Novel Retaining Glycoside Hydrolases : Potential candidates for transglycosylation and hydrolysis

Our society is moving towards renewable resources, where biomass, rich incarbohydrates, is producing chemicals and fuel. However, there are severallimitations when it comes to valorisation of the carbohydrates from renewablebiomass. One major hurdle is the over-functional nature of carbohydrates, making them difficult to process by conventional chemistry. Carbohydrate activeenzymes can help overcome this limitation by providing excellent tools to utiliserenewable feedstocks, supplying competitive alternatives to the traditionalchemical process.The enzymatic toolbox is the green alternative when it comes to synthesis ofglycoconjugates and to make the transition towards bioeconomy, use of thesetools is an essential step. In nature, glycosylation is executed mostly byglycosyltransferases. However, they are not ideal for industrial applications dueto their need to use expensive activated donors. Whereas, transglycosylases(classified under glycoside hydrolase families: GHs) do not need any activateddonor, making them perfect candidates. The only limitation with them is thatthere are not many that have been characterised. Transglycosylases are classifiedin the same families as their hydrolysing counterparts, and are closely related insequence and structure, making it difficult to select them based on sequencesimilarities. A typical exception from this is the cyclodextrin glucanotransferases(CGTases) which belongs to GH13.This thesis investigates the transglycosylation activity of cyclodextringlucanotransferases, for expanding the utilisation of transglycosylases. The focusof the work was on the elongation of the carbohydrate part of alkyl glycosides. Anovel cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CspCGT13) from Carboxydocella sp.was characterised and compared with available commercial enzymes to evaluatethe applicability in alkyl glycoside modification. The novel enzyme showedsignificant coupling activity with γ-cyclodextrin as the donor, however it was notas efficient as the commercial CGTases. Later, the coupling activity wasimproved by protein engineering and bioinformatic analysis, making it acompetitive candidate for alkyl glycosides modification.The majority of the enzymes in the GH-families are hydrolases and are widelyavailable. Using glycoside hydrolases in synthesis requires reduced hydrolyticactivity. In this thesis, oligosaccharide synthesis was studied by using glycosideshydrolases. Significantly reduced hydrolysis was achieved for an endo-xylanasefrom the thermophilic bacterium Rhodothermus marinus DSM 4252T throughprotein engineering. The enzyme variants displayed enhanced transglycosylationactivity.In addition, novel candidates from the enzymatic toolbox from another strain ofthis marine thermophilic bacterium were also investigated in this thesis, aimingto gain more insight into the hydrolytic mechanism used for saccharificationprocesses. Six novel exo-hydrolases from a single GH family (GH3) originatingfrom R. marinus DSM 4253 were characterised. The study showed these enzymesto have broad substrate specificities and activities at moderately high temperature. Also, more information was obtained regarding their structuralfeatures and genomic distributions, providing more knowledge to tailor theenzymes for industrial applications

Potential genetic impacts of hatchery-based resource enhancement

Abstract only.The global population according to the United States Census Bureau has reached 7 billion as of October 2013. The continuous growth in human population will continue to put tremendous pressure on food production. The demand for fish as source of good protein is no exception. In 2011 total capture fisheries supplied 90.4 million tons of food and total aquaculture provided 63.6 million tons. While aquaculture production has increased dramatically, more than 50% of fishery production still depends on capture fisheries. Overexploitation of wild fish stocks has become one of the biggest problems in global fisheries. Stock enhancement has become a potential viable strategy for marine fisheries in danger of collapse. With the tremendous progress made in the breeding and larval rearing techniques of marine species, hatchery-based stock enhancement is now operated in many stock enhancement programs. However, many questions are raised in the use of hatchery-reared fish in stock enhancement. This paper will discuss genetic considerations in stock enhancement in developing countries

Examining Slavery\u27s Architectural Finishes: The Importance of Interdisciplinary Investigations of Humble Spaces

This thesis studies the evidence of architectural finishes in slave dwellings as a vehicle for understanding their lives, experiences and culture. Reviewing the finishes analyses of slave quarters in eight case studies, the author examines evidence of original finishes and observes how they can inform our understanding of slavery, including the possibility of a transfer of color traditions from Africa. The author also considers architectural and archaeological investigations performed on slave dwellings as a supplement to understanding these spaces and the use of African culture as a form of cultural resistance. The limited but important evidence underlines the need for additional research on the experience of slave life as drawn from material evidence

Experimental Analysis on Effectiveness of Confocal Algorithm for Radar Based Breast Cancer Detection

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in females in UK [1]. Early breast cancer detection which has recently been gaining a lot of consideration within the research community and the most important for a quick and effective treatment of the cancer is early detection. UWB radar based microwave imaging for early breast cancer detection is one of the most promising and attractive screening techniques currently under research. This technique offers several advantages such as low cost, better patient comfort, non-ionising and non-invasive radiation compared to X-Ray mammography. In this technique the breast is illuminated from various points with short UWB microwave pulse(s) and the collected backscattered energy is then processed to identify the presence and location of the tumour. In this thesis experimental measurement of the reflection coefficient in complex frequency domain is obtained from Vector Network Analyzer (VNA E5071) when the antenna is exposed to the environment and when the antenna is exposed to breast phantom. The tumor is simulated with different materials to investigate the effectiveness of the Confocal Microwave Imaging Algorithm for breast cancer detection. In addition, we used the materials at different depths to determine the effect of antenna distance to that of the tumor response. The Confocal Microwave Imaging (CMI) Algorithm for breast cancer detection is an easy and robust technique for tumor detection, which is used to approximate the precise location of the tumor. CMI is based on illuminating the breast with the UWB pulse from different antenna locations. The relative arrival times & amplitudes of the backscatter signals is used to estimate the location of the tumor. We applied the Confocal Algorithm in this study to the numerical data generated with the VNA and analyzed the results with different material(s) as tumor at different depth to verify its ability to estimate a tumor response

