The Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) System: An Expanding Comparative Analysis Resource

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markowitz, Victor M.; Chen, I-Min A.; Palaniappan, Krishna; Chu, Ken; Szeto, Ernest; Grechkin, Yuri; Ratner, Anna; Anderson, Iain; Lykidis, Athanasios; Mavromatis, Konstantinos; Ivanova, Natalia N.; Kyrpides, Nikos C.

2009-09-13

The integrated microbial genomes (IMG) system serves as a community resource for comparative analysis of publicly available genomes in a comprehensive integrated context. IMG contains both draft and complete microbial genomes integrated with other publicly available genomes from all three domains of life, together with a large number of plasmids and viruses. IMG provides tools and viewers for analyzing and reviewing the annotations of genes and genomes in a comparative context. Since its first release in 2005, IMG's data content and analytical capabilities have been constantly expanded through regular releases. Several companion IMG systems have been set up in order to serve domain specific needs, such as expert review of genome annotations. IMG is available at .

34 CFR 669.1 - What is the Language Resource Centers Program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... improving the nation's capacity for teaching and learning foreign languages effectively. (Authority: 20 U.S... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the Language Resource Centers Program? 669.1... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM General § 669.1 What is the...

Resource Limitations on Soil Microbial Activity in an Antarctic Dry Valley

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sparrow, Asley; Gregorich, Ed; Hopkins, David

2011-01-01

Although Antarctic dry valley soils function under some of the harshest environmental conditions on the planet, there is significant biological activity concentrated in small areas in the landscape. These productive areas serve as a source of C and N in organic matter redistributed...... to the surrounding biologically impoverished soils. We conducted a 3-yr replicated field experiment involving soil amendment with C and N in simple (glucose and NH4Cl) and complex (glycine and lacustrine detritus) forms to evaluate the resource limitations on soil microbial activity in an Antarctic dry valley....... The respiratory response for all substrates was slow, with a significant but weak response to NH4Cl, followed by a more widespread response to all substrates after 2 yr and in laboratory incubations conducted 3 yr after substrate addition. This response suggests that the soil microbial community is N limited and...

Survivable resource orchestration for optically interconnected data center networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiong; She, Qingya; Zhu, Yi; Wang, Xi; Palacharla, Paparao; Sekiya, Motoyoshi

2014-01-13

We propose resource orchestration schemes in overlay networks enabled by optical network virtualization. Based on the information from underlying optical networks, our proposed schemes provision the fewest data centers to guarantee K-connect survivability, thus maintaining resource availability for cloud applications under any failure.

A Reading Resource Center: Why and How

Science.gov (United States)

Minkoff, Henry

1974-01-01

Hunter College has set up a Reading Resource Center where students receive individualized help in specific problem areas not covered in their reading classes and where teachers can find materials either for their own edification or for use in the classroom. (Author)

Effects of resource chemistry on the composition and function of stream hyporheic biofilms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, E.K.; Besemer, K.; Kohl, L.; Preiler, C.; Reidel, K.; Schneider, T.; Wanek, W.; Battin, T.J.

2012-01-01

Fluvial ecosystems process large quantities of dissolved organic matter as it moves from the headwater streams to the sea. In particular, hyporheic sediments are centers of high biogeochemical reactivity due to their elevated residence time and high microbial biomass and activity. However, the interaction between organic matter and microbial dynamics in the hyporheic zone remains poorly understood. We evaluated how variance in resource chemistry affected the microbial community and its associated activity in experimentally grown hyporheic biofilms. To do this we fed beech leaf leachates that differed in chemical composition to a series of bioreactors filled with sediment from a sub-alpine stream. Differences in resource chemistry resulted in differences in diversity and phylogenetic origin of microbial proteins, enzyme activity, and microbial biomass stoichiometry. Specifically, increased lignin, phenolics, and manganese in a single leachate resulted in increased phenoloxidase and peroxidase activity, elevated microbial biomass carbon:nitrogen ratio, and a greater proportion of proteins of Betaproteobacteria origin. We used this model system to attempt to link microbial form (community composition and metaproteome) with function (enzyme activity) in order to better understand the mechanisms that link resource heterogeneity to ecosystem function in stream ecosystems.

Effects of resource chemistry on the composition and function of hyporheic stream biofilms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward eHall

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Stream ecosystems process large quantities of dissolved organic matter as it moves from the headwaters to the sea. Interstitial sediments in the hyporheic zone are centers of high biogeochemical reactivity due to their high levels of microbial biomass and activity. However, the interaction between organic matter and microbial dynamics of these systems remains poorly understood. We evaluated how variance in resource chemistry affected the microbial community and its associated activity in experimentally grown interstitial biofilms. Specifically, we fed beech leaf leachates that differed in chemical composition to a series of bioreactors filled with sediment from a sub-alpine stream. Differences in resource chemistry resulted in differences in diversity and phylogenetic origin of microbial proteins, enzyme activity, and microbial biomass stoichiometry. Specifically, increased lignin, phenolics and manganese in a single leachate resulted in increased phenoloxidase and peroxidase activity, elevated microbial biomass carbon:nitrogen ratio, and a greater proportion of proteins of beta-proteobacter origin. We use this model system to link microbial form, (community composition and proteome, with function, (enzyme activity, in an attempt to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms that link resource heterogeneity to ecosystem function in stream ecosystems.

L-025: EPR-First Responders: Resource Coordinator and National Center for Emergency Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This conference cover the importance of resource coordinator and the national Center for Emergency Operations which provides a stable environment installation and a valuable aid in the radiological emergency situation.The resources coordinator maintains the registers and resources located in general as well as the National Center for Emergency Operations is the ideal place for the public information Center. Both roles provide support and encourage the efforts to respond to the incident Command

Nursing Reference Center: a point-of-care resource.

Science.gov (United States)

Vardell, Emily; Paulaitis, Gediminas Geddy

2012-01-01

Nursing Reference Center is a point-of-care resource designed for the practicing nurse, as well as nursing administrators, nursing faculty, and librarians. Users can search across multiple resources, including topical Quick Lessons, evidence-based care sheets, patient education materials, practice guidelines, and more. Additional features include continuing education modules, e-books, and a new iPhone application. A sample search and comparison with similar databases were conducted.

NASA Center for Computational Sciences: History and Resources

Science.gov (United States)

2000-01-01

The Nasa Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) has been a leading capacity computing facility, providing a production environment and support resources to address the challenges facing the Earth and space sciences research community.

Database Resources of the BIG Data Center in 2018.

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-04

The BIG Data Center at Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences provides freely open access to a suite of database resources in support of worldwide research activities in both academia and industry. With the vast amounts of omics data generated at ever-greater scales and rates, the BIG Data Center is continually expanding, updating and enriching its core database resources through big-data integration and value-added curation, including BioCode (a repository archiving bioinformatics tool codes), BioProject (a biological project library), BioSample (a biological sample library), Genome Sequence Archive (GSA, a data repository for archiving raw sequence reads), Genome Warehouse (GWH, a centralized resource housing genome-scale data), Genome Variation Map (GVM, a public repository of genome variations), Gene Expression Nebulas (GEN, a database of gene expression profiles based on RNA-Seq data), Methylation Bank (MethBank, an integrated databank of DNA methylomes), and Science Wikis (a series of biological knowledge wikis for community annotations). In addition, three featured web services are provided, viz., BIG Search (search as a service; a scalable inter-domain text search engine), BIG SSO (single sign-on as a service; a user access control system to gain access to multiple independent systems with a single ID and password) and Gsub (submission as a service; a unified submission service for all relevant resources). All of these resources are publicly accessible through the home page of the BIG Data Center at http://bigd.big.ac.cn. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

The NIH-NIAID Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle L Michalski

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Filarial worms cause a variety of tropical diseases in humans; however, they are difficult to study because they have complex life cycles that require arthropod intermediate hosts and mammalian definitive hosts. Research efforts in industrialized countries are further complicated by the fact that some filarial nematodes that cause disease in humans are restricted in host specificity to humans alone. This potentially makes the commitment to research difficult, expensive, and restrictive. Over 40 years ago, the United States National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH-NIAID established a resource from which investigators could obtain various filarial parasite species and life cycle stages without having to expend the effort and funds necessary to maintain the entire life cycles in their own laboratories. This centralized resource (The Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center, or FR3 translated into cost savings to both NIH-NIAID and to principal investigators by freeing up personnel costs on grants and allowing investigators to divert more funds to targeted research goals. Many investigators, especially those new to the field of tropical medicine, are unaware of the scope of materials and support provided by the FR3. This review is intended to provide a short history of the contract, brief descriptions of the fiilarial species and molecular resources provided, and an estimate of the impact the resource has had on the research community, and describes some new additions and potential benefits the resource center might have for the ever-changing research interests of investigators.

Designing and Implementing a Parenting Resource Center for Pregnant Teens

Science.gov (United States)

Broussard, Anne B; Broussard, Brenda S

2009-01-01

The Resource Center for Young Parents-To-Be is a longstanding and successful grant-funded project that was initiated as a response to an identified community need. Senior-level baccalaureate nursing students and their maternity-nursing instructors are responsible for staffing the resource center's weekly sessions, which take place at a public school site for pregnant adolescents. Childbirth educators interested in working with this population could assist in replicating this exemplary clinical project in order to provide prenatal education to this vulnerable and hard-to-reach group. PMID:20190852

Pesticide residues and microbial contamination of water resources in the MUDA rice agroecosystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheah Uan Boh; Lum Keng Yeang

2002-01-01

Studies on the water resources of the Muda rice growing areas revealed evidence of pesticide residues in the agroecosystem. While the cyclodiene endosulfan was found as a ubiquitous contaminant, the occurrence of other organochlorine insecticides was sporadic. The presence of 2,4-D, paraquat and molinate residues was also evident but the occurrence of these herbicides was seasonal. Residue levels of molinate were generally higher than those from the other herbicides. The problem of thiobencarb and carbofuran residues was not encountered. Analyses for microbial contamination revealed that the water resources were unfit for drinking; coliform counts were higher during certain periods of the year than others. (Author)

Electronic Commerce Resource Centers. An Industry--University Partnership.

Science.gov (United States)

Gulledge, Thomas R.; Sommer, Rainer; Tarimcilar, M. Murat

1999-01-01

Electronic Commerce Resource Centers focus on transferring emerging technologies to small businesses through university/industry partnerships. Successful implementation hinges on a strategic operating plan, creation of measurable value for customers, investment in customer-targeted training, and measurement of performance outputs. (SK)

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education

Science.gov (United States)

... National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC) at the University of Colorado College of ... National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education Email: info@NRCKids.org Please read our disclaimer ...

Building an Information Resource Center for Competitive Intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, J. Sperling

1992-01-01

Outlines considerations in the design of a Competitive Intelligence Information Resource Center (CIIRC), which is needed by business organizations for effective strategic decision making. Discussed are user needs, user participation, information sources, technology and interface design, operational characteristics, and planning for implementation.…

Lower Savannah aging, disability & transportation resource center : regional travel management and coordination center (TMCC) model and demonstration project.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-01

This report details the deployed technology and implementation experiences of the Lower Savannah Aging, Disability & Transportation : Resource Center in Aiken, South Carolina, which served as the regional Travel Management and Coordination Center (TM...

A multipurpose computing center with distributed resources

Science.gov (United States)

Chudoba, J.; Adam, M.; Adamová, D.; Kouba, T.; Mikula, A.; Říkal, V.; Švec, J.; Uhlířová, J.; Vokáč, P.; Svatoš, M.

2017-10-01

The Computing Center of the Institute of Physics (CC IoP) of the Czech Academy of Sciences serves a broad spectrum of users with various computing needs. It runs WLCG Tier-2 center for the ALICE and the ATLAS experiments; the same group of services is used by astroparticle physics projects the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) and the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). OSG stack is installed for the NOvA experiment. Other groups of users use directly local batch system. Storage capacity is distributed to several locations. DPM servers used by the ATLAS and the PAO are all in the same server room, but several xrootd servers for the ALICE experiment are operated in the Nuclear Physics Institute in Řež, about 10 km away. The storage capacity for the ATLAS and the PAO is extended by resources of the CESNET - the Czech National Grid Initiative representative. Those resources are in Plzen and Jihlava, more than 100 km away from the CC IoP. Both distant sites use a hierarchical storage solution based on disks and tapes. They installed one common dCache instance, which is published in the CC IoP BDII. ATLAS users can use these resources using the standard ATLAS tools in the same way as the local storage without noticing this geographical distribution. Computing clusters LUNA and EXMAG dedicated to users mostly from the Solid State Physics departments offer resources for parallel computing. They are part of the Czech NGI infrastructure MetaCentrum with distributed batch system based on torque with a custom scheduler. Clusters are installed remotely by the MetaCentrum team and a local contact helps only when needed. Users from IoP have exclusive access only to a part of these two clusters and take advantage of higher priorities on the rest (1500 cores in total), which can also be used by any user of the MetaCentrum. IoP researchers can also use distant resources located in several towns of the Czech Republic with a capacity of more than 12000 cores in total.

Microbial conversion technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lau, P. [National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Bioconversion and Sustainable Development

2006-07-01

Microbes are a biomass and an valuable resource. This presentation discussed microbial conversion technologies along with background information on microbial cells, their characteristics and microbial diversity. Untapped opportunities for microbial conversion were identified. Metagenomic and genome mining approaches were also discussed, as they can provide access to uncultivated or unculturable microorganisms in communal populations and are an unlimited resource for biocatalysts, novel genes and metabolites. Genome mining was seen as an economical approach. The presentation also emphasized that the development of microbial biorefineries would require significant insights into the relevant microorganisms and that biocatalysts were the ultimate in sustainability. In addition, the presentation discussed the natural fibres initiative for biochemicals and biomaterials. Anticipated outputs were identified and work in progress of a new enzyme-retting cocktail to provide diversity and/or consistency in fibre characteristics for various applications were also presented. It was concluded that it is necessary to leverage understanding of biological processes to produce bioproducts in a clean and sustainable manner. tabs., figs.

34 CFR 656.1 - What is the National Resource Centers Program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... STUDIES OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES General § 656.1 What is the National Resource... Foreign Language and International Studies (National Resource Centers Program), the Secretary awards... international studies and the international and foreign language aspects of professional and other fields of...

MicroScope in 2017: an expanding and evolving integrated resource for community expertise of microbial genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallenet, David; Calteau, Alexandra; Cruveiller, Stéphane; Gachet, Mathieu; Lajus, Aurélie; Josso, Adrien; Mercier, Jonathan; Renaux, Alexandre; Rollin, Johan; Rouy, Zoe; Roche, David; Scarpelli, Claude; Médigue, Claudine

2017-01-04

The annotation of genomes from NGS platforms needs to be automated and fully integrated. However, maintaining consistency and accuracy in genome annotation is a challenging problem because millions of protein database entries are not assigned reliable functions. This shortcoming limits the knowledge that can be extracted from genomes and metabolic models. Launched in 2005, the MicroScope platform (http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/agc/microscope) is an integrative resource that supports systematic and efficient revision of microbial genome annotation, data management and comparative analysis. Effective comparative analysis requires a consistent and complete view of biological data, and therefore, support for reviewing the quality of functional annotation is critical. MicroScope allows users to analyze microbial (meta)genomes together with post-genomic experiment results if any (i.e. transcriptomics, re-sequencing of evolved strains, mutant collections, phenotype data). It combines tools and graphical interfaces to analyze genomes and to perform the expert curation of gene functions in a comparative context. Starting with a short overview of the MicroScope system, this paper focuses on some major improvements of the Web interface, mainly for the submission of genomic data and on original tools and pipelines that have been developed and integrated in the platform: computation of pan-genomes and prediction of biosynthetic gene clusters. Today the resource contains data for more than 6000 microbial genomes, and among the 2700 personal accounts (65% of which are now from foreign countries), 14% of the users are performing expert annotations, on at least a weekly basis, contributing to improve the quality of microbial genome annotations. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Geriatric resources in acute care hospitals and trauma centers: a scarce commodity.

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Cathy A; Mion, Lorraine C; Minnick, Ann

2013-12-01

The number of older adults admitted to acute care hospitals with traumatic injury is rising. The purpose of this study was to examine the location of five prominent geriatric resource programs in U.S. acute care hospitals and trauma centers (N = 4,865). As of 2010, 5.8% of all U.S. hospitals had at least one of these programs. Only 8.8% of trauma centers were served by at least one program; the majorities were in level I trauma centers. Slow adoption of geriatric resource programs in hospitals may be due to lack of champions who will advocate for these programs, lack of evidence of their impact on outcomes, or lack of a business plan to support adoption. Future studies should focus on the benefits of geriatric resource programs from patients' perspectives, as well as from business case and outcomes perspectives. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Performance evaluation of multi-stratum resources integrated resilience for software defined inter-data center interconnect.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Yongli; Ji, Yuefeng; Wu, Jialin; Lin, Yi; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

2015-05-18

Inter-data center interconnect with IP over elastic optical network (EON) is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented multi-stratum resources integration among IP networks, optical networks and application stratums resources that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends to consider the service resilience in case of edge optical node failure. We propose a novel multi-stratum resources integrated resilience (MSRIR) architecture for the services in software defined inter-data center interconnect based on IP over EON. A global resources integrated resilience (GRIR) algorithm is introduced based on the proposed architecture. The MSRIR can enable cross stratum optimization and provide resilience using the multiple stratums resources, and enhance the data center service resilience responsiveness to the dynamic end-to-end service demands. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture is experimentally verified on the control plane of our OpenFlow-based enhanced SDN (eSDN) testbed. The performance of GRIR algorithm under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on MSRIR architecture in terms of path blocking probability, resilience latency and resource utilization, compared with other resilience algorithms.

ATLAS Tier-2 at the Compute Resource Center GoeGrid in Göttingen

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Jörg; Quadt, Arnulf; Weber, Pavel; ATLAS Collaboration

2011-12-01

GoeGrid is a grid resource center located in Göttingen, Germany. The resources are commonly used, funded, and maintained by communities doing research in the fields of grid development, computer science, biomedicine, high energy physics, theoretical physics, astrophysics, and the humanities. For the high energy physics community, GoeGrid serves as a Tier-2 center for the ATLAS experiment as part of the world-wide LHC computing grid (WLCG). The status and performance of the Tier-2 center is presented with a focus on the interdisciplinary setup and administration of the cluster. Given the various requirements of the different communities on the hardware and software setup the challenge of the common operation of the cluster is detailed. The benefits are an efficient use of computer and personpower resources.

Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium 1999 plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-01-30

The purpose of the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium is to serve the Texas Panhandle, the State of Texas and the US Department of Energy by: conducting scientific and technical research; advising decision makers; and providing information on nuclear weapons materials and related environment, safety, health, and nonproliferation issues while building academic excellence in science and technology. This paper describes the electronic resource library which provides the national archives of technical, policy, historical, and educational information on plutonium. Research projects related to the following topics are described: Environmental restoration and protection; Safety and health; Waste management; Education; Training; Instrumentation development; Materials science; Plutonium processing and handling; and Storage.

Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium 1999 plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The purpose of the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium is to serve the Texas Panhandle, the State of Texas and the US Department of Energy by: conducting scientific and technical research; advising decision makers; and providing information on nuclear weapons materials and related environment, safety, health, and nonproliferation issues while building academic excellence in science and technology. This paper describes the electronic resource library which provides the national archives of technical, policy, historical, and educational information on plutonium. Research projects related to the following topics are described: Environmental restoration and protection; Safety and health; Waste management; Education; Training; Instrumentation development; Materials science; Plutonium processing and handling; and Storage

Strategizing for the Future: Evolving Cultural Resource Centers in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Shek, Yen Ling

2013-01-01

Cultural resource centers have been an ongoing and integral component to creating a more welcoming campus climate for Students of Color since its establishment in the 1960s. While the racial dynamics may have changed, many of the challenges Students of Color faced on predominantly White campuses have not. Interestingly, cultural resource centers…

Web-based tools from AHRQ's National Resource Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Cusack, Caitlin M; Shah, Sapna

2008-11-06

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has made an investment of over $216 million in research around health information technology (health IT). As part of their investment, AHRQ has developed the National Resource Center for Health IT (NRC) which includes a public domain Web site. New content for the web site, such as white papers, toolkits, lessons from the health IT portfolio and web-based tools, is developed as needs are identified. Among the tools developed by the NRC are the Compendium of Surveys and the Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Resources. The Compendium of Surveys is a searchable repository of health IT evaluation surveys made available for public use. The CDS Resources contains content which may be used to develop clinical decision support tools, such as rules, reminders and templates. This live demonstration will show the access, use, and content of both these freely available web-based tools.

Biosecurity and Health Monitoring at the Zebrafish International Resource Center

OpenAIRE

Murray, Katrina N.; Varga, Zolt?n M.; Kent, Michael L.

2016-01-01

The Zebrafish International Resource Center (ZIRC) is a repository and distribution center for mutant, transgenic, and wild-type zebrafish. In recent years annual imports of new zebrafish lines to ZIRC have increased tremendously. In addition, after 15 years of research, we have identified some of the most virulent pathogens affecting zebrafish that should be avoided in large production facilities, such as ZIRC. Therefore, while importing a high volume of new lines we prioritize safeguarding ...

The integrated microbial genome resource of analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Checcucci, Alice; Mengoni, Alessio

2015-01-01

Integrated Microbial Genomes and Metagenomes (IMG) is a biocomputational system that allows to provide information and support for annotation and comparative analysis of microbial genomes and metagenomes. IMG has been developed by the US Department of Energy (DOE)-Joint Genome Institute (JGI). IMG platform contains both draft and complete genomes, sequenced by Joint Genome Institute and other public and available genomes. Genomes of strains belonging to Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya domains are present as well as those of viruses and plasmids. Here, we provide some essential features of IMG system and case study for pangenome analysis.

MicroScope—an integrated microbial resource for the curation and comparative analysis of genomic and metabolic data

Science.gov (United States)

Vallenet, David; Belda, Eugeni; Calteau, Alexandra; Cruveiller, Stéphane; Engelen, Stefan; Lajus, Aurélie; Le Fèvre, François; Longin, Cyrille; Mornico, Damien; Roche, David; Rouy, Zoé; Salvignol, Gregory; Scarpelli, Claude; Thil Smith, Adam Alexander; Weiman, Marion; Médigue, Claudine

2013-01-01

MicroScope is an integrated platform dedicated to both the methodical updating of microbial genome annotation and to comparative analysis. The resource provides data from completed and ongoing genome projects (automatic and expert annotations), together with data sources from post-genomic experiments (i.e. transcriptomics, mutant collections) allowing users to perfect and improve the understanding of gene functions. MicroScope (http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/agc/microscope) combines tools and graphical interfaces to analyse genomes and to perform the manual curation of gene annotations in a comparative context. Since its first publication in January 2006, the system (previously named MaGe for Magnifying Genomes) has been continuously extended both in terms of data content and analysis tools. The last update of MicroScope was published in 2009 in the Database journal. Today, the resource contains data for >1600 microbial genomes, of which ∼300 are manually curated and maintained by biologists (1200 personal accounts today). Expert annotations are continuously gathered in the MicroScope database (∼50 000 a year), contributing to the improvement of the quality of microbial genomes annotations. Improved data browsing and searching tools have been added, original tools useful in the context of expert annotation have been developed and integrated and the website has been significantly redesigned to be more user-friendly. Furthermore, in the context of the European project Microme (Framework Program 7 Collaborative Project), MicroScope is becoming a resource providing for the curation and analysis of both genomic and metabolic data. An increasing number of projects are related to the study of environmental bacterial (meta)genomes that are able to metabolize a large variety of chemical compounds that may be of high industrial interest. PMID:23193269

FORMATION OF TEACHERS-TUTOR ICT COMPETENCE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga E. Konevchshynska

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The paper analyzes the main approaches to the definition of ICT competence of professionals who provide training and methodological support of distance learning. There is highlighted the level of scientific development of the problem, identified and proved the essence of teacher’s ICT competence, overviewed the international and domestic experience of teacher training in the the sphere of information technologies. It is indicated that one of the main tasks of resource centers for distance education is the provision of an appropriate level of qualification of teacher-tutor working in a network of resource centers. Also it is pointed out the levels of ICT competencies necessary for successful professional activity of network teachers.

Use of IKONOS Data for Mapping Cultural Resources of Stennis Space Center, Mississippi

Science.gov (United States)

Spruce, Joseph P.; Giardino, Marco

2002-01-01

Cultural resource surveys are important for compliance with Federal and State law. Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Mississippi is researching, developing, and validating remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) methods for aiding cultural resource assessments on the center's own land. The suitability of IKONOS satellite imagery for georeferencing scanned historic maps is examined in this viewgraph presentation. IKONOS data can be used to map historic buildings and farmland in Gainsville, MS, and plan archaeological surveys.

ENERGY RESOURCES CENTER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sternberg, Virginia

1979-11-01

First I will give a short history of this Center which has had three names and three moves (and one more in the offing) in three years. Then I will tell you about the accomplishments made in the past year. And last, I will discuss what has been learned and what is planned for the future. The Energy and Environment Information Center (EEIC), as it was first known, was organized in August 1975 in San Francisco as a cooperative venture by the Federal Energy Administration (FEA), Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These three agencies planned this effort to assist the public in obtaining information about energy and the environmental aspects of energy. The Public Affairs Offices of FEA, ERDA and EPA initiated the idea of the Center. One member from each agency worked at the Center, with assistance from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Information Research Group (LBL IRG) and with on-site help from the EPA Library. The Center was set up in a corner of the EPA Library. FEA and ERDA each contributed one staff member on a rotating basis to cover the daily operation of the Center and money for books and periodicals. EPA contributed space, staff time for ordering, processing and indexing publications, and additional money for acquisitions. The LBL Information Research Group received funds from ERDA on a 189 FY 1976 research project to assist in the development of the Center as a model for future energy centers.

The Effects of Yoga, Massage, and Reiki on Patient Well-Being at a Cancer Resource Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenbaum, Mark S; Velde, Jane

2016-06-01

Cancer resource centers offer patients a variety of therapeutic services. However, patients with cancer and cancer healthcare practitioners may not fully understand the specific objectives and benefits of each service. This research offers guidance to cancer healthcare practitioners on how they can best direct patients to partake in specific integrative therapies, depending on their expressed needs. This article investigates the effects of yoga, massage, and Reiki services administered in a cancer resource center on patients' sense of personal well-being. The results show how program directors at a cancer resource center can customize therapies to meet the needs of patients' well-being. The experimental design measured whether engaging in yoga, massage, or Reiki services affects the self-perceived well-being of 150 patients at a cancer resource center at two times. All three services helped decrease stress and anxiety, improve mood, and enhance cancer center patrons' perceived overall health and quality of life in a similar manner. Reiki reduced the pain of patients with cancer to a greater extent than either massage or yoga.

Criteria and foundations for the implementation of the Learning Resource Centers

OpenAIRE

Raquel Zamora Fonseca

2013-01-01

Review the criteria and rationale basis for the implementation of research - library and learning resource centers. The analysis focused on the implementation of CRAIs in university libraries and organizational models that can take.

Performance evaluation of data center service localization based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic optical network.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Tan, Yuanlong; Lin, Yi; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

2015-09-07

Data center interconnection with elastic optical network is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented cross stratum optimization of optical network and application stratums resources that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends the data center resources to user side to enhance the end-to-end quality of service. We propose a novel data center service localization (DCSL) architecture based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic data center optical network. A migration evaluation scheme (MES) is introduced for DCSL based on the proposed architecture. The DCSL can enhance the responsiveness to the dynamic end-to-end data center demands, and effectively reduce the blocking probability to globally optimize optical network and application resources. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture are experimentally verified on the control plane of our OpenFlow-based enhanced SDN testbed. The performance of MES scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on DCSL architecture in terms of path blocking probability, provisioning latency and resource utilization, compared with other provisioning scheme.

Using Language Corpora to Develop a Virtual Resource Center for Business English

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Thi Phuong Le

2015-01-01

A Virtual Resource Center (VRC) has been brought into use since 2008 as an integral part of a task-based language teaching and learning program for Business English courses at Nantes University, France. The objective of the center is to enable students to work autonomously and individually on their language problems so as to improve their language…

On-demand provisioning of HEP compute resources on cloud sites and shared HPC centers

Science.gov (United States)

Erli, G.; Fischer, F.; Fleig, G.; Giffels, M.; Hauth, T.; Quast, G.; Schnepf, M.; Heese, J.; Leppert, K.; Arnaez de Pedro, J.; Sträter, R.

2017-10-01

This contribution reports on solutions, experiences and recent developments with the dynamic, on-demand provisioning of remote computing resources for analysis and simulation workflows. Local resources of a physics institute are extended by private and commercial cloud sites, ranging from the inclusion of desktop clusters over institute clusters to HPC centers. Rather than relying on dedicated HEP computing centers, it is nowadays more reasonable and flexible to utilize remote computing capacity via virtualization techniques or container concepts. We report on recent experience from incorporating a remote HPC center (NEMO Cluster, Freiburg University) and resources dynamically requested from the commercial provider 1&1 Internet SE into our intitute’s computing infrastructure. The Freiburg HPC resources are requested via the standard batch system, allowing HPC and HEP applications to be executed simultaneously, such that regular batch jobs run side by side to virtual machines managed via OpenStack [1]. For the inclusion of the 1&1 commercial resources, a Python API and SDK as well as the possibility to upload images were available. Large scale tests prove the capability to serve the scientific use case in the European 1&1 datacenters. The described environment at the Institute of Experimental Nuclear Physics (IEKP) at KIT serves the needs of researchers participating in the CMS and Belle II experiments. In total, resources exceeding half a million CPU hours have been provided by remote sites.

Human resource management in patient-centered pharmaceutical care.

Science.gov (United States)

White, S J

1994-04-01

Patient-centered care may have the pharmacists and technicians reporting either directly or in a matrix to other than pharmacy administration. The pharmacy administrative people will need to be both effective leaders and managers utilizing excellent human resource management skills. Significant creativity and innovation will be needed for transition from departmental-based services to patient care team services. Changes in the traditional methods of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, developing, inspiring, evaluating, and disciplining are required in this new environment.

Establishing a health outcomes and economics center in radiology: strategies and resources required

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medina, Santiago L.; Altman, Nolan R.

2002-01-01

To describe the resources and strategies required to establish a health outcomes and economics center in radiology.Methods. Human and nonhuman resources required to perform sound outcomes and economics studies in radiology are reviewed.Results. Human resources needed include skilled medical and nonmedical staff. Nonhuman resources required are: (1) communication and information network; (2) education tools and training programs; (3) budgetary strategies; and (4) sources of income. Effective utilization of these resources allows the performance of robust operational and clinical research projects in decision analysis, cost-effectiveness, diagnostic performance (sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curves), and clinical analytical and experimental studies.Conclusion. As new radiologic technology and techniques are introduced in medicine, society is increasingly demanding sound clinical studies that will determine the impact of radiologic studies on patient outcome. Health-care funding is scarce, and therefore third-party payers and hospitals are demanding more efficiency and productivity from radiologic service providers. To meet these challenges, radiology departments could establish health outcomes and economics centers to study the clinical effectiveness of imaging and its impact on patient outcome. (orig.)

Criteria and foundations for the implementation of the Learning Resource Centers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel Zamora Fonseca

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Review the criteria and rationale basis for the implementation of research - library and learning resource centers. The analysis focused on the implementation of CRAIs in university libraries and organizational models that can take.

Nuclear Energy Center Site Survey, 1975. Part V. Resource availability and site screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

Resource requirements for nuclear energy centers are discussed and the large land areas which meet these requirements and may contain potential sites for a nuclear energy center (NEC) are identified. Maps of the areas are included that identify seismic zones, river flow rates, and population density

Microscale Insight into Microbial Seed Banks.

