The Interaction Between Phytoplankton and Bacteria in Response to Oil and Dispersant; Implications for Microbial Mutualism and Carbon Cycling

Microbial communities play a vital role at the base of the food web providing and recycling essential nutrients and carbon for larger organisms. Phytoplankton in the ocean are responsible for approximately 50% of global primary production. After phytoplankton leeching, lysis, or death, this fixed carbon can be recycled by bacterial communities. During the 2010 Deep Water Horizon (DwH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, on site researchers and responders recorded unprecedented formations of marine snow. In the presence of oil or oil plus dispersants, microbial communities also produced marine oil snow (MOS); aggregates in which oil has become entrapped. In order to determine key players in phytoplankton–bacterial interactions responding to oil spills, natural microbial communities were collected from two sites in the Gulf of Mexico, an ‘open ocean’ site near the Flower Garden Banks, and a ‘coastal’ site off the coast of Louisiana. Mesocosm tanks (~100 L) were used to examine impact of oil spill both with and without the dispersant on the microbial (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) community composition. The eukaryotic community composition was driven by the type of water mass (open ocean vs. coastal) and treatment, while the prokaryotic community composition was primarily influenced by treatment. Interactions between microbial communities were compared using statistical associations in a co-occurrence network. Key players in the interaction between phytoplankton and bacteria include putative hydrocarbon degraders (mainly Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria), especially Methylophaga, and Pseudalteromonas. The Methylophaga and Pseudalteromonas interacted with Bacillariophyceae and Dinophyceae based on water mass (open ocean vs. coastal) and treatment. Heterotrophic Paraphysomonas, and mixotrophic Dinophyceae interacted with other phytoplankton and bacteria and appeared to be especially resilient to oil spills. Bacillariophyceae dominated in the coastal experiment, and both Bacillariophyceae and Dinophyceae, which release EPS in response to stressors, were more interconnected in the dispersed oil network analysis. The interaction between microbial organisms is shaped by oil/dispersant and/or EPS production. Competition and resiliency to oil spills was also a key component in the response of Fungi and grazers. By identifying the key players in response to oil spills, further studies can elucidate the microbial response

The flavonoid constituents of Leucaena Leucocephala growning in Egypt, and their biological activity

Background: Leucaena leucocephala is native to Southern Mexico and Northern Central America, but is now naturalized throughout the tropics. The phyto-chemical data of L. leucocephala revealed the presence of terpenes, flavonoids, coumarins and sterols. Various parts of L. leucocephala have been reported to have medicinal properties.Materials and Methods: Flavonoids were isolated from the aerial parts of L. leucocephala. Antioxidant activity of the extracts and the isolated compounds was evaluated using (DPPH), as well as their cytotoxic activity using a single tumor [Ehrlish ascites carcinoma cells].Results: The flavonoidal constituents isolated from chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of the aqueous alcoholic extract of aerial parts of Leucaena leucocephala were identified as Caffeic acid, Isorhamnetin, Chrysoeriol, Isorhamnetin 3-O-galactoside, Kaempferol-3-O-rubinoside, Quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside and Luteolin-7-glucoside. Chemical structures of the isolated compounds were identified by TLC, PC and spectral techniques (UV, 1H -NMR and MS). The ethyl acetate fraction and the isolated flavonoidal compounds showed high antioxidant activity compared to Trolox (standard antioxidant compound). The different fractions and isolated compounds of Leucaena leucocephala exhibited no cytotoxic activity against Ehrlich- ascitis carcinoma cell line at the tested concentrations.Conclusion: This is the first record of the flavonoids in the aerial parts of Leucaena leucocephala (L.) except Quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside.Key words: Leucaena leucocephala., Flavonoids, Antioxidant, cytotoxic activity

Caracterização Petrográfica do Grupo Serra Grande ( Siluriano) no Estado do Tocantins, borda oeste da bacia do Parnaíba

