Light Converts Endosymbiotic Fungus to Pathogen, Influencing Seedling Survival and Niche-Space Filling of a Common Tropical Tree, Iriartea deltoidea

Pathogens are hypothesized to play an important role in the maintenance of tropical forest plant species richness. Notably, species richness may be promoted by incomplete filling of niche space due interactions of host populations with their pathogens. A potentially important group of pathogens are endophytic fungi, which asymptomatically colonize plants and are diverse and abundant in tropical ecosystems. Endophytes may alter competitive abilities of host individuals and improve host fitness under stress, but may also become pathogenic. Little is known of the impacts of endophytes on niche-space filling of their hosts

Re-examining the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT): Towards a Revised Theoretical Model

YesBased on a critical review of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study first formalized an alternative theoretical model for explaining the acceptance and use of information system (IS) and information technology (IT) innovations. The revised theoretical model was then empirically examined using a combination of meta-analysis and structural equation modelling (MASEM) techniques. The meta-analysis was based on 1600 observations on 21 relationships coded from 162 prior studies on IS/IT acceptance and use. The SEM analysis showed that attitude: was central to behavioural intentions and usage behaviours, partially mediated the effects of exogenous constructs on behavioural intentions, and had a direct influence on usage behaviours. A number of implications for theory and practice are derived based on the findings

Geographic variation in the aetiology, epidemiology and microbiology of bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis is a disease associated with chronic progressive and irreversible dilatation of the bronchi and is characterised by chronic infection and associated inflammation. The prevalence of bronchiectasis is age-related and there is some geographical variation in incidence, prevalence and clinical features. Most bronchiectasis is reported to be idiopathic however post-infectious aetiologies dominate across Asia especially secondary to tuberculosis. Most focus to date has been on the study of airway bacteria, both as colonisers and causes of exacerbations. Modern molecular technologies including next generation sequencing (NGS) have become invaluable tools to identify microorganisms directly from sputum and which are difficult to culture using traditional agar based methods. These have provided important insight into our understanding of emerging pathogens in the airways of people with bronchiectasis and the geographical differences that occur. The contribution of the lung microbiome, its ethnic variation, and subsequent roles in disease progression and response to therapy across geographic regions warrant further investigation. This review summarises the known geographical differences in the aetiology, epidemiology and microbiology of bronchiectasis. Further, we highlight the opportunities offered by emerging molecular technologies such as -omics to further dissect out important ethnic differences in the prognosis and management of bronchiectasis.NMRC (Natl Medical Research Council, S’pore)MOH (Min. of Health, S’pore)Published versio

<span style="font-size: 19.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black">Permeabilization and <i><span style="font-size:19.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black">in situ </span></i><span style="font-size:19.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black">adsorption studies during growth and coumarin production <span style="font-size:20.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">in<b> </b><span style="font-size:19.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black">hairy root cultures of <i><span style="font-size:19.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; color:black">Cichorium intybus </span></i><span style="font-size:19.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">L. </span></span></span></span></span>

564-571<span style="font-size: 13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";="" color:black"="">Effect of addition of a penneabilizing agent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and a solid adsorbent, XAD -7, on growth and coumarin production in hairy root cultures of <span style="font-size:13.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">C. intybus was studied. Continuous permeabilization of the hairy root cultures <span style="font-size: 13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";="" color:black"="">of  C. <span style="font-size:13.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">intybus with DMSO has been shown to be an effective strategy for enhanced release of coumarins while preserving the root viability. DMSO at 0.2 % <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt; font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">(v/v) level showed the maximum growth and coumarin production but was less as compared to control on day 28. Treatment of cells with increasing concentrations of DMSO (0.3 - 0.6 % <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt; font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">v/v) to hairy root cultures of <span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">C. <span style="font-size: 13.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";="" color:black"="">intybus, <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">showed an inverse relationship with growth and coumarin production. Growth and production of coumarins increased with 1 <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:" arial","sans-serif";color:black"="">% media filtrate (MF) of cultures of Phytopthora parasirica <span style="font-size:13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">var. <span style="font-size:13.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.5pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">nicotiana treatment. It was observed that treatment with DMSO (0.2 % <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt; font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">v/v) and 1 % <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt; font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">MF of P. parasitica <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">showed the better growth and coumarin production with an increased release of coumarins as compared to the control and other treatments. It was observed that treatment of hairy root cultures with XAD -7 resulted in lesser growth and coumarin production as compared to control during the culture period. Addition of XAD -7 along with 1 <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt; font-family:" arial","sans-serif";color:black"="">% <span style="font-size: 13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";="" color:black"="">MF of <span style="font-size:13.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">P. parasitica showed enhanced growth , coumarin production and increased adsorption as compared to control and lone XAD-7 treatment. Combined addition of DMSO I <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">XAD-7 with fungal elicitor showed synergistic response in terms of biomass and coumarin production. Excretion of coumarins in both the cases was dependent on the presence of DMSO I <span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">XAD-7. These result s showed that continuous permeabilization of hairy root cultures of C. <span style="font-size:13.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">intybus by using DMSO at 0.2 <span style="font-size:13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt;font-family:" arial","sans-serif";color:black"="">% (v/v) level coupled with 1 <span style="font-size:13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:8.0pt;font-family:" arial","sans-serif";color:black"="">% MF of <span style="font-size:13.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";color:black"="">P. parasitica maintained viability of tissues and produced coumarins at higher level. </span

Phycoremediation of carton box industry effluent using consortia of green microalgae Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. and phytotoxicity assessment

750-756Industrialization, in the environmental context, has accumulated heavy metal concentrations considerable and it is adversely affecting biological system. In order to regulate heavy metal levels from effluents before their release into the environment, treatment of the wastewaters to reduce the content is mandatory. Phycoremediation is recognized as a cost effective technology for treating industrial effluents. The present study was carried out with the carton box manufacturing industry effluent contaminated with heavy metals collected from Peenya industrial area, Bangalore to determine the phycoremediation potential of algal consortium comprising of Chlorella and Scenedesmus. Microalgal species grown in wastewater with two different concentrations (50 and 100 %) were analyzed for their influence on algae growth, biomass and protein contents. Algae treated effluent showed the reduction of total solids, total dissolved solids and total suspended solids and heavy metal levels. These results indicate the efficacy of algal consortium for phycoremediation of carton box manufacturing industry effluent