Science.gov (United States)

Locey, Kenneth J; Fisk, Melany C; Lennon, J T

2016-01-01

Microbial dormancy leads to the emergence of seed banks in environmental, engineered, and host-associated ecosystems. These seed banks act as reservoirs of diversity that allow microbes to persist under adverse conditions, including extreme limitation of resources. While microbial seed banks may be influenced by macroscale factors, such as the supply of resources, the importance of microscale encounters between organisms and resource particles is often overlooked. We hypothesized that dimensions of spatial, trophic, and resource complexity determine rates of encounter, which in turn, drive the abundance, productivity, and size of seed banks. We tested this using >10,000 stochastic individual based models (IBMs) that simulated energetic, physiological, and ecological processes across combinations of resource, spatial, and trophic complexity. These IBMs allowed realistic dynamics and the emergence of seed banks from ecological selection on random variation in species traits. Macroscale factors like the supply and concentration of resources had little effect on resource encounter rates. In contrast, encounter rates were strongly influenced by interactions between dispersal mode and spatial structure, and also by the recalcitrance of resources. In turn, encounter rates drove abundance, productivity, and seed bank dynamics. Time series revealed that energetically costly traits can lead to large seed banks and that recalcitrant resources can lead to greater stability through the formation of seed banks and the slow consumption of resources. Our findings suggest that microbial seed banks emerge from microscale dimensions of ecological complexity and their influence on resource limitation and energetic costs.

77 FR 72868 - The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-06

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Advisory Committee on HIV, Viral... announcements of meetings and other committee management activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control...

Education resources of the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Peter S; Lipshultz, Dawn; Matten, Wayne T; McGinnis, Scott D; Pechous, Steven; Romiti, Monica L; Tao, Tao; Valjavec-Gratian, Majda; Sayers, Eric W

2010-11-01

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) hosts 39 literature and molecular biology databases containing almost half a billion records. As the complexity of these data and associated resources and tools continues to expand, so does the need for educational resources to help investigators, clinicians, information specialists and the general public make use of the wealth of public data available at the NCBI. This review describes the educational resources available at NCBI via the NCBI Education page (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Education/). These resources include materials designed for new users, such as About NCBI and the NCBI Guide, as well as documentation, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and writings on the NCBI Bookshelf such as the NCBI Help Manual and the NCBI Handbook. NCBI also provides teaching materials such as tutorials, problem sets and educational tools such as the Amino Acid Explorer, PSSM Viewer and Ebot. NCBI also offers training programs including the Discovery Workshops, webinars and tutorials at conferences. To help users keep up-to-date, NCBI produces the online NCBI News and offers RSS feeds and mailing lists, along with a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Efficient management of data center resources for massively multiplayer online games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nae, V.; Iosup, A.; Podlipnig, S.; Prodan, R.; Epema, D.H.J.; Fahringer, T.

2008-01-01

Today's massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) can include millions of concurrent players spread across the world. To keep these highly-interactive virtual environments online, a MMOG operator may need to provision tens of thousands of computing resources from various data centers. Faced with

CLIMB (the Cloud Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics): an online resource for the medical microbiology community.

Science.gov (United States)

Connor, Thomas R; Loman, Nicholas J; Thompson, Simon; Smith, Andy; Southgate, Joel; Poplawski, Radoslaw; Bull, Matthew J; Richardson, Emily; Ismail, Matthew; Thompson, Simon Elwood-; Kitchen, Christine; Guest, Martyn; Bakke, Marius; Sheppard, Samuel K; Pallen, Mark J

2016-09-01

The increasing availability and decreasing cost of high-throughput sequencing has transformed academic medical microbiology, delivering an explosion in available genomes while also driving advances in bioinformatics. However, many microbiologists are unable to exploit the resulting large genomics datasets because they do not have access to relevant computational resources and to an appropriate bioinformatics infrastructure. Here, we present the Cloud Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics (CLIMB) facility, a shared computing infrastructure that has been designed from the ground up to provide an environment where microbiologists can share and reuse methods and data.

Turnover intentions in a call center: The role of emotional dissonance, job resources, and job satisfaction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margherita Zito

Full Text Available Turnover intentions refer to employees' intent to leave the organization and, within call centers, it can be influenced by factors such as relational variables or the perception of the quality of working life, which can be affected by emotional dissonance. This specific job demand to express emotions not felt is peculiar in call centers, and can influence job satisfaction and turnover intentions, a crucial problem among these working contexts. This study aims to detect, within the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources Model, the role of emotional dissonance (job demand, and two resources, job autonomy and supervisors' support, in the perception of job satisfaction and turnover intentions among an Italian call center.The study involved 318 call center agents of an Italian Telecommunication Company. Data analysis first performed descriptive statistics through SPSS 22. A path analysis was then performed through LISREL 8.72 and tested both direct and indirect effects.Results suggest the role of resources in fostering job satisfaction and in decreasing turnover intentions. Emotional dissonance reveals a negative relation with job satisfaction and a positive relation with turnover. Moreover, job satisfaction is negatively related with turnover and mediates the relationship between job resources and turnover.This study contributes to extend the knowledge about the variables influencing turnover intentions, a crucial problem among call centers. Moreover, the study identifies theoretical considerations and practical implications to promote well-being among call center employees. To foster job satisfaction and reduce turnover intentions, in fact, it is important to make resources available, but also to offer specific training programs to make employees and supervisors aware about the consequences of emotional dissonance.

Turnover intentions in a call center: The role of emotional dissonance, job resources, and job satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zito, Margherita; Emanuel, Federica; Molino, Monica; Cortese, Claudio Giovanni; Ghislieri, Chiara; Colombo, Lara

2018-01-01

Turnover intentions refer to employees' intent to leave the organization and, within call centers, it can be influenced by factors such as relational variables or the perception of the quality of working life, which can be affected by emotional dissonance. This specific job demand to express emotions not felt is peculiar in call centers, and can influence job satisfaction and turnover intentions, a crucial problem among these working contexts. This study aims to detect, within the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources Model, the role of emotional dissonance (job demand), and two resources, job autonomy and supervisors' support, in the perception of job satisfaction and turnover intentions among an Italian call center. The study involved 318 call center agents of an Italian Telecommunication Company. Data analysis first performed descriptive statistics through SPSS 22. A path analysis was then performed through LISREL 8.72 and tested both direct and indirect effects. Results suggest the role of resources in fostering job satisfaction and in decreasing turnover intentions. Emotional dissonance reveals a negative relation with job satisfaction and a positive relation with turnover. Moreover, job satisfaction is negatively related with turnover and mediates the relationship between job resources and turnover. This study contributes to extend the knowledge about the variables influencing turnover intentions, a crucial problem among call centers. Moreover, the study identifies theoretical considerations and practical implications to promote well-being among call center employees. To foster job satisfaction and reduce turnover intentions, in fact, it is important to make resources available, but also to offer specific training programs to make employees and supervisors aware about the consequences of emotional dissonance.

Turnover intentions in a call center: The role of emotional dissonance, job resources, and job satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Zito, Margherita; Molino, Monica; Cortese, Claudio Giovanni; Ghislieri, Chiara; Colombo, Lara

2018-01-01

Background Turnover intentions refer to employees’ intent to leave the organization and, within call centers, it can be influenced by factors such as relational variables or the perception of the quality of working life, which can be affected by emotional dissonance. This specific job demand to express emotions not felt is peculiar in call centers, and can influence job satisfaction and turnover intentions, a crucial problem among these working contexts. This study aims to detect, within the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources Model, the role of emotional dissonance (job demand), and two resources, job autonomy and supervisors’ support, in the perception of job satisfaction and turnover intentions among an Italian call center. Method The study involved 318 call center agents of an Italian Telecommunication Company. Data analysis first performed descriptive statistics through SPSS 22. A path analysis was then performed through LISREL 8.72 and tested both direct and indirect effects. Results Results suggest the role of resources in fostering job satisfaction and in decreasing turnover intentions. Emotional dissonance reveals a negative relation with job satisfaction and a positive relation with turnover. Moreover, job satisfaction is negatively related with turnover and mediates the relationship between job resources and turnover. Conclusion This study contributes to extend the knowledge about the variables influencing turnover intentions, a crucial problem among call centers. Moreover, the study identifies theoretical considerations and practical implications to promote well-being among call center employees. To foster job satisfaction and reduce turnover intentions, in fact, it is important to make resources available, but also to offer specific training programs to make employees and supervisors aware about the consequences of emotional dissonance. PMID:29401507

Investment into the future of microbial resources: culture collection funding models and BRC business plans for biological resource centres.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, David; McCluskey, Kevin; Stackebrandt, Erko

2014-01-01

Through their long history of public service, diverse microbial Biological Resource Centres (mBRCs) have made myriad contributions to society and science. They have enabled the maintenance of specimens isolated before antibiotics, made available strains showing the development and change of pathogenicity toward animals, humans and plants, and have maintained and provided reference strains to ensure quality and reproducibility of science. However, this has not been achieved without considerable financial commitment. Different collections have unique histories and their support is often tied to their origins. However many collections have grown to serve large constituencies and need to develop novel funding mechanisms. Moreover, several international initiatives have described mBRCs as a factor in economic development and have led to the increased professionalism among mBRCs.

KEY ISSUES OF CONCEPTS' FORMATION OF THE NETWORK OF RESOURCE CENTER OF DISTANCE EDUCATION OF GENERAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuriy M. Bogachkov

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In the article the problem of constructing a network of resource centers for Distance Education to meet the needs of general secondary schools is presented. Modern educational trends in the use of Internet services in education are viewed.  Main contradictions, solution of which helps to create a network of resource centers, are identified. The definition of key terms related to the range of issues are given. The basic categories of participants, who  implementation of e-learning and networking are oriented on. There are considered the basic tasks of  distance education resource centers' functioning and types of supporting: personnel, regulatory, informative, systematic and  technical etc. The review of possible models of implementation of  students' distance education is reviewed . Three options for business models of resource centers, depending on funding  sources are offered.

Radiation application for the utilization of microbial resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young Keun; Kim, Jae Sung; Lee, Sang Jae

2007-07-01

Domestic microbes which had the antifungal, pesticide residue degradable, and heavy metal adsorbent activities were isolated individually. Mutants of their improved functions were induced by radiation. And finally microbial formulae of biocontroller were manufactured and respected to be industrialized promisingly. The effectiveness of the developed microbial formulae were confirmed in pepper, radish, and Chinese cabbage by field experiments for 5 kinds of fungal diseases. This technology is respected to be transferred to the agricultural companies. And a novel venture company could be established by the involved researchers using this technology. As a result, the productivity in environmentally-friendly farm could be improved gradually in the near future

Radiation application for the utilization of microbial resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Young Keun; Kim, Jae Sung; Lee, Sang Jae [and others

2007-07-15

Domestic microbes which had the antifungal, pesticide residue degradable, and heavy metal adsorbent activities were isolated individually. Mutants of their improved functions were induced by radiation. And finally microbial formulae of biocontroller were manufactured and respected to be industrialized promisingly. The effectiveness of the developed microbial formulae were confirmed in pepper, radish, and Chinese cabbage by field experiments for 5 kinds of fungal diseases. This technology is respected to be transferred to the agricultural companies. And a novel venture company could be established by the involved researchers using this technology. As a result, the productivity in environmentally-friendly farm could be improved gradually in the near future.

Inbound Call Centers and Emotional Dissonance in the Job Demands - Resources Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Molino, Monica; Emanuel, Federica; Zito, Margherita; Ghislieri, Chiara; Colombo, Lara; Cortese, Claudio G

2016-01-01

Emotional labor, defined as the process of regulating feelings and expressions as part of the work role, is a major characteristic in call centers. In particular, interacting with customers, agents are required to show certain emotions that are considered acceptable by the organization, even though these emotions may be different from their true feelings. This kind of experience is defined as emotional dissonance and represents a feature of the job especially for call center inbound activities. The present study was aimed at investigating whether emotional dissonance mediates the relationship between job demands (workload and customer verbal aggression) and job resources (supervisor support, colleague support, and job autonomy) on the one hand, and, on the other, affective discomfort, using the job demands-resources model as a framework. The study also observed differences between two different types of inbound activities: customer assistance service (CA) and information service. The study involved agents of an Italian Telecommunication Company, 352 of whom worked in the CA and 179 in the information service. The hypothesized model was tested across the two groups through multi-group structural equation modeling. Analyses showed that CA agents experience greater customer verbal aggression and emotional dissonance than information service agents. RESULTS also showed, only for the CA group, a full mediation of emotional dissonance between workload and affective discomfort, and a partial mediation of customer verbal aggression and job autonomy, and affective discomfort. This study's findings contributed both to the emotional labor literature, investigating the mediational role of emotional dissonance in the job demands-resources model, and to call center literature, considering differences between two specific kinds of inbound activities. Suggestions for organizations and practitioners emerged in order to identify practical implications useful both to support

Energy, ecology and the distribution of microbial life.

Science.gov (United States)

Macalady, Jennifer L; Hamilton, Trinity L; Grettenberger, Christen L; Jones, Daniel S; Tsao, Leah E; Burgos, William D

2013-07-19

Mechanisms that govern the coexistence of multiple biological species have been studied intensively by ecologists since the turn of the nineteenth century. Microbial ecologists in the meantime have faced many fundamental challenges, such as the lack of an ecologically coherent species definition, lack of adequate methods for evaluating population sizes and community composition in nature, and enormous taxonomic and functional diversity. The accessibility of powerful, culture-independent molecular microbiology methods offers an opportunity to close the gap between microbial science and the main stream of ecological theory, with the promise of new insights and tools needed to meet the grand challenges humans face as planetary engineers and galactic explorers. We focus specifically on resources related to energy metabolism because of their direct links to elemental cycling in the Earth's history, engineering applications and astrobiology. To what extent does the availability of energy resources structure microbial communities in nature? Our recent work on sulfur- and iron-oxidizing autotrophs suggests that apparently subtle variations in the concentration ratios of external electron donors and acceptors select for different microbial populations. We show that quantitative knowledge of microbial energy niches (population-specific patterns of energy resource use) can be used to predict variations in the abundance of specific taxa in microbial communities. Furthermore, we propose that resource ratio theory applied to micro-organisms will provide a useful framework for identifying how environmental communities are organized in space and time.

Automated Library Networking in American Public Community College Learning Resources Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Miah, Adbul J.

1994-01-01

Discusses the need for community colleges to assess their participation in automated library networking systems (ALNs). Presents results of questionnaires sent to 253 community college learning resource center directors to determine their use of ALNs. Reviews benefits of automation and ALN activities, planning and communications, institution size,…

Performance evaluation of multi-stratum resources integration based on network function virtualization in software defined elastic data center optical interconnect.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Tian, Rui; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

2015-11-30

Data center interconnect with elastic optical network is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented multi-stratum resilience between IP and elastic optical networks that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends to consider the resource integration by breaking the limit of network device, which can enhance the resource utilization. We propose a novel multi-stratum resources integration (MSRI) architecture based on network function virtualization in software defined elastic data center optical interconnect. A resource integrated mapping (RIM) scheme for MSRI is introduced in the proposed architecture. The MSRI can accommodate the data center services with resources integration when the single function or resource is relatively scarce to provision the services, and enhance globally integrated optimization of optical network and application resources. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture are experimentally verified on the control plane of OpenFlow-based enhanced software defined networking (eSDN) testbed. The performance of RIM scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on MSRI architecture in terms of path blocking probability, provisioning latency and resource utilization, compared with other provisioning schemes.

75 FR 78997 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration (CDC/HRSA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration (CDC/HRSA) Advisory Committee... and other committee management activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and...

The effect of resource history on the functioning of soil microbial communities is maintained across time

Science.gov (United States)

Keiser, A. D.; Strickland, M. S.; Fierer, N.; Bradford, M. A.

2011-06-01

Historical resource conditions appear to influence microbial community function. With time, historical influences might diminish as populations respond to the contemporary environment. Alternatively, they may persist given factors such as contrasting genetic potentials for adaptation to a new environment. Using experimental microcosms, we test competing hypotheses that function of distinct soil microbial communities in common environments (H1a) converge or (H1b) remain dissimilar over time. Using a 6 × 2 (soil community inoculum × litter environment) full-factorial design, we compare decomposition rates in experimental microcosms containing grass or hardwood litter environments. After 100 days, communities that develop are inoculated into fresh litters and decomposition followed for another 100 days. We repeat this for a third, 100-day period. In each successive, 100-day period, we find higher decomposition rates (i.e. functioning) suggesting communities function better when they have an experimental history of the contemporary environment. Despite these functional gains, differences in decomposition rates among initially distinct communities persist, supporting the hypothesis that dissimilarity is maintained across time. In contrast to function, community composition is more similar following a common, experimental history. We also find that "specialization" on one experimental environment incurs a cost, with loss of function in the alternate environment. For example, experimental history of a grass-litter environment reduced decomposition when communities were inoculated into a hardwood-litter environment. Our work demonstrates experimentally that despite expectations of fast growth rates, physiological flexibility and rapid evolution, initial functional differences between microbial communities are maintained across time. These findings question whether microbial dynamics can be omitted from models of ecosystem processes if we are to predict reliably global

Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium. Quarterly technical progress report, May 1, 1997--July 31, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-09-01

Progress summaries are provided from the Amarillo National Center for Plutonium. Programs include the plutonium information resource center, environment, public health, and safety, education and training, nuclear and other material studies.

78 FR 14303 - Statement of Delegation of Authority; Health Resources and Services Administration and Centers...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-05

... Services Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention I hereby delegate to the Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with authority to redelegate, the authority vested in the Secretary of the...

Zebrafish Health Conditions in the China Zebrafish Resource Center and 20 Major Chinese Zebrafish Laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Liyue; Pan, Luyuan; Li, Kuoyu; Zhang, Yun; Zhu, Zuoyan; Sun, Yonghua

2016-07-01

In China, the use of zebrafish as an experimental animal in the past 15 years has widely expanded. The China Zebrafish Resource Center (CZRC), which was established in 2012, is becoming one of the major resource centers in the global zebrafish community. Large-scale use and regular exchange of zebrafish resources have put forward higher requirements on zebrafish health issues in China. This article reports the current aquatic infrastructure design, animal husbandry, and health-monitoring programs in the CZRC. Meanwhile, through a survey of 20 Chinese zebrafish laboratories, we also describe the current health status of major zebrafish facilities in China. We conclude that it is of great importance to establish a widely accepted health standard and health-monitoring strategy in the Chinese zebrafish research community.

Research of radiation-resistant microbial organisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Dongho; Lim, Sangyong; Joe, Minho; Park, Haejoon; Song, Hyunpa; Im, Seunghun; Kim, Haram; Kim, Whajung; Choi, Jinsu; Park, Jongchun

2012-01-15

Many extremophiles including radiation-resistant bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans have special characteristics such as novel enzymes and physiological active substances different from known biological materials and are being in the spotlight of biotechnology science. In this research, basic technologies for the production of new genetic resources and microbial strains by a series of studies in radiation-resistant microbial organisms were investigated and developed. Mechanisms required for radiation-resistant in Deinococcus radiodurans were partly defined by analyzing the function of dinB, pprI, recG, DRA{sub 0}279, pprM, and two-component signal transduction systems. To apply genetic resource and functional materials from Deinococcus species, omics analysis in response to cadmium, construction of macroscopic biosensor, and characterization of carotenoids and chaperon protein were performed. Additionally, potential use of D. geothermalis in monosaccharide production from non-biodegradable plant materials was evaluated. Novel radiation resistant yeasts and bacteria were isolated and identified from environmental samples to obtain microbial and genomic resources. An optimal radiation mutant breeding method was set up for efficient and rapid isolation of target microbial mutants. Furthermore, an efficient ethanol producing mutant strain with high production yield and productivity was constructed using the breeding method in collaboration with Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology. Three Deinococcal bioindicators for radiation dosage confirmation after radiation sterilization process were developed. These results provide a comprehensive information for novel functional genetic elements, enzymes, and physiological active substances production or application. Eventually, industrial microbial cell factories based on radiation resistant microbial genomes can be developed and the technologies can be diffused to bioindustry continuously by this project.

Research of radiation-resistant microbial organisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dongho; Lim, Sangyong; Joe, Minho; Park, Haejoon; Song, Hyunpa; Im, Seunghun; Kim, Haram; Kim, Whajung; Choi, Jinsu; Park, Jongchun

2012-01-01

Many extremophiles including radiation-resistant bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans have special characteristics such as novel enzymes and physiological active substances different from known biological materials and are being in the spotlight of biotechnology science. In this research, basic technologies for the production of new genetic resources and microbial strains by a series of studies in radiation-resistant microbial organisms were investigated and developed. Mechanisms required for radiation-resistant in Deinococcus radiodurans were partly defined by analyzing the function of dinB, pprI, recG, DRA 0 279, pprM, and two-component signal transduction systems. To apply genetic resource and functional materials from Deinococcus species, omics analysis in response to cadmium, construction of macroscopic biosensor, and characterization of carotenoids and chaperon protein were performed. Additionally, potential use of D. geothermalis in monosaccharide production from non-biodegradable plant materials was evaluated. Novel radiation resistant yeasts and bacteria were isolated and identified from environmental samples to obtain microbial and genomic resources. An optimal radiation mutant breeding method was set up for efficient and rapid isolation of target microbial mutants. Furthermore, an efficient ethanol producing mutant strain with high production yield and productivity was constructed using the breeding method in collaboration with Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology. Three Deinococcal bioindicators for radiation dosage confirmation after radiation sterilization process were developed. These results provide a comprehensive information for novel functional genetic elements, enzymes, and physiological active substances production or application. Eventually, industrial microbial cell factories based on radiation resistant microbial genomes can be developed and the technologies can be diffused to bioindustry continuously by this project

Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center--providing comprehensive earth science for complex societal issues

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, David G.; Wallace, Alan R.; Schneider, Jill L.

2010-01-01

Minerals in the environment and products manufactured from mineral materials are all around us and we use and come into contact with them every day. They impact our way of life and the health of all that lives. Minerals are critical to the Nation's economy and knowing where future mineral resources will come from is important for sustaining the Nation's economy and national security. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resources Program (MRP) provides scientific information for objective resource assessments and unbiased research results on mineral resource potential, production and consumption statistics, as well as environmental consequences of mining. The MRP conducts this research to provide information needed for land planners and decisionmakers about where mineral commodities are known and suspected in the earth's crust and about the environmental consequences of extracting those commodities. As part of the MRP scientists of the Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center (WMERSC or 'Center' herein) coordinate the development of national, geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral-resource databases and the migration of existing databases to standard models and formats that are available to both internal and external users. The unique expertise developed by Center scientists over many decades in response to mineral-resource-related issues is now in great demand to support applications such as public health research and remediation of environmental hazards that result from mining and mining-related activities. Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center Results of WMERSC research provide timely and unbiased analyses of minerals and inorganic materials to (1) improve stewardship of public lands and resources; (2) support national and international economic and security policies; (3) sustain prosperity and improve our quality of life; and (4) protect and improve public health, safety, and environmental quality. The MRP

The International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM): The United States' Contribution to UNESCO IHP's Global Network of Water Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, W. S.

2015-12-01

The concept of a "category 2 center"—i.e., one that is closely affiliated with UNESCO, but not legally part of UNESCO—dates back many decades. However, only in the last decade has the concept been fully developed. Within UNESCO, the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) has led the way in creating a network of regional and global water-related centers.ICIWaRM—the International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management—is one member of this network. Approved by UNESCO's General Conference, the center has been operating since 2009. It was designed to fill a niche in the system for a center that was backed by an institution with on-the-ground water management experience, but that also had strong connections to academia, NGOs and other governmental agencies. Thus, ICIWaRM is hosted by the US Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources (IWR), but established with an internal network of partner institutions. Three main factors have contributed to any success that ICIWaRM has achieved in its global work: A focus on practical science and technology which can be readily transferred. This includes the Corps' own methodologies and models for planning and water management, and those of our university and government partners. Collaboration with other UNESCO Centers on joint applied research, capacity-building and training. A network of centers needs to function as a network, and ICIWaRM has worked together with UNESCO-affiliated centers in Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Japan, China, and elsewhere. Partnering with and supporting existing UNESCO-IHP programs. ICIWaRM serves as the Global Technical Secretariat for IHP's Global Network on Water and Development Information in Arid Lands (G-WADI). In addition to directly supporting IHP, work through G-WADI helps the center to frame, prioritize and integrate its activities. With the recent release of the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is clear that

Library/Media Centers in U.S. Public Schools: Growth, Staffing, and Resources. Full Report

Science.gov (United States)

Tuck, Kathy D.; Holmes, Dwight R.

2016-01-01

At the request of New Business Item: 89 (NBI: 89) adopted at the 2015 NEA Representative Assembly, this study examines the extent to which students have access to public school library/media centers with qualified staff and up-to-date resources. The study explores trends in library/media center openings and closings as well as staffing patterns…

Inbound Call Centers and Emotional Dissonance in the Job Demands – Resources Model

Science.gov (United States)

Molino, Monica; Emanuel, Federica; Zito, Margherita; Ghislieri, Chiara; Colombo, Lara; Cortese, Claudio G.

2016-01-01

Background: Emotional labor, defined as the process of regulating feelings and expressions as part of the work role, is a major characteristic in call centers. In particular, interacting with customers, agents are required to show certain emotions that are considered acceptable by the organization, even though these emotions may be different from their true feelings. This kind of experience is defined as emotional dissonance and represents a feature of the job especially for call center inbound activities. Aim: The present study was aimed at investigating whether emotional dissonance mediates the relationship between job demands (workload and customer verbal aggression) and job resources (supervisor support, colleague support, and job autonomy) on the one hand, and, on the other, affective discomfort, using the job demands-resources model as a framework. The study also observed differences between two different types of inbound activities: customer assistance service (CA) and information service. Method: The study involved agents of an Italian Telecommunication Company, 352 of whom worked in the CA and 179 in the information service. The hypothesized model was tested across the two groups through multi-group structural equation modeling. Results: Analyses showed that CA agents experience greater customer verbal aggression and emotional dissonance than information service agents. Results also showed, only for the CA group, a full mediation of emotional dissonance between workload and affective discomfort, and a partial mediation of customer verbal aggression and job autonomy, and affective discomfort. Conclusion: This study’s findings contributed both to the emotional labor literature, investigating the mediational role of emotional dissonance in the job demands-resources model, and to call center literature, considering differences between two specific kinds of inbound activities. Suggestions for organizations and practitioners emerged in order to identify

Biosecurity and Health Monitoring at the Zebrafish International Resource Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Katrina N; Varga, Zoltán M; Kent, Michael L

2016-07-01

The Zebrafish International Resource Center (ZIRC) is a repository and distribution center for mutant, transgenic, and wild-type zebrafish. In recent years annual imports of new zebrafish lines to ZIRC have increased tremendously. In addition, after 15 years of research, we have identified some of the most virulent pathogens affecting zebrafish that should be avoided in large production facilities, such as ZIRC. Therefore, while importing a high volume of new lines we prioritize safeguarding the health of our in-house fish colony. Here, we describe the biosecurity and health-monitoring program implemented at ZIRC. This strategy was designed to prevent introduction of new zebrafish pathogens, minimize pathogens already present in the facility, and ensure a healthy zebrafish colony for in-house uses and shipment to customers.

Human resources management in fitness centers and their relationship with the organizational performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerónimo García Fernández

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Human capital is essential in organizations providing sports services. However, there are few studies that examine what practices are carried out and whether they, affect sports organizations achieve better results are. Therefore the aim of this paper is to analyze the practices of human resource management in private fitness centers and the relationship established with organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaire to 101 managers of private fitness centers in Spain, performing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and linear regressions between the variables.Findings: In organizations of fitness, the findings show that training practices, reward, communication and selection are positively correlated with organizational performance.Research limitations/implications: The fact that you made a convenience sampling in a given country and reduce the extrapolation of the results to the market.Originality/value: First, it represents a contribution to the fact that there are no studies analyzing the management of human resources in sport organizations from the point of view of the top leaders. On the other hand, allows fitness center managers to adopt practices to improve organizational performance.

Argonne Laboratory Computing Resource Center - FY2004 Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bair, R.

2005-04-14

In the spring of 2002, Argonne National Laboratory founded the Laboratory Computing Resource Center, and in April 2003 LCRC began full operations with Argonne's first teraflops computing cluster. The LCRC's driving mission is to enable and promote computational science and engineering across the Laboratory, primarily by operating computing facilities and supporting application use and development. This report describes the scientific activities, computing facilities, and usage in the first eighteen months of LCRC operation. In this short time LCRC has had broad impact on programs across the Laboratory. The LCRC computing facility, Jazz, is available to the entire Laboratory community. In addition, the LCRC staff provides training in high-performance computing and guidance on application usage, code porting, and algorithm development. All Argonne personnel and collaborators are encouraged to take advantage of this computing resource and to provide input into the vision and plans for computing and computational analysis at Argonne. Steering for LCRC comes from the Computational Science Advisory Committee, composed of computing experts from many Laboratory divisions. The CSAC Allocations Committee makes decisions on individual project allocations for Jazz.

Inbound Call Centers and Emotional Dissonance in the Job Demands – Resources Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica Molino

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Emotional labor, defined as the process of regulating feelings and expressions as part of the work role, is a major characteristic in call centers. In particular, interacting with customers, agents are required to show certain emotions that are considered acceptable by the organization, even though these emotions may be different from their true feelings. This kind of experience is defined as emotional dissonance and represents a feature of the job especially for call center inbound activities. Aim: The present study was aimed at investigating whether emotional dissonance mediates the relationship between job demands (workload and customer verbal aggression and job resources (supervisor support, colleague support and job autonomy on the one hand, and, on the other, affective discomfort, using the job demands-resources model as a framework. The study also observed differences between two different types of inbound activities: customer assistance service and information service.Method: The study involved agents of an Italian Telecommunication Company, 352 of whom worked in the customer assistance service and 179 in the information service. The hypothesized model was tested across the two groups through multi-group structural equation modeling.Results: Analyses showed that customer assistance service agents experience greater customer verbal aggression and emotional dissonance than information service agents. Results also showed, only for the customer assistance service group, a full mediation of emotional dissonance between workload and affective discomfort, and a partial mediation of customer verbal aggression and job autonomy, and affective discomfort.Conclusion: This study’s findings contributed both to the emotional labor literature, investigating the mediational role of emotional dissonance in the job demands-resources model, and to call center literature, considering differences between two specific kinds of inbound activities

Dual-Function Electrocatalytic and Macroporous Hollow-Fiber Cathode for Converting Waste Streams to Valuable Resources Using Microbial Electrochemical Systems

KAUST Repository

Katuri, Krishna; Kalathil, Shafeer; Ragab, Ala'a; Bian, Bin; AlQahtani, Manal Faisal; Pant, Deepak; Saikaly, Pascal

2018-01-01

Dual-function electrocatalytic and macroporous hollow-fiber cathodes are recently proposed as promising advanced material for maximizing the conversion of waste streams such as wastewater and waste CO2 to valuable resources (e.g., clean freshwater, energy, value-added chemicals) in microbial electrochemical systems. The first part of this progress report reviews recent developments in this type of cathode architecture for the simultaneous recovery of clean freshwater and energy from wastewater. Critical insights are provided on suitable materials for fabricating these cathodes, as well as addressing some challenges in the fabrication process with proposed strategies to overcome them. The second and complementary part of the progress report highlights how the unique features of this cathode architecture can solve one of the intrinsic bottlenecks (gas-liquid mass transfer limitation) in the application of microbial electrochemical systems for CO2 reduction to value-added products. Strategies to further improve the availability of CO2 to microbial catalysts on the cathode are proposed. The importance of understanding microbe-cathode interactions, as well as electron transfer mechanisms at the cathode-cell and cell-cell interface to better design dual-function macroporous hollow-fiber cathodes, is critically discussed with insights on how the choice of material is important in facilitating direct electron transfer versus mediated electron transfer.

Dual-Function Electrocatalytic and Macroporous Hollow-Fiber Cathode for Converting Waste Streams to Valuable Resources Using Microbial Electrochemical Systems

KAUST Repository

Katuri, Krishna

2018-04-30

Dual-function electrocatalytic and macroporous hollow-fiber cathodes are recently proposed as promising advanced material for maximizing the conversion of waste streams such as wastewater and waste CO2 to valuable resources (e.g., clean freshwater, energy, value-added chemicals) in microbial electrochemical systems. The first part of this progress report reviews recent developments in this type of cathode architecture for the simultaneous recovery of clean freshwater and energy from wastewater. Critical insights are provided on suitable materials for fabricating these cathodes, as well as addressing some challenges in the fabrication process with proposed strategies to overcome them. The second and complementary part of the progress report highlights how the unique features of this cathode architecture can solve one of the intrinsic bottlenecks (gas-liquid mass transfer limitation) in the application of microbial electrochemical systems for CO2 reduction to value-added products. Strategies to further improve the availability of CO2 to microbial catalysts on the cathode are proposed. The importance of understanding microbe-cathode interactions, as well as electron transfer mechanisms at the cathode-cell and cell-cell interface to better design dual-function macroporous hollow-fiber cathodes, is critically discussed with insights on how the choice of material is important in facilitating direct electron transfer versus mediated electron transfer.

