The impact of blended learning in improving the reaction, achievement and return on investment of industrial automation training

There has been a significant increase in the level of remote or distance learning using the Internet, often referred to as e-learning or online education. E-learning is often combined with classroom instruction and on-the-job training and this is referred to as blended learning. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact blended learning has in improving engineering training in the engineering field of industrial automation. This is especially in improving the reaction, achievement and return on investment of learners compared to that of only the traditional classroom or e-learning approaches. One of the gaps in current research is the examination of the impact of blended learning in improving engineering training. The research revealed significant growth in the use of e-learning for engineers and technicians. There would however appear to be a large number of engineers and technicians who were disappointed with their experiences of e-learning. Significant concerns were also identified in the efficacy of e-learning and the lack of hands-on experience in this form of training for engineers and technicians. Suggestions are made as a result of the research into addressing these issues

Circumventing embryonic lethality with Lcmt1 deficiency: generation of hypomorphic Lcmt1 mice with reduced protein phosphatase 2A methyltransferase expression and defects in insulin signaling.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), the major serine/threonine phosphatase in eukaryotic cells, is a heterotrimeric protein composed of structural, catalytic, and targeting subunits. PP2A assembly is governed by a variety of mechanisms, one of which is carboxyl-terminal methylation of the catalytic subunit by the leucine carboxyl methyltransferase LCMT1. PP2A is nearly stoichiometrically methylated in the cytosol, and although some PP2A targeting subunits bind independently of methylation, this modification is required for the binding of others. To examine the role of this methylation reaction in mammalian tissues, we generated a mouse harboring a gene-trap cassette within intron 1 of Lcmt1. Due to splicing around the insertion, Lcmt1 transcript and LCMT1 protein levels were reduced but not eliminated. LCMT1 activity and methylation of PP2A were reduced in a coordinate fashion, suggesting that LCMT1 is the only PP2A methyltransferase. These mice exhibited an insulin-resistance phenotype, indicating a role for this methyltransferase in signaling in insulin-sensitive tissues. Tissues from these animals will be vital for the in vivo identification of methylation-sensitive substrates of PP2A and how they respond to differing physiological conditions

Aspergillus fumigatus enhances elastase production in pseudomonas aeruginosaco-cultures

In the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung the presence of bacteria and fungi in the airways promotes an inflammatory response causing progressive lung damage, ultimately leading to high rates of morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that polymicrobial interactions play an important role in promoting airway pathogenesis. We therefore examined the interplay between the most commonly isolated bacterial CF pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the most prevalent filamentous fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus, to test this. Co-culture experiments showed that in the presence of A. fumigatus the production of P. aeruginosa elastase was enhanced. This was confirmed by the presence of zones of clearance on Elastin-Congo Red (ECR) agar, which was identified as elastase by mass spectrometry. When P. aeruginosa were grown in a co-culture model with mature A. fumigatus biofilms, 60% of isolates produced significantly more elastase in the presence of the filamentous fungi than in its absence (P < .05). The expression of lasB also increased when P. aeruginosa isolates PA01 and PA14 were grown in co-culture with A. fumigatus. Supernatants from co-culture experiments were also significantly toxic to a human lung epithelial cell line (19–38% cell cytotoxicity) in comparison to supernatants from P. aeruginosa only cultures (P < .0001). Here we report that P. aeruginosa cytotoxic elastase is enhanced in the presence of the filamentous fungi A. fumigatus, suggesting that this may have a role to play in the damaging pathology associated with the lung tissue in this disease. This indicates that patients who have a co-colonisation with these two organisms may have a poorer prognosis

Assisted flocculation of Chlorella Sorokiniana by co-culture with filamentous fungi

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDBiofuel production from microalgae is currently not economically competitive with fossil fuels due to high operational costs. A sustainable system needs to be developed which considers cultivation, harvesting and conversion to fuels as a single loop. The harvesting step has been identified as a major bottleneck within the biofuel production process, contributing to a significant proportion of the operational cost (20-30%). Chemical flocculation is a more affordable alternative to centrifugation and filtration. Chemical flocculants however negatively impact the quality of biomass and conversion efficiency to biofuel by increasing biomass ash content. Bioflocculation with biopolymers or microbes have a minimal impact on the quality of biomass. In this study, the interaction between the filamentous fungus Isaria fumosorosea and the microalgae C. sorokiniana is investigated. Under strict autotrophic conditions at pH 7-8, co-culture of microalgae (2-20 μm) with fungal blastospores resulted in theidevelopment of large pellets (1-2 mm) which may be easily harvested by sedimentation or filtration at 95% harvesting efficiency. Fungal assisted bioflocculation was compared to other harvesting methods with respect to cost and impact on the hydrothermal conversion process. Low cost carbon sources, including waste hydrothermal nutrients, minimal sugar concentrations and algal exudate may reduce fungal cultivation costs. Waste products, such as organic carbon, N, P, CO₂ and trace metals can be recycled and used for algae and fungal cultivation, closing the loop to make the system sustainable.National Research Foundation; Swiss Governmen

