Characterisation of novel and complex mechanisms of antobiotic resistance using a proteomics approach

The problem of increasing rates of antibiotic resistance has become a global concern, particularly among multi drug resistant Gram-negative nosocomial pathogens. These organisms display non- susceptibility to the majority of routinely used antibiotics, causing infections which are more difficult to treat and increase the duration of patient recovery. Due to the plethora of resistance determinants and the molecular machinery which facilitates their dissemination, new strategies are required to investigate the mechanisms that confer antibiotic resistance. Proteomic techniques allow the global analysis of the expressed proteome, providing a more holistic view of the current physiological state of the bacterial cell. The techniques used in this investigation cover the separation, quantification and identification of proteins present in cellular extracts from resistant organisms. These included the use of 2-D electrophoresis, DIGE and LC-MS/MS mass spectrometry applied to multidrug resistant Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens and Acinetobacter baumannii. In summary, these investigations revealed that the Tol-Pal membrane protein system and susceptibilities to polymyxin antibiotics and biocides are altered upon acquisition of a resistance plasmid in E. coli. Furthermore, it revealed that non-carbapenemase-mediated carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae involved the loss of fimbriae proteins, the increased expression of OmpK26 and the resistance proteins EmrA and APH(3"), in addition to OmpK35/36 porin loss. The upregulation of a multi drug efflux pump in E. cloacae, A. baumannii and S. marcescens involved the differential regulation of many proteins, spanning a broad range of functional classes, including the MinCDE cell division inhibitors, iron acquisition proteins such as FepA and FhuA and proteins involved in biofilm and LPS formation such as PapC, LptD and GmhA. Overall this project has highlighted the complex and dynamic changes in protein expression upon acquisition of a resistance phenotype and the importance of using genetically related isolates when undertaking proteomic analyses. This work also emphasised the advantages of using proteomics for profiling the expression of resistance proteins, including the detection of specific enzymes, such as CTX-M ESBLs

A “Fashionable Tailor” on Water Street:Nineteenth-century Tailor’s Chalks fromSt. John’s, Newfoundland

Excavations related to a large sewer construction project in St. John’s, Newfoundland exposed several examples of tailor’s chalk lost during the Great Fire of 1892. Made from pipe clay, these objects may be the first of their kind identified on an archaeological site in North America. This paper introduces the changing social and economic position of tailors and other clothing-related trades in St. John’s. Tailor’s chalks are discussed within the context of the clay tobacco pipe industry, particularly the non tobacco-related objects produced, and within the tailoring trade throughout the early modern period

Angular reflectance of leaves with a dual-wavelength terrestrial lidar and its implications for leaf-bark separation and leaf moisture estimation

A new generation of multi-wavelength lidars offer the potential to measure the structure and biochemistry of vegetation simultaneously, using range resolved spectra indices to overcome the confounding effects in passive optical measurements. However, the reflectance of leaves depends on angle of incidence and if this dependence varies between wavelengths, the resulting spectral indices will also vary with angle of incidence, complicating their use in separating structural and biochemical effects in vegetation canopies. The SALCA dualwavelength terrestrial laser scanner (Salford Advanced Laser Canopy Analyser) was used to measure the angular dependence of reflectance for a range of leaves at the wavelengths used by the new generation of multi-wavelength lidars, 1063 nm and 1545nm, as used by SALCA, DWEL and the Optech Titan. The influence of the angle of incidence on the Normalised Difference Index of these wavelengths (NDI) was also assessed. The reflectance at both wavelengths depended on the angle of incidence, was non-Lambertian and could be well modelled as a cosine. The change in NDI with leaf angle of incidence was small compared to the observed difference in NDI between fresh and dry leaves and between leaf and bark. Therefore it is concluded that angular effects will not significantly impact leaf moisture retrievals or prevent leaf/bark separation for the wavelengths used in the new generation of 1063 nm and 1545 nm multi-wavelength lidars

ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE AS A CATALYST FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, RURAL REJUVENATION, AND RETHINKING OUR SHARED PAST: PERSPECTIVES FROM A QUARTER CENTURY OF COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