Astrobiology and Microbial Diversity Websites at MBL

Science.gov (United States)

Bahr, M.; Bordenstein, S. R.

2006-12-01

The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) mission is to study the origin, evolution and future of life in the Universe. The MBL Astrobiology team explores the evolution and interaction of genomes of diverse organisms that play significant roles in environmental biology over evolutionary time scales. Communication about our research includes the personal contact of teacher workshops, and the development of web-based resources. Microbial Life Educational Resources (MLER) provides an expanding internet resource about the ecology, diversity and evolution for students, K-12 teachers, university faculty, and the general public. MLER includes websites, PowerPoint presentations, teaching activities, data sets, and other useful materials for creating or enhancing courses related to astrobiology. Our second site, micro*scope (http://microscope.mbl.edu), has images of microbes, classification schemes, descriptions of organisms, talks and other educational resources to improve awareness of the biodiversity of our microbial partners.

Criticality Safety Information Resource Center Web portal: www.csirc.net

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, C.D. II; Jones, T.

2000-01-01

The Nuclear Criticality Safety Group (ESH-6) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is in the process of collecting and archiving historical and technical information related to nuclear criticality safety from LANL and other facilities. In an ongoing effort, this information is being made available via the Criticality Safety Information Resource Center (CSIRC) web site, which is hosted and maintained by ESH-6 staff. Recently, the CSIRC Web site was recreated as a Web portal that provides the criticality safety community with much more than just archived data

What is microbial community ecology?

Science.gov (United States)

Konopka, Allan

2009-11-01

The activities of complex communities of microbes affect biogeochemical transformations in natural, managed and engineered ecosystems. Meaningfully defining what constitutes a community of interacting microbial populations is not trivial, but is important for rigorous progress in the field. Important elements of research in microbial community ecology include the analysis of functional pathways for nutrient resource and energy flows, mechanistic understanding of interactions between microbial populations and their environment, and the emergent properties of the complex community. Some emergent properties mirror those analyzed by community ecologists who study plants and animals: biological diversity, functional redundancy and system stability. However, because microbes possess mechanisms for the horizontal transfer of genetic information, the metagenome may also be considered as a community property.

Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium quarterly technical progress report, August 1, 1997--October 31, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-31

This report summarizes activities of the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium during the quarter. The report describes the Electronic Resource Library; DOE support activities; current and future environmental health and safety programs; pollution prevention and pollution avoidance; communication, education, training, and community involvement programs; and nuclear and other material studies, including plutonium storage and disposition studies.

Establishing Network Interaction between Resource Training Centers for People with Disabilities and Partner Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panyukova S.V.,

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the problem of accessibility and quality of higher education for students with disabilities. We describe our experience in organising network interaction between the MSUPE Resource and Training Center for Disabled People established in 2016-2017 and partner universities in ‘fixed territories’. The need for cooperation and network interaction arises from the high demand for the cooperation of efforts of leading experts, researchers, methodologists and instructors necessary for improving the quality and accessibility of higher education for persons with disabilities. The Resource and Training Center offers counseling for the partner universities, arranges advanced training for those responsible for teaching of the disabled, and offers specialized equipment for temporary use. In this article, we emphasize the importance of organizing network interactions with universities and social partners in order to ensure accessibility of higher education for students with disabilities.

Resources to Support Ethical Practice in Evaluation: An Interview with the Director of the National Center for Research and Professional Ethics

Science.gov (United States)

Goodyear, Leslie

2012-01-01

Where do evaluators find resources on ethics and ethical practice? This article highlights a relatively new online resource, a centerpiece project of the National Center for Professional and Research Ethics (NCPRE), which brings together information on best practices in ethics in research, academia, and business in an online portal and center. It…

MicroScope-an integrated resource for community expertise of gene functions and comparative analysis of microbial genomic and metabolic data.

Science.gov (United States)

Médigue, Claudine; Calteau, Alexandra; Cruveiller, Stéphane; Gachet, Mathieu; Gautreau, Guillaume; Josso, Adrien; Lajus, Aurélie; Langlois, Jordan; Pereira, Hugo; Planel, Rémi; Roche, David; Rollin, Johan; Rouy, Zoe; Vallenet, David

2017-09-12

The overwhelming list of new bacterial genomes becoming available on a daily basis makes accurate genome annotation an essential step that ultimately determines the relevance of thousands of genomes stored in public databanks. The MicroScope platform (http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/agc/microscope) is an integrative resource that supports systematic and efficient revision of microbial genome annotation, data management and comparative analysis. Starting from the results of our syntactic, functional and relational annotation pipelines, MicroScope provides an integrated environment for the expert annotation and comparative analysis of prokaryotic genomes. It combines tools and graphical interfaces to analyze genomes and to perform the manual curation of gene function in a comparative genomics and metabolic context. In this article, we describe the free-of-charge MicroScope services for the annotation and analysis of microbial (meta)genomes, transcriptomic and re-sequencing data. Then, the functionalities of the platform are presented in a way providing practical guidance and help to the nonspecialists in bioinformatics. Newly integrated analysis tools (i.e. prediction of virulence and resistance genes in bacterial genomes) and original method recently developed (the pan-genome graph representation) are also described. Integrated environments such as MicroScope clearly contribute, through the user community, to help maintaining accurate resources. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Evaluation of a fungal collection as certified reference material producer and as a biological resource center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Forti

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Considering the absence of standards for culture collections and more specifically for biological resource centers in the world, in addition to the absence of certified biological material in Brazil, this study aimed to evaluate a Fungal Collection from Fiocruz, as a producer of certified reference material and as Biological Resource Center (BRC. For this evaluation, a checklist based on the requirements of ABNT ISO GUIA34:2012 correlated with the ABNT NBR ISO/IEC17025:2005, was designed and applied. Complementing the implementation of the checklist, an internal audit was performed. An evaluation of this Collection as a BRC was also conducted following the requirements of the NIT-DICLA-061, the Brazilian internal standard from Inmetro, based on ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17025:2005, ABNT ISO GUIA 34:2012 and OECD Best Practice Guidelines for BRCs. This was the first time that the NIT DICLA-061 was applied in a culture collection during an internal audit. The assessments enabled the proposal for the adequacy of this Collection to assure the implementation of the management system for their future accreditation by Inmetro as a certified reference material producer as well as its future accreditation as a Biological Resource Center according to the NIT-DICLA-061.

Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium. Quarterly technical progress report, February 1, 1998--April 30, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-06-01

Activities from the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium are described. Areas of work include materials science of nuclear and explosive materials, plutonium processing and handling, robotics, and storage.

Improvements to PATRIC, the all-bacterial Bioinformatics Database and Analysis Resource Center

Science.gov (United States)

Wattam, Alice R.; Davis, James J.; Assaf, Rida; Boisvert, Sébastien; Brettin, Thomas; Bun, Christopher; Conrad, Neal; Dietrich, Emily M.; Disz, Terry; Gabbard, Joseph L.; Gerdes, Svetlana; Henry, Christopher S.; Kenyon, Ronald W.; Machi, Dustin; Mao, Chunhong; Nordberg, Eric K.; Olsen, Gary J.; Murphy-Olson, Daniel E.; Olson, Robert; Overbeek, Ross; Parrello, Bruce; Pusch, Gordon D.; Shukla, Maulik; Vonstein, Veronika; Warren, Andrew; Xia, Fangfang; Yoo, Hyunseung; Stevens, Rick L.

2017-01-01

The Pathosystems Resource Integration Center (PATRIC) is the bacterial Bioinformatics Resource Center (https://www.patricbrc.org). Recent changes to PATRIC include a redesign of the web interface and some new services that provide users with a platform that takes them from raw reads to an integrated analysis experience. The redesigned interface allows researchers direct access to tools and data, and the emphasis has changed to user-created genome-groups, with detailed summaries and views of the data that researchers have selected. Perhaps the biggest change has been the enhanced capability for researchers to analyze their private data and compare it to the available public data. Researchers can assemble their raw sequence reads and annotate the contigs using RASTtk. PATRIC also provides services for RNA-Seq, variation, model reconstruction and differential expression analysis, all delivered through an updated private workspace. Private data can be compared by ‘virtual integration’ to any of PATRIC's public data. The number of genomes available for comparison in PATRIC has expanded to over 80 000, with a special emphasis on genomes with antimicrobial resistance data. PATRIC uses this data to improve both subsystem annotation and k-mer classification, and tags new genomes as having signatures that indicate susceptibility or resistance to specific antibiotics. PMID:27899627

Modeling adaptation of carbon use efficiency in microbial communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven D Allison

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In new microbial-biogeochemical models, microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE is often assumed to decline with increasing temperature. Under this assumption, soil carbon losses under warming are small because microbial biomass declines. Yet there is also empirical evidence that CUE may adapt (i.e. become less sensitive to warming, thereby mitigating negative effects on microbial biomass. To analyze potential mechanisms of CUE adaptation, I used two theoretical models to implement a tradeoff between microbial uptake rate and CUE. This rate-yield tradeoff is based on thermodynamic principles and suggests that microbes with greater investment in resource acquisition should have lower CUE. Microbial communities or individuals could adapt to warming by reducing investment in enzymes and uptake machinery. Consistent with this idea, a simple analytical model predicted that adaptation can offset 50% of the warming-induced decline in CUE. To assess the ecosystem implications of the rate-yield tradeoff, I quantified CUE adaptation in a spatially-structured simulation model with 100 microbial taxa and 12 soil carbon substrates. This model predicted much lower CUE adaptation, likely due to additional physiological and ecological constraints on microbes. In particular, specific resource acquisition traits are needed to maintain stoichiometric balance, and taxa with high CUE and low enzyme investment rely on low-yield, high-enzyme neighbors to catalyze substrate degradation. In contrast to published microbial models, simulations with greater CUE adaptation also showed greater carbon storage under warming. This pattern occurred because microbial communities with stronger CUE adaptation produced fewer degradative enzymes, despite increases in biomass. Thus the rate-yield tradeoff prevents CUE adaptation from driving ecosystem carbon loss under climate warming.

Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium quarterly technical progress report, August 1--October 31, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-11-01

This paper describes activities of the Center under the following topical sections: Electronic resource library; Environmental restoration and protection; Health and safety; Waste management; Communication program; Education program; Training; Analytical development; Materials science; Plutonium processing and handling; and Storage.

Learning Resources Centers and Their Effectiveness on Students’ Learning Outcomes: A Case-Study of an Omani Higher Education Institute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peyman Nouraey

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The study aimed at investigating the use and effectiveness of a learning resources center, which is generally known as a library. In doing so, eight elements were investigated through an author-designed questionnaire. Each of these elements tended to delve into certain aspects of the afore-mentioned center. These elements included a students’ visits frequency, b availability of books related to modules, c center facilities, d use of discussion rooms, e use of online resources, f staff cooperation, g impact on knowledge enhancement, and, h recommendation to peers. Eighty undergraduate students participated in the study. Participants were then asked to read the statements carefully and choose one of the five responses provided, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Data were analyzed based on 5-point Likert Scale. Findings of the study revealed that participants were mostly in agreement with all eight statements provided in the questionnaire, which were interpreted as positive feedbacks from the students. Then, the frequencies of responses by the participants were reported. Finally, the results were compared and contrasted and related discussions on the effectiveness of libraries and learning resources centers on students’ learning performances and outcomes were made.

15 CFR 291.4 - National industry-specific pollution prevention and environmental compliance resource centers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false National industry-specific pollution prevention and environmental compliance resource centers. 291.4 Section 291.4 Commerce and Foreign Trade Regulations Relating to Commerce and Foreign Trade NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NIST EXTRAMURAL PROGRAM...

Microbial biotechnology and circular economy in wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Per Halkjaer

2017-09-01

Microbial biotechnology is essential for the development of circular economy in wastewater treatment by integrating energy production and resource recovery into the production of clean water. A comprehensive knowledge about identity, physiology, ecology, and population dynamics of process-critical microorganisms will improve process stability, reduce CO2 footprints, optimize recovery and bioenergy production, and help finding new approaches and solutions. Examples of research needs and perspectives are provided, demonstrating the great importance of microbial biotechnology. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Evaluation of a fungal collection as certified reference material producer and as a biological resource center.

Science.gov (United States)

Forti, Tatiana; Souto, Aline da S S; do Nascimento, Carlos Roberto S; Nishikawa, Marilia M; Hubner, Marise T W; Sabagh, Fernanda P; Temporal, Rosane Maria; Rodrigues, Janaína M; da Silva, Manuela

2016-01-01

Considering the absence of standards for culture collections and more specifically for biological resource centers in the world, in addition to the absence of certified biological material in Brazil, this study aimed to evaluate a Fungal Collection from Fiocruz, as a producer of certified reference material and as Biological Resource Center (BRC). For this evaluation, a checklist based on the requirements of ABNT ISO GUIA34:2012 correlated with the ABNT NBR ISO/IEC17025:2005, was designed and applied. Complementing the implementation of the checklist, an internal audit was performed. An evaluation of this Collection as a BRC was also conducted following the requirements of the NIT-DICLA-061, the Brazilian internal standard from Inmetro, based on ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17025:2005, ABNT ISO GUIA 34:2012 and OECD Best Practice Guidelines for BRCs. This was the first time that the NIT DICLA-061 was applied in a culture collection during an internal audit. The assessments enabled the proposal for the adequacy of this Collection to assure the implementation of the management system for their future accreditation by Inmetro as a certified reference material producer as well as its future accreditation as a Biological Resource Center according to the NIT-DICLA-061. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Argonne's Laboratory Computing Resource Center 2009 annual report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bair, R. B. (CLS-CI)

2011-05-13

Now in its seventh year of operation, the Laboratory Computing Resource Center (LCRC) continues to be an integral component of science and engineering research at Argonne, supporting a diverse portfolio of projects for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors. The LCRC's ongoing mission is to enable and promote computational science and engineering across the Laboratory, primarily by operating computing facilities and supporting high-performance computing application use and development. This report describes scientific activities carried out with LCRC resources in 2009 and the broad impact on programs across the Laboratory. The LCRC computing facility, Jazz, is available to the entire Laboratory community. In addition, the LCRC staff provides training in high-performance computing and guidance on application usage, code porting, and algorithm development. All Argonne personnel and collaborators are encouraged to take advantage of this computing resource and to provide input into the vision and plans for computing and computational analysis at Argonne. The LCRC Allocations Committee makes decisions on individual project allocations for Jazz. Committee members are appointed by the Associate Laboratory Directors and span a range of computational disciplines. The 350-node LCRC cluster, Jazz, began production service in April 2003 and has been a research work horse ever since. Hosting a wealth of software tools and applications and achieving high availability year after year, researchers can count on Jazz to achieve project milestones and enable breakthroughs. Over the years, many projects have achieved results that would have been unobtainable without such a computing resource. In fiscal year 2009, there were 49 active projects representing a wide cross-section of Laboratory research and almost all research divisions.

Lipid recovery from a vegetable oil emulsion using microbial enrichment cultures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tamis, J.; Sorokin, D.Y.; Jiang, Y.; Van Loosdrecht, M.C.M.; Kleerebezem, R.

2015-01-01

Background Many waste streams have a relatively high vegetable oil content, which is a potential resource that should be recovered. Microbial storage compound production for the recovery of lipids from lipid-water emulsions with open (unsterilized) microbial cultures was investigated in a sequencing

A Guide to the Data Resources of the Henry A. Murray Research Center of Radcliffe College: A Center for the Study of Lives [and] Index to [the] Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Radcliffe Coll., Cambridge, MA. Henry A. Murray Research Center.

The first of two volumes provides information about data resources available at the Henry A. Murray Research Center of Radcliffe College, a multidisciplinary research center that is a national repository for social and behavioral science data on human development and social change; topics of special concern to women are collection priorities. The…

Evaluation of health resource utilization efficiency in community health centers of Jiangsu Province, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xinglong; Zhou, Lulin; Antwi, Henry Asante; Chen, Xi

2018-02-20

While the demand for health services keep escalating at the grass roots or rural areas of China, a substantial portion of healthcare resources remain stagnant in the more developed cities and this has entrenched health inequity in many parts of China. At its conception, China's Deepen Medical Reform started in 2012 was intended to flush out possible disparities and promote a more equitable and efficient distribution of healthcare resources. Nearly half a decade of this reform, there are uncertainties as to whether the attainment of the objectives of the reform is in sight. Using a hybrid of panel data analysis and an augmented data envelopment analysis (DEA), we model human resources, material, finance to determine their technical and scale efficiency to comprehensively evaluate the transverse and longitudinal allocation efficiency of community health resources in Jiangsu Province. We observed that the Deepen Medical Reform in China has led to an increase concern to ensure efficient allocation of community health resources by health policy makers in the province. This has led to greater efficiency in health resource allocation in Jiangsu in general but serious regional or municipal disparities still exist. Using the DEA model, we note that the output from the Community Health Centers does not commensurate with the substantial resources (human resources, materials, and financial) invested in them. We further observe that the case is worst in less-developed Northern parts of Jiangsu Province. The government of Jiangsu Province could improve the efficiency of health resource allocation by improving the community health service system, rationalizing the allocation of health personnel, optimizing the allocation of material resources, and enhancing the level of health of financial resource allocation.

Agricultural management legacy affects microbial energetics, resource utilization and active bacterial community membership during 13C-glucose consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Helgason, B. L.; Levy-Booth, D.; Arcand, M. M.

2017-12-01

Over the long-term, differences in soil management can result in fundamental changes in biogeochemical cycling. The Alternative Cropping Systems (ACS) Study at Scott, SK, Canada (est. 1994) compares organic (ORG) vs. conventionally (CON) managed crop rotations in a loamy Typic Borall. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deficiency in the ORG systems have limited crop growth and thus plant carbon (C) inputs for over two decades, ultimately resulting in a C deficiency which has further altered biogeochemical cycling. We conducted a short-term microcosm experiment using 13C-glucose stable isotope probing (SIP) of DNA to test whether ORG soils have greater microbial C use efficiency due to long term resource limitation. Glucose-utilizing populations were dominated by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, with differing species-level identities and physiological capacities between CON and ORG systems. Of the 13C-utilizing taxa, relative abundance of Proteobacteria was greater in CON while Actinobacteria (and notably Firmicutes) were more dominant in ORG soils. Using isothermal calorimetry, we measured a thermodynamic efficiency (ηeff) of 0.68, which was not significantly different between soils indicating that the metabolic cost of glucose utilization was similar in CON and ORG soils. In spite of this, differential abundance analysis of 13C-labelled OTUs revealed that ORG soils had distinct active bacterial populations that were positively correlated with ηeff, ηsoil (glucose energy retained in soil) and primed soil organic matter (pSOM). In contrast, differentially abundant OTUs in the CON soils were negatively correlated with measures of thermodynamic efficiency but positively correlated with glucose-derived heat and CO2 production as well as NO3- and PO4- availability. ORG bacterial communities may co-metabolize other resources (N and P) from SOM to meet their metabolic requirements during glucose utilization, while the active bacteria in the CON soils could access these

Deep subsurface microbial processes

Science.gov (United States)

Lovley, D.R.; Chapelle, F.H.

1995-01-01

Information on the microbiology of the deep subsurface is necessary in order to understand the factors controlling the rate and extent of the microbially catalyzed redox reactions that influence the geophysical properties of these environments. Furthermore, there is an increasing threat that deep aquifers, an important drinking water resource, may be contaminated by man's activities, and there is a need to predict the extent to which microbial activity may remediate such contamination. Metabolically active microorganisms can be recovered from a diversity of deep subsurface environments. The available evidence suggests that these microorganisms are responsible for catalyzing the oxidation of organic matter coupled to a variety of electron acceptors just as microorganisms do in surface sediments, but at much slower rates. The technical difficulties in aseptically sampling deep subsurface sediments and the fact that microbial processes in laboratory incubations of deep subsurface material often do not mimic in situ processes frequently necessitate that microbial activity in the deep subsurface be inferred through nonmicrobiological analyses of ground water. These approaches include measurements of dissolved H2, which can predict the predominant microbially catalyzed redox reactions in aquifers, as well as geochemical and groundwater flow modeling, which can be used to estimate the rates of microbial processes. Microorganisms recovered from the deep subsurface have the potential to affect the fate of toxic organics and inorganic contaminants in groundwater. Microbial activity also greatly influences 1 the chemistry of many pristine groundwaters and contributes to such phenomena as porosity development in carbonate aquifers, accumulation of undesirably high concentrations of dissolved iron, and production of methane and hydrogen sulfide. Although the last decade has seen a dramatic increase in interest in deep subsurface microbiology, in comparison with the study of

Invasion in microbial communities: Role of community composition and assembly processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kinnunen, Marta

of microbial community assembly. Biotic factors include interactions between different microbial groups as well as the community response to alien species – invaders. Microbial invasions can have significant effects on the composition and functioning of resident communities. There is, however, lack......Microbes contribute to all biogeochemical cycles on earth and are responsible for key biological processes that support the survival of plants and animals. There is increased interest in controlling and managing microbial communities in different ecosystems in order to make targeted microbiological...... processes more effective. In order to manage microbial communities, it is essential to understand the factors that shape and influence microbial community composition. In addition to abiotic factors, such as environmental conditions and resource availability, biotic factors also shape the dynamics...

Key Concepts in Microbial Oceanography

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, B. C.; Achilles, K.; Walker, G.; Weersing, K.; Team, A

2008-12-01

The Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) is a multi-institution Science and Technology Center, established by the National Science Foundation in 2006. C-MORE's research mission is to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the diverse assemblages of microorganisms in the sea, ranging from the genetic basis of marine microbial biogeochemistry including the metabolic regulation and environmental controls of gene expression, to the processes that underpin the fluxes of carbon, related bioelements, and energy in the marine environment. The C-MORE education and outreach program is focused on increasing scientific literacy in microbial oceanography among students, educators, and the general public. A first step toward this goal is defining the key concepts that constitute microbial oceanography. After lengthy discussions with scientists and educators, both within and outside C-MORE, we have arrived at six key concepts: 1) Marine microbes are very small and have been around for a long time; 2) Life on Earth could not exist without microbes; 3) Most marine microbes are beneficial; 4) Microbes are everywhere: they are extremely abundant and diverse; 5) Microbes significantly impact our global climate; and 6) There are new discoveries every day in the field of microbial oceanography. A C-MORE-produced brochure on these six key concepts will be distributed at the meeting. Advanced copies may be requested by email or downloaded from the C-MORE web site(http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/downloads/MO_key_concepts_hi-res.pdf). This brochure also includes information on career pathways in microbial oceanography, with the aim of broadening participation in the field. C-MORE is eager to work in partnership to incorporate these key concepts into other science literacy publications, particularly those involving ocean and climate literacy. We thank the following contributors and reviewers: P Chisholm, A Dolberry, and A Thompson (MIT); N Lawrence

Science center capabilities to monitor and investigate Michigan’s water resources, 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Giesen, Julia A.; Givens, Carrie E.

2016-09-06

Michigan faces many challenges related to water resources, including flooding, drought, water-quality degradation and impairment, varying water availability, watershed-management issues, stormwater management, aquatic-ecosystem impairment, and invasive species. Michigan’s water resources include approximately 36,000 miles of streams, over 11,000 inland lakes, 3,000 miles of shoreline along the Great Lakes (MDEQ, 2016), and groundwater aquifers throughout the State.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, as well as tribes and universities, to provide scientific information used to manage the water resources of Michigan. To effectively assess water resources, the USGS uses standardized methods to operate streamgages, water-quality stations, and groundwater stations. The USGS also monitors water quality in lakes and reservoirs, makes periodic measurements along rivers and streams, and maintains all monitoring data in a national, quality-assured, hydrologic database.The USGS in Michigan investigates the occurrence, distribution, quantity, movement, and chemical and biological quality of surface water and groundwater statewide. Water-resource monitoring and scientific investigations are conducted statewide by USGS hydrologists, hydrologic technicians, biologists, and microbiologists who have expertise in data collection as well as various scientific specialties. A support staff consisting of computer-operations and administrative personnel provides the USGS the functionality to move science forward. Funding for USGS activities in Michigan comes from local and State agencies, other Federal agencies, direct Federal appropriations, and through the USGS Cooperative Matching Funds, which allows the USGS to partially match funding provided by local and State partners.This fact sheet provides an overview of the USGS current (2016) capabilities to monitor and study Michigan’s vast water resources. More

Impact of Information Technology, Clinical Resource Constraints, and Patient-Centered Practice Characteristics on Quality of Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JongDeuk Baek

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Objective: Factors in the practice environment, such as health information technology (IT infrastructure, availability of other clinical resources, and financial incentives, may influence whether practices are able to successfully implement the patient-centered medical home (PCMH model and realize its benefits. This study investigates the impacts of those PCMH-related elements on primary care physicians’ perception of quality of care. Methods: A multiple logistic regression model was estimated using the 2004 to 2005 CTS Physician Survey, a national sample of salaried primary care physicians (n = 1733. Results: The patient-centered practice environment and availability of clinical resources increased physicians’ perceived quality of care. Although IT use for clinical information access did enhance physicians’ ability to provide high quality of care, a similar positive impact of IT use was not found for e-prescribing or the exchange of clinical patient information. Lack of resources was negatively associated with physician perception of quality of care. Conclusion: Since health IT is an important foundation of PCMH, patient-centered practices are more likely to have health IT in place to support care delivery. However, despite its potential to enhance delivery of primary care, simply making health IT available does not necessarily translate into physicians’ perceptions that it enhances the quality of care they provide. It is critical for health-care managers and policy makers to ensure that primary care physicians fully recognize and embrace the use of new technology to improve both the quality of care provided and the patient outcomes.

Integrated Approach to Reconstruction of Microbial Regulatory Networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodionov, Dmitry A [Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute; Novichkov, Pavel S [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2013-11-04

This project had the goal(s) of development of integrated bioinformatics platform for genome-scale inference and visualization of transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs) in bacterial genomes. The work was done in Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (SBMRI, P.I. D.A. Rodionov) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL, co-P.I. P.S. Novichkov). The developed computational resources include: (1) RegPredict web-platform for TRN inference and regulon reconstruction in microbial genomes, and (2) RegPrecise database for collection, visualization and comparative analysis of transcriptional regulons reconstructed by comparative genomics. These analytical resources were selected as key components in the DOE Systems Biology KnowledgeBase (SBKB). The high-quality data accumulated in RegPrecise will provide essential datasets of reference regulons in diverse microbes to enable automatic reconstruction of draft TRNs in newly sequenced genomes. We outline our progress toward the three aims of this grant proposal, which were: Develop integrated platform for genome-scale regulon reconstruction; Infer regulatory annotations in several groups of bacteria and building of reference collections of microbial regulons; and Develop KnowledgeBase on microbial transcriptional regulation.

Japan's silver human resource centers and participant well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Robert S; Bass, Scott A; Heimovitz, Harley K; Oka, Masato

2005-03-01

Japan's Silver Human Resource Center (SHRC) program provides part-time, paid employment to retirement-aged men and women. We studied 393 new program participants and examined whether part-time work influenced their well-being or "ikigai." The participants were divided into those who had worked in SHRC-provided jobs in the preceding year, and those who had not. Gender-stratified regression models were fitted to determine whether SHRC employment was associated with increased well-being. For men, actively working at a SHRC job was associated with greater well-being, compared to inactive members. And men with SHRC jobs and previous volunteering experience had the greatest increase in well-being. Women SHRC job holders did not experience increased well-being at the year's end. The study concludes that there is justification for exploring the usefulness of a similar program for American retirees who desire post-retirement part-time work.

Animal Resource Program | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

CCR Animal Resource Program The CCR Animal Resource Program plans, develops, and coordinates laboratory animal resources for CCR’s research programs. We also provide training, imaging, and technology development in support of moving basic discoveries to the clinic. The ARP Manager:

Animal Resource Program | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

CCR Animal Resource Program The CCR Animal Resource Program plans, develops, and coordinates laboratory animal resources for CCR’s research programs. We also provide training, imaging, and technology development in support of moving basic discoveries to the clinic. The ARP Office:

Effect of microbial enzyme allocation strategies on stoichiometry of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Wutzler, Thomas

2014-05-01

We explored different strategies of soil microbial community to invest resources into extracellular enzymes by conceptual modelling. Similar to the EEZY model by Moorhead et al. (2012), microbial community can invest into two separate pools of enzymes that depolymerize two different SOM pools. We show that with assuming that a fixed fraction of substrate uptake is allocated to enzymes, the microbial dynamics decouples from decomposition dynamics. We propose an alternative formulation where investment into enzymes is proportional to microbial biomass. Next, we show that the strategy of optimizing stoichiometry of decomposition flux according to microbial biomass stoichiometry yield less microbial growth than the strategy of optimizing revenue of the currently limiting element. However, both strategies result in better usage of the resources, i.e. less C overflow or N mineralization, than the strategy of equal allocation to both enzymes. Further, we discuss effects of those strategies on decomposition of SOM and priming at different time scales and discuss several abstractions from the detailed model dynamics for usage in larger scale models.

Effects of heavy metals on soil microbial community

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Dian

2018-02-01

Soil is one of the most important environmental natural resources for human beings living, which is of great significance to the quality of ecological environment and human health. The study of the function of arable soil microbes exposed to heavy metal pollution for a long time has a very important significance for the usage of farmland soil. In this paper, the effects of heavy metals on soil microbial community were reviewed. The main contents were as follows: the effects of soil microbes on soil ecosystems; the effects of heavy metals on soil microbial activity, soil enzyme activities and the composition of soil microbial community. In addition, a brief description of main methods of heavy metal detection for soil pollution is given, and the means of researching soil microbial community composition are introduced as well. Finally, it is concluded that the study of soil microbial community can well reflect the degree of soil heavy metal pollution and the impact of heavy metal pollution on soil ecology.

Are the resources adoptive for conducting team-based diabetes management clinics? An explorative study at primary health care centers in Muscat, Oman.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Alawi, Kamila; Johansson, Helene; Al Mandhari, Ahmed; Norberg, Margareta

2018-05-08

AimThe aim of this study is to explore the perceptions among primary health center staff concerning competencies, values, skills and resources related to team-based diabetes management and to describe the availability of needed resources for team-based approaches. The diabetes epidemic challenges services available at primary health care centers in the Middle East. Therefore, there is a demand for evaluation of the available resources and team-based diabetes management in relation to the National Diabetes Management Guidelines. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 26 public primary health care centers in Muscat, the capital of Oman. Data were collected from manual and electronic resources as well as a questionnaire that was distributed to the physician-in-charge and diabetes management team members.FindingsThe study revealed significant differences between professional groups regarding how they perceived their own competencies, values and skills as well as available resources related to team-based diabetes management. The perceived competencies were high among all professions. The perceived team-related values and skills were also generally high but with overall lower recordings among the nurses. This pattern, along with the fact that very few nurses have specialized qualifications, is a barrier to providing team-based diabetes management. Participants indicated that there were sufficient laboratory resources; however, reported that pharmacological, technical and human resources were lacking. Further work should be done at public primary diabetes management clinics in order to fully implement team-based diabetes management.

Argonne's Laboratory computing resource center : 2006 annual report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bair, R. B.; Kaushik, D. K.; Riley, K. R.; Valdes, J. V.; Drugan, C. D.; Pieper, G. P.

