Engaging stakeholders across a socio-environmentally diverse network of water research sites in North and South America

Maintaining and restoring freshwater ecosystem services in the face of local and global change requires adaptive research that effectively engages stakeholders. However, there is a lack of understanding and consensus in the research community regarding where, when, and which stakeholders should be engaged and what kind of researcher should do the engaging (e.g., physical, ecological, or social scientists). This paper explores stakeholder engagement across a developing network of aquatic research sites in North and South America with wide ranging cultural norms, social values, resource management paradigms, and eco-physical conditions. With seven sites in six countries, we found different degrees of engagement were explained by differences in the interests of the stakeholders given the history and perceived urgency of water resource problems as well as differences in the capacities of the site teams to effectively engage given their expertise and resources. We categorized engagement activities and applied Hurlbert and Gupta's split ladder of participation to better understand site differences and distill lessons learned for planning comparative socio-hydrological research and systematic evaluations of the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement approaches. We recommend research networks practice deliberate engagement of stakeholders that adaptively accounts for variations and changes in local socio-hydrologic conditions. This, in turn, requires further efforts to foster the development of well-integrated research teams that attract and retain researchers from multiple social science disciplines and enable training on effective engagement strategies for diverse conditions

Engaging stakeholders across a socio-environmentally diverse network of water research sites in North and South America

Maintaining and restoring freshwater ecosystem services in the face of local and global change requires adaptive research that effectively engages stakeholders. However, there is a lack of understanding and consensus in the research community regarding where, when, and which stakeholders should be engaged and what kind of researcher should do the engaging (e.g., physical, ecological, or social scientists). This paper explores stakeholder engagement across a developing network of aquatic research sites in North and South America with wide ranging cultural norms, social values, resource management paradigms, and eco-physical conditions. With seven sites in six countries, we found different degrees of engagement were explained by differences in the interests of the stakeholders given the history and perceived urgency of water resource problems as well as differences in the capacities of the site teams to effectively engage given their expertise and resources. We categorized engagement activities and applied Hurlbert and Gupta's split ladder of participation to better understand site differences and distill lessons learned for planning comparative socio-hydrological research and systematic evaluations of the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement approaches. We recommend research networks practice deliberate engagement of stakeholders that adaptively accounts for variations and changes in local socio-hydrologic conditions. This, in turn, requires further efforts to foster the development of well-integrated research teams that attract and retain researchers from multiple social science disciplines and enable training on effective engagement strategies for diverse conditions.Fil: Smyth, Robyn L.. Bard College; Estados UnidosFil: Fatima, Uroosa. Bard College; Estados UnidosFil: Segarra, Monique. Bard College; Estados UnidosFil: Borre, Lisa. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Estados UnidosFil: Zilio, Mariana Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Economía. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Reid, Brian. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Pincetl, Stephanie. Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; Estados UnidosFil: Astorga, Anna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Economía. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Huamantinco Cisneros, María Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geografía y Turismo; ArgentinaFil: Conde, Sergio Daniel. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Harmon, Thomas Christopher. University of California Merced; Estados UnidosFil: Hoyos, Natalia. Universidad del Norte; ColombiaFil: Escobar, Jaime. Universidad del Norte; Colombia. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; PanamáFil: Lozoya, Juan Pablo. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Perillo, Gerardo Miguel E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología; ArgentinaFil: Piccolo, Maria Cintia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geografía y Turismo; ArgentinaFil: Rusak, James A.. Dorset Environmental Science Centre; Canadá. Queens University; CanadáFil: Velez, Maria I.. University of Regina; Canad

In Vitro Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Berberis lycium against Clinical Isolates