O presente estudo baseia-se em um testemunho de sondagem perfurado na borda Oeste da bacia, tendo como principal contribuição a evolução do conhecimento estratigráfico da mesma. Propõe-se a análise petrográfica do Grupo Serra Grande (Siluriano), visando entender sua evolução diagenética, assim como a proveniência de seus sedimentos. Como resultados foram reconhecidas três petrofácies, por meio da análise de agrupamento, a qual possibilitou a identificação de rochas fonte. Esta análise proporcionou a identificação de fonte de origem metamórfica, sedimentar e provavelmente plutônica, contribuindo para a geração das rochas do Grupo Serra Grande. A partir da determinação das petrofácies foi possível quantificar a influência destas nas amostras analisadas o que originou o conceito de petrossequência. Esta representa um intervalo de rocha com assinatura distinta de variação da intensidade de ocorrência de um petrofácies e possibilitou a identificação de duas superfícies representando mudanças bruscas de área fonte

Rancang Bangun Mobile Game Adventure Of Studies Sebagai Media Pembelajaran

Dalam   upaya   meningkatkan   efisiensi   penyediaan  aplikasi   yang   mengandung   unsur pendidikan  maka diperlukan  berbagai  alternatif  dan  inovasi  baru  dalam  hal  pemrograman untuk  bisa  diterapkan  sebagai  alat  untuk  mempermudah  proses  pembelajaran.  Dengan adanya  Rancang Bangun Mobile Game Adventure Of Studies sebagai Media Pembelajaran  ini  diharapkan  untuk  meningkatkan  kemampuan  berfikir  anak dalam  proses  belajar,  bahwa  game  ini  sangat  berguna  di  bidang  pendidikan. Penyusun    memilih    anak-anak   dan remaja sebagai    target    pemain, karena    kesulitan    proses pembelajaran secara teoritis yang di ajarkan pada anak-anak dan remaja, mengingat mereka lebih suka bermain. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian dan pengembangan (Research and Development) yang menggunakan tahapan penelitian Analisis Kebutuhan, Desain dan Perancangan Game, Pengembangan Game, Implementasi atau Uji Kelayakan Game, Evaluasi Hasil. Pembuatan game dilakukan dengan menggunakan game engine Construct 2. Penerapan  game media pembelajaran   ini   diharapkan   dapat   mengatasi   masalah   tersebut.   Sehingga   di   saat   anak memainkan game ini secara tidak langsung dapat belajar, dengan harapan semangat anak untuk belajar akan lebih terpacu dan meningkatkan kualitas belajar anak

Student Experience of Access to Egyptian Higher Education.

Focusing on the relationship between Higher Education (HE) and social justice in Egypt, this study attempts to identify the main socioeconomic factors affecting HE access in Egypt from the students' perspective through tracing and comparing students' narratives of their access processes in distinctively different socioeconomic settings. The study investigates the perceived effects of the General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC) students' socioeconomic conditions on determining their academic choices. Different socioeconomic dimensions, such as culture, social conditions and finance are examined. The study also looks at the way students incorporate issues of social justice such as fairness, distribution of resources and social connections into understanding the process of HE access. Following a snowballing approach to recruiting the research participants, 55 students of the Egyptian GSEC took part in the research. The analysis is based on two sets of data: 1) Quantitative data were derived from two questionnaires examining the participants' socioeconomic classes, their perception of their academic experience, their aspirations and attitudes towards HE, determinants of their HE access process, and their views of the (in)equality of the access process. Allocating the participants into 3 socioeconomic groups, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used and cross-tabulation and comparisons were made between the three groups and correlations were examined. 2) Qualitative data were derived from interviews: Narratives of 17 students were sought through comprehensive semi-structured interviews that aimed at capturing the students' perceptions of their journeys through GSEC and the HE access process. The interviewed cases were regarded as instruments to dig into the impact of the socioeconomic factors onto the HE access process. Bourdieu's theory of social and cultural reproduction was drawn upon to explain social inequality as an outcome of inequitable access to HE and socially differentiated educational attainment. The theory provides a framework of understanding that explains how education, rather than becoming a means of social reform and equality, has become a tool for the reproduction of classism. The study also examines social media as a research tool and discusses its potentialities and limitations in social sciences research