2007-05-31

Argonne National Laboratory founded the Laboratory Computing Resource Center (LCRC) in the spring of 2002 to help meet pressing program needs for computational modeling, simulation, and analysis. The guiding mission is to provide critical computing resources that accelerate the development of high-performance computing expertise, applications, and computations to meet the Laboratory's challenging science and engineering missions. In September 2002 the LCRC deployed a 350-node computing cluster from Linux NetworX to address Laboratory needs for mid-range supercomputing. This cluster, named 'Jazz', achieved over a teraflop of computing power (10{sup 12} floating-point calculations per second) on standard tests, making it the Laboratory's first terascale computing system and one of the 50 fastest computers in the world at the time. Jazz was made available to early users in November 2002 while the system was undergoing development and configuration. In April 2003, Jazz was officially made available for production operation. Since then, the Jazz user community has grown steadily. By the end of fiscal year 2006, there were 76 active projects on Jazz involving over 380 scientists and engineers. These projects represent a wide cross-section of Laboratory expertise, including work in biosciences, chemistry, climate, computer science, engineering applications, environmental science, geoscience, information science, materials science, mathematics, nanoscience, nuclear engineering, and physics. Most important, many projects have achieved results that would have been unobtainable without such a computing resource. The LCRC continues to foster growth in the computational science and engineering capability and quality at the Laboratory. Specific goals include expansion of the use of Jazz to new disciplines and Laboratory initiatives, teaming with Laboratory infrastructure providers to offer more scientific data management capabilities, expanding Argonne staff

Multitrophic microbial interactions for eco- and agro-biotechnological processes: theory and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleem, Muhammad; Moe, Luke A

2014-10-01

Multitrophic level microbial loop interactions mediated by protist predators, bacteria, and viruses drive eco- and agro-biotechnological processes such as bioremediation, wastewater treatment, plant growth promotion, and ecosystem functioning. To what extent these microbial interactions are context-dependent in performing biotechnological and ecosystem processes remains largely unstudied. Theory-driven research may advance the understanding of eco-evolutionary processes underlying the patterns and functioning of microbial interactions for successful development of microbe-based biotechnologies for real world applications. This could also be a great avenue to test the validity or limitations of ecology theory for managing diverse microbial resources in an era of altering microbial niches, multitrophic interactions, and microbial diversity loss caused by climate and land use changes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New directions in coral reef microbial ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Garren, Melissa; Azam, Farooq

2012-04-01

Microbial processes largely control the health and resilience of coral reef ecosystems, and new technologies have led to an exciting wave of discovery regarding the mechanisms by which microbial communities support the functioning of these incredibly diverse and valuable systems. There are three questions at the forefront of discovery: What mechanisms underlie coral reef health and resilience? How do environmental and anthropogenic pressures affect ecosystem function? What is the ecology of microbial diseases of corals? The goal is to understand the functioning of coral reefs as integrated systems from microbes and molecules to regional and ocean-basin scale ecosystems to enable accurate predictions of resilience and responses to perturbations such as climate change and eutrophication. This review outlines recent discoveries regarding the microbial ecology of different microenvironments within coral ecosystems, and highlights research directions that take advantage of new technologies to build a quantitative and mechanistic understanding of how coral health is connected through microbial processes to its surrounding environment. The time is ripe for natural resource managers and microbial ecologists to work together to create an integrated understanding of coral reef functioning. In the context of long-term survival and conservation of reefs, the need for this work is immediate. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Microbial Synthesis of the Forskolin Precursor Manoyl Oxide in an Enantiomerically Pure Form

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Morten Thrane; Ranberg, Johan Andersen; Christensen, Ulla

2014-01-01

to cultivate. This may result in insufficient and unreliable supply leading to fluctuating and high sales prices. Hence, substantial efforts and resources have been invested in developing sustainable and reliable supply routes based on microbial cell factories. Here, we report microbial synthesis of (13R...

Expanding the Intellectual Property Knowledge Base at University Libraries: Collaborating with Patent and Trademark Resource Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Martin; Reinman, Suzanne

2018-01-01

Patent and Trademark Resource Centers are located in libraries throughout the U.S., with 43 being in academic libraries. With the importance of incorporating a knowledge of intellectual property (IP) and patent research in university curricula nationwide, this study developed and evaluated a partnership program to increase the understanding of IP…

Measuring Malaysia School Resource Centers' Standards through iQ-PSS: An Online Management Information System

Science.gov (United States)

Zainudin, Fadzliaton; Ismail, Kamarulzaman

2010-01-01

The Ministry of Education has come up with an innovative way to monitor the progress of 9,843 School Resource Centers (SRCs) using an online management information system called iQ-PSS (Quality Index of SRC). This paper aims to describe the data collection method and analyze the current state of SRCs in Malaysia and explain how the results can be…

The United States Culture Collection Network (USCCN): Enhancing Microbial Genomics Research through Living Microbe Culture Collections

Science.gov (United States)

Boundy-Mills, Kyria; Hess, Matthias; Bennett, A. Rick; Ryan, Matthew; Kang, Seogchan; Nobles, David; Eisen, Jonathan A.; Inderbitzin, Patrik; Sitepu, Irnayuli R.; Torok, Tamas; Brown, Daniel R.; Cho, Juliana; Wertz, John E.; Mukherjee, Supratim; Cady, Sherry L.

2015-01-01

The mission of the United States Culture Collection Network (USCCN; http://usccn.org) is “to facilitate the safe and responsible utilization of microbial resources for research, education, industry, medicine, and agriculture for the betterment of human kind.” Microbial culture collections are a key component of life science research, biotechnology, and emerging global biobased economies. Representatives and users of several microbial culture collections from the United States and Europe gathered at the University of California, Davis, to discuss how collections of microorganisms can better serve users and stakeholders and to showcase existing resources available in public culture collections. PMID:26092453

Enzyme Amplified Detection of Microbial Cell Wall Components

Science.gov (United States)

Wainwright, Norman R.

2004-01-01

This proposal is MBL's portion of NASA's Johnson Space Center's Astrobiology Center led by Principal Investigator, Dr. David McKay, entitled: 'Institute for the Study of Biomarkers in Astromaterials.' Dr. Norman Wainwright is the principal investigator at MBL and is responsible for developing methods to detect trace quantities of microbial cell wall chemicals using the enzyme amplification system of Limulus polyphemus and other related methods.

Experimental demonstration of an Allee effect in microbial populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaul, RajReni B; Kramer, Andrew M; Dobbs, Fred C; Drake, John M

2016-04-01

Microbial populations can be dispersal limited. However, microorganisms that successfully disperse into physiologically ideal environments are not guaranteed to establish. This observation contradicts the Baas-Becking tenet: 'Everything is everywhere, but the environment selects'. Allee effects, which manifest in the relationship between initial population density and probability of establishment, could explain this observation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that small populations of Vibrio fischeri are subject to an intrinsic demographic Allee effect. Populations subjected to predation by the bacterivore Cafeteria roenbergensis display both intrinsic and extrinsic demographic Allee effects. The estimated critical threshold required to escape positive density-dependence is around 5, 20 or 90 cells ml(-1)under conditions of high carbon resources, low carbon resources or low carbon resources with predation, respectively. This work builds on the foundations of modern microbial ecology, demonstrating that mechanisms controlling macroorganisms apply to microorganisms, and provides a statistical method to detect Allee effects in data. © 2016 The Author(s).

Development of a center for biosystmeatics resources. Progress report, November 1, 1978-October 31, 1979

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edwards, S.R.

1979-11-01

The objective in the development of a Center for Biosystematics Resources is to provide a centralized source of information regarding the biological expertise available in the academic/museum community; and the federal and state regulations concerning the acquisition, transport, and possession of biological specimens. Such a Center would serve to facilitate access to this widely dispersed information. The heart of the Center is a series of computer assisted data bases which contain information on biologists and their areas of expertise, biological collections, annotated federal regulations, and federal and state controlled species lists. The purpose of this three-year contract with the Department of Energy is to continue the updating and revision of these data bases, make the information they contain readily available to the Department of Energy, other government agencies, the private sector, and the academic community; and to achieve financial independence by the end of the three-year period.

Renewable Resources: a national catalog of model projects. Volume 3. Southern Solar Energy Center Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1980-07-01

This compilation of diverse conservation and renewable energy projects across the United States was prepared through the enthusiastic participation of solar and alternate energy groups from every state and region. Compiled and edited by the Center for Renewable Resources, these projects reflect many levels of innovation and technical expertise. In many cases, a critique analysis is presented of how projects performed and of the institutional conditions associated with their success or failure. Some 2000 projects are included in this compilation; most have worked, some have not. Information about all is presented to aid learning from these experiences. The four volumes in this set are arranged in state sections by geographic region, coinciding with the four Regional Solar Energy Centers. The table of contents is organized by project category so that maximum cross-referencing may be obtained. This volume includes information on the Southern Solar Energy Center Region. (WHK)

Renewable Resources: a national catalog of model projects. Volume 1. Northeast Solar Energy Center Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1980-07-01

This compilation of diverse conservation and renewable energy projects across the United States was prepared through the enthusiastic participation of solar and alternate energy groups from every state and region. Compiled and edited by the Center for Renewable Resources, these projects reflect many levels of innovation and technical expertise. In many cases, a critique analysis is presented of how projects performed and of the institutional conditions associated with their success or failure. Some 2000 projects are included in this compilation; most have worked, some have not. Information about all is presented to aid learning from these experiences. The four volumes in this set are arranged in state sections by geographic region, coinciding with the four Regional Solar Energy Centers. The table of contents is organized by project category so that maximum cross-referencing may be obtained. This volume includes information on the Northeast Solar Energy Center Region. (WHK).

The Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the National Cancer Institute - its resources to assist patients with bone marrow failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabak, Daniel

1997-01-01

This paper describes the bone marrow transplantation center of the brazilian National Cancer Institute, which is responsible for the cancer control in Brazil. The document also describes the resources available in the Institute for assisting patients presenting bone marrow failures. The Center provides for allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplants, peripheral stem cell transplants, umbilical cord collections and transplants, and a small experience with unrelated bone marrow transplants. The Center receives patient from all over the country and provides very sophisticated medical care at no direct cost to the patients

The Role of Soil Organic Matter, Nutrients, and Microbial Community Structure on the Performance of Microbial Fuel Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Rooney-Varga, J. N.; Dunaj, S. J.; Vallino, J. J.; Hines, M. E.; Gay, M.; Kobyljanec, C.

2011-12-01

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer the potential for generating electricity, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and bioremediating pollutants through utilization of a plentiful, natural, and renewable resource: soil organic carbon. In the current study, we analyzed microbial community structure, MFC performance, and soil characteristics in different microhabitats (bulk soil, anode, and cathode) within MFCs constructed from agricultural or forest soils in order to determine how soil type and microbial dynamics influence MFC performance. MFCs were constructed with soils from agricultural and hardwood forest sites at Harvard Forest (Petersham, MA). The bulk soil characteristics were analyzed, including polyphenols, short chain fatty acids, total organic C and N, abiotic macronutrients, N and P mineralization rates, CO2 respiration rates, and MFC power output. Microbial community structure of the anodes, cathodes, and bulk soils was determined with molecular fingerprinting methods, which included terminal restriction length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. Our results indicated that MFCs constructed from agricultural soil had power output about 17 times that of forest soil-based MFCs and respiration rates about 10 times higher than forest soil MFCs. Agricultural soil MFCs had lower C:N ratios, polyphenol content, and acetate concentrations than forest soil MFCs, suggesting that active agricultural MFC microbial communities were supported by higher quality organic carbon. Microbial community profile data indicate that the microbial communities at the anode of the high power MFCs were less diverse than in low power MFCs and were dominated by Deltaproteobacteria, Geobacter, and, to a lesser extent, Clostridia, while low-power MFC anode communities were dominated by Clostridia. These data suggest that the presence of organic carbon substrate (acetate) was not the major limiting factor in selecting for highly electrogenic microbial

( Rosa damascena Mill.) by microbial inoculation

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was carried out to determine the effects of microbial inoculation in breaking seed dormancy and on the germination of Rosa damascena Mill. Seeds of R. damascena Mill. are the most used scented rose species in rose oil production. The most important production centers around the world are Turkey and ...

Fluor Hanford ALARA Center is a D and D Resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waggoner, L.O.

2008-01-01

II. The ALARA Center staff routinely researches and tests new technology, sponsor vendor demonstrations, and redistribute tools, equipment and temporary shielding that may not be needed at one facility to another facility that needs it. The ALARA Center staff learns about new technology in several ways. This includes past radiological work experience, interaction with vendors, lessons learned, networking with other DOE sites, visits to the Hanford Technical Library, attendance at off-site conferences and ALARA Workshops. Personnel that contact the ALARA Center for assistance report positive results when they implement the tools, equipment and work practices recommended by the ALARA Center staff. This has translated to reduced exposure for workers and reduced the risk of contamination spread. For example: using a hydraulic shear on one job saved 16 Rem of exposure that would have been received if workers had used saws-all tools to cut piping in twenty-nine locations. Currently, the ALARA Center staff is emphasizing D and D techniques on size-reducing materials, decontamination techniques, use of remote tools/video equipment, capture ventilation, fixatives, using containments and how to find lessons learned. The ALARA Center staff issues a weekly report that discusses their interaction with the workforce and any new work practices, tools and equipment being used by the Hanford contractors. Distribution of this weekly report is to about 130 personnel on site and 90 personnel off site. This effectively spreads the word about ALARA throughout the DOE Complex. DOE EM-23, in conjunction with the D and D and Environmental Restoration work group of the Energy Facility Contractors Organization (EFCOG) established the Hanford ALARA Center as the D and D Hotline for companies who have questions about how D and D work is accomplished. The ALARA Center has become a resource to the nuclear industry and routinely helps contractors at other DOE Sites, power reactors, DOD sites, and

Drivers of phosphorus uptake by barley following secondary resource application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva eBrod

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Minable rock phosphate is a finite resource. Replacing mineral phosphorus (P fertilizer with P-rich secondary resources is one way to manage P more efficiently, but the importance of physicochemical and microbial soil processes induced by secondary resources for plant P uptake are still poorly understood. Using radioactive labelling techniques, the fertilization effects of dairy manure, fish sludge, meat bone meal and wood ash were studied as P uptake by barley after 44 days and compared with those of water-soluble mineral P (MinP and an unfertilized control (NoP in a pot experiment with an agricultural soil containing little available P at two soil pH levels, approximately pH 5.3 (unlimed soil and pH 6.2 (limed soil. In a parallel incubation experiment, the effects of the secondary resources on physicochemical and microbial soil processes were studied. The results showed that the relative agronomic efficiency compared with MinP decreased in the order: manure ≥ fish sludge ≥ wood ash ≥ meat bone meal. The solubility of inorganic P in secondary resources was the main driver for P uptake by barley (Hordeum vulgare. The effects of secondary resources on physicochemical and microbial soil processes were of little overall importance. Application of organic carbon with manure resulted in microbial P immobilisation and decreased uptake by barley of P derived from the soil. On both soils, P uptake by barley was best explained by a positive linear relationship with the H2O + NaHCO3-soluble inorganic P fraction in fertilizers, or by a linear negative relationship with the HCl-soluble inorganic P fraction in fertilizers.

Drivers of Phosphorus Uptake by Barley Following Secondary Resource Application

Science.gov (United States)

Brod, Eva; Øgaard, Anne Falk; Krogstad, Tore; Haraldsen, Trond Knapp; Frossard, Emmanuel; Oberson, Astrid

2016-01-01

Minable rock phosphate is a finite resource. Replacing mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizer with P-rich secondary resources is one way to manage P more efficiently, but the importance of physicochemical and microbial soil processes induced by secondary resources for plant P uptake is still poorly understood. Using radioactive-labeling techniques, the fertilization effects of dairy manure, fish sludge, meat bone meal, and wood ash were studied as P uptake by barley after 44 days and compared with those of water-soluble mineral P (MinP) and an unfertilized control (NoP) in a pot experiment with an agricultural soil containing little available P at two soil pH levels, approximately pH 5.3 (unlimed soil) and pH 6.2 (limed soil). In a parallel incubation experiment, the effects of the secondary resources on physicochemical and microbial soil processes were studied. The results showed that the relative agronomic efficiency compared with MinP decreased in the order: manure ≥fish sludge ≥wood ash ≥meat bone meal. The solubility of inorganic P in secondary resources was the main driver for P uptake by barley (Hordeum vulgare). The effects of secondary resources on physicochemical and microbial soil processes were of little overall importance. Application of organic carbon with manure resulted in microbial P immobilization and decreased uptake by barley of P derived from the soil. On both soils, P uptake by barley was best explained by a positive linear relationship with the H2O + NaHCO3-soluble inorganic P fraction in fertilizers or by a linear negative relationship with the HCl-soluble inorganic P fraction in fertilizers. PMID:27243015

Argonne's Laboratory Computing Resource Center : 2005 annual report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bair, R. B.; Coghlan, S. C; Kaushik, D. K.; Riley, K. R.; Valdes, J. V.; Pieper, G. P.

2007-06-30

Argonne National Laboratory founded the Laboratory Computing Resource Center in the spring of 2002 to help meet pressing program needs for computational modeling, simulation, and analysis. The guiding mission is to provide critical computing resources that accelerate the development of high-performance computing expertise, applications, and computations to meet the Laboratory's challenging science and engineering missions. The first goal of the LCRC was to deploy a mid-range supercomputing facility to support the unmet computational needs of the Laboratory. To this end, in September 2002, the Laboratory purchased a 350-node computing cluster from Linux NetworX. This cluster, named 'Jazz', achieved over a teraflop of computing power (10{sup 12} floating-point calculations per second) on standard tests, making it the Laboratory's first terascale computing system and one of the fifty fastest computers in the world at the time. Jazz was made available to early users in November 2002 while the system was undergoing development and configuration. In April 2003, Jazz was officially made available for production operation. Since then, the Jazz user community has grown steadily. By the end of fiscal year 2005, there were 62 active projects on Jazz involving over 320 scientists and engineers. These projects represent a wide cross-section of Laboratory expertise, including work in biosciences, chemistry, climate, computer science, engineering applications, environmental science, geoscience, information science, materials science, mathematics, nanoscience, nuclear engineering, and physics. Most important, many projects have achieved results that would have been unobtainable without such a computing resource. The LCRC continues to improve the computational science and engineering capability and quality at the Laboratory. Specific goals include expansion of the use of Jazz to new disciplines and Laboratory initiatives, teaming with Laboratory infrastructure

Workshop summary: detection, impact, and control of specific pathogens in animal resource facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Keith G; Riley, Lela K; Kent, Michael L

2010-01-01

Despite advances, infectious diseases remain a threat to animal facilities, continue to affect animal health, and serve as potential confounders of experimental research. A workshop entitled Detection, Impact, and Control of Specific Pathogens in Animal Resource Facilities was sponsored by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and National Institutes of Aging (NIA) and held April 23-24, 2009, at the Lister Hill Conference Center on the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Bethesda campus. The meeting brought together laboratory animal scientists and veterinarians with experience in fish, rodent, and nonhuman primate models to identify common issues and problems. Session speakers addressed (1) common practices and current knowledge of these species, (2) new technologies in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, (3) impact of environmental quality on infectious disease, (4) normal microbial flora in health and disease, (5) genetics and infectious disease, and (6) specific infectious agents and their impact on research. Attendees discussed current challenges and future needs, highlighting the importance of education and training, the funding of critical infrastructure and resource research, and the need for improved communication of disease risks and integration of these risks with strategic planning. NIH and NCRR have a strong record of supporting resource initiatives that have helped address many of these issues and recent efforts have focused on the building of consortium activities among such programs. This manuscript summarizes the presentations and conclusions of participants at the meeting; abstracts and a full conference report are available online (www.ncrr.nih.gov).

In Situ Ecophysiology of Microbial Biofilm Communities Analyzed by CMEIAS Computer-Assisted Microscopy at Single-Cell Resolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youssef G. Yanni

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the utility of CMEIAS (Center for Microbial Ecology Image Analysis System computer-assisted microscopy to extract data from accurately segmented images that provide 63 different insights into the ecophysiology of microbial populations and communities within biofilms and other habitats. Topics include quantitative assessments of: (i morphological diversity as an indicator of impacts that substratum physicochemistries have on biofilm community structure and dominance-rarity relationships among populations; (ii morphotype-specific distributions of biovolume body size that relate microbial allometric scaling, metabolic activity and growth physiology; (iii fractal geometry of optimal cellular positioning for efficient utilization of allocated nutrient resources; (iv morphotype-specific stress responses to starvation, environmental disturbance and bacteriovory predation; (v patterns of spatial distribution indicating positive and negative cell–cell interactions affecting their colonization behavior; and (vi significant methodological improvements to increase the accuracy of color-discriminated ecophysiology, e.g., differentiation of cell viability based on cell membrane integrity, cellular respiratory activity, phylogenetically differentiated substrate utilization, and N-acyl homoserine lactone-mediated cell–cell communication by bacteria while colonizing plant roots. The intensity of these ecophysiological attributes commonly varies at the individual cell level, emphasizing the importance of analyzing them at single-cell resolution and the proper spatial scale at which they occur in situ.

Heart Information Center

Science.gov (United States)

... Rounds Seminar Series & Daily Conferences Fellowships and Residencies School of Perfusion Technology Education Resources Library & Learning Resource Center CME Resources THI Journal THI Cardiac Society Register for the Cardiac Society ...

X-ray microscopy resource center at the Advanced Light Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer-Ilse, W.; Koike, M.; Beguiristain, R.; Maser, J.; Attwood, D.

1992-07-01

An x-ray microscopy resource center for biological x-ray imaging vvill be built at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley. The unique high brightness of the ALS allows short exposure times and high image quality. Two microscopes, an x-ray microscope (XM) and a scanning x-ray microscope (SXM) are planned. These microscopes serve complementary needs. The XM gives images in parallel at comparable short exposure times, and the SXM is optimized for low radiation doses applied to the sample. The microscopes extend visible light microscopy towards significantly higher resolution and permit images of objects in an aqueous medium. High resolution is accomplished by the use of Fresnel zone plates. Design considerations to serve the needs of biological x-ray microscopy are given. Also the preliminary design of the microscopes is presented. Multiple wavelength and multiple view images will provide elemental contrast and some degree of 3D information

Feedbacks Between Soil Structure and Microbial Activities in Soil

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, V. L.; Smith, A. P.; Fansler, S.; Varga, T.; Kemner, K. M.; McCue, L. A.

2017-12-01

Soil structure provides the physical framework for soil microbial habitats. The connectivity and size distribution of soil pores controls the microbial access to nutrient resources for growth and metabolism. Thus, a crucial component of soil research is how a soil's three-dimensional structure and organization influences its biological potential on a multitude of spatial and temporal scales. In an effort to understand microbial processes at scale more consistent with a microbial community, we have used soil aggregates as discrete units of soil microbial habitats. Our research has shown that mean pore diameter (x-ray computed tomography) of soil aggregates varies with the aggregate diameter itself. Analyzing both the bacterial composition (16S) and enzyme activities of individual aggregates showed significant differences in the relative abundances of key members the microbial communities associated with high enzyme activities compared to those with low activities, even though we observed no differences in the size of the biomass, nor in the overall richness or diversity of these communities. We hypothesize that resources and substrates have stimulated key populations in the aggregates identified as highly active, and as such, we conducted further research that explored how such key populations (i.e. fungal or bacterial dominated populations) alter pathways of C accumulation in aggregate size domains and microbial C utilization. Fungi support and stabilize soil structure through both physical and chemical effects of their hyphal networks. In contrast, bacterial-dominated communities are purported to facilitate micro- and fine aggregate stabilization. Here we quantify the direct effects fungal versus bacterial dominated communities on aggregate formation (both the rate of aggregation and the quality, quantity and distribution of SOC contained within aggregates). A quantitative understanding of the different mechanisms through which fungi or bacteria shape aggregate

A collective phase in resource competition in a highly diverse ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Tikhonov, Mikhail; Monasson, Remi

Recent technological advances uncovered that most habitats, including the human body, harbor hundreds of coexisting microbial ``species''. The problem of understanding such complex communities is currently at the forefront of medical and environmental sciences. A particularly intriguing question is whether the high-diversity regime (large number of species N) gives rise to qualitatively novel phenomena that could not be intuited from analysis of low-dimensional models (with few species). However, few existing approaches allow studying this regime, except in simulations. Here, we use methods of statistical physics to show that the large- N limit of a classic ecological model of resource competition introduced by MacArthur in 1969 can be solved analytically. Our results provide a tractable model where the implications of large dimensionality of eco-evolutionary problems can be investigated. In particular, we show that at high diversity, the MacArthur model exhibits a phase transition into a curious regime where the environment constructed by the community becomes a collective property, insensitive to the external conditions such as the total resource influx supplied to the community. Supported by Harvard Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications, and the Simons Foundation. This work was completed at the Aspen Center for Physics, supported by National Science Foundation Grant PHY-1066293.

Novel Microbial Electrochemical Technologies and Microorganisms for Power Generation and Desalination

KAUST Repository

Chehab, Noura A.

2014-12-01

Global increases in water demand and decreases in both the quantity and quality of fresh water resources have served as the major driving forces to develop sustainable use of water resources. One viable alternative is to explore non-traditional (impaired quality) water sources such as wastewater and seawater. The current paradigm for wastewater treatment is based on technologies that are energy intensive and fail to recover the potential resources (water and energy) in wastewater. Also, conventional desalination technologies like reverse osmosis (RO) are energy intensive. Therefore, there is a need for the development of sustainable wastewater treatment and desalination technologies for practical applications. Processes based on microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) and microbial desalination cells (MDCs) hold promise for the treatment of wastewater with recovery of the inherent energy, and MDCs could be used for both desalination of seawater and energy recovery. METs use anaerobic bacteria, referred to as exoelectrogens, that are capable of transferring electrons exogenously to convert soluble organic matter present in the wastewater directly into an electrical current to produce electrical power (MFC and MDC) or biogas (MEC). In my dissertation, I investigated the three types of METs mentioned above to: 1) have a better insight on the effect of 4 oxygen intrusion on the microbial community structure and performance of air-cathode MFCs; 2) improve the desalination efficiency of air-cathode MDCs using ion exchange resins (IXRs); and 3) enrich for extremophilic exoelectrogens from the Red Sea brine pool using MECs. The findings from these studies can shape further research aimed at developing more efficient air-cathode MFCs for practical applications, a more efficient integrated IXRMDC configuration that can be used as a pre-treatment to RO, and exploring extreme environments as a

Plutonium research and related activities at the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartley, R.S.; Beard, C.A.; Barnes, D.L.

1998-01-01

With the end of the Cold War, the US and Russia are reducing their nuclear weapons stockpiles. What to do with the materials from thousands of excess nuclear weapons is an important international challenge. How to handle the remaining US stockpile to ensure safe storage and reliability, in light of the aging support infrastructure, is an important national challenge. To help address these challenges and related issues, the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium is working on behalf of the State of Texas with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The center directs three major programs that address the key aspects of the plutonium management issue: (1) the Communications, Education, Training and Community Involvement Program, which focuses on informing the public about plutonium and providing technical education at all levels; (2) the Environmental, Safety, and Health (ES and H) Program, which investigates the key ES and H impacts of activities related to the DOE weapons complex in Texas; and (3) the Nuclear and Other Materials Program, which is aimed at minimizing safety and proliferation risks by helping to develop and advocate safe stewardship, storage, and disposition of nuclear weapons materials. This paper provides an overview of the center's nuclear activities described in four broad categories of international activities, materials safety, plutonium storage, and plutonium disposition

The WHO/PEPFAR collaboration to prepare an operations manual for HIV prevention, care, and treatment at primary health centers in high-prevalence, resource-constrained settings: defining laboratory services.

Science.gov (United States)

Spira, Thomas; Lindegren, Mary Lou; Ferris, Robert; Habiyambere, Vincent; Ellerbrock, Tedd

2009-06-01

The expansion of HIV/AIDS care and treatment in resource-constrained countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, has generally developed in a top-down manner. Further expansion will involve primary health centers where human and other resources are limited. This article describes the World Health Organization/President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief collaboration formed to help scale up HIV services in primary health centers in high-prevalence, resource-constrained settings. It reviews the contents of the Operations Manual developed, with emphasis on the Laboratory Services chapter, which discusses essential laboratory services, both at the center and the district hospital level, laboratory safety, laboratory testing, specimen transport, how to set up a laboratory, human resources, equipment maintenance, training materials, and references. The chapter provides specific information on essential tests and generic job aids for them. It also includes annexes containing a list of laboratory supplies for the health center and sample forms.

Clinical support role for a pharmacy technician within a primary care resource center.

Science.gov (United States)

Fera, Toni; Kanel, Keith T; Bolinger, Meghan L; Fink, Amber E; Iheasirim, Serah

2018-02-01

The creation of a clinical support role for a pharmacy technician within a primary care resource center is described. In the Primary Care Resource Center (PCRC) Project, hospital-based care transition coordination hubs staffed by nurses and pharmacist teams were created in 6 independent community hospitals. At the largest site, patient volume for targeted diseases challenged the ability of the PCRC pharmacist to provide expected elements of care to targeted patients. Creation of a new pharmacy technician clinical support role was implemented as a cost-effective option to increase the pharmacist's efficiency. The pharmacist's work processes were reviewed and technical functions identified that could be assigned to a specially trained pharmacy technician under the direction of the PCRC pharmacist. Daily tasks performed by the pharmacy technician included maintenance of the patient roster and pending discharges, retrieval and documentation of pertinent laboratory and diagnostic test information from the patient's medical record, assembly of patient medication education materials, and identification of discrepancies between disparate systems' medication records. In the 6 months after establishing the PCRC pharmacy technician role, the pharmacist's completion of comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs) for target patients increased by 40.5% ( p = 0.0223), driven largely by a 42.4% ( p technician to augment pharmacist care in a PCRC team extended the reach of the pharmacist and allowed more time for the pharmacist to engage patients. Technician support enabled the pharmacist to complete more CMRs and reduced the time required for chart reviews. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Outreach by a Regional Burn Center: Could Referral Criteria Revision Help with Utilization of Resources?

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Nicholas H; Leonard, Clint; Rae, Lisa

2018-02-20

The objectives of this study were to identify trends in preburn center care, assess needs for outreach and education efforts, and evaluate resource utilization with regard to referral criteria. We hypothesized that many transferred patients were discharged home after brief hospitalizations and without need for operation. Retrospective chart review was performed for all adult and pediatric transfers to our regional burn center from July 2012 to July 2014. Details of initial management including TBSA estimation, fluid resuscitation, and intubation status were recorded. Mode of transport, burn center length of stay, need for operation, and in-hospital mortality were analyzed. In two years, our burn center received 1004 referrals from other hospitals including 713 inpatient transfers. Within this group, 621 were included in the study. Among transferred patients, 476 (77%) had burns less than 10% TBSA, 69 (11%) had burns between 10-20% TBSA, and 76 (12%) had burns greater than 20% TBSA. Referring providers did not document TBSA for 261 (42%) of patients. Among patients with less than 10% TBSA burns, 196 (41%) received fluid boluses. Among patients with TBSA < 10%, 196 (41%) were sent home from the emergency department or discharged within 24 hours, and an additional 144 (30%) were discharged within 48 hours. Overall, 187 (30%) patients required an operation. In-hospital mortality rates were 1.5% for patients who arrived by ground transport, 14.9% for rotor wing transport, and 18.2% for fixed wing transport. Future education efforts should emphasize the importance of calculating TBSA to guide need for fluid resuscitation and restricting fluid boluses to patients that are hypotensive. Clarifying the American Burn Association burn center referral criteria to distinguish between immediate transfer vs outpatient referral may improve patient care and resource utilization.

Improving Microbial Genome Annotations in an Integrated Database Context

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, I-Min A.; Markowitz, Victor M.; Chu, Ken; Anderson, Iain; Mavromatis, Konstantinos; Kyrpides, Nikos C.; Ivanova, Natalia N.

