BIODEGRADATION OF TOLUENE HYDROCARBON BY A PSEUDOMONAS SP. ISOLATED FROM GASOLINE CONTAMINATED SOIL

ABSTRACT: In the present study efforts were made to isolate and characterize bacteria capable of aerobic biodegradation of toluene hydrocarbon from gasoline polluted soil. After initial screening, 28 different strains were isolated from soil samples and the most promising strain was selected for toluene degradation study. Biochemical and morphological characterization classified the bacterial strains selected as Pseudomonas sp. and was designated Pseudomonas sp. SBCT-17. The spectrophotometric determination of toluene monoxygenase activity, using horseradish preoxydase (HRP) assay showed 0.248 U/ml enzyme activity at 420 nm. The results obtained from enzyme assay and FT-IR degradation analysis in this study confirms that the Pseudomonas sp. SBCT-17 is an efficient strain capable of biodegrading toluene hydrocarbon

The use of tools of data mining to decision making in engineering education—A systematic mapping study

In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of theoretical and applied research that has focused on educational data mining. The learning analytics is a discipline that uses techniques, methods, and algorithms that allow the user to discover and extract patterns in stored educational data, with the purpose of improving the teaching‐learning process. However, there are many requirements related to the use of new technologies in teaching‐learning processes that are practically unaddressed from the learning analytics. In an analysis of the literature, the existence of a systematic revision of the application of learning analytics in the field of engineering education is not evident. The study described in this article provides researchers with an overview of the progress made to date and identifies areas in which research is missing. To this end, a systematic mapping study has been carried out, oriented toward the classification of publications that focus on the type of research and the type of contribution. The results show a trend toward case study research that is mainly directed at software and computer science engineering. Furthermore, trends in the application of learning analytics are highlighted in the topics, such as student retention or dropout prediction, analysis of academic student data, student learning assessment and student behavior analysis. Although this systematic mapping study has focused on the application of learning analytics in engineering education, some of the results can also be applied to other educational areas

Radiogenomic Mapping of Edema/Cellular Invasion MRI-Phenotypes in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Despite recent discoveries of new molecular targets and pathways, the search for an effective therapy for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) continues. A newly emerged field, radiogenomics, links gene expression profiles with MRI phenotypes. MRI-FLAIR is a noninvasive diagnostic modality and was previously found to correlate with cellular invasion in GBM. Thus, our radiogenomic screen has the potential to reveal novel molecular determinants of invasion. Here, we present the first comprehensive radiogenomic analysis using quantitative MRI volumetrics and large-scale gene- and microRNA expression profiling in GBM.Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), discovery and validation sets with gene, microRNA, and quantitative MR-imaging data were created. Top concordant genes and microRNAs correlated with high FLAIR volumes from both sets were further characterized by Kaplan Meier survival statistics, microRNA-gene correlation analyses, and GBM molecular subtype-specific distribution.The top upregulated gene in both the discovery (4 fold) and validation (11 fold) sets was PERIOSTIN (POSTN). The top downregulated microRNA in both sets was miR-219, which is predicted to bind to POSTN. Kaplan Meier analysis demonstrated that above median expression of POSTN resulted in significantly decreased survival and shorter time to disease progression (P<0.001). High POSTN and low miR-219 expression were significantly associated with the mesenchymal GBM subtype (P<0.0001).Here, we propose a novel diagnostic method to screen for molecular cancer subtypes and genomic correlates of cellular invasion. Our findings also have potential therapeutic significance since successful molecular inhibition of invasion will improve therapy and patient survival in GBM

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

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Molecular cloning and expression of TB antigen protein in microalga <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i>

350-355Microalgae based therapeutics has had great success over the last few years. Although biotechnological processes based on transgenic microalgae are still in its infancy, researchers and companies are considering their high potential as bioreactors for drug development. In the present study, an efficient and reproducible protocol for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation and regeneration of microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with esxH gene of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv under the control of CaMV 35S<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> promoter has been developed. C. reinhardtii strain CC-125 was transformed with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A. tumefaciens strain LBA 4404, harbouring the binary vector pCAMBIA 1304 containing the sequence coding for hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) as the selectable marker gene, β-glucuronidase (GUS) as the reporter gene and the sequence encoding 10 kDa T-cell antigen (esxH) of M. tuberculosis. The transformation event was confirmed by PCR amplification with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">hpt, GUS and esxH gene-specific primers. Expression of esxH gene in transgenic Chlamydomonas was confirmed through RT-PCR. In future, this microalgal expression system can be used to meet the ever growing need for therapeutic proteins by the pharmaceutical industries

First Report of Tetragonula calophyllae Shanas & Faseeh 2019 (Apidae: Apinae: Meliponini) from Goa State, India

The occurrence of Tetragonula calophyllae Shanas &amp; Faseeh 2019, in Goa state, India, is reported for the first time. Morphometric comparison between T. calophyllae workers from Goa and Type series are provided along with comments on the external nest entrance. The need for developing baseline database on species distribution is stressed for developing policies for conservation planning and climate adaptation strategies for future

An approach for optimizing the shell thickness of core-shell quantum dots using photoinduced charge transfer

Photoinduced charge-transfer dynamics between CdSe quantum dots (QDs) possessing varying monolayers of ZnS and hole scavengers such as phenothiazine (PT) and N-methylphenothiazine (NMPT) were investigated for optimizing the shell thickness of core-shell quantum dots. Spectroscopic investigations indicate that phenothiazine binds onto the surface of bare CdSe QDs, resulting in the photoluminescence quenching, and two monolayers of ZnS prevent the electron-transfer process. Methodologies presented here can provide quantitative information on the optimum shell thickness of core-shell QDs, which can suppress the undesired electron transfer and provide maximum luminescence yield