Berberis Lycium is medicinally important plant. Most species of genus Berberis are used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. The objective of the present study is to assess the antibacterial activity of methanolic and aqueous root extracts of Berberis lycium. In vitro antimicrobial activities were investigated by using the agar well diffusion method and disc diffusion method. The zones of inhibition produced by extracts were recorded against selected test isolates (Bacillus, Micrococcus, S.aureus, Salmonella, Proteus, Klebsiella, E.coli, Shigella, Acinitobacter and Pseudomonas). Methanolic extract was active against all bacteria except Shigeella, whereas aqueous root extract was active against Bacillus, Micrococcus, S.aureus, Salmonella, Proteus, Klebsiella and E.coli. Results showed that the methanolic extract has significantly inhibited the growth of selected microorganisms as compared to aqueous extract. These plant can be further subjected for the isolation of active compounds and the development of new drugs that are effective for the treatment of different diseases

Multiplex System: Identification of Vancomycin (Vana) And Methicillin (Meca) Resistance Genes In Staphylococcus Aureus

Introduction: Emergence of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) strain from different regions of the world poses a grave concern to human health. Antibiotic resistance in S. aureus is mainly because of the genetic factors which modify or disrupt their target site on bacteria. Methods: This study is focused to identify the vancomycin and methicillin resistance gene in antibiotic sensitive and resistant S. aureus. The pure cultures of S. aureus were isolated, subjected to morphological and biochemical characterization. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done to check the resistance pattern. DNA isolation was followed by genotyping of the antibiotic resistance genes (VanA and MecA) and housekeeping gene (AroE) was done through multiplex PCR method. All the strains showed the colonial, microscopic and biochemical characteristics (catalase and coagulase positive) specific for S. aureus. Results: Majority of the strains were resistant to cefixime (80 %) and least resistance was observed with fusidic acid (0%), while resistance frequency of the remaining antibiotics falls between them. All the strains showed the presence of housekeeping AroE gene with frequency of VanA is 2% and MecA is 24% which coincides with the findings of antibiotic resistance testing. For VanA, there might be other resistance genes of vancomycin cassette which confer the resistance against it. Conclusion: The study will help to discriminate the vancomycin and methicilin sensitive and resistance strains of S. aureus based on their respective genetic factors and help to validate the underlying mechanism in the acquisition of antibiotic resistance

Utilization of Corncob as an Immobilization Matrix for a Xylanolytic Yeast Strain

Immobilization of microbial cells for the production of industrially important enzymes has been reported to offer the advantages of recyclability, higher yields and cost effectiveness. The search for an appropriate matrix that is affordable and easy to prepare is a significant topic in microbial biotechnology. Here, an abundant type of agro-industrial waste—corncob—was utilized as an immobilization matrix for the production of xylanase from an indigenous yeast strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae MK-157. This is the first report describing xylanase production from immobilized S. cerevisiae. To render the corncob matrix more porous, alkaline pretreatment was undertaken and yeast cells were immobilized on the matrix by cultivating at 30 °C for 48 h in Sabouraud dextrose broth. After incubation, the immobilized matrix was transferred to mineral salt medium containing 1% xylan and incubated at 30 °C for 24 h. Xylanase production was determined in cell-free culture supernatant and the matrix was recycled for up to seven cycles. Moreover, xylanase-mediated saccharification was carried out using sugarcane bagasse as a substrate and the release of reducing sugars was monitored. The results showed that the immobilized yeast produced 4.97 IU mL−1 xylanase in the first production cycle, indicating a >tenfold increase compared to the free cells. Xylanase production further increased to its maximum levels (9.23 IU mL−1) in the fourth production cycle. Nonetheless, the cells retained 100% productivity for up to seven cycles. The volumetric and specific productivity of xylanase were also the highest in the fourth cycle. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the rough surface of the untreated corncob, which became more porous after alkaline pretreatment. Immobilized yeast cells were also visible on the corncob pieces. The saccharification of a natural resource—sugarcane bagasse—using xylanase preparation yielded 26 mg L−1 of reducing sugars. Therefore, it can be concluded that yeast strains can yield sufficient quantities of xylanase, allowing possible biotechnological applications. Moreover, corncob can serve as a cost-effective matrix for industrially important yeast strains