2013-01-01

Effective comparative analysis of microbial genomes requires a consistent and complete view of biological data. Consistency regards the biological coherence of annotations, while completeness regards the extent and coverage of functional characterization for genomes. We have developed tools that allow scientists to assess and improve the consistency and completeness of microbial genome annotations in the context of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) family of systems. All publicly available microbial genomes are characterized in IMG using different functional annotation and pathway resources, thus providing a comprehensive framework for identifying and resolving annotation discrepancies. A rule based system for predicting phenotypes in IMG provides a powerful mechanism for validating functional annotations, whereby the phenotypic traits of an organism are inferred based on the presence of certain metabolic reactions and pathways and compared to experimentally observed phenotypes. The IMG family of systems are available at http://img.jgi.doe.gov/. PMID:23424620

Improving microbial genome annotations in an integrated database context.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I-Min A Chen

Full Text Available Effective comparative analysis of microbial genomes requires a consistent and complete view of biological data. Consistency regards the biological coherence of annotations, while completeness regards the extent and coverage of functional characterization for genomes. We have developed tools that allow scientists to assess and improve the consistency and completeness of microbial genome annotations in the context of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG family of systems. All publicly available microbial genomes are characterized in IMG using different functional annotation and pathway resources, thus providing a comprehensive framework for identifying and resolving annotation discrepancies. A rule based system for predicting phenotypes in IMG provides a powerful mechanism for validating functional annotations, whereby the phenotypic traits of an organism are inferred based on the presence of certain metabolic reactions and pathways and compared to experimentally observed phenotypes. The IMG family of systems are available at http://img.jgi.doe.gov/.

The Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium. Quarterly progress detailed report, 1 November 1996--31 January 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

Progress for this quarter is given for each of the following Center programs: (1) plutonium information resource; (2) advisory function (DOE and state support); (3) environmental, public health and safety; (3) communication, education, and training; and (4) nuclear and other material studies. Both summaries of the activities and detailed reports are included.

MICROBIAL CONSORTIA ENGINEERING FOR CELLULAR FACTORIES: IN VITRO TO IN SILICO SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans C Bernstein

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This mini-review discusses the current state of experimental and computational microbial consortia engineering with a focus on cellular factories. A discussion of promising ecological theories central to community resource usage is presented to facilitate interpretation of consortial designs. Recent case studies exemplifying different resource usage motifs and consortial assembly templates are presented. The review also highlights in silico approaches to design and to analyze consortia with an emphasis on stoichiometric modeling methods. The discipline of microbial consortia engineering possesses a widely accepted potential to generate highly novel and effective bio-catalysts for applications from biofuels to specialty chemicals to enhanced mineral recovery.

Down Under – Aspects of Microbial Fuel Cell’s sewer implementation

OpenAIRE

Andrich, Jonas Maximilian Sven

2017-01-01

Increasing energy demand and simultaneous depletion of raw materials requires us to use existing resources more wisely. Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) recover energy from waste water while clearing it. The sewage system with its million-kilometer-length is a highly interesting field for its application. The present work is therefore dedicated to aspects of Microbial Fuel Cells’ sewer implementation. Firstly, the wastewater infrastructure was evaluated with respect to suitable implementation s...

Microbial Energy Conversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buckley, Merry [American Society for Microbiology (ASM), Washington, DC (United States); Wall, Judy D. [Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States)

2006-10-01

production. Research should focus on the actions of enzymes and enzyme complexes within the context of the whole cell, how they’re regulated, where they’re placed, and what they interact with. Better modeling tools are needed to facilitate progress in microbial energy transformations. Models of metabolic dynamics, including levels of reductants and regulation of electron flow need to be improved. Global techno-economic models of microbial energy conversion systems, which seek to simultaneously describe the resource flows into and out of a system as well as its economics, are needed and should be made publicly available on the internet. Finally, more emphasis needs to be placed on multidisciplinary education and training and on cooperation between disciplines in order to make the most of microbial energy conversion technologies and to meet the research needs of the future.

Microbial production of bulk chemicals: development of anaerobic processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weusthuis, R.A.; Lamot, I.; Oost, van der J.; Sanders, J.P.M.

2011-01-01

nnovative fermentation processes are necessary for the cost-effective production of bulk chemicals from renewable resources. Current microbial processes are either anaerobic processes, with high yield and productivity, or less-efficient aerobic processes. Oxygen utilization plays an important role

Environmental Drivers of Differences in Microbial Community Structure in Crude Oil Reservoirs across a Methanogenic Gradient

OpenAIRE

Shelton, Jenna L.; Akob, Denise M.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Fierer, Noah; Spear, John R.; Warwick, Peter D.; McCray, John E.

2016-01-01

Stimulating in situ microbial communities in oil reservoirs to produce natural gas is a potentially viable strategy for recovering additional fossil fuel resources following traditional recovery operations. Little is known about what geochemical parameters drive microbial population dynamics in biodegraded, methanogenic oil reservoirs. We investigated if microbial community structure was significantly impacted by the extent of crude oil biodegradation, extent of biogenic methane production, a...

Earth's Earliest Ecosystems in the C: The Use of Microbial Mats to Demonstrate General Principles of Scientific Inquiry and Microbial Ecology

Science.gov (United States)

Bebout, Brad M.; Bucaria, Robin

2006-01-01

Microbial mats are living examples of the most ancient biological communities on Earth. As Earth's earliest ecosystems, they are centrally important to understanding the history of life on our planet and are useful models for the search for life elsewhere. As relatively compact (but complete) ecosystems, microbial mats are also extremely useful for educational activities. Mats may be used to demonstrate a wide variety of concepts in general and microbial ecology, including the biogeochemical cycling of elements, photosynthesis and respiration, and the origin of the Earth's present oxygen containing atmosphere. Microbial mats can be found in a number of common environments accessible to teachers, and laboratory microbial mats can be constructed using materials purchased from biological supply houses. With funding from NASA's Exobiology program, we have developed curriculum and web-based activities centered on the use of microbial mats as tools for demonstrating general principles in ecology, and the scientific process. Our web site (http://microbes.arc.nasa.gov) includes reference materials, lesson plans, and a "Web Lab", featuring living mats maintained in a mini-aquarium. The site also provides information as to how research on microbial mats supports NASA's goals, and various NASA missions. A photo gallery contains images of mats, microscopic views of the organisms that form them, and our own research activities. An animated educational video on the web site uses computer graphic and video microscopy to take students on a journey into a microbial mat. These activities are targeted to a middle school audience and are aligned with the National Science Standards.

Development of a center for biosystematics resources. Summary report, November 1, 1979-October 31, 1980

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edwards, S.R.

1980-11-01

The objective in the development of a Center for Biosystematics Resources is to provide a centralized source of information regarding the biological expertise available in the academic/museum community; and the federal and state regulations concerning the acquisition, transport, and possession of biological specimens. Such a Center would serve to facilitate access to this widely dispersed information. The heart of the Center is a series of computer assisted data bases which contain information on biologists and their areas of expertise, biological collections, annotated federal regulations, and federal and state controlled species lists. In the last year these data bases have been updated and expanded. Additional data bases have been constructed and are being maintained. The purpose of this three-year contract with the Department of Energy is to continue the updating and revision of the original data bases, make the information they contain readily available to the Department of Energy, other government agencies, the private sector, and the academic community; and to achieve financial independence by the end of the three-year period.

QMRAcatch: Microbial Quality Simulation of Water Resources including Infection Risk Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Schijven, Jack; Derx, Julia; de Roda Husman, Ana Maria; Blaschke, Alfred Paul; Farnleitner, Andreas H

2015-09-01

Given the complex hydrologic dynamics of water catchments and conflicts between nature protection and public water supply, models may help to understand catchment dynamics and evaluate contamination scenarios and may support best environmental practices and water safety management. A catchment model can be an educative tool for investigating water quality and for communication between parties with different interests in the catchment. This article introduces an interactive computational tool, QMRAcatch, that was developed to simulate concentrations in water resources of , a human-associated microbial source tracking (MST) marker, enterovirus, norovirus, , and as target microorganisms and viruses (TMVs). The model domain encompasses a main river with wastewater discharges and a floodplain with a floodplain river. Diffuse agricultural sources of TMVs that discharge into the main river are not included in this stage of development. The floodplain river is fed by the main river and may flood the plain. Discharged TMVs in the river are subject to dilution and temperature-dependent degradation. River travel times are calculated using the Manning-Gauckler-Strickler formula. Fecal deposits from wildlife, birds, and visitors in the floodplain are resuspended in flood water, runoff to the floodplain river, or infiltrate groundwater. Fecal indicator and MST marker data facilitate calibration. Infection risks from exposure to the pathogenic TMVs by swimming or drinking water consumption are calculated, and the required pathogen removal by treatment to meet a health-based quality target can be determined. Applicability of QMRAcatch is demonstrated by calibrating the tool for a study site at the River Danube near Vienna, Austria, using field TMV data, including a sensitivity analysis and evaluation of the model outcomes. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Perspectives of microbial oils for biodiesel production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Qiang; Du Wei; Liu Dehua [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

2008-10-15

Biodiesel has become more attractive recently because of its environmental benefits, and the fact that it is made from renewable resources. Generally speaking, biodiesel is prepared through transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats with short chain alcohols. However, the lack of oil feedstocks limits the large-scale development of biodiesel to some extent. Recently, much attention has been paid to the development of microbial, oils and it has been found that many microorganisms, such as algae, yeast, bacteria, and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under some special cultivation conditions. Compared to other plant oils, microbial oils have many advantages, such as short life cycle, less labor required, less affection by venue, season and climate, and easier to scale up. With the rapid expansion of biodiesel, microbial oils might become one of potential oil feedstocks for biodiesel production in the future, though there are many works associated with microorganisms producing oils need to be carried out further. This review is covering the related research about different oleaginous microorganisms producing oils, and the prospects of such microbial oils used for biodiesel production are also discussed. (orig.)

Microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activities of urban soils in Beijing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Meie; Markert, Bernd; Shen, Wenming; Chen, Weiping; Peng, Chi; Ouyang, Zhiyun

2011-07-01

To promote rational and sustainable use of soil resources and to maintain the urban soil quality, it is essential to assess urban ecosystem health. In this study, the microbiological properties of urban soils in Beijing and their spatial distribution patterns across the city were evaluated based on measurements of microbial biomass carbon and urease and invertase activities of the soils for the purpose of assessing the urban ecosystem health of Beijing. Grid sampling design, normal Kriging technique, and the multiple comparisons among different land use types were used in soil sampling and data treatment. The inherent chemical characteristics of urban soils in Beijing, e.g., soil pH, electronic conductivity, heavy metal contents, total N, P and K contents, and soil organic matter contents were detected. The size and diversity of microbial community and the extent of microbial activity in Beijing urban soils were measured as the microbial biomass carbon content and the ratio of microbial biomass carbon content to total soil organic carbon. The microbial community health measured in terms of microbial biomass carbon, urease, and invertase activities varied with the organic substrate and nutrient contents of the soils and were not adversely affected by the presence of heavy metals at p urban soils influenced the nature and activities of the microbial communities.

Animation company "Fast Forwards" production with HP Utility Data Center; film built using Adaptive Enterprise framework enabled by shared, virtual resource

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

Hewlett Packard have produced a commercial-quality animated film using an experimental rendering service from HP Labs and running on an HP Utility Data Center (UDC). The project demonstrates how computing resources can be managed virtually and illustrates the value of utility computing, in which an end-user taps into a large pool of virtual resources, but pays only for what is used (1 page).

Metagenomes from two microbial consortia associated with Santa Barbara seep oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawley, Erik R; Malfatti, Stephanie A; Pagani, Ioanna; Huntemann, Marcel; Chen, Amy; Foster, Brian; Copeland, Alexander; del Rio, Tijana Glavina; Pati, Amrita; Jansson, Janet R; Gilbert, Jack A; Tringe, Susannah Green; Lorenson, Thomas D; Hess, Matthias

2014-12-01

The metagenomes from two microbial consortia associated with natural oils seeping into the Pacific Ocean offshore the coast of Santa Barbara (California, USA) were determined to complement already existing metagenomes generated from microbial communities associated with hydrocarbons that pollute the marine ecosystem. This genomics resource article is the first of two publications reporting a total of four new metagenomes from oils that seep into the Santa Barbara Channel. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EPA Center for Corporate Climate Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership is a comprehensive resource to help organizations measure & manage GHG emissions. The Center provides technical tools, educational resources, opportunities for information sharing & highlights best practices.

Fungal degradation of pesticides - construction of microbial consortia for bioremediation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ellegaard-Jensen, Lea

in groundwater contamination. New technologies are therefore needed for cleaning up contaminated soil and water resources. This PhD was part of the project entitled Microbial Remediation of Contaminated Soil and Water Resources (MIRESOWA) where the overall aim is to develop new technologies for bioremediation...... of pesticide contaminated soil and water. The objectives of this PhD were to investigate fungal degradation of pesticides and following to construct microbial consortia for bioremediation. In Manuscript I the fungal degradation of the phenylurea herbicide diuron was studied. Isolates of soil fungi of the genus...... slightly enhanced BAM distribution. From this work it is evident that the fungal-bacterial consortium is capable of enhancing BAM-degradation in unsaturated systems, and may therefore be a promising application for soil bioremediation. In Manuscript III two- and three-member consortia were constructed...

Growing Rocks: Implications of Lithification for Microbial Communities and Nutrient Cycling

Science.gov (United States)

Corman, J. R.; Poret-Peterson, A. T.; Elser, J. J.

2014-12-01

Lithifying microbial communities ("microbialites") have left their signature on Earth's rock record for over 3.4 billion years and are regarded as important players in paleo-biogeochemical cycles. In this project, we study extant microbialites to understand the interactions between lithification and resource availability. All microbes need nutrients and energy for growth; indeed, nutrients are often a factor limiting microbial growth. We hypothesize that calcium carbonate deposition can sequester bioavailable phosphorus (P) and expect the growth of microbialites to be P-limited. To test our hypothesis, we first compared nutrient limitation in lithifying and non-lithifying microbial communities in Río Mesquites, Cuatro Ciénegas. Then, we experimentally manipulated calcification rates in the Río Mesquites microbialites. Our results suggest that lithifying microbialites are indeed P-limited, while non-lithifying, benthic microbial communities tend towards co-limitation by nitrogen (N) and P. Indeed, in microbialites, photosynthesis and aerobic respiration responded positively to P additions (Pbacterial community composition based on analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Unexpectedly, calcification rates increased with OC additions (P<0.05), but not with P additions, suggesting that sulfate reduction may be an important pathway for calcification. Experimental reductions in calcification rates caused changes to microbial biomass OC and P concentrations (P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively), although shifts depended on whether calcification was decreased abiotically or biotically. These results show that resource availability does influence microbialite formation and that lithification may promote phosphorus limitation; however, further investigation is required to understand the mechanism by which the later occurs.

Hydrologic Engineering Center

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC), an organization within the Institute for Water Resources, is the designated Center of Expertise for the U.S. Army Corps of...

Establishment of the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority Resource Center for Children with Prenatal Alcohol/Drug Exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gro C. C. Løhaugen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new initiative in the South-Eastern Health Region of Norway to establish a regional resource center focusing on services for children and adolescents aged 2–18 years with prenatal exposure to alcohol or other drugs. In Norway, the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum (FAS is not known but has been estimated to be between 1 and 2 children per 1000 births, while the prevalence of prenatal exposure to illicit drugs is unknown. The resource center is the first of its kind in Scandinavia and will have three main objectives: (1 provide hospital staff, community health and child welfare personnel, and special educators with information, educational courses, and seminars focused on the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of children with a history of prenatal alcohol/drug exposure; (2 provide specialized health services, such as diagnostic services and intervention planning, for children referred from hospitals in the South-Eastern Health Region of Norway; and (3 initiate multicenter studies focusing on the diagnostic process and evaluation of interventions.

Development of user-centered interfaces to search the knowledge resources of the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Josette; Harris, Marcelline; Bagley-Thompson, Cheryl; Root, Jane

2003-01-01

This poster describes the development of user-centered interfaces in order to extend the functionality of the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library (VHINL) from library to web based portal to nursing knowledge resources. The existing knowledge structure and computational models are revised and made complementary. Nurses' search behavior is captured and analyzed, and the resulting search models are mapped to the revised knowledge structure and computational model.

National Center for Mathematics and Science - teacher resources

Science.gov (United States)

Mathematics and Science (NCISLA) HOME | PROGRAM OVERVIEW | RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT support and improve student understanding of mathematics and science. The instructional resources listed Resources (CD)Powerful Practices in Mathematics and Science A multimedia product for educators, professional

Microbial syntrophy: interaction for the common good.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Brandon E L; Henneberger, Ruth; Huber, Harald; Moissl-Eichinger, Christine

2013-05-01

Classical definitions of syntrophy focus on a process, performed through metabolic interaction between dependent microbial partners, such as the degradation of complex organic compounds under anoxic conditions. However, examples from past and current scientific discoveries suggest that a new, simple but wider definition is necessary to cover all aspects of microbial syntrophy. We suggest the term 'obligately mutualistic metabolism', which still focuses on microbial metabolic cooperation but also includes an ecological aspect: the benefit for both partners. By the combined metabolic activity of microorganisms, endergonic reactions can become exergonic through the efficient removal of products and therefore enable a microbial community to survive with minimal energy resources. Here, we explain the principles of classical and non-classical syntrophy and illustrate the concepts with various examples. We present biochemical fundamentals that allow microorganism to survive under a range of environmental conditions and to drive important biogeochemical processes. Novel technologies have contributed to the understanding of syntrophic relationships in cultured and uncultured systems. Recent research highlights that obligately mutualistic metabolism is not limited to certain metabolic pathways nor to certain environments or microorganisms. This beneficial microbial interaction is not restricted to the transfer of reducing agents such as hydrogen or formate, but can also involve the exchange of organic, sulfurous- and nitrogenous compounds or the removal of toxic compounds. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential sensitivity of total and active soil microbial communities to drought and forest management.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastida, Felipe; Torres, Irene F; Andrés-Abellán, Manuela; Baldrian, Petr; López-Mondéjar, Rubén; Větrovský, Tomáš; Richnow, Hans H; Starke, Robert; Ondoño, Sara; García, Carlos; López-Serrano, Francisco R; Jehmlich, Nico

2017-10-01

Climate change will affect semiarid ecosystems through severe droughts that increase the competition for resources in plant and microbial communities. In these habitats, adaptations to climate change may consist of thinning-that reduces competition for resources through a decrease in tree density and the promotion of plant survival. We deciphered the functional and phylogenetic responses of the microbial community to 6 years of drought induced by rainfall exclusion and how forest management affects its resistance to drought, in a semiarid forest ecosystem dominated by Pinus halepensis Mill. A multiOMIC approach was applied to reveal novel, community-based strategies in the face of climate change. The diversity and the composition of the total and active soil microbiome were evaluated by 16S rRNA gene (bacteria) and ITS (fungal) sequencing, and by metaproteomics. The microbial biomass was analyzed by phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), and the microbially mediated ecosystem multifunctionality was studied by the integration of soil enzyme activities related to the cycles of C, N, and P. The microbial biomass and ecosystem multifunctionality decreased in drought-plots, as a consequence of the lower soil moisture and poorer plant development, but this decrease was more notable in unthinned plots. The structure and diversity of the total bacterial community was unaffected by drought at phylum and order level, but did so at genus level, and was influenced by seasonality. However, the total fungal community and the active microbial community were more sensitive to drought and were related to ecosystem multifunctionality. Thinning in plots without drought increased the active diversity while the total diversity was not affected. Thinning promoted the resistance of ecosystem multifunctionality to drought through changes in the active microbial community. The integration of total and active microbiome analyses avoids misinterpretations of the links between the soil microbial

Activities and experience of the Federal Resource Center for Organizing Comprehensive Support for Children with ASD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaustov A.V.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article presents basic activities and experience of the Federal Resource Center for Organizing Comprehensive Sup¬port for Children with ASD of Moscow state university of psychology & education, amassed during 22 years of practice. Some statistic data on the center’s activity are displayed. Emphasis is done on multidirectional work and developing ways of interdepartmental and networking interaction for the sake of founding a system of complex support for autistic children in Russian Federation.

Cultural resource survey report for construction of office building, driveway, and parking lot at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Part 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perry, M.E.

1995-01-01

An Environmental Assessment and associated documentation is reported for the construction of an office building and parking lot in support of environmental management personnel activities. As part of the documentation process, the DOE determined that the proposed project constituted an undertaking as defined in Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. In accordance with the regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, a records and literature search and historic resource identification effort were carried out on behalf of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). This report summarizes cultural resource literature and record searches and a historic resource identification effort

Reducing assembly complexity of microbial genomes with single-molecule sequencing

Science.gov (United States)

Genome assembly algorithms cannot fully reconstruct microbial chromosomes from the DNA reads output by first or second-generation sequencing instruments. Therefore, most genomes are left unfinished due to the significant resources required to manually close gaps left in the draft assemblies. Single-...

Microbial flora analysis for the degradation of beta-cypermethrin.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Zhang; Wei, Zhang

2017-03-01

In the Xinjiang region of Eurasia, sustained long-term and continuous cropping of cotton over a wide expanse of land is practiced, which requires application of high levels of pyrethroid and other classes of pesticides-resulting in high levels of pesticide residues in the soil. In this study, soil samples were collected from areas of long-term continuous cotton crops with the aim of obtaining microbial resources applicable for remediation of pyrethroid pesticide contamination suitable for the soil type and climate of that area. Soil samples were first used to culture microbial flora capable of degrading beta-cypermethrin using an enrichment culture method. Structural changes and ultimate microbial floral composition during enrichment were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. Four strains capable of degrading beta-cypermethrin were isolated and preliminarily classified. Finally, comparative rates and speeds of degradation of beta-cypermethrin between relevant microbial flora and single strains were determined. After continuous subculture for 3 weeks, soil sample microbial flora formed a new type of microbial flora by rapid succession, which showed stable growth by utilizing beta-cypermethrin as the sole carbon source (GXzq). This microbial flora mainly consisted of Pseudomonas, Hyphomicrobium, Dokdonella, and Methyloversatilis. Analysis of the microbial flora also permitted separation of four additional strains; i.e., GXZQ4, GXZQ6, GXZQ7, and GXZQ13 that, respectively, belonged to Streptomyces, Enterobacter, Streptomyces, and Pseudomonas. Under culture conditions of 37 °C and 180 rpm, the degradation rate of beta-cypermethrin by GXzq was as high as 89.84% within 96 h, which exceeded that achieved by the single strains GXZQ4, GXZQ6, GXZQ7, and GXZQ13 and their derived microbial flora GXh.

INDIGO - INtegrated data warehouse of microbial genomes with examples from the red sea extremophiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Intikhab; Antunes, André; Kamau, Allan Anthony; Ba Alawi, Wail; Kalkatawi, Manal; Stingl, Ulrich; Bajic, Vladimir B

2013-01-01

The next generation sequencing technologies substantially increased the throughput of microbial genome sequencing. To functionally annotate newly sequenced microbial genomes, a variety of experimental and computational methods are used. Integration of information from different sources is a powerful approach to enhance such annotation. Functional analysis of microbial genomes, necessary for downstream experiments, crucially depends on this annotation but it is hampered by the current lack of suitable information integration and exploration systems for microbial genomes. We developed a data warehouse system (INDIGO) that enables the integration of annotations for exploration and analysis of newly sequenced microbial genomes. INDIGO offers an opportunity to construct complex queries and combine annotations from multiple sources starting from genomic sequence to protein domain, gene ontology and pathway levels. This data warehouse is aimed at being populated with information from genomes of pure cultures and uncultured single cells of Red Sea bacteria and Archaea. Currently, INDIGO contains information from Salinisphaera shabanensis, Haloplasma contractile, and Halorhabdus tiamatea - extremophiles isolated from deep-sea anoxic brine lakes of the Red Sea. We provide examples of utilizing the system to gain new insights into specific aspects on the unique lifestyle and adaptations of these organisms to extreme environments. We developed a data warehouse system, INDIGO, which enables comprehensive integration of information from various resources to be used for annotation, exploration and analysis of microbial genomes. It will be regularly updated and extended with new genomes. It is aimed to serve as a resource dedicated to the Red Sea microbes. In addition, through INDIGO, we provide our Automatic Annotation of Microbial Genomes (AAMG) pipeline. The INDIGO web server is freely available at http://www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/indigo.

IMG: the integrated microbial genomes database and comparative analysis system

Science.gov (United States)

Markowitz, Victor M.; Chen, I-Min A.; Palaniappan, Krishna; Chu, Ken; Szeto, Ernest; Grechkin, Yuri; Ratner, Anna; Jacob, Biju; Huang, Jinghua; Williams, Peter; Huntemann, Marcel; Anderson, Iain; Mavromatis, Konstantinos; Ivanova, Natalia N.; Kyrpides, Nikos C.

2012-01-01

The Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) system serves as a community resource for comparative analysis of publicly available genomes in a comprehensive integrated context. IMG integrates publicly available draft and complete genomes from all three domains of life with a large number of plasmids and viruses. IMG provides tools and viewers for analyzing and reviewing the annotations of genes and genomes in a comparative context. IMG's data content and analytical capabilities have been continuously extended through regular updates since its first release in March 2005. IMG is available at http://img.jgi.doe.gov. Companion IMG systems provide support for expert review of genome annotations (IMG/ER: http://img.jgi.doe.gov/er), teaching courses and training in microbial genome analysis (IMG/EDU: http://img.jgi.doe.gov/edu) and analysis of genomes related to the Human Microbiome Project (IMG/HMP: http://www.hmpdacc-resources.org/img_hmp). PMID:22194640

The center for plant and microbial complex carbohydrates at the University of Georgia Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. Five-year report, September 15, 1987--December 31, 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albersheim, Peter; Darvill, Alan

1992-05-01

The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) is the home of ten independent but complementary interdisciplinary research groups led by nine regular faculty and one adjunct faculty. The research of these groups represents a broad spectrum of interests, and they are involved in about 90 collaborations with their CCRC and UGA colleagues and with scientists at other institutions and companies in the US, Canada, Europe, Israel, and Japan. The hallmark of the CCRC is the collaborative, interactive environment encouraged by its directors, faculty and tong-term staff. Newcomers to the CCRC or short-term members soon learn that everyone benefits from this process. The team-oriented approach in carbohydrate science translates into the day-today generous giving of one's time and expertise to the work of others, whether it be in sharing specialized instrumentation, participating in the design of experiments and interpretalon of data, providing service to scientists outside the CCRC, or joining collaborative projects. The CCRC is founded on the principle that the cross-fertilization of ideas and know-how leads to the synergistic advancement of science. This report contains a series of appendices that document the extent and breadth of the Plant and Microbial Carbohydrate Center's contributions to collaborative research and education. Several collaborative research projects that have received postdoctoral research associate support from the Grant are highlighted, as these projects are particularly illustrative of the wide-ranging collaborations that have evolved as a result of this Grant and the quality of the science that the Grant enables.

Report compiled by Research Center for Carbonaceous Resources, Institute for Chemical Reaction Science, Tohoku University; Tohoku Daigaku Hanno Kagaku Kenkyusho tanso shigen hanno kenkyu center hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-04-01

The Research Center for Carbonaceous Resources was established in April 1991 for the purpose of developing a comprehensive process for converting carbonaceous resources into clean fuels or into materials equipped with advanced functions. In this report, the track records etc. of the center are introduced. Under study in the conversion process research department is the organization of a comprehensive coal conversion process which will be a combination of solvent extraction, catalytic decomposition, and catalytic gasification, whose goal is to convert coal in a clean way at high efficiency. Under study in the conversion catalyst research department are the development of a coal denitrogenation method, development of a low-temperature gasification method by use of inexpensive catalysts, synthesis of C{sub 2} hydrocarbons in a methane/carbon dioxide reaction, etc. Other endeavors under way involve the designing and development of new organic materials such as new carbon materials and a study of the foundation on which such efforts stand, that is, the study of the control of reactions between solids. Furthermore, in the study of interfacial reaction control, the contact gasification of coal, brown coal ion exchange capacity and surface conditions, carbonization of cation exchanged brown coal, etc., are being developed. (NEDO)

Electricity production perspective regarding resource recovery center (RRC) in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masoud Aghajani Mir; Noor Ezlin Ahmad Basri; Rawshan Ara Begum; Sanaz Saheri

2010-01-01

Waste disposal is a global problem contributing to the ongoing climate change because of large emissions of greenhouse gases. So, using waste material as a resource instead of land filling, the greenhouse gas emissions from landfills are reduced. Also, Waste material can be used for waste incineration with energy recovery, thus decreasing the greenhouse gas emission from energy utilization by changing from fossil fuels to a partly renewable fuel. The production of Refuse Derived Fuels (RDF) involves the mechanical processing of household waste using screens, shredders and separators to recover recyclable materials and to produce a combustible product Regarding Resource Recovery Center/Waste to Energy (RRC/WtE) Facility in Malaysia that located in Semenyih. This System involves the removal of inert and compost able materials followed by pulverization to produce a feedstock which be incinerated in power stations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and forecasting of the number of these facilities that Kuala Lumpur will need regarding to potential of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation and Refuse Derive Fuel that will be produce from that in future. This plant is able to produce average 7.5 MWh electricity from 700 ton MSW or 200 ton RDF per day that approximately is used 1.8 MWh per day inside the pant and it can sell around 5.7 MWh daily. Kuala Lumpur will generate around 7713 ton MSW per day and it is able to produce 2466 ton RDF per day. Regarding to potential of MSW and RDF generation by 2020 in Kuala Lumpur it will need around 11 plants to treatment of MSW that this number of plants is able to produce around 62.8 MWh electricity per day. (author)

Center of Microbial Oceanography Research and Education (C-MORE) Initiatives Toward Promoting Diversity in the Ocean Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, B. C.

2007-05-01

The ocean sciences suffer from a lack of diversity, particularly among indigenous peoples, despite the fact that indigenous peoples often have deep, cultural knowledge about the marine environment. Nowhere is this inequity more glaring than in Hawaii. Traditional knowledge in marine science enabled Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) to become world leaders in transpacific canoe voyaging, aquaculture, and fisheries. Yet today, NHPI are severely underrepresented in the ocean sciences (and in STEM fields in general) at all levels of education and employment. When compared to other ethnic and racial groups in Hawaii, NHPI students as a group have among the poorest educational performance, indicated in part by underrepresentation in college enrolment and pre-college gifted and talented programs, as well as overrepresentation in eligibility for special education and free and reduced lunch programs. The Center of Microbial Oceanography Research and Education (C-MORE), a NSF-funded, multi-institutional Science and Technology Center based at the University of Hawai (UH), is determined to address this inequity. C- MORE is committed to increasing diversity in the ocean sciences, particularly among NHPI, at all levels of education and research. Our approach is to work with existing programs with a track record of increasing diversity among NHPI. We are currently developing culturally relevant materials including educational games for K-12 students, mentorships for high school and community college students, and laboratory and shipboard experiences for teachers and undergraduates in partnership with minority-serving organizations. Some of our main partners are EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), Ka `Imi `Ike (an NSF- funded program to recruit and retain NHPI undergraduates in geosciences), Upward Bound (an enrichment program for economically disadvantaged high school students which includes intensive summer courses), the UH Center on

76 FR 17139 - Health Center Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive... Improvement Project (CIP) from Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers (SVCMC) of New York, current grantee...

Specialized microbial databases for inductive exploration of microbial genome sequences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cabau Cédric

2005-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The enormous amount of genome sequence data asks for user-oriented databases to manage sequences and annotations. Queries must include search tools permitting function identification through exploration of related objects. Methods The GenoList package for collecting and mining microbial genome databases has been rewritten using MySQL as the database management system. Functions that were not available in MySQL, such as nested subquery, have been implemented. Results Inductive reasoning in the study of genomes starts from "islands of knowledge", centered around genes with some known background. With this concept of "neighborhood" in mind, a modified version of the GenoList structure has been used for organizing sequence data from prokaryotic genomes of particular interest in China. GenoChore http://bioinfo.hku.hk/genochore.html, a set of 17 specialized end-user-oriented microbial databases (including one instance of Microsporidia, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a member of Eukarya has been made publicly available. These databases allow the user to browse genome sequence and annotation data using standard queries. In addition they provide a weekly update of searches against the world-wide protein sequences data libraries, allowing one to monitor annotation updates on genes of interest. Finally, they allow users to search for patterns in DNA or protein sequences, taking into account a clustering of genes into formal operons, as well as providing extra facilities to query sequences using predefined sequence patterns. Conclusion This growing set of specialized microbial databases organize data created by the first Chinese bacterial genome programs (ThermaList, Thermoanaerobacter tencongensis, LeptoList, with two different genomes of Leptospira interrogans and SepiList, Staphylococcus epidermidis associated to related organisms for comparison.