Clustering of solutions in the random satisfiability problem

Using elementary rigorous methods we prove the existence of a clustered phase in the random $K$-SAT problem, for $K\geq 8$. In this phase the solutions are grouped into clusters which are far away from each other. The results are in agreement with previous predictions of the cavity method and give a rigorous confirmation to one of its main building blocks. It can be generalized to other systems of both physical and computational interest.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Metabolites of 2,3-diketogulonate delay peroxidase action and induce non-enzymic H2O2 generation : Potential roles in the plant cell wall

A proportion of the plant's L-ascorbate (vitamin C) occurs in the apoplast, where it and its metabolitesmay act as pro-oxidants and anti-oxidants. One ascorbate metabolite is 2,3-dilcetogulonate (DKG), preparations of which can non-enzymically generate H2O2 and delay peroxidase action on aromatic substrates. As DKG itself generates several by-products, we characterised these and their ability to generate H2O2 and delay peroxidase action. DKG preparations rapidly produced a by-product, compound (1), with lambda(max) 271 and 251 nm at neutral and acidic pH respectively. On HPLC, (1) co-eluted with the major H2O2-generating and peroxidase-delaying principle. Compound (1) was slowly destroyed by ascorbate oxidase, and was less stable at pH 6 than at pH 1. Electrophoresis of an HPLC-enriched preparation of (1) suggested a strongly acidic (pK(a) approximate to 2.3) compound. Mass spectrometry suggested that un-ionised (1) has the formula C6H6O5, i.e. it is a reduction product of DKG (C6H8O7). In conclusion, compound (1) is the major H2O2-generating, peroxidase-delaying principle formed non-enzymically from DKG in the pathway ascorbate -> dehydroascorbic acid -> DKG -> (1). We hypothesise that (1) generates apoplastic H2O2 (and consequently hydroxyl radicals) and delays cell-wall crosslinking - both these effects favouring wall loosening, and possibly playing a role in pathogen defence. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe

Fruit softening: evidence for rhamnogalacturonan lyase action in vivo in ripe fruit cell walls

Background and aims The softening of ripening fruit involves partial depolymerisation of cell-wall pectin by three types of reaction: enzymic hydrolysis, enzymic elimination (lyase-catalysed) and non-enzymic oxidative scission. Two known lyase activities are pectate lyase and rhamnogalacturonan lyase (RGL), potentially causing mid-chain cleavage of homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) domains of pectin respectively. However, the important biological question of whether RGL exhibits action in vivo had not been tested.Methods We developed a method for specifically and sensitively detecting in-vivo RGL products, based on Driselase digestion of cell walls and detection of a characteristic unsaturated ‘fingerprint’ product (tetrasaccharide) of RGL action. Key Results In model experiments, potato RG-I that had been partially cleaved in vitro by commercial RGL was digested by Driselase, releasing an unsaturated tetrasaccharide (‘UA-Rha-GalA-Rha’), taken as diagnostic of RGL action. This highly acidic fingerprint compound was separated from monosaccharides (galacturonate, galactose, rhamnose etc.) by electrophoresis at pH 2, then separated from UA–GalA (the fingerprint of pectate lyase action) by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The ‘UA-Rha-GalA-Rha’ was confirmed as 4-deoxy--L-threo-hex-4-enopyranuronosyl-(12)-L-rhamnosyl-(14)-D-galacturonosyl-(12)-L-rhamnose by mass spectrometry and acid hydrolysis. Driselase digestion of cell walls from diverse ripe fruits [date, sea buckthorn, cranberry, yew (arils), mango, plum, blackberry, apple, pear and strawberry] yielded the same fingerprint compound, demonstrating that RGL had been acting in vivo in these fruits prior to harvest. The ‘fingerprint’ : (galacturonate + rhamnose) ratio in digests from ripe dates was approximately 1:72 (mol/mol), indicating that ~1.4% of the backbone RhaGalA bonds in endogenous RG-I had been cleaved by in-vivo RGL action. Conclusions The results provide the first demonstration that RGL, previously known from studies of fruit gene expression, proteomic studies and in-vitro enzyme activity, exhibits enzyme action in the walls of soft fruits and may thus be proposed to contribute to fruit softening. <br/