Archaeological research in Canada’s easternmost province has enjoyed a long and evolving history of community partnerships. This is due, in part, to Memorial University’s unique mandate, as well as the Department of Archaeology’s strong commitment to working with individuals and organizations where excavations are conducted. Three case studies from Newfoundland and Labrador shed light on the motivations, experiences, challenges, and outcomes that community–university research partnerships can foster, and demonstrate that archaeology has the potential to make valuable local contributions.A pesquisa arqueológica na província mais oriental do Canadá se beneficiou de uma longa e expansível história de parcerias com as comunidades. Tal deve-se, em parte, ao mandato excepcional da Memorial University, assim como ao engajamento forte do departamento de arqueologia em trabalhar com indivíduos e organizações locais durante escavações. A partir de três casos de estudos da província de Terra Nova e Labrador, este artigo revela as motivações, as experiências, os desafios, como os resultados que podem surgir das parcerias comunidade-universidade, e atesta do potencial da arqueologia em contribuir localmente de forma vantajosamente.La recherche archéologique dans la province canadienne située le plus à l’Est du pays a longtemps profité d’une histoire de partenariats avec les communautés qui a su évoluer dans le temps. Cela s’explique, en partie, par le mandat exceptionnel de la Memorial University, ainsi que par l’engagement prononcé du département d’archéologie pour travailler avec les individus et les organisations locales lors des excavations. À partir de trois études de cas de Terre-Neuve et Labrador, cet article met en lumière les motivations, les expériences, les défis, et les résultats que les partenariats communauté–université peuvent générer, et démontre le potentiel de la discipline archéologique à réaliser des contributions importantes au niveau local

The Seventeenth Century Brewhouse and Bakery at Ferryland, Newfoundland

In 2001 archaeologists working at the 17th-century English settlement at Ferryland, Newfoundland, uncovered evidence of an early structure beneath a mid-to-late century gentry dwelling. A preliminary analysis of the architectural features and material culture from related deposits tentatively identified the structure as a brewhouse and bakery, likely the same “brewhouse room” mentioned in a 1622 letter from the colony. Further analysis of this material in 2010 confirmed the identification and dating of this structure. Comparison of the Ferryland brewhouse to data from both documentary and archaeological sources revealed some unusual features. When analyzed within the context of the original Calvert period settlement, these features provide additional evidence for the interpretation of the initial settlement at Ferryland not as a corporate colony such as Jamestown or Cupids, but as a small country manor home for George Calvert and his family

CanopyShotNoise - An individual-based tree canopy modelling framework for projecting remote-sensing data and ecological sensitivity analysis

Very few spatially explicit tree models have so far been constructed with a view to project remote-sensing data directly. To fill this gap, we introduced the prototype of the CanopyShotNoise model, an individual-based model specifically designed for projecting airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. Given the nature of ALS data, the model focuses on the dynamics of individual-tree canopies in forest ecosystems, that is, spatial tree interaction and resulting growth, birth and death processes. In this study, CanopyShotNoise was used to analyse the long-term effects of the processes crown plasticity (C) and superorganism formation (S) on spatial tree canopy patterns that are likely to play an important role in ongoing climate change. We designed a replicated computer experiment involving the four scenarios C0S0, C1S0, C0S1 and C1S1 where 0 and 1 imply that the preceding process was switched off and on, respectively. We hypothesized that C and S are antagonistic processes, specifically that C would lead to increasing regularity of tree locations and S would result in clustering. Our simulation results confirmed that in the long run intertree distances decreased and canopy gap size increased when superorganisms were encouraged to form. At the same time, the overlap and packing of tree crowns increased. The long-term effect of crown plasticity increased the regularity of tree locations; however, this effect was much weaker than that of superorganism formation. As a result, gap patterns remained more or less unaffected by crown plasticity. In scenario C1S1, both processes interestingly interacted in such a way that crown plasticity even increased the effect of superorganism formation. Our simulation results are likely to prove helpful in recognizing patterns of facilitation with ongoing climate change

Evaluation of a Low-Cost Photogrammetric System for the Retrieval of 3D Tree Architecture

\ua9 Author(s) 2023.Reconstruction of major branches of a tree is an important first step for the monitoring of tree sway and assessment of structural stability. Photogrammetric systems can provide a low-cost alternative for the acquisition of three-dimensional data, while also enabling long-term monitoring of a tree of interest. This study introduces a low-cost photogrammetric system based on two Raspberry Pi cameras, which is used to reconstruct the tree architecture for the purpose of stability monitoring. Images of five trees are taken at a range of distances and the resulting point clouds are evaluated in terms of point density and distribution with the reference to TLS. While the photogrammetric point clouds are sparse, it was found that they are capable of reconstructing the tree trunk and lower-order branches, which are most relevant for sway monitoring and tree stability assessment. The most optimal distance for the reconstruction of the relevant branches was found to be 9-10 m, with a baseline of 120 cm