Trauma Center Staffing, Infrastructure, and Patient Characteristics that Influence Trauma Center Need

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faul, Mark

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The most effective use of trauma center resources helps reduce morbidity and mortality, while saving costs. Identifying critical infrastructure characteristics, patient characteristics and staffing components of a trauma center associated with the proportion of patients needing major trauma care will help planners create better systems for patient care.   Methods: We used the 2009 National Trauma Data Bank-Research Dataset to determine the proportion of critically injured patients requiring the resources of a trauma center within each Level I-IV trauma center (n=443. The outcome variable was defined as the portion of treated patients who were critically injured. We defined the need for critical trauma resources and interventions (“trauma center need” as death prior to hospital discharge, admission to the intensive care unit, or admission to the operating room from the emergency department as a result of acute traumatic injury. Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM was used to determine how hospital infrastructure, staffing Levels, and patient characteristics contributed to trauma center need.     Results: Nonprofit Level I and II trauma centers were significantly associated with higher levels of trauma center need. Trauma centers that had a higher percentage of transferred patients or a lower percentage of insured patients were associated with a higher proportion of trauma center need.  Hospital infrastructure characteristics, such as bed capacity and intensive care unit capacity, were not associated with trauma center need. A GLM for Level III and IV trauma centers showed that the number of trauma surgeons on staff was associated with trauma center need. Conclusion: Because the proportion of trauma center need is predominantly influenced by hospital type, transfer frequency, and insurance status, it is important for administrators to consider patient population characteristics of the catchment area when planning the

Microbial links and element flows in nested detrital food-webs.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pokarzhevskii, A.D.; van Straalen, N.M.; Zaboev, D.P.; Zaitsev, A.S.

2003-01-01

Microbial links are obligate in any food chain in soil, because detritivorous animals derive essential amino acids and other resources from microorganisms. To degrade recalcitrant substrates such as cellulose, soil animals do not produce their own cellulase, but they use cellulases derived from gut

PATtyFams: Protein families for the microbial genomes in the PATRIC database

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James J Davis

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The ability to build accurate protein families is a fundamental operation in bioinformatics that influences comparative analyses, genome annotation and metabolic modeling. For several years we have been maintaining protein families for all microbial genomes in the PATRIC database (Pathosystems Resource Integration Center, patricbrc.org in order to drive many of the comparative analysis tools that are available through the PATRIC website. However, due to the burgeoning number of genomes, traditional approaches for generating protein families are becoming prohibitive. In this report, we describe a new approach for generating protein families, which we call PATtyFams. This method uses the k-mer-based function assignments available through RAST (Rapid Annotation using Subsystem Technology to rapidly guide family formation, and then differentiates the function-based groups into families using a Markov Cluster algorithm (MCL. This new approach for generating protein families is rapid, scalable and has properties that are consistent with alignment-based methods.

INDIGO - INtegrated data warehouse of microbial genomes with examples from the red sea extremophiles.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Intikhab Alam

Full Text Available The next generation sequencing technologies substantially increased the throughput of microbial genome sequencing. To functionally annotate newly sequenced microbial genomes, a variety of experimental and computational methods are used. Integration of information from different sources is a powerful approach to enhance such annotation. Functional analysis of microbial genomes, necessary for downstream experiments, crucially depends on this annotation but it is hampered by the current lack of suitable information integration and exploration systems for microbial genomes.We developed a data warehouse system (INDIGO that enables the integration of annotations for exploration and analysis of newly sequenced microbial genomes. INDIGO offers an opportunity to construct complex queries and combine annotations from multiple sources starting from genomic sequence to protein domain, gene ontology and pathway levels. This data warehouse is aimed at being populated with information from genomes of pure cultures and uncultured single cells of Red Sea bacteria and Archaea. Currently, INDIGO contains information from Salinisphaera shabanensis, Haloplasma contractile, and Halorhabdus tiamatea - extremophiles isolated from deep-sea anoxic brine lakes of the Red Sea. We provide examples of utilizing the system to gain new insights into specific aspects on the unique lifestyle and adaptations of these organisms to extreme environments.We developed a data warehouse system, INDIGO, which enables comprehensive integration of information from various resources to be used for annotation, exploration and analysis of microbial genomes. It will be regularly updated and extended with new genomes. It is aimed to serve as a resource dedicated to the Red Sea microbes. In addition, through INDIGO, we provide our Automatic Annotation of Microbial Genomes (AAMG pipeline. The INDIGO web server is freely available at http://www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/indigo.

Choosing the right platform for the right product: Sustainable production of chemicals in microbial cell factories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herrgard, Markus

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (CFB) is a new non-profit research center focused on sustainable production of biochemicals and therapeutic proteins using microbial and mammalian cell factories. The work at CFB is organized around an iterative loop where cell factories...

Manipulating soil microbial communities in extensive green roof substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Molineux, Chloe J; Connop, Stuart P; Gange, Alan C

2014-09-15

There has been very little investigation into the soil microbial community on green roofs, yet this below ground habitat is vital for ecosystem functioning. Green roofs are often harsh environments that would greatly benefit from having a healthy microbial system, allowing efficient nutrient cycling and a degree of drought tolerance in dry summer months. To test if green roof microbial communities could be manipulated, we added mycorrhizal fungi and a microbial mixture ('compost tea') to green roof rootzones, composed mainly of crushed brick or crushed concrete. The study revealed that growing media type and depth play a vital role in the microbial ecology of green roofs. There are complex relationships between depth and type of substrate and the biomass of different microbial groups, with no clear pattern being observed. Following the addition of inoculants, bacterial groups tended to increase in biomass in shallower substrates, whereas fungal biomass change was dependent on depth and type of substrate. Increased fungal biomass was found in shallow plots containing more crushed concrete and deeper plots containing more crushed brick where compost tea (a live mixture of beneficial bacteria) was added, perhaps due to the presence of helper bacteria for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Often there was not an additive affect of the microbial inoculations but instead an antagonistic interaction between the added AM fungi and the compost tea. This suggests that some species of microbes may not be compatible with others, as competition for limited resources occurs within the various substrates. The overall results suggest that microbial inoculations of green roof habitats are sustainable. They need only be done once for increased biomass to be found in subsequent years, indicating that this is a novel and viable method of enhancing roof community composition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel

Science.gov (United States)

Biodiesel Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center : Biodiesel to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel on

A conceptual framework for invasion in microbial communities

KAUST Repository

Kinnunen, Marta; Dechesne, Arnaud; Proctor, Caitlin; Hammes, Frederik; Johnson, David; Quintela-Baluja, Marcos; Graham, David; Daffonchio, Daniele; Fodelianakis, Stylianos; Hahn, Nicole; Boon, Nico; Smets, Barth F

2016-01-01

There is a growing interest in controlling-promoting or avoiding-the invasion of microbial communities by new community members. Resource availability and community structure have been reported as determinants of invasion success. However, most invasion studies do not adhere to a coherent and consistent terminology nor always include rigorous interpretations of the processes behind invasion. Therefore, we suggest that a consistent set of definitions and a rigorous conceptual framework are needed. We define invasion in a microbial community as the establishment of an alien microbial type in a resident community and argue how simple criteria to define aliens, residents, and alien establishment can be applied for a wide variety of communities. In addition, we suggest an adoption of the community ecology framework advanced by Vellend (2010) to clarify potential determinants of invasion. This framework identifies four fundamental processes that control community dynamics: dispersal, selection, drift and diversification. While selection has received ample attention in microbial community invasion research, the three other processes are often overlooked. Here, we elaborate on the relevance of all four processes and conclude that invasion experiments should be designed to elucidate the role of dispersal, drift and diversification, in order to obtain a complete picture of invasion as a community process.

A conceptual framework for invasion in microbial communities

Science.gov (United States)

Kinnunen, Marta; Dechesne, Arnaud; Proctor, Caitlin; Hammes, Frederik; Johnson, David; Quintela-Baluja, Marcos; Graham, David; Daffonchio, Daniele; Fodelianakis, Stilianos; Hahn, Nicole; Boon, Nico; Smets, Barth F

2016-01-01

There is a growing interest in controlling—promoting or avoiding—the invasion of microbial communities by new community members. Resource availability and community structure have been reported as determinants of invasion success. However, most invasion studies do not adhere to a coherent and consistent terminology nor always include rigorous interpretations of the processes behind invasion. Therefore, we suggest that a consistent set of definitions and a rigorous conceptual framework are needed. We define invasion in a microbial community as the establishment of an alien microbial type in a resident community and argue how simple criteria to define aliens, residents, and alien establishment can be applied for a wide variety of communities. In addition, we suggest an adoption of the community ecology framework advanced by Vellend (2010) to clarify potential determinants of invasion. This framework identifies four fundamental processes that control community dynamics: dispersal, selection, drift and diversification. While selection has received ample attention in microbial community invasion research, the three other processes are often overlooked. Here, we elaborate on the relevance of all four processes and conclude that invasion experiments should be designed to elucidate the role of dispersal, drift and diversification, in order to obtain a complete picture of invasion as a community process. PMID:27137125

A conceptual framework for invasion in microbial communities

KAUST Repository

Kinnunen, Marta

2016-05-03

There is a growing interest in controlling-promoting or avoiding-the invasion of microbial communities by new community members. Resource availability and community structure have been reported as determinants of invasion success. However, most invasion studies do not adhere to a coherent and consistent terminology nor always include rigorous interpretations of the processes behind invasion. Therefore, we suggest that a consistent set of definitions and a rigorous conceptual framework are needed. We define invasion in a microbial community as the establishment of an alien microbial type in a resident community and argue how simple criteria to define aliens, residents, and alien establishment can be applied for a wide variety of communities. In addition, we suggest an adoption of the community ecology framework advanced by Vellend (2010) to clarify potential determinants of invasion. This framework identifies four fundamental processes that control community dynamics: dispersal, selection, drift and diversification. While selection has received ample attention in microbial community invasion research, the three other processes are often overlooked. Here, we elaborate on the relevance of all four processes and conclude that invasion experiments should be designed to elucidate the role of dispersal, drift and diversification, in order to obtain a complete picture of invasion as a community process.

RESOURCE TRAINING AND METHODOLOGICAL CENTER FOR THE TRAINING OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: EXPERIENCE AND DIRECTION OF DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Fedorov

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The presented article is devoted to the new and actual direction in the system of higher education - the development of inclusive education. The experience of creating a resource training and methodological center (RТMC of the University of Minin in 2017 is presented, the directions of its activity in 2017 and the results are described. The article outlines the role of RТMC in the development of inclusive culture.Materials and methods: The method of analyzing the literature of domestic and foreign authors was used as the basis for writing the article; the monitoring data of the state of inclusive higher education, which was implemented within the framework of the State Contract dated 07.06.2016 No. 05.020.11 007 on the project «Monitoring Information and Analytical Support of Activities regional resource centers for higher education for disabled people».Results: Analyzing the results of the RТMC activity, the authors update the problems that arose during the project implementation and suggest ways of their solution. The authors see the development of the RТMC activity through the development of forms and mechanisms of interdepartmental, interregional and inter-institutional cooperation in order to achieve coherence of actions and effectiveness of all participants in the support of inclusion in higher education, taking into account the educational needs of entrants and labor market needs throughout the fixed territory. As a special mission of the RТMC, the authors see the management of the development of inclusive culture in the university. The system of higher education is considered as an instrument of fulfilling the social order for the formation of a generation of people who tolerate and organically perceive the fact of inclusion in all spheres of life.Discussion and conclusion: The role of the resource training and methodological center in the development of inclusive higher education is determined by the identification

Microbial bio-fuels: a solution to carbon emissions and energy crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Arun; Kaushal, Sumit; Saraf, Shubhini A; Singh, Jay Shankar

2018-06-01

Increasing energy demand, limited fossil fuel resources and climate change have prompted development of alternative sustainable and economical fuel resources such as crop-based bio-ethanol and bio-diesel. However, there is concern over use of arable land that is used for food agriculture for creation of biofuel. Thus, there is a renewed interest in the use of microbes particularly microalgae for bio-fuel production. Microbes such as micro-algae and cyanobacteria that are used for biofuel production also produce other bioactive compounds under stressed conditions. Microbial agents used for biofuel production also produce bioactive compounds with antimicrobial, antiviral, anticoagulant, antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity. Because of importance of such high-value compounds in aquaculture and bioremediation, and the potential to reduce carbon emissions and energy security, the biofuels produced by microbial biotechnology might substitute the crop-based bio-ethanol and bio-diesel production.

Synthetic Microbial Ecology: Engineering Habitats for Modular Consortia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben Said, Sami; Or, Dani

2017-01-01

The metabolic diversity present in microbial communities enables cooperation toward accomplishing more complex tasks than possible by a single organism. Members of a consortium communicate by exchanging metabolites or signals that allow them to coordinate their activity through division of labor. In contrast with monocultures, evidence suggests that microbial consortia self-organize to form spatial patterns, such as observed in biofilms or in soil aggregates, that enable them to respond to gradient, to improve resource interception and to exchange metabolites more effectively. Current biotechnological applications of microorganisms remain rudimentary, often relying on genetically engineered monocultures (e.g., pharmaceuticals) or mixed-cultures of partially known composition (e.g., wastewater treatment), yet the vast potential of "microbial ecological power" observed in most natural environments, remains largely underused. In line with the Unified Microbiome Initiative (UMI) which aims to "discover and advance tools to understand and harness the capabilities of Earth's microbial ecosystems," we propose in this concept paper to capitalize on ecological insights into the spatial and modular design of interlinked microbial consortia that would overcome limitations of natural systems and attempt to optimize the functionality of the members and the performance of the engineered consortium. The topology of the spatial connections linking the various members and the regulated fluxes of media between those modules, while representing a major engineering challenge, would allow the microbial species to interact. The modularity of such spatially linked microbial consortia (SLMC) could facilitate the design of scalable bioprocesses that can be incorporated as parts of a larger biochemical network. By reducing the need for a compatible growth environment for all species simultaneously, SLMC will dramatically expand the range of possible combinations of microorganisms and their

Synthetic microbial ecology and the dynamic interplay between microbial genotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolinšek, Jan; Goldschmidt, Felix; Johnson, David R

2016-11-01

Assemblages of microbial genotypes growing together can display surprisingly complex and unexpected dynamics and result in community-level functions and behaviors that are not readily expected from analyzing each genotype in isolation. This complexity has, at least in part, inspired a discipline of synthetic microbial ecology. Synthetic microbial ecology focuses on designing, building and analyzing the dynamic behavior of ‘ecological circuits’ (i.e. a set of interacting microbial genotypes) and understanding how community-level properties emerge as a consequence of those interactions. In this review, we discuss typical objectives of synthetic microbial ecology and the main advantages and rationales of using synthetic microbial assemblages. We then summarize recent findings of current synthetic microbial ecology investigations. In particular, we focus on the causes and consequences of the interplay between different microbial genotypes and illustrate how simple interactions can create complex dynamics and promote unexpected community-level properties. We finally propose that distinguishing between active and passive interactions and accounting for the pervasiveness of competition can improve existing frameworks for designing and predicting the dynamics of microbial assemblages.

Model of Activities of the Resource Training Center of the Russian State Social University in Terms of Professional Orientation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bikbulatova A.A.,

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the importance of professional and vocational guidance for persons with disabilities. It describes the main approaches to providing such type of guidance to the disabled students and reveals the technologies of motivating people with disabilities to seek education and to make informed choices of profession. The research was aimed at developing the model of career guidance offered at resource and training centers established by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on the basis higher educational institutions. The paper presents the developed model of professional and vocational guidance for persons with disabilities and explains the algorithm of its implementation in the resource and training centers. Also, the paper gives recommendations on how to change the technology of communication between universities, regional job centers and offices of medical and social assessment.

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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Full Text Available ... Budget, & Performance VA Center for Innovation (VACI) Agency Financial Report (AFR) Budget Submission Recovery Act Resources Business ... Community Providers and Clergy Co-Occurring Conditions Continuing Education Publications List of Center Publications Articles by Center ...

Human Resource Construction

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2015-01-01

Centering on strategic objective of reform and development,CIAE formulated its objectives in human resource construction for the 13th Five-year Plan period,and achieved new apparent progress in human resource construction in 2015.1 Implementation of"LONGMA Project"

CoryneCenter – An online resource for the integrated analysis of corynebacterial genome and transcriptome data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hüser Andrea T

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The introduction of high-throughput genome sequencing and post-genome analysis technologies, e.g. DNA microarray approaches, has created the potential to unravel and scrutinize complex gene-regulatory networks on a large scale. The discovery of transcriptional regulatory interactions has become a major topic in modern functional genomics. Results To facilitate the analysis of gene-regulatory networks, we have developed CoryneCenter, a web-based resource for the systematic integration and analysis of genome, transcriptome, and gene regulatory information for prokaryotes, especially corynebacteria. For this purpose, we extended and combined the following systems into a common platform: (1 GenDB, an open source genome annotation system, (2 EMMA, a MAGE compliant application for high-throughput transcriptome data storage and analysis, and (3 CoryneRegNet, an ontology-based data warehouse designed to facilitate the reconstruction and analysis of gene regulatory interactions. We demonstrate the potential of CoryneCenter by means of an application example. Using microarray hybridization data, we compare the gene expression of Corynebacterium glutamicum under acetate and glucose feeding conditions: Known regulatory networks are confirmed, but moreover CoryneCenter points out additional regulatory interactions. Conclusion CoryneCenter provides more than the sum of its parts. Its novel analysis and visualization features significantly simplify the process of obtaining new biological insights into complex regulatory systems. Although the platform currently focusses on corynebacteria, the integrated tools are by no means restricted to these species, and the presented approach offers a general strategy for the analysis and verification of gene regulatory networks. CoryneCenter provides freely accessible projects with the underlying genome annotation, gene expression, and gene regulation data. The system is publicly available at http://www.CoryneCenter.de.

Vermont Natural Resources Atlas

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — The purpose of the�Natural Resources Atlas�is to provide geographic information about environmental features and sites that the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources...

Soil microbial activities beneath Stipa tenacissima L. and in surrounding bare soil

Science.gov (United States)

Novosadová, I.; Ruiz Sinoga, J. D.; Záhora, J.; Fišerová, H.

2010-05-01

Open steppes dominated by Stipa tenacissima L. constitute one of the most representative ecosystems of the semi-arid zones of Eastern Mediterranean Basin (Iberian Peninsula, North of Africa). These steppes show a higher degree of variability in composition and structure. Ecosystem functioning is strongly related to the spatial pattern of grass tussocks. Soils beneath S. tenacissima grass show higher fertility and improved microclimatic conditions, favouring the formation of "resource islands" (Maestre et al., 2007). On the other hand in "resource islands" and in surrounding bare soil exists the belowground zone of influence. The competition for water and resources between plants and microorganisms is strong and mediated trough an enormous variety of exudates and resource depletion intended to regulate soil microbial communities in the rhizosphere, control herbivory, encourage beneficial symbioses, and change chemical and physical properties in soil (Pugnaire et Armas, 2008). Secondary compounds and allelopathy restrict other species growth and contribute to patchy plant distribution. Active root segregation affects not only neighbourś growth but also soil microbial activities. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of Stipa tenacissima on the key soil microbial activities under controlled incubation conditions (basal and potential respiration; net nitrogen mineralization). The experimental plots were located in the province Almería in Sierra de los Filabres Mountains near the village Gérgal (southeast Spain) in the small catchment which is situated between 1090 - 1165 m a.s.l. The area with extent of 82 000 m2 is affected by soil degradation. The climate is semiarid Mediterranean. The mean annual rainfall is of about 240 mm mostly concentrated in autumn and spring. The mean annual temperature is 13.9° C. The studied soil has a loam to sandy clay texture and is classified as Lithosol (FAO-ISRIC and ISSS, 1998). The vegetation of these areas is an

Bioactive natural products from novel microbial sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Challinor, Victoria L; Bode, Helge B

2015-09-01

Despite the importance of microbial natural products for human health, only a few bacterial genera have been mined for the new natural products needed to overcome the urgent threat of antibiotic resistance. This is surprising, given that genome sequencing projects have revealed that the capability to produce natural products is not a rare feature among bacteria. Even the bacteria occurring in the human microbiome produce potent antibiotics, and thus potentially are an untapped resource for novel compounds, potentially with new activities. This review highlights examples of bacteria that should be considered new sources of natural products, including anaerobes, pathogens, and symbionts of humans, insects, and nematodes. Exploitation of these producer strains, combined with advances in modern natural product research methodology, has the potential to open the way for a new golden age of microbial therapeutics. © 2015 New York Academy of Sciences.

CRISIS UNDER THE RADAR: ILLICIT AMPHETAMINE USE IS REACHING EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS AND CONTRIBUTING TO RESOURCE OVER-UTILIZATION AT A LEVEL 1 TRAUMA CENTER.

Science.gov (United States)

Gemma, Vincent A; Chapple, Kristina A; Goslar, Pamela W; Israr, Sharjeel; Petersen, Scott R; Weinberg, Jordan A

2018-05-21

Trauma centers reported illicit amphetamine use in approximately 10% of trauma admissions in the previous decade. From experience at a trauma center located in a southwestern metropolis, our perception is that illicit amphetamine use is on the rise, and that these patients utilize in-hospital resources beyond what would be expected for their injuries. The purpose of this study was to document the incidence of illicit amphetamine use among our trauma patients and to evaluate its impact on resource utilization. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using 7 consecutive years of data (starting July 2010) from our institution's trauma registry. Toxicology screenings were used to categorize patients into one of three groups: illicit amphetamine, other drugs, or drug free. Adjusted linear and logistic regression models were used to predict hospital cost, length of stay, ICU admission and ventilation between drug groups. Models were conducted with combined injury severity (ISS) and then repeated for ISS <9, ISS 9-15 and ISS 16 and above. 8,589 patients were categorized into the following three toxicology groups: 1255 (14.6%) illicit amphetamine, 2214 (25.8%) other drugs, and 5120 (59.6%) drug free. Illicit amphetamine use increased threefold over the course of the study (from 7.85% to 25.0% of annual trauma admissions). Adjusted linear models demonstrated that illicit amphetamine among patients with ISS<9 was associated with 4.6% increase in hospital cost (P=.019) and 7.4% increase in LOS (P=.043). Logistic models revealed significantly increased odds of ventilation across all ISS groups and increased odds of ICU admission when all ISS groups were combined (P=.001) and within the ISS<9 group (P=.002). Hospital resource utilization of amphetamine patients with minor injuries is significant. Trauma centers with similar epidemic growth in proportion of amphetamine patients face a potentially significant resource strain relative to other centers. Prognostic and

Microbial biomass and necromass turnover times in the contrasting seafloor settings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mhatre, Snehit

2017-01-01

in the deep biosphere microbial community. His work therefore opens a new avenue in exploring the possible mechanisms involved in facilitating the long-term survival of microorganisms under energy-deprived conditions. The PhD degree was completed at the Center for Geomicrobiology, department of Bioscience...

Microbial biotechnology and circular economy in wastewater treatment

OpenAIRE

Nielsen, Per Halkjær

2017-01-01

Summary Microbial biotechnology is essential for the development of circular economy in wastewater treatment by integrating energy production and resource recovery into the production of clean water. A comprehensive knowledge about identity, physiology, ecology, and population dynamics of process‐critical microorganisms will improve process stability, reduce CO2 footprints, optimize recovery and bioenergy production, and help finding new approaches and solutions. Examples of research needs an...

QMRAcatch - faecal microbial quality of water resources in a river-floodplain area affected by urban sources and recreational visitors

Science.gov (United States)

Derx, Julia; Schijven, Jack; Sommer, Regina; Kirschner, Alexander; Farnleitner, Andreas H.; Blaschke, Alfred Paul

2016-04-01

QMRAcatch, a tool to simulate microbial water quality including infection risk assessment, was previously developed and successfully tested at a Danube river site (Schijven et al. 2015). In the tool concentrations of target faecal microorganisms and viruses (TMVs) are computed at a point of interest (PI) along the main river and the floodplain river at daily intervals for a one year period. Even though faecal microbial pathogen concentrations in water resources are usually below the sample limit of detection, this does not ensure, that the water quality complies with a certain required health based target. The aim of this study was therefore to improve the predictability of relevant human pathogenic viruses, i.e. enterovirus and norovirus, in the studied river/floodplain area. This was done by following an innovative calibration strategy based on human-associated microbial source tracking (MST) marker data which were determined following the HF183 TaqMan assay (Green et al. 2011). The MST marker is strongly associated with human faeces and communal sewage, occurring there in numbers by several magnitudes higher than for human enteric pathogens (Mayer et al 2015). The calibrated tool was then evaluated with measured enterovirus concentrations at the PI and in the floodplain river. In the simulation tool the discharges of 5 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were considered with point discharges along a 200 km reach of the Danube river. The MST marker and target virus concentrations at the PI at a certain day were computed based on the concentrations of the previous day, plus the wastewater concentrations times the WWTP discharge divided by the river discharge. A ratio of the river width was also considered, over which the MST marker and virus particles have fully mixed with river water. In the tool, the excrements from recreational visitors frequenting the floodplain area every day were assumed to be homogeneously distributed in the area. A binomial distributed

Mars Atmospheric In Situ Resource Utilization Projects at the Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Muscatello, A. C.; Hintze, P. E.; Caraccio, A. J.; Bayliss, J. A.; Karr, L. J.; Paley, M. S.; Marone, M. J.; Gibson, T. L.; Surma, J. M.; Mansell, J. M.;

The Criticality Safety Information Resource Center (CSIRC) at Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henderson, B.D.; Meade, R.A.; Pruvost, N.L.

1999-01-01

The Criticality Safety Information Resource Center (CSIRC) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a program jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in conjunction with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 97-2. The goal of CSIRC is to preserve primary criticality safety documentation from U.S. critical experimental sites and to make this information available for the benefit of the technical community. Progress in archiving criticality safety primary documents at the LANL archives as well as efforts to make this information available to researchers are discussed. The CSIRC project has a natural linkage to the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP). This paper raises the possibility that the CSIRC project will evolve in a fashion similar to the ICSBEP. Exploring the implications of linking the CSIRC to the international criticality safety community is the motivation for this paper

Mars Atmospheric In Situ Resource Utilization Projects at the Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Muscatello, Anthony; Hintze, Paul; Meier, Anne; Bayliss, Jon; Karr, Laurel; Paley, Steve; Marone, Matt; Gibson, Tracy; Surma, Jan; Mansell, Matt;

Silicon Photonics towards Disaggregation of Resources in Data Centers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miltiadis Moralis-Pegios

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we demonstrate two subsystems based on Silicon Photonics, towards meeting the network requirements imposed by disaggregation of resources in Data Centers. The first one utilizes a 4 × 4 Silicon photonics switching matrix, employing Mach Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs with Electro-Optical phase shifters, directly controlled by a high speed Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA board for the successful implementation of a Bloom-Filter (BF-label forwarding scheme. The FPGA is responsible for extracting the BF-label from the incoming optical packets, carrying out the BF-based forwarding function, determining the appropriate switching state and generating the corresponding control signals towards conveying incoming packets to the desired output port of the matrix. The BF-label based packet forwarding scheme allows rapid reconfiguration of the optical switch, while at the same time reduces the memory requirements of the node’s lookup table. Successful operation for 10 Gb/s data packets is reported for a 1 × 4 routing layout. The second subsystem utilizes three integrated spiral waveguides, with record-high 2.6 ns/mm2, delay versus footprint efficiency, along with two Semiconductor Optical Amplifier Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (SOA-MZI wavelength converters, to construct a variable optical buffer and a Time Slot Interchange module. Error-free on-chip variable delay buffering from 6.5 ns up to 17.2 ns and successful timeslot interchanging for 10 Gb/s optical packets are presented.

Microbial ecology of the salmon necrobiome: evidence salmon carrion decomposition influences aquatic and terrestrial insect microbiomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pechal, Jennifer L; Benbow, M Eric

2016-05-01

Carrion decomposition is driven by complex relationships that affect necrobiome community (i.e. all organisms and their genes associated with a dead animal) interactions, such as insect species arrival time to carrion and microbial succession. Little is understood about how microbial communities interact with invertebrates at the aquatic-terrestrial habitat interface. The first objective of the study was to characterize internal microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons for aquatic insects (three mayfly species) in streams with salmon carcasses compared with those in streams without salmon carcasses. The second objective was to assess the epinecrotic microbial communities of decomposing salmon carcasses (Oncorhynchus keta) compared with those of terrestrial necrophagous insects (Calliphora terraenovae larvae and adults) associated with the carcasses. There was a significant difference in the internal microbiomes of mayflies collected in salmon carcass-bearing streams and in non-carcass streams, while the developmental stage of blow flies was the governing factor in structuring necrophagous insect internal microbiota. Furthermore, the necrophagous internal microbiome was influenced by the resource on which the larvae developed, and changes in the adult microbiome varied temporally. Overall, these carrion subsidy-driven networks respond to resource pulses with bottom-up effects on consumer microbial structure, as revealed by shifting communities over space and time. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Resource Availability Modulates the Cooperative and Competitive Nature of a Microbial Cross-Feeding Mutualism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim A Hoek

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Mutualisms between species play an important role in ecosystem function and stability. However, in some environments, the competitive aspects of an interaction may dominate the mutualistic aspects. Although these transitions could have far-reaching implications, it has been difficult to study the causes and consequences of this mutualistic-competitive transition in experimentally tractable systems. Here, we study a microbial cross-feeding mutualism in which each yeast strain supplies an essential amino acid for its partner strain. We find that, depending upon the amount of freely available amino acid in the environment, this pair of strains can exhibit an obligatory mutualism, facultative mutualism, competition, parasitism, competitive exclusion, or failed mutualism leading to extinction of the population. A simple model capturing the essential features of this interaction explains how resource availability modulates the interaction and predicts that changes in the dynamics of the mutualism in deteriorating environments can provide advance warning that collapse of the mutualism is imminent. We confirm this prediction experimentally by showing that, in the high nutrient competitive regime, the strains rapidly reach a common carrying capacity before slowly reaching the equilibrium ratio between the strains. However, in the low nutrient regime, before collapse of the obligate mutualism, we find that the ratio rapidly reaches its equilibrium and it is the total abundance that is slow to reach equilibrium. Our results provide a general framework for how mutualisms may transition between qualitatively different regimes of interaction in response to changes in nutrient availability in the environment.

Accounting for microbial habitats in modeling soil organic matter dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Chenu, Claire; Garnier, Patricia; Nunan, Naoise; Pot, Valérie; Raynaud, Xavier; Vieublé, Laure; Otten, Wilfred; Falconer, Ruth; Monga, Olivier

2017-04-01

The extreme heterogeneity of soils constituents, architecture and inhabitants at the microscopic scale is increasingly recognized. Microbial communities exist and are active in a complex 3-D physical framework of mineral and organic particles defining pores of various sizes, more or less inter-connected. This results in a frequent spatial disconnection between soil carbon, energy sources and the decomposer organisms and a variety of microhabitats that are more or less suitable for microbial growth and activity. However, current biogeochemical models account for C dynamics at the macroscale (cm, m) and consider time- and spatially averaged relationships between microbial activity and soil characteristics. Different modelling approaches have intended to account for this microscale heterogeneity, based either on considering aggregates as surrogates for microbial habitats, or pores. Innovative modelling approaches are based on an explicit representation of soil structure at the fine scale, i.e. at µm to mm scales: pore architecture and their saturation with water, localization of organic resources and of microorganisms. Three recent models are presented here, that describe the heterotrophic activity of either bacteria or fungi and are based upon different strategies to represent the complex soil pore system (Mosaic, LBios and µFun). These models allow to hierarchize factors of microbial activity in soil's heterogeneous architecture. Present limits of these approaches and challenges are presented, regarding the extensive information required on soils at the microscale and to up-scale microbial functioning from the pore to the core scale.

Carbon Monoxide Information Center

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Full Text Available ... Community Outreach Resource Center Toy Recall Statistics CO Poster Contest Pool Safely Business & Manufacturing Business & Manufacturing Business ... Featured Resources CPSC announces winners of carbon monoxide poster contest Video View the blog Clues You Can ...

Carbon Monoxide Information Center

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Full Text Available ... OnSafety Blog Safety Education Centers Neighborhood Safety Network Community Outreach Resource Center Toy Recall Statistics CO Poster ... Sitemap RSS E-mail Inside CPSC Accessibility Privacy Policy Budget, Performances & Finance Open Government Freedom of Information ( ...