Modus D5.1 Definition of use cases

Within the Modus project, one of the main goals is to analyse how the performance of the overall European transport system can be optimized by considering the entire door-to-door journey holistically and considering air transport within an integrated, multimodal approach. In this regard, it is essential to identify the main barriers in achieving European (air) mobility goals and how air transport can evolve by efficiently connecting information and services with other transport modes to achieve a seamless journey experience for passengers. For this particular purposes, a set of use cases is identified and defined within this deliverable D5.1

Immune response of the chicken in determination of virulence profiles of Salmonella enterica

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica (S. enterica) infection remains a global problem in a wide range of animals and in man. Poultry-derived food is a common source of human infection with the non-host-adapted Salmonella strains while fowl typhoid and pullorum disease are serious diseases in poultry. Development of novel immune-based control strategies against Salmonella infection necessitates a better understanding of the host-pathogen interactions at the cellular level. This study characterizes, in vitro and in vivo, the immune responses that develop following infection of avian species with typhoid and non-typhoid Salmonella serotypes. Salmonella serovars Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Hadar and Infantis showed a greater level of invasion and/or uptake characters to both chicken macrophages (HD11) and chicken kidney epithelial cells (CKC), when compared with S. Pullorum or S. Gallinarum. Nitrate and reactive oxygen species were greater in Salmonella-infected HD11 cells compared with the non-infected controls. HD11 cells revealed higher mRNA gene expression for CXCLi2 (IL-8), IL-6 and iNOS genes in response to S. Enteritidis infection when compared to S. Pullorum-infected cells. S. Typhimurium- and S. Hadar-infected HD11 showed higher gene expression for CXCLi2 versus S. Pullorum-infected cells. Higher mRNA gene expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, chemokines CXCLi1 (K60) and CXCLi2 and iNOS genes were detected in S. Typhimurium- and S. Enteritidis-infected CKC followed by S. Hadar and S. Infantis while no significant changes were observed in S. Pullorum or S. Gallinarum-infected CKC. Epithelial cell response and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were greatly influenced by Salmonella virulence markers, including Salmonella pathogenicity island type-1 (SPI-1), SPI-2 and bacterial flagella. In chicken infections, S. Enteritidis and S. Infantis colonized the caeca more efficiently than S. Gallinarum and S. Pullorum. High numbers of B-lymphocytes and macrophages were observed in the caecal tonsils of infected birds. S. Enteritidis infection in newly hatched birds elicited the expression of CXCLi1 and CXCLi2 chemokines in the caecal tonsils, while S. Gallinarum up-regulated the expression of LITAF. In older chickens, S. Enteritidis infection resulted in a significantly higher expression of CXCLi2, iNOS, LITAF and IL-10 while S. Pullorum appeared to down-regulate CXCLi1 expression in the caecal tonsils. Data from spleens showed either no expression or down-regulation of the tested genes. In conclusion, data from the present study provide further insights on the interaction of Salmonella with poultry, and while both S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis are strong inflammatory serotypes, S. Pullorum and S. Gallinarum are not

L’impact des mécanismes de contrôle sur la performance des organisations complexes : cas des entreprises marocaines

Cette étude aborde la problématique de l’influence des mécanismes de contrôle sur la performance des organisations complexes. Notre modèle schématise les relations éventuelles entre l’organisation du processus décisionnel et la performance via les mécanismes de contrôle. Nous avons choisi de tester la plausibilité de ce modèle sur un échantillon de 74 entreprises marocaines en recourant à une approche quantitative. Les résultats obtenus corroborent l’existence de relations positives   entre   la décentralisation des droits décisionnels et les mécanismes de contrôle, d’une part ; et ces derniers et la performance dans une organisation complexe, d’autre part.Mots clés : Mécanismes de contrôle, performance, étude quantitative, entreprises marocaines.Abstract:This study addresses the issue of the influence of control mechanisms on the performance of complex organizations. Our model schematizes the possible relationships between the organization of the decision-making process and performance via control mechanisms. We have chosen to test the plausibility of this model on a sample of 74 Moroccan companies adopting a quantitative approach. The results obtained corroborate the existence of positive relationships between the decentralization of decision-making rights and the control mechanisms, on the one hand; and the latter and the performance in a complex organization, on the other hand.Keywords  Control mechanisms, performance, quantitative study, Moroccan companies