonstrated stable integration and expression of the transgenes. The yellow colour of the polished rice grain evidenced the carotenoid accumulation in the endosperm. The colour intensity correlated with the estimated carotenoid content by spectrophotometric and HPLC analysis. Carotenoid level in cooked polished seeds was comparable (with minor loss of xanthophylls) to that in non-cooked seeds of the same transgenic line. The variable segregation pattern in T1 selfing generation indicated single to multiple loci insertion of the transgenes in the genome. This is the first report of using nonantibiotic pmi driven by a novel promoter in generating transgenic indica rice for possible future use in human nutrition