Community cyberinfrastructure for Advanced Microbial Ecology Research and Analysis: the CAMERA resource.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Shulei; Chen, Jing; Li, Weizhong; Altintas, Ilkay; Lin, Abel; Peltier, Steve; Stocks, Karen; Allen, Eric E; Ellisman, Mark; Grethe, Jeffrey; Wooley, John

2011-01-01

The Community Cyberinfrastructure for Advanced Microbial Ecology Research and Analysis (CAMERA, http://camera.calit2.net/) is a database and associated computational infrastructure that provides a single system for depositing, locating, analyzing, visualizing and sharing data about microbial biology through an advanced web-based analysis portal. CAMERA collects and links metadata relevant to environmental metagenome data sets with annotation in a semantically-aware environment allowing users to write expressive semantic queries against the database. To meet the needs of the research community, users are able to query metadata categories such as habitat, sample type, time, location and other environmental physicochemical parameters. CAMERA is compliant with the standards promulgated by the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC), and sustains a role within the GSC in extending standards for content and format of the metagenomic data and metadata and its submission to the CAMERA repository. To ensure wide, ready access to data and annotation, CAMERA also provides data submission tools to allow researchers to share and forward data to other metagenomics sites and community data archives such as GenBank. It has multiple interfaces for easy submission of large or complex data sets, and supports pre-registration of samples for sequencing. CAMERA integrates a growing list of tools and viewers for querying, analyzing, annotating and comparing metagenome and genome data.

Heuristic evaluation of online COPD respiratory therapy and education video resource center.

Science.gov (United States)

Stellefson, Michael; Chaney, Beth; Chaney, Don

2014-10-01

Abstract Purpose: Because of limited accessibility to pulmonary rehabilitation programs, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are infrequently provided with patient education resources. To help educate patients with COPD on how to live a better life with diminished breathing capacity, we developed a novel social media resource center containing COPD respiratory therapy and education videos called "COPDFlix." A heuristic evaluation of COPDFlix was conducted as part of a larger study to determine whether the prototype was successful in adhering to formal Web site usability guidelines for older adults. A purposive sample of three experts, with expertise in Web design and health communications technology, was recruited (a) to identify usability violations and (b) to propose solutions to improve the functionality of the COPDFlix prototype. Each expert evaluated 18 heuristics in four categories of task-based criteria (i.e., interaction and navigation, information architecture, presentation design, and information design). Seventy-six subcriteria across these four categories were assessed. Quantitative ratings and qualitative comments from each expert were compiled into a single master list, noting the violated heuristic and type/location of problem(s). Sixty-one usability violations were identified across the 18 heuristics. Evaluators rated the majority of heuristic subcriteria as either a "minor hindrance" (n=32) or "no problem" (n=132). Moreover, only 2 of the 18 heuristic categories were noted as "major" violations, with mean severity scores of ≥3. Mixed-methods data analysis helped the multidisciplinary research team to categorize and prioritize usability problems and solutions, leading to 26 discrete design modifications within the COPDFlix prototype.

Drivers of Phosphorus Uptake by Barley Following Secondary Resource Application

OpenAIRE

Brod, Eva; Øgaard, Anne K. Falk; Krogstad, Tore; Haraldsen, Trond; Frossard, Emmanuel; Oberson, Astrid

2016-01-01

Minable rock phosphate is a finite resource. Replacing mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizer with P-rich secondary resources is one way to manage P more efficiently, but the importance of physicochemical and microbial soil processes induced by secondary resources for plant P uptake is still poorly understood. Using radioactive-labeling techniques, the fertilization effects of dairy manure, fish sludge, meat bone meal, and wood ash were studied as P uptake by barley after 44 days and compared with...

Drivers of phosphorus uptake by barley following secondary resource application

OpenAIRE

Eva eBrod; Eva eBrod; Anne Falk Øgaard; Tore eKrogstad; Trond Knapp Haraldsen; Emmanuel eFrossard; Astrid eOberson

2016-01-01

Minable rock phosphate is a finite resource. Replacing mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizer with P-rich secondary resources is one way to manage P more efficiently, but the importance of physicochemical and microbial soil processes induced by secondary resources for plant P uptake are still poorly understood. Using radioactive labelling techniques, the fertilization effects of dairy manure, fish sludge, meat bone meal and wood ash were studied as P uptake by barley after 44 days and compared wit...

Drivers of Phosphorus Uptake by Barley Following Secondary Resource Application

OpenAIRE

Brod, Eva; Øgaard, Anne K. Falk; Krogstad, Tore; Haraldsen, Trond; Frossard, Emmanuel; Oberson, Astrid

2016-01-01

Minable rock phosphate is a finite resource. Replacing mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizer with P-rich secondary resources is one way to manage P more efficiently, but the importance of physicochemical and microbial soil processes induced by secondary resources for plant P uptake is still poorly understood. Using radioactive-labeling techniques, the fertilization effects of dairy manure, fish sludge, meat bone meal, and wood ash were studied as P uptake by barley after 44 days and compared with...

Looking inside the box: using Raman microspectroscopy to deconstruct microbial biomass stoichiometry one cell at a time

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Edward K.; Singer, Gabriel A.; Pölzl, Marvin; Hämmerle, Ieda; Schwarz, Christian; Daims, Holger; Maixner, Frank; Battin, Tom J.

2011-01-01

Stoichiometry of microbial biomass is a key determinant of nutrient recycling in a wide variety of ecosystems. However, little is known about the underlying causes of variance in microbial biomass stoichiometry. This is primarily because of technological constraints limiting the analysis of macromolecular composition to large quantities of microbial biomass. Here, we use Raman microspectroscopy (MS), to analyze the macromolecular composition of single cells of two species of bacteria grown on minimal media over a wide range of resource stoichiometry. We show that macromolecular composition, determined from a subset of identified peaks within the Raman spectra, was consistent with macromolecular composition determined using traditional analytical methods. In addition, macromolecular composition determined by Raman MS correlated with total biomass stoichiometry, indicating that analysis with Raman MS included a large proportion of a cell's total macromolecular composition. Growth phase (logarithmic or stationary), resource stoichiometry and species identity each influenced each organism's macromolecular composition and thus biomass stoichiometry. Interestingly, the least variable peaks in the Raman spectra were those responsible for differentiation between species, suggesting a phylogenetically specific cellular architecture. As Raman MS has been previously shown to be applicable to cells sampled directly from complex environments, our results suggest Raman MS is an extremely useful application for evaluating the biomass stoichiometry of environmental microorganisms. This includes the ability to partition microbial biomass into its constituent macromolecules and increase our understanding of how microorganisms in the environment respond to resource heterogeneity.

Microbial ecology-based engineering of Microbial Electrochemical Technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Christin; Korth, Benjamin; Harnisch, Falk

2018-01-01

Microbial ecology is devoted to the understanding of dynamics, activity and interaction of microorganisms in natural and technical ecosystems. Bioelectrochemical systems represent important technical ecosystems, where microbial ecology is of highest importance for their function. However, whereas aspects of, for example, materials and reactor engineering are commonly perceived as highly relevant, the study and engineering of microbial ecology are significantly underrepresented in bioelectrochemical systems. This shortfall may be assigned to a deficit on knowledge and power of these methods as well as the prerequisites for their thorough application. This article discusses not only the importance of microbial ecology for microbial electrochemical technologies but also shows which information can be derived for a knowledge-driven engineering. Instead of providing a comprehensive list of techniques from which it is hard to judge the applicability and value of information for a respective one, this review illustrates the suitability of selected techniques on a case study. Thereby, best practice for different research questions is provided and a set of key questions for experimental design, data acquisition and analysis is suggested. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Microbial bebop: creating music from complex dynamics in microbial ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Peter; Gilbert, Jack

2013-01-01

In order for society to make effective policy decisions on complex and far-reaching subjects, such as appropriate responses to global climate change, scientists must effectively communicate complex results to the non-scientifically specialized public. However, there are few ways however to transform highly complicated scientific data into formats that are engaging to the general community. Taking inspiration from patterns observed in nature and from some of the principles of jazz bebop improvisation, we have generated Microbial Bebop, a method by which microbial environmental data are transformed into music. Microbial Bebop uses meter, pitch, duration, and harmony to highlight the relationships between multiple data types in complex biological datasets. We use a comprehensive microbial ecology, time course dataset collected at the L4 marine monitoring station in the Western English Channel as an example of microbial ecological data that can be transformed into music. Four compositions were generated (www.bio.anl.gov/MicrobialBebop.htm.) from L4 Station data using Microbial Bebop. Each composition, though deriving from the same dataset, is created to highlight different relationships between environmental conditions and microbial community structure. The approach presented here can be applied to a wide variety of complex biological datasets.

Microbial activity in the marine deep biosphere: progress and prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Orcutt, Beth N; Larowe, Douglas E; Biddle, Jennifer F; Colwell, Frederick S; Glazer, Brian T; Reese, Brandi Kiel; Kirkpatrick, John B; Lapham, Laura L; Mills, Heath J; Sylvan, Jason B; Wankel, Scott D; Wheat, C Geoff

2013-01-01

The vast marine deep biosphere consists of microbial habitats within sediment, pore waters, upper basaltic crust and the fluids that circulate throughout it. A wide range of temperature, pressure, pH, and electron donor and acceptor conditions exists-all of which can combine to affect carbon and nutrient cycling and result in gradients on spatial scales ranging from millimeters to kilometers. Diverse and mostly uncharacterized microorganisms live in these habitats, and potentially play a role in mediating global scale biogeochemical processes. Quantifying the rates at which microbial activity in the subsurface occurs is a challenging endeavor, yet developing an understanding of these rates is essential to determine the impact of subsurface life on Earth's global biogeochemical cycles, and for understanding how microorganisms in these "extreme" environments survive (or even thrive). Here, we synthesize recent advances and discoveries pertaining to microbial activity in the marine deep subsurface, and we highlight topics about which there is still little understanding and suggest potential paths forward to address them. This publication is the result of a workshop held in August 2012 by the NSF-funded Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) "theme team" on microbial activity (www.darkenergybiosphere.org).

Microbial chemical factories: recent advances in pathway engineering for synthesis of value added chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhamankar, Himanshu; Prather, Kristala L J

2011-08-01

The dwindling nature of petroleum and other fossil reserves has provided impetus towards microbial synthesis of fuels and value added chemicals from biomass-derived sugars as a renewable resource. Microbes have naturally evolved enzymes and pathways that can convert biomass into hundreds of unique chemical structures, a property that can be effectively exploited for their engineering into Microbial Chemical Factories (MCFs). De novo pathway engineering facilitates expansion of the repertoire of microbially synthesized compounds beyond natural products. In this review, we visit some recent successes in such novel pathway engineering and optimization, with particular emphasis on the selection and engineering of pathway enzymes and balancing of their accessory cofactors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Pulp mill sludge on soil characteristics, microbial diversity and vegetal production of Lollium perene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallardo, F.; Cea, M.; Diez, M. C.

2009-07-01

The Chemical properties of the sludge (High organic matter content, pH, buffer capacity, nitrogen and phosphorous level, and low concentration of trace heavy metals and organic pollutants) suggest that this material may represent a valuable resource as soil amendment, improving soil characteristics, microbial diversity and vegetal production of mill sludge addition to volcanic soil (Andisol) on soil characteristics, microbial diversity and vegetal production of Lollium perenne, in field assays. (Author)

INDIGO – INtegrated Data Warehouse of MIcrobial GenOmes with Examples from the Red Sea Extremophiles

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Intikhab; Antunes, André; Kamau, Allan Anthony; Ba alawi, Wail; Kalkatawi, Manal; Stingl, Ulrich; Bajic, Vladimir B.

2013-01-01

Background The next generation sequencing technologies substantially increased the throughput of microbial genome sequencing. To functionally annotate newly sequenced microbial genomes, a variety of experimental and computational methods are used. Integration of information from different sources is a powerful approach to enhance such annotation. Functional analysis of microbial genomes, necessary for downstream experiments, crucially depends on this annotation but it is hampered by the current lack of suitable information integration and exploration systems for microbial genomes. Results We developed a data warehouse system (INDIGO) that enables the integration of annotations for exploration and analysis of newly sequenced microbial genomes. INDIGO offers an opportunity to construct complex queries and combine annotations from multiple sources starting from genomic sequence to protein domain, gene ontology and pathway levels. This data warehouse is aimed at being populated with information from genomes of pure cultures and uncultured single cells of Red Sea bacteria and Archaea. Currently, INDIGO contains information from Salinisphaera shabanensis, Haloplasma contractile, and Halorhabdus tiamatea - extremophiles isolated from deep-sea anoxic brine lakes of the Red Sea. We provide examples of utilizing the system to gain new insights into specific aspects on the unique lifestyle and adaptations of these organisms to extreme environments. Conclusions We developed a data warehouse system, INDIGO, which enables comprehensive integration of information from various resources to be used for annotation, exploration and analysis of microbial genomes. It will be regularly updated and extended with new genomes. It is aimed to serve as a resource dedicated to the Red Sea microbes. In addition, through INDIGO, we provide our Automatic Annotation of Microbial Genomes (AAMG) pipeline. The INDIGO web server is freely available at http://www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/indigo. PMID

Water Resource Sustainability Conference 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Water Resource Sustainability Issues on Tropical Islands December 1 - 3, 2015 | Hilton Hawaiian Village | Honolulu, Hawaii Presented By Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), Hawaii and American Samoa Water and Environmental Research Institute (WERI), Guam Puerto Rico Water Resources and Environmental Research Institute

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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Microbial decomposers not constrained by climate history along a Mediterranean climate gradient in southern California.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Nameer R; Khalili, Banafshe; Martiny, Jennifer B H; Allison, Steven D

2018-06-01

Microbial decomposers mediate the return of CO 2 to the atmosphere by producing extracellular enzymes to degrade complex plant polymers, making plant carbon available for metabolism. Determining if and how these decomposer communities are constrained in their ability to degrade plant litter is necessary for predicting how carbon cycling will be affected by future climate change. We analyzed mass loss, litter chemistry, microbial biomass, extracellular enzyme activities, and enzyme temperature sensitivities in grassland litter transplanted along a Mediterranean climate gradient in southern California. Microbial community composition was manipulated by caging litter within bags made of nylon membrane that prevent microbial immigration. To test whether grassland microbes were constrained by climate history, half of the bags were inoculated with local microbial communities native to each gradient site. We determined that temperature and precipitation likely interact to limit microbial decomposition in the extreme sites along our gradient. Despite their unique climate history, grassland microbial communities were not restricted in their ability to decompose litter under different climate conditions across the gradient, although microbial communities across our gradient may be restricted in their ability to degrade different types of litter. We did find some evidence that local microbial communities were optimized based on climate, but local microbial taxa that proliferated after inoculation into litterbags did not enhance litter decomposition. Our results suggest that microbial community composition does not constrain C-cycling rates under climate change in our system, but optimization to particular resource environments may act as more general constraints on microbial communities. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

The Community Health Applied Research Network (CHARN) Data Warehouse: a Resource for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research and Quality Improvement in Underserved, Safety Net Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Laws, Reesa; Gillespie, Suzanne; Puro, Jon; Van Rompaey, Stephan; Quach, Thu; Carroll, Joseph; Weir, Rosy Chang; Crawford, Phil; Grasso, Chris; Kaleba, Erin; McBurnie, Mary Ann

2014-01-01

The Community Health Applied Research Network, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, is a research network comprising 18 Community Health Centers organized into four Research Nodes (each including an academic partner) and a data coordinating center. The network represents more than 500,000 diverse safety net patients across 11 states. The primary objective of this paper is to describe the development and implementation process of the CHARN data warehouse. The methods involved regulatory and governance development and approval, development of content and structure of the warehouse and processes for extracting the data locally, performing validation, and finally submitting data to the data coordinating center. Version 1 of the warehouse has been developed. Tables have been added, the population and the years of electronic health records (EHR) have been expanded for Version 2. It is feasible to create a national, centralized data warehouse with multiple Community Health Center partners using different EHR systems. It is essential to allow sufficient time: (1) to develop collaborative, trusting relationships among new partners with varied technology, backgrounds, expertise, and interests; (2) to complete institutional, business, and regulatory review processes; (3) to identify and address technical challenges associated with diverse data environments, practices, and resources; and (4) to provide continuing data quality assessments to ensure data accuracy.

Microbial bebop: creating music from complex dynamics in microbial ecology.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Larsen

Full Text Available In order for society to make effective policy decisions on complex and far-reaching subjects, such as appropriate responses to global climate change, scientists must effectively communicate complex results to the non-scientifically specialized public. However, there are few ways however to transform highly complicated scientific data into formats that are engaging to the general community. Taking inspiration from patterns observed in nature and from some of the principles of jazz bebop improvisation, we have generated Microbial Bebop, a method by which microbial environmental data are transformed into music. Microbial Bebop uses meter, pitch, duration, and harmony to highlight the relationships between multiple data types in complex biological datasets. We use a comprehensive microbial ecology, time course dataset collected at the L4 marine monitoring station in the Western English Channel as an example of microbial ecological data that can be transformed into music. Four compositions were generated (www.bio.anl.gov/MicrobialBebop.htm. from L4 Station data using Microbial Bebop. Each composition, though deriving from the same dataset, is created to highlight different relationships between environmental conditions and microbial community structure. The approach presented here can be applied to a wide variety of complex biological datasets.

Performance of Microbial Fuel Cell for Wastewater Treatment and Electricity Generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z Yavari

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Renewable energy will have an important role as a resource of energy in the future. Microbial fuel cell (MFC is a promising method to obtain electricity from organic matter andwastewater treatment simultaneously. In a pilot study, use of microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment and electricity generation investigated. The bacteria of ruminant used as inoculums. Synthetic wastewater used at different organic loading rate. Hydraulic retention time was aneffective factor in removal of soluble COD and more than 49% removed. Optimized HRT to achieve the maximum removal efficiency and sustainable operation could be regarded 1.5 and 2.5 hours. Columbic efficiency (CE affected by organic loading rate (OLR and by increasing OLR, CE reduced from 71% to 8%. Maximum voltage was 700mV. Since the microbial fuel cell reactor considered as an anaerobic process, it may be an appropriate alternative for wastewater treatment

Lessons Learned from Creating the Public Earthquake Resource Center at CERI

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, G. L.; Michelle, D.; Johnston, A.

2004-12-01

The Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at the University of Memphis opened the Public Earthquake Resource Center (PERC) in May 2004. The PERC is an interactive display area that was designed to increase awareness of seismology, Earth Science, earthquake hazards, and earthquake engineering among the general public and K-12 teachers and students. Funding for the PERC is provided by the US Geological Survey, The NSF-funded Mid America Earthquake Center, and the University of Memphis, with input from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology. Additional space at the facility houses local offices of the US Geological Survey. PERC exhibits are housed in a remodeled residential structure at CERI that was donated by the University of Memphis and the State of Tennessee. Exhibits were designed and built by CERI and US Geological Survey staff and faculty with the help of experienced museum display subcontractors. The 600 square foot display area interactively introduces the basic concepts of seismology, real-time seismic information, seismic network operations, paleoseismology, building response, and historical earthquakes. Display components include three 22" flat screen monitors, a touch sensitive monitor, 3 helicorder elements, oscilloscope, AS-1 seismometer, life-sized liquefaction trench, liquefaction shake table, and building response shake table. All displays include custom graphics, text, and handouts. The PERC website at www.ceri.memphis.edu/perc also provides useful information such as tour scheduling, ask a geologist, links to other institutions, and will soon include a virtual tour of the facility. Special consideration was given to address State science standards for teaching and learning in the design of the displays and handouts. We feel this consideration is pivotal to the success of any grass roots Earth Science education and outreach program and represents a valuable lesson that has been learned at CERI over the last several

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas

Science.gov (United States)

Natural Gas Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center : Natural Gas to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas on

Postoperative Central Nervous System Infection After Neurosurgery in a Modernized, Resource-Limited Tertiary Neurosurgical Center in South Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chidambaram, Swathi; Nair, M Nathan; Krishnan, Shyam Sundar; Cai, Ling; Gu, Weiling; Vasudevan, Madabushi Chakravarthy

2015-12-01

Postoperative central nervous system infections (PCNSIs) are rare but serious complications after neurosurgery. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and causative pathogens of PCNSIs at a modernized, resource-limited neurosurgical center in South Asia. A retrospective analysis was conducted of the medical records of all 363 neurosurgical cases performed between June 1, 2012, and June 30, 2013, at a neurosurgical center in South Asia. Data from all operative neurosurgical cases during the 13-month period were included. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis indicated that 71 of the 363 surgical cases had low CSF glucose or CSF leukocytosis. These 71 cases were categorized as PCNSIs. The PCNSIs with positive CSF cultures (9.86%) all had gram-negative bacteria with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 5), Escherichia coli (n = 1), or Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 1). The data suggest a higher rate of death (P = 0.031), a higher rate of CSF leak (P < 0.001), and a higher rate of cranial procedures (P < 0.001) among the infected patients and a higher rate of CSF leak among the patients with culture-positive infections (P = 0.038). This study summarizes the prevalence, causative organism of PCNSI, and antibiotic usage for all of the neurosurgical cases over a 13-month period in a modernized yet resource-limited neurosurgical center located in South Asia. The results from this study highlight the PCNSI landscape in an area of the world that is often underreported in the neurosurgical literature because of the paucity of clinical neurosurgical research undertaken there. This study shows an increasing prevalence of gram-negative organisms in CSF cultures from PCNSIs, which supports a trend in the recent literature of increasing gram-negative bacillary meningitis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Long Term Mercury Pollution on the Soil Microbial Community

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, A.K.; Westergaard, K.; Christensen, Søren

2001-01-01

The effect of long-term exposure to mercury on the soil microbial community was investigated in soil from three different sites along a pollution gradient. The amount of total and bioavailable mercury was negatively correlated to the distance from the center of contamination. The size...... of the bacterial and protozoan populations was reduced in the most contaminated soil, whereas there was no significant difference in fungal biomass measured as chitinase activity. Based on the number of colony morphotypes, moreover, the culturable bacterial population was structurally less diverse and contained...... of the number and abundance of bands. The functional potential of the microbial population measured as sole carbon source utilization by Ecoplates® differed between the soils, but there was no change in the number of substrates utilized. The observed changes in the different soil microbial populations...

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Comparison of microbial pattern in early and late onset neonatal sepsis in referral center Haji Adam Malik hospital Medan Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Hasibuan, B. S.

2018-03-01

Neonatal sepsis contributes a significant rate of infants mortality and morbidity. The pathogens are diverse from region to another and change time to time even in the same place. To analyze the microbial pattern in early and late onset neonatal sepsis andthe pattern of antibiotic resistance of the causative microbes at one of referral center hospital in Indonesia, Haji Adam Malik Hospital, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on neonates with sepsis diagnosis proven with positive blood culture within one year period (2015-2016). Among 626 neonates admitted to perinatology unit, the total of 154 neonates was proven to have neonatal sepsis with positive blood culture with the incidence rate 24.6%. Seventy-nine (51.3%) neonates were diagnosed with early onset sepsis while 75 (48,7%) neonates had late-onset sepsis. Klebsiella pneumonia was the most commonly isolated organism in both early and late onset sepsis, encompassing 19.5% of cases. Periodic surveillance of the causative agents of neonatal sepsis is needed to implement the rational, empirical choice of antibiotic prescription while waiting for blood culture result to come out.

Microbial community structure elucidates performance of Glyceria maxima plant microbial fuel cell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmers, R.A.; Rothballer, M.; Strik, D.P.B.T.B.; Engel, M.; Schulz, M.; Hartmann, A.; Hamelers, H.V.M.; Buisman, C.J.N.

2012-01-01

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a technology in which living plant roots provide electron donor, via rhizodeposition, to a mixed microbial community to generate electricity in a microbial fuel cell. Analysis and localisation of the microbial community is necessary for gaining insight into

Empowering patients of a mental rehabilitation center in a low-resource context: a Moroccan experience as a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Khabbache, Hicham; Jebbar, Abdelhak; Rania, Nadia; Doucet, Marie-Chantal; Watfa, Ali Assad; Candau, Joël; Martini, Mariano; Siri, Anna; Brigo, Francesco; Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi

2017-01-01

Mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders represent a major source of disability and premature mortality worldwide. However, in developing countries patients with MNS disorders are often poorly managed and treated, particularly in marginalized, impoverished areas where the mental health gap and the treatment gap can reach 90%. Efforts should be made in promoting help by making mental health care more accessible. In this article, we address the challenges that psychological and psychiatric services have to face in a low-resource context, taking our experience at a Moroccan rehabilitation center as a case study. A sample of 60 patients were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire during the period of 2014-2015. The questionnaire investigated the reactions and feelings of the patients to the rehabilitation program, and their perceived psychological status and mental improvement, if any. Interviews were then transcribed and processed using ATLAS.ti V.7.0 qualitative analysis software. Frequencies and co-occurrence analyses were carried out. Despite approximately 30 million inhabitants within the working age group, Morocco suffers from a shortage of specialized health workers. Our ethnographic observations show that psychiatric treatment can be ensured, notwithstanding these hurdles, if a public health perspective is assumed. In resource-limited settings, working in the field of mental health means putting oneself on the line, exposing oneself to new experiences, and reorganizing one's own skills and expertise. In the present article, we have used our clinical experience at a rehabilitation center in Fes as a case study and we have shown how to use peer therapy to overcome the drawbacks that we are encountered daily in a setting of limited resources.

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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Arthritis - resources

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Resources - arthritis ... The following organizations provide more information on arthritis : American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons -- orthoinfo.aaos.org/menus/arthritis.cfm Arthritis Foundation -- www.arthritis.org Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- www. ...

Hemophilia - resources

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Resources - hemophilia ... The following organizations provide further information on hemophilia : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hemophilia/index.html National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute -- www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ ...

Diabetes - resources

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Resources - diabetes ... The following sites provide further information on diabetes: American Diabetes Association -- www.diabetes.org Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International -- www.jdrf.org National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion -- ...

Design of SCADA water resource management control center by a bi-objective redundancy allocation problem and particle swarm optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolatshahi-Zand, Ali; Khalili-Damghani, Kaveh

2015-01-01

SCADA is an essential system to control critical facilities in big cities. SCADA is utilized in several sectors such as water resource management, power plants, electricity distribution centers, traffic control centers, and gas deputy. The failure of SCADA results in crisis. Hence, the design of SCADA system in order to serve a high reliability considering limited budget and other constraints is essential. In this paper, a bi-objective redundancy allocation problem (RAP) is proposed to design Tehran's SCADA water resource management control center. Reliability maximization and cost minimization are concurrently considered. Since the proposed RAP is a non-linear multi-objective mathematical programming so the exact methods cannot efficiently handle it. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm is designed to solve it. Several features such as dynamic parameter tuning, efficient constraint handling and Pareto gridding are inserted in proposed MOPSO. The results of proposed MOPSO are compared with an efficient ε-constraint method. Several non-dominated designs of SCADA system are generated using both methods. Comparison metrics based on accuracy and diversity of Pareto front are calculated for both methods. The proposed MOPSO algorithm reports better performance. Finally, in order to choose the practical design, the TOPSIS algorithm is used to prune the Pareto front. - Highlights: • Multi-objective redundancy allocation problem (MORAP) is proposed to design SCADA system. • Multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) is proposed to solve MORAP. • Efficient epsilon-constraint method is adapted to solve MORAP. • Non-dominated solutions are generated on Pareto front of MORAP by both methods. • Several multi-objective metrics are calculated to compare the performance of methods

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Microbial enhancement of crop resource use efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodd, Ian C; Ruiz-Lozano, Juan Manuel

2012-04-01

Naturally occurring soil microbes may be used as inoculants to maintain crop yields despite decreased resource (water and nutrient) inputs. Plant symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi alter root aquaporin gene expression and greatly increase the surface area over which plant root systems take up water and nutrients. Soil bacteria on the root surface alter root phytohormone status thereby increasing growth, and can make nutrients more available to the plant. Combining different classes of soil organism within one inoculant can potentially take advantage of multiple plant growth-promoting mechanisms, but biological interactions between inoculant constituents and the plant are difficult to predict. Whether the yield benefits of such inocula allow modified nutrient and water management continues to challenge crop biotechnologists. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Degradation potential and microbial community structure of heavy oil-enriched microbial consortia from mangrove sediments in Okinawa, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacosa, Hernando P; Suto, Koichi; Inoue, Chihiro

2013-01-01

Mangroves constitute valuable coastal resources that are vulnerable to oil pollution. One of the major processes to remove oil from contaminated mangrove sediment is microbial degradation. A study on heavy oil- and hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial consortia from mangrove sediments in Okinawa, Japan was performed to evaluate their capacity to biodegrade and their microbial community composition. Surface sediment samples were obtained from mangrove sites in Okinawa (Teima, Oura, and Okukubi) and enriched with heavy oil as the sole carbon and energy source. The results revealed that all enriched microbial consortia degraded more than 20% of heavy oil in 21 days. The K1 consortium from Okukubi site showed the most extensive degradative capacity after 7 and 21 days. All consortia degraded more than 50% of hexadecane but had little ability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The consortia were dominated by Pseudomonas or Burkholderia. When incubated in the presence of hydrocarbon compounds, the active bacterial community shifted to favor the dominance of Pseudomonas. The K1 consortium was a superior degrader, demonstrating the highest ability to degrade aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon compounds; it was even able to degrade heavy oil at a concentration of 15%(w/v). The dominance and turn-over of Pseudomonas and Burkholderia in the consortia suggest an important ecological role for and relationship between these two genera in the mangrove sediments of Okinawa.

Temperature regulates deterministic processes and the succession of microbial interactions in anaerobic digestion process

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lin, Qiang; De Vrieze, J.; Li, Ch.; Li, J.; Li, J.; Yao, M.; Heděnec, Petr; Li, H.; Li, T.; Rui, J.; Frouz, Jan; Li, X.

2017-01-01

Roč. 123, October (2017), s. 134-143 ISSN 0043-1354 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : anaerobic digestion * deterministic process * microbial interactions * modularity * temperature gradient Subject RIV: DJ - Water Pollution ; Quality OBOR OECD: Water resources Impact factor: 6.942, year: 2016

Visualizing Microbial Biogeochemistry: NanoSIMS and Stable Isotope Probing (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Pett-Ridge, J.; Weber, P. K.

2009-12-01

Linking phylogenetic information to function in microbial communities is a key challenge for microbial ecology. Isotope-labeling experiments provide a useful means to investigate the ecophysiology of microbial populations and cells in the environment and allow measurement of nutrient transfers between cell types, symbionts and consortia. The combination of Nano-Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (NanoSIMS) analysis, in situ labeling and high resolution microscopy allows isotopic analysis to be linked to phylogeny and morphology and holds great promise for fine-scale studies of microbial systems. In NanoSIMS analysis, samples are sputtered with an energetic primary beam (Cs+, O-) liberating secondary ions that are separated by the mass spectrometer and detected in a suite of electron multipliers. Five isotopic species may be analyzed concurrently with spatial resolution as fine as 50nm. A high sensitivity isotope ratio ‘map’ can then be generated for the analyzed area. NanoSIMS images of 13C, 15N and Mo (a nitrogenase co-factor) localization in diazotrophic cyanobacteria show how cells differentially allocate resources within filaments and allow calculation of nutrient uptake rates on a cell by cell basis. Images of AM fungal hyphae-root and cyanobacteria-rhizobia associations indicate the mobilization and sharing (stealing?) of newly fixed C and N. In a related technique, “El-FISH”, stable isotope labeled biomass is probed with oligonucleotide-elemental labels and then imaged by NanoSIMS. In microbial consortia and cyanobacterial mats, this technique helps link microbial structure and function simultaneously even in systems with unknown and uncultivated microbes. Finally, the combination of re-engineered universal 16S oligonucleotide microarrays with NanoSIMS analyses may allow microbial identity to be linked to functional roles in complex systems such as mats and cellulose degrading hindgut communities. These newly developed methods provide correlated

Microbial activity in the marine deep biosphere: Progress and prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beth N Orcutt

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The vast marine deep biosphere consists of microbial habitats within sediment, pore waters, upper basaltic crust and the fluids that circulate throughout it. A wide range of temperature, pressure, pH, and electron donor and acceptor conditions exists – all of which can combine to affect carbon and nutrient cycling and result in gradients on spatial scales ranging from millimeters to kilometers. Diverse and mostly uncharacterized microorganisms live in these habitats, and potentially play a role in mediating global scale biogeochemical processes. Quantifying the rates at which microbial activity in the subsurface occurs is a challenging endeavor, yet developing an understanding of these rates is essential to determine the impact of subsurface life on Earth's global biogeochemical cycles, and for understanding how microorganisms in these "extreme" environments survive (or even thrive. Here, we synthesize recent advances and discoveries pertaining to microbial activity in the marine deep subsurface, and we highlight topics about which there is still little understanding and suggest potential paths forward to address them. This publication is the result of a workshop held in August 2012 by the NSF-funded Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI "theme team" on microbial activity (www.darkenergybiosphere.org.

Microbial activity in the marine deep biosphere: progress and prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Orcutt, Beth N.; LaRowe, Douglas E.; Biddle, Jennifer F.; Colwell, Frederick S.; Glazer, Brian T.; Reese, Brandi Kiel; Kirkpatrick, John B.; Lapham, Laura L.; Mills, Heath J.; Sylvan, Jason B.; Wankel, Scott D.; Wheat, C. Geoff

2013-01-01

The vast marine deep biosphere consists of microbial habitats within sediment, pore waters, upper basaltic crust and the fluids that circulate throughout it. A wide range of temperature, pressure, pH, and electron donor and acceptor conditions exists—all of which can combine to affect carbon and nutrient cycling and result in gradients on spatial scales ranging from millimeters to kilometers. Diverse and mostly uncharacterized microorganisms live in these habitats, and potentially play a role in mediating global scale biogeochemical processes. Quantifying the rates at which microbial activity in the subsurface occurs is a challenging endeavor, yet developing an understanding of these rates is essential to determine the impact of subsurface life on Earth's global biogeochemical cycles, and for understanding how microorganisms in these “extreme” environments survive (or even thrive). Here, we synthesize recent advances and discoveries pertaining to microbial activity in the marine deep subsurface, and we highlight topics about which there is still little understanding and suggest potential paths forward to address them. This publication is the result of a workshop held in August 2012 by the NSF-funded Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) “theme team” on microbial activity (www.darkenergybiosphere.org). PMID:23874326

Microbial Rechargeable Battery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Molenaar, Sam D.; Mol, Annemerel R.; Sleutels, Tom H.J.A.; Heijne, Ter Annemiek; Buisman, Cees J.N.

2016-01-01

Bioelectrochemical systems hold potential for both conversion of electricity into chemicals through microbial electrosynthesis (MES) and the provision of electrical power by oxidation of organics using microbial fuel cells (MFCs). This study provides a proof of concept for a microbial

Decoupling of microbial carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling in response to extreme temperature events

Science.gov (United States)

Mooshammer, Maria; Hofhansl, Florian; Frank, Alexander H.; Wanek, Wolfgang; Hämmerle, Ieda; Leitner, Sonja; Schnecker, Jörg; Wild, Birgit; Watzka, Margarete; Keiblinger, Katharina M.; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie; Richter, Andreas

2017-01-01

Predicted changes in the intensity and frequency of climate extremes urge a better mechanistic understanding of the stress response of microbially mediated carbon (C) and nutrient cycling processes. We analyzed the resistance and resilience of microbial C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycling processes and microbial community composition in decomposing plant litter to transient, but severe, temperature disturbances, namely, freeze-thaw and heat. Disturbances led temporarily to a more rapid cycling of C and N but caused a down-regulation of P cycling. In contrast to the fast recovery of the initially stimulated C and N processes, we found a slow recovery of P mineralization rates, which was not accompanied by significant changes in community composition. The functional and structural responses to the two distinct temperature disturbances were markedly similar, suggesting that direct negative physical effects and costs associated with the stress response were comparable. Moreover, the stress response of extracellular enzyme activities, but not that of intracellular microbial processes (for example, respiration or N mineralization), was dependent on the nutrient content of the resource through its effect on microbial physiology and community composition. Our laboratory study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of microbial functional stress responses that can serve as a basis for field studies and, in particular, illustrates the need for a closer integration of microbial C-N-P interactions into climate extremes research. PMID:28508070

The potential of whey in driving microbial fuel cells: A dual prospect ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Renewable and green energy resources are paramount to environmental sustainability. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are potential candidates for these alternatives but there is need to search for cheaper fuels to drive the MFCs for realistic large scale applications. A high strength effluent such as whey, which poses a serious ...

Distinct microbial communities in the active and permafrost layers on the Tibetan Plateau.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yong-Liang; Deng, Ye; Ding, Jin-Zhi; Hu, Hang-Wei; Xu, Tian-Le; Li, Fei; Yang, Gui-Biao; Yang, Yuan-He

2017-12-01

Permafrost represents an important understudied genetic resource. Soil microorganisms play important roles in regulating biogeochemical cycles and maintaining ecosystem function. However, our knowledge of patterns and drivers of permafrost microbial communities is limited over broad geographic scales. Using high-throughput Illumina sequencing, this study compared soil bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities between the active and permafrost layers on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results indicated that microbial alpha diversity was significantly higher in the active layer than in the permafrost layer with the exception of fungal Shannon-Wiener index and Simpson's diversity index, and microbial community structures were significantly different between the two layers. Our results also revealed that environmental factors such as soil fertility (soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon and total nitrogen contents) were the primary drivers of the beta diversity of bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities in the active layer. In contrast, environmental variables such as the mean annual precipitation and total phosphorus played dominant roles in driving the microbial beta diversity in the permafrost layer. Spatial distance was important for predicting the bacterial and archaeal beta diversity in both the active and permafrost layers, but not for fungal communities. Collectively, these results demonstrated different driving factors of microbial beta diversity between the active layer and permafrost layer, implying that the drivers of the microbial beta diversity observed in the active layer cannot be used to predict the biogeographic patterns of the microbial beta diversity in the permafrost layer. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Microbial Functional Gene Diversity Predicts Groundwater Contamination and Ecosystem Functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Zhili; Zhang, Ping; Wu, Linwei; Rocha, Andrea M; Tu, Qichao; Shi, Zhou; Wu, Bo; Qin, Yujia; Wang, Jianjun; Yan, Qingyun; Curtis, Daniel; Ning, Daliang; Van Nostrand, Joy D; Wu, Liyou; Yang, Yunfeng; Elias, Dwayne A; Watson, David B; Adams, Michael W W; Fields, Matthew W; Alm, Eric J; Hazen, Terry C; Adams, Paul D; Arkin, Adam P; Zhou, Jizhong

2018-02-20

Contamination from anthropogenic activities has significantly impacted Earth's biosphere. However, knowledge about how environmental contamination affects the biodiversity of groundwater microbiomes and ecosystem functioning remains very limited. Here, we used a comprehensive functional gene array to analyze groundwater microbiomes from 69 wells at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center (Oak Ridge, TN), representing a wide pH range and uranium, nitrate, and other contaminants. We hypothesized that the functional diversity of groundwater microbiomes would decrease as environmental contamination (e.g., uranium or nitrate) increased or at low or high pH, while some specific populations capable of utilizing or resistant to those contaminants would increase, and thus, such key microbial functional genes and/or populations could be used to predict groundwater contamination and ecosystem functioning. Our results indicated that functional richness/diversity decreased as uranium (but not nitrate) increased in groundwater. In addition, about 5.9% of specific key functional populations targeted by a comprehensive functional gene array (GeoChip 5) increased significantly ( P contamination and ecosystem functioning. This study indicates great potential for using microbial functional genes to predict environmental contamination and ecosystem functioning. IMPORTANCE Disentangling the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is an important but poorly understood topic in ecology. Predicting ecosystem functioning on the basis of biodiversity is even more difficult, particularly with microbial biomarkers. As an exploratory effort, this study used key microbial functional genes as biomarkers to provide predictive understanding of environmental contamination and ecosystem functioning. The results indicated that the overall functional gene richness/diversity decreased as uranium increased in groundwater, while specific key microbial guilds increased significantly as

The Revitalized Tutoring Center

Science.gov (United States)

Koselak, Jeremy

2017-01-01

One high-leverage strategy rooted in a strong research base--the revitalized tutoring center--provides a wealth of opportunity to students who may be otherwise underserved. This embedded, open-all-day tutoring center supports collaborative teacher teams by using peer tutors and community volunteers. By centralizing resources and providing supports…

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Performance VA Plans, Budget, & Performance VA Center for Innovation (VACI) Agency Financial Report (AFR) Budget Submission Recovery Act Resources Business Congressional Affairs Jobs Benefits Booklet Data & Statistics VA Open Data VA App Store National Resource Directory Grants ...

Microbial biosensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Yu; Chen, Wilfred; Mulchandani, Ashok

2006-01-01

A microbial biosensor is an analytical device that couples microorganisms with a transducer to enable rapid, accurate and sensitive detection of target analytes in fields as diverse as medicine, environmental monitoring, defense, food processing and safety. The earlier microbial biosensors used the respiratory and metabolic functions of the microorganisms to detect a substance that is either a substrate or an inhibitor of these processes. Recently, genetically engineered microorganisms based on fusing of the lux, gfp or lacZ gene reporters to an inducible gene promoter have been widely applied to assay toxicity and bioavailability. This paper reviews the recent trends in the development and application of microbial biosensors. Current advances and prospective future direction in developing microbial biosensor have also been discussed

Childhood microbial keratitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah G Al Otaibi

2012-01-01

Conclusion: Children with suspected microbial keratitis require comprehensive evaluation and management. Early recognition, identifying the predisposing factors and etiological microbial organisms, and instituting appropriate treatment measures have a crucial role in outcome. Ocular trauma was the leading cause of childhood microbial keratitis in our study.

Functional diversity of microbial decomposers facilitates plant coexistence in a plant-microbe-soil feedback model.

Science.gov (United States)

Miki, Takeshi; Ushio, Masayuki; Fukui, Shin; Kondoh, Michio

2010-08-10

Theory and empirical evidence suggest that plant-soil feedback (PSF) determines the structure of a plant community and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The plant community alters the nutrient pool size in soil by affecting litter decomposition processes, which in turn shapes the plant community, forming a PSF system. However, the role of microbial decomposers in PSF function is often overlooked, and it remains unclear whether decomposers reinforce or weaken litter-mediated plant control over nutrient cycling. Here, we present a theoretical model incorporating the functional diversity of both plants and microbial decomposers. Two fundamental microbial processes are included that control nutrient mineralization from plant litter: (i) assimilation of mineralized nutrient into the microbial biomass (microbial immobilization), and (ii) release of the microbial nutrients into the inorganic nutrient pool (net mineralization). With this model, we show that microbial diversity may act as a buffer that weakens plant control over the soil nutrient pool, reversing the sign of PSF from positive to negative and facilitating plant coexistence. This is explained by the decoupling of litter decomposability and nutrient pool size arising from a flexible change in the microbial community composition and decomposition processes in response to variations in plant litter decomposability. Our results suggest that the microbial community plays a central role in PSF function and the plant community structure. Furthermore, the results strongly imply that the plant-centered view of nutrient cycling should be changed to a plant-microbe-soil feedback system, by incorporating the community ecology of microbial decomposers and their functional diversity.

Revisiting life strategy concepts in environmental microbial ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Adrian; Di Lonardo, D Paolo; Bodelier, Paul L E

2017-03-01

Microorganisms are physiologically diverse, possessing disparate genomic features and mechanisms for adaptation (functional traits), which reflect on their associated life strategies and determine at least to some extent their prevalence and distribution in the environment. Unlike animals and plants, there is an unprecedented diversity and intractable metabolic versatility among bacteria, making classification or grouping these microorganisms based on their functional traits as has been done in animal and plant ecology challenging. Nevertheless, based on representative pure cultures, microbial traits distinguishing different life strategies had been proposed, and had been the focus of previous reviews. In the environment, however, the vast majority of naturally occurring microorganisms have yet to be isolated, restricting the association of life strategies to broad phylogenetic groups and/or physiological characteristics. Here, we reviewed the literature to determine how microbial life strategy concepts (i.e. copio- and oligotrophic strategists, and competitor-stress tolerator-ruderals framework) are applied in complex microbial communities. Because of the scarcity of direct empirical evidence elucidating the associated life strategies in complex communities, we rely heavily on observational studies determining the response of microorganisms to (a)biotic cues (e.g. resource availability) to infer microbial life strategies. Although our focus is on the life strategies of bacteria, parallels were drawn from the fungal community. Our literature search showed inconsistency in the community response of proposed copiotrophic- and oligotrophic-associated microorganisms (phyla level) to changing environmental conditions. This suggests that tracking microorganisms at finer phylogenetic and taxonomic resolution (e.g. family level or lower) may be more effective to capture changes in community response and/or that edaphic factors exert a stronger effect in community response

Microbial co-occurrence relationships in the human microbiome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karoline Faust

Full Text Available The healthy microbiota show remarkable variability within and among individuals. In addition to external exposures, ecological relationships (both oppositional and symbiotic between microbial inhabitants are important contributors to this variation. It is thus of interest to assess what relationships might exist among microbes and determine their underlying reasons. The initial Human Microbiome Project (HMP cohort, comprising 239 individuals and 18 different microbial habitats, provides an unprecedented resource to detect, catalog, and analyze such relationships. Here, we applied an ensemble method based on multiple similarity measures in combination with generalized boosted linear models (GBLMs to taxonomic marker (16S rRNA gene profiles of this cohort, resulting in a global network of 3,005 significant co-occurrence and co-exclusion relationships between 197 clades occurring throughout the human microbiome. This network revealed strong niche specialization, with most microbial associations occurring within body sites and a number of accompanying inter-body site relationships. Microbial communities within the oropharynx grouped into three distinct habitats, which themselves showed no direct influence on the composition of the gut microbiota. Conversely, niches such as the vagina demonstrated little to no decomposition into region-specific interactions. Diverse mechanisms underlay individual interactions, with some such as the co-exclusion of Porphyromonaceae family members and Streptococcus in the subgingival plaque supported by known biochemical dependencies. These differences varied among broad phylogenetic groups as well, with the Bacilli and Fusobacteria, for example, both enriched for exclusion of taxa from other clades. Comparing phylogenetic versus functional similarities among bacteria, we show that dominant commensal taxa (such as Prevotellaceae and Bacteroides in the gut often compete, while potential pathogens (e.g. Treponema and

Microbial Co-occurrence Relationships in the Human Microbiome

Science.gov (United States)

Izard, Jacques; Segata, Nicola; Gevers, Dirk

2012-01-01

The healthy microbiota show remarkable variability within and among individuals. In addition to external exposures, ecological relationships (both oppositional and symbiotic) between microbial inhabitants are important contributors to this variation. It is thus of interest to assess what relationships might exist among microbes and determine their underlying reasons. The initial Human Microbiome Project (HMP) cohort, comprising 239 individuals and 18 different microbial habitats, provides an unprecedented resource to detect, catalog, and analyze such relationships. Here, we applied an ensemble method based on multiple similarity measures in combination with generalized boosted linear models (GBLMs) to taxonomic marker (16S rRNA gene) profiles of this cohort, resulting in a global network of 3,005 significant co-occurrence and co-exclusion relationships between 197 clades occurring throughout the human microbiome. This network revealed strong niche specialization, with most microbial associations occurring within body sites and a number of accompanying inter-body site relationships. Microbial communities within the oropharynx grouped into three distinct habitats, which themselves showed no direct influence on the composition of the gut microbiota. Conversely, niches such as the vagina demonstrated little to no decomposition into region-specific interactions. Diverse mechanisms underlay individual interactions, with some such as the co-exclusion of Porphyromonaceae family members and Streptococcus in the subgingival plaque supported by known biochemical dependencies. These differences varied among broad phylogenetic groups as well, with the Bacilli and Fusobacteria, for example, both enriched for exclusion of taxa from other clades. Comparing phylogenetic versus functional similarities among bacteria, we show that dominant commensal taxa (such as Prevotellaceae and Bacteroides in the gut) often compete, while potential pathogens (e.g. Treponema and Prevotella in the

Microbial Contamination Detection in Water Resources: Interest of Current Optical Methods, Trends and Needs in the Context of Climate Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aude-Valérie Jung

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Microbial pollution in aquatic environments is one of the crucial issues with regard to the sanitary state of water bodies used for drinking water supply, recreational activities and harvesting seafood due to a potential contamination by pathogenic bacteria, protozoa or viruses. To address this risk, microbial contamination monitoring is usually assessed by turbidity measurements performed at drinking water plants. Some recent studies have shown significant correlations of microbial contamination with the risk of endemic gastroenteresis. However the relevance of turbidimetry may be limited since the presence of colloids in water creates interferences with the nephelometric response. Thus there is a need for a more relevant, simple and fast indicator for microbial contamination detection in water, especially in the perspective of climate change with the increase of heavy rainfall events. This review focuses on the one hand on sources, fate and behavior of microorganisms in water and factors influencing pathogens’ presence, transportation and mobilization, and on the second hand, on the existing optical methods used for monitoring microbiological risks. Finally, this paper proposes new ways of research.

Classroom Resources | Argonne National Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Center Community Outreach Learning Experiences School Competitions Teacher Programs Classroom Resources Learning Center Community Outreach Learning Experiences School Competitions Teacher Programs Classroom every student and that is free from harassment and discrimination based upon race, color, religion

A guide to statistical analysis in microbial ecology: a community-focused, living review of multivariate data analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Buttigieg, Pier Luigi; Ramette, Alban

2014-12-01

The application of multivariate statistical analyses has become a consistent feature in microbial ecology. However, many microbial ecologists are still in the process of developing a deep understanding of these methods and appreciating their limitations. As a consequence, staying abreast of progress and debate in this arena poses an additional challenge to many microbial ecologists. To address these issues, we present the GUide to STatistical Analysis in Microbial Ecology (GUSTA ME): a dynamic, web-based resource providing accessible descriptions of numerous multivariate techniques relevant to microbial ecologists. A combination of interactive elements allows users to discover and navigate between methods relevant to their needs and examine how they have been used by others in the field. We have designed GUSTA ME to become a community-led and -curated service, which we hope will provide a common reference and forum to discuss and disseminate analytical techniques relevant to the microbial ecology community. © 2014 The Authors. FEMS Microbiology Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

Microbial Diagnostic Array Workstation (MDAW: a web server for diagnostic array data storage, sharing and analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Yung-Fu

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Microarrays are becoming a very popular tool for microbial detection and diagnostics. Although these diagnostic arrays are much simpler when compared to the traditional transcriptome arrays, due to the high throughput nature of the arrays, the data analysis requirements still form a bottle neck for the widespread use of these diagnostic arrays. Hence we developed a new online data sharing and analysis environment customised for diagnostic arrays. Methods Microbial Diagnostic Array Workstation (MDAW is a database driven application designed in MS Access and front end designed in ASP.NET. Conclusion MDAW is a new resource that is customised for the data analysis requirements for microbial diagnostic arrays.

Carolinas Energy Career Center

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Classens, Anver; Hooper, Dick; Johnson, Bruce

2013-03-31

Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), located in Charlotte, North Carolina, established the Carolinas Energy Career Center (Center) - a comprehensive training entity to meet the dynamic needs of the Charlotte region's energy workforce. The Center provides training for high-demand careers in both conventional energy (fossil) and renewable energy (nuclear and solar technologies/energy efficiency). CPCC completed four tasks that will position the Center as a leading resource for energy career training in the Southeast: • Development and Pilot of a New Advanced Welding Curriculum, • Program Enhancement of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) Technology, • Student Support through implementation of a model targeted toward Energy and STEM Careers to support student learning, • Project Management and Reporting. As a result of DOE funding support, CPCC achieved the following outcomes: • Increased capacity to serve and train students in emerging energy industry careers; • Developed new courses and curricula to support emerging energy industry careers; • Established new training/laboratory resources; • Generated a pool of highly qualified, technically skilled workers to support the growing energy industry sector.

Understanding Structural Features of Microbial Lipases–-An Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Geraldine Sandana Mala

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The structural elucidations of microbial lipases have been of prime interest since the 1980s. Knowledge of structural features plays an important role in designing and engineering lipases for specific purposes. Significant structural data have been presented for few microbial lipases, while, there is still a structure-deficit, that is, most lipase structures are yet to be resolved. A search for ‘lipase structure’ in the RCSB Protein Data Bank ( http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/ returns only 93 hits (as of September 2007 and, the NCBI database ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov reports 89 lipase structures as compared to 14719 core nucleotide records. It is therefore worthwhile to consider investigations on the structural analysis of microbial lipases. This review is intended to provide a collection of resources on the instrumental, chemical and bioinformatics approaches for structure analyses. X-ray crystallography is a versatile tool for the structural biochemists and is been exploited till today. The chemical methods of recent interests include molecular modeling and combinatorial designs. Bioinformatics has surged striking interests in protein structural analysis with the advent of innumerable tools. Furthermore, a literature platform of the structural elucidations so far investigated has been presented with detailed descriptions as applicable to microbial lipases. A case study of Candida rugosa lipase (CRL has also been discussed which highlights important structural features also common to most lipases. A general profile of lipase has been vividly described with an overview of lipase research reviewed in the past.

The Plant Information Center (PIC): A Web-Based Learning Center for Botanical Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenberg, J.; Daniel, E.; Massey, J.; White, P.

The Plant Information Center (PIC) is a project funded under the Institute of Museum and Library Studies that aims to provide global access to both primary and secondary botanical resources via the World Wide Web. Central to the project is the development and employment of a series of applications that facilitate resource discovery, interactive…

Designing the Microbial Research Commons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uhlir, Paul F. [Board on Research Data and Information Policy and Global Affairs, Washington, DC (United States)

2011-10-01

Recent decades have witnessed an ever-increasing range and volume of digital data. All elements of the pillars of science--whether observation, experiment, or theory and modeling--are being transformed by the continuous cycle of generation, dissemination, and use of factual information. This is even more so in terms of the re-using and re-purposing of digital scientific data beyond the original intent of the data collectors, often with dramatic results. We all know about the potential benefits and impacts of digital data, but we are also aware of the barriers, the challenges in maximizing the access, and use of such data. There is thus a need to think about how a data infrastructure can enhance capabilities for finding, using, and integrating information to accelerate discovery and innovation. How can we best implement an accessible, interoperable digital environment so that the data can be repeatedly used by a wide variety of users in different settings and with different applications? With this objective: to use the microbial communities and microbial data, literature, and the research materials themselves as a test case, the Board on Research Data and Information held an International Symposium on Designing the Microbial Research Commons at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC on 8-9 October 2009. The symposium addressed topics such as models to lower the transaction costs and support access to and use of microbiological materials and digital resources from the perspective of publicly funded research, public-private interactions, and developing country concerns. The overall goal of the symposium was to stimulate more research and implementation of improved legal and institutional models for publicly funded research in microbiology.

National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center

Science.gov (United States)

... State Offices Search the Organizations Database Center for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement (COHSII) COHSII is a ... needs of the MCH population. Brush Up on Oral Health This monthly newsletter provides Head Start staff with ...

Opportunity for Collaboration Between Radiation Injury Treatment Network Centers and Medical Toxicology Specialists.

Science.gov (United States)

Davlantes, Elizabeth; Shartar, Samuel; Venero, Jennifer; Steck, Alaina; Langston, Amelia; Kazzi, Ziad N

2017-08-01

The Radiation Injury Treatment Network (RITN) comprises >50 centers across the United States that are poised to care for victims of a radiation emergency. The network is organized around bone marrow transplant centers because these facilities excel in both radiation medicine and the care of patients with severe bone marrow depression. A radiation emergency may cause not only irradiation from an external source but also internal contamination with radioactive material. Because medical toxicologists are trained in radiation injury management and have expertise in the management of internal contamination, RITN centers may benefit from partnerships with medical toxicology resources, which may be located at academic medical centers, hospital inpatient clinical services, outpatient clinics, or poison control centers. We determined the locations of existing RITN centers and assessed their proximity to various medical toxicology resources, including medical toxicology fellowship programs, inpatient toxicology services, outpatient toxicology clinics, and poison control centers. Data were derived from publicly available Internet sources in March 2015. The majority of RITN centers do not have a medical toxicology fellowship, an inpatient toxicology service, or an outpatient toxicology clinic within the same institution. Fifty-seven percent of RITN centers have at least one of these resources located in the same city, however, and 73% of centers have at least one of these resources or a poison control center within the same city. Ninety-five percent of RITN centers have at least one medical toxicology resource within the state. Most RITN centers are located in the same city as at least one medical toxicology resource. Establishing relationships between RITN centers and medical toxicologists needs to be explored further.

Available nitrogen is the key factor influencing soil microbial functional gene diversity in tropical rainforest.

Science.gov (United States)

Cong, Jing; Liu, Xueduan; Lu, Hui; Xu, Han; Li, Yide; Deng, Ye; Li, Diqiang; Zhang, Yuguang

2015-08-20

Tropical rainforests cover over 50% of all known plant and animal species and provide a variety of key resources and ecosystem services to humans, largely mediated by metabolic activities of soil microbial communities. A deep analysis of soil microbial communities and their roles in ecological processes would improve our understanding on biogeochemical elemental cycles. However, soil microbial functional gene diversity in tropical rainforests and causative factors remain unclear. GeoChip, contained almost all of the key functional genes related to biogeochemical cycles, could be used as a specific and sensitive tool for studying microbial gene diversity and metabolic potential. In this study, soil microbial functional gene diversity in tropical rainforest was analyzed by using GeoChip technology. Gene categories detected in the tropical rainforest soils were related to different biogeochemical processes, such as carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling. The relative abundance of genes related to C and P cycling detected mostly derived from the cultured bacteria. C degradation gene categories for substrates ranging from labile C to recalcitrant C were all detected, and gene abundances involved in many recalcitrant C degradation gene categories were significantly (P rainforest. Soil available N could be the key factor in shaping the soil microbial functional gene structure and metabolic potential.

Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery and Wettability Research Program. Annual report, FY 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bala, G.A.; Barrett, K.B.; Eastman, S.L.; Herd, M.D.; Jackson, J.D.; Robertson, E.P.; Thomas, C.P.

1993-09-01

This report covers research results for fiscal year 1991 for the Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) and Wettability Research Program conducted by EG&G Idaho, Inc. at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory ONEL) for the US Department of Energy Idaho Field Office (DOE-ID). The program is funded by the Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy, and managed by DOE-ID and the Bartlesville Project Office (BPO). The objectives of this multi-year program are to develop MEOR systems for application to reservoirs containing medium to heavy crude oils and to design and implement an industry cost-shared field demonstration project of the developed technology. An understanding of the controlling mechanisms will first be developed through the use of laboratory scale testing to determine the ability of microbially mediated processes to recover oil under reservoir conditions and to develop the design criteria for scale-up to the field. Concurrently with this work, the isolation and characterization of microbial species collected from various locations including target oil field environments is underway to develop more effective oil recovery systems for specific applications. Research focus includes the study of biogenic product and formation souring processes including mitigation and prevention. Souring research performed in FY 1991 also included the development of microsensor probe technology for the detection of total sulfide in collaboration with the Montana State University Center for Interfacial Microbial Process Engineering (CIMPE). Wettability research is a multi-year collaborative effort with the New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center (NMPRRC) at the New Mexico institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM to evaluate reservoir wettability and its effects on oil recovery. Results from the wettability research will be applied to determine if alteration of wettability is a significant contributing mechanism for MEOR systems.

Microbial community structure elucidates performance of Glyceria maxima plant microbial fuel cell

OpenAIRE

Timmers, R.A.; Rothballer, M.; Strik, D.P.B.T.B.; Engel, M.; Schulz, M.; Hartmann, A.; Hamelers, H.V.M.; Buisman, C.J.N.

2012-01-01

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a technology in which living plant roots provide electron donor, via rhizodeposition, to a mixed microbial community to generate electricity in a microbial fuel cell. Analysis and localisation of the microbial community is necessary for gaining insight into the competition for electron donor in a PMFC. This paper characterises the anode-rhizosphere bacterial community of a Glyceria maxima (reed mannagrass) PMFC. Electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) w...

Microbial community structure elucidates performance of Glyceria maxima plant microbial fuel cell

OpenAIRE

Timmers, Ruud A.; Rothballer, Michael; Strik, David P. B. T. B.; Engel, Marion; Schulz, Stephan; Schloter, Michael; Hartmann, Anton; Hamelers, Bert; Buisman, Cees

2012-01-01

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a technology in which living plant roots provide electron donor, via rhizodeposition, to a mixed microbial community to generate electricity in a microbial fuel cell. Analysis and localisation of the microbial community is necessary for gaining insight into the competition for electron donor in a PMFC. This paper characterises the anode–rhizosphere bacterial community of a Glyceria maxima (reed mannagrass) PMFC. Electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) w...

Integrated Field, Laboratory, and Modeling Studies to Determine the Effects of Linked Microbial and Physical Spatial Heterogeneity on Engineered Vadose Zone Bioremediation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fred Brokman; John Selker; Mark Rockhold

2004-01-26

While numerous techniques exist for remediation of contaminant plumes in groundwater or near the soil surface, remediation methods in the deep vadose zone are less established due to complex transport dynamics and sparse microbial populations. There is a lack of knowledge on how physical and hydrologic features of the vadose zone control microbial growth and colonization in response to nutrient delivery during bioremediation. Yet pollution in the vadose zone poses a serious threat to the groundwater resources lying deeper in the sediment. While the contaminants may be slowly degraded by native microbial communities, microbial degradation rates rarely keep pace with the spread of the pollutant. It is crucial to increase indigenous microbial degradation in the vadose zone to combat groundwater contamination.

Integrated Field, Laboratory, and Modeling Studies to Determine the Effects of Linked Microbial and Physical Spatial Heterogeneity on Engineered Vadose Zone Bioremediation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brockman, Fred J.; Selker, John S.; Rockhold, Mark L.

2004-10-31

Executive Summary - While numerous techniques exist for remediation of contaminant plumes in groundwater or near the soil surface, remediation methods in the deep vadose zone are less established due to complex transport dynamics and sparse microbial populations. There is a lack of knowledge on how physical and hydrologic features of the vadose zone control microbial growth and colonization in response to nutrient delivery during bioremediation. Yet pollution in the vadose zone poses a serious threat to the groundwater resources lying deeper in the sediment. While the contaminants may be slowly degraded by native microbial communities, microbial degradation rates rarely keep pace with the spread of the pollutant. It is crucial to increase indigenous microbial degradation in the vadose zone to combat groundwater contamination...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Codes and Standards Resources

Science.gov (United States)

resources linked below help project developers and code officials prepare and review code-compliant projects , storage, and infrastructure. The following charts show the SDOs responsible for these alternative fuel codes and standards. Biodiesel Vehicle and Infrastructure Codes and Standards Chart Electric Vehicle and

Clean Energy Solutions Center Services (Fact Sheet)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-04-01

The Clean Energy Solutions Center (Solutions Center) helps governments, advisors and analysts create policies and programs that advance the deployment of clean energy technologies. The Solutions Center partners with international organizations to provide online training, expert assistance, and technical resources on clean energy policy.

Peatland Microbial Carbon Use Under Warming using Isotopic Fractionation

Science.gov (United States)

Gutknecht, J.

2016-12-01

Peatlands are a critical natural resource, especially in their role as carbon sinks. Most of the world's peatlands are located in Northern ecosystems where the climate is changing at a rapid pace, and there is great interest and concern with how climate change will influence them. Although studies regarding the response of peatlands to climate change have emerged, the microbial mediation of C cycling in these systems is still less well understood. In this study, 13CPLFA analysis was used to characterize the microbial community and it's carbon use at the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change (SPRUCE) Project. The SPRUCE project is an extensive study of the response of peatlands to climatic manipulation in the Marcell Experimental Forest in northern Minnesota. Heating rods were installed in peatland plots where peat is being warmed at several levels including ambient, +2.5, +4.5, +6.75, and +9 degrees Celsius, at a depth of 3 meters, beginning July of 2014. Samples were taken June 2014, September 2014, and June 2015, throughout the depth profile. We found very high microbial, and especially fungal growth at shallow depths, owing