Have prisons become a dangerous place? Disproportionality, safety and mental health in British Prisons

In 2016, the Chief Inspector of Prisons reported that the prison service was in crisis and that ‘our prisons have become unacceptably violent and dangerous places’. In this year’s HMIP report he argues that ‘the situation has not improved; in fact, it has become worse’. It is clear that prisons in England and Wales are in chaos. A record number of people are dying, violence is at an all-time high and the living conditions for those in prison are far below acceptable standards. Moreover, there is significant evidence that many of the negative outcomes and deteriorating conditions of prison life are even worse for Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BME) prisoners

Flexibility in Language Action Interaction: The Influence of Movement Type

Recent neuropsychological studies in neurological patients and healthy subjects suggest a close functional relationship between the brain systems for language and action. Facilitation and inhibition effects of motor system activity on language processing have been demonstrated as well as causal effects in the reverse direction, from language processes on motor excitability or performance. However, as the documented effects between motor and language systems were sometimes facilitatory and sometimes inhibitory, the “sign” of these effects still remains to be explained. In a previous study, we reported a word-category-specific differential impairment of verbal working memory for concordant arm- and leg-related action words brought about by complex sequential movements of the hands and feet. In this article, we seek to determine whether the sign of the functional interaction between language and action systems of the human brain can be changed in a predictable manner by changing movement type. We here report that the sign of the effect of motor movement on action word memory can be reversed from interference to facilitation if, instead of complex movement sequences, simple repetitive movements are performed. Specifically, when engaged in finger tapping, subjects were able to remember relatively more arm-related action words (as compared to control conditions), thus documenting an enhancement of working memory brought about by simple hand movements. In contrast, when performing complex sequences of finger movements, an effector-specific degradation of action word memory was found. By manipulating the sign of the effect in accord with theory-driven predictions, these findings provide support for shared neural bases for motor movement and verbal working memory for action-related words and strengthen the argument that motor systems play a causal and functionally relevant role in language processing semantically related to action

IMPLEMENTASI APLIKASI JAKARTA KINI (JAKI) DALAM MEWUJUDKAN SMART CITY DI UNIT PELAKSANA TEKNIS JAKARTA SMART CITY

In order to overcome city problems due to urbanization that continues to occur and is not controlled which includes issues of security, environment, health, energy, public services, and other city problems, the Jakarta city government has begun to launch the Jakarta Kini application program (JAKI) through the Jakarta Technical Implementation Unit. Smart City which is regulated in DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation No. 144 of 2019 concerning the Organization and Work Procedure of Communication, Informatics and Statistics Office of DKI Jakarta Province. The Jakarta Kini Application Program (JAKI), which is a program that integrates public service features in Jakarta and is also a one-stop integrated service that can provide benefits to its citizens which can be accessed online through the JAKI application on smartphones. The aim of the JAKI application program is to make it easier for the public to get information about Jakarta and to make it easier to access public services in Jakarta because it has been integrated through the application. This type of research uses a qualitative and descriptive approach. The focus of this research is the size and objectives of the policy, resources, characteristics of implementing agents, implementor dispositions, inter-organizational communication, and social, political, and economic conditions. Methods of data collection using interview techniques, observation, and documentation were analyzed using data analysis techniques consisting of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions.Dalam rangka mengatasi permasalahan kota akibat urbanisasi yang terus terjadi dan tidak terkontrol yang meliputi masalah keamanan, lingkungan, kesehatan, energi, pelayanan publik, serta permasalahan kota lainnya, maka pemerintah kota Jakarta mulai meluncurkan program aplikasi Jakarta Kini (JAKI) melalui Unit Pelaksana Teknis Jakarta Smart City yang diatur dalam Peraturan Gubernur DKI Jakarta No 144 tahun 2019 tentang Organisasi dan Tata Kerja Dinas Komunikasi, Informatika, dan Statistik Provinsi DKI Jakarta. Program Aplikasi Jakarta Kini (JAKI), yaitu program yang mengintegrasikan fitur layanan publik di Jakarta dan juga merupakan pelayanan terpadu satu pintu yang dapat memberikan manfaat kepada warganya yang dapat diakses secara online melalui aplikasi JAKI di smartphone. Tujuan adanya program aplikasi JAKI memudahkan masyarakat dalam mendapatkan informasi seputar Jakarta dan mempermudah pengaksesan pelayanan publik di Jakarta karena telah terintegrasi melalui aplikasi tersebut. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dan deskriptif. Fokus penelitian ini yaitu ukuran dan tujuan kebijakan, sumber daya, karakteristik agen pelaksana, disposisi implementor, komunikasi antar organisasi, dan lingkungan sosial, politik, dan ekonomi. Metode pengumpulan data yang melibatkan wawancara, observasi, dan dokumentasi. Penelitian dianalisis melalui teknik analisis data yakni pengumpulan data, reduksi data, penyajian data, dan pengambilan kesimpulan

Holmes-Adie syndrome

Holmes-Adie syndrome (HAS) is a rare neuro-ophthalmological disorder, which mostly presents in young femalesas a unilateral dilated pupil. We present a case of a 12-year-old girl with bilateral tonic pupils. She had vermiformmovement of the iris with segmental palsy, as well as loss of ankle jerks. The diagnosis was confirmed with pilocarpine0.125% test, and she was symptomatically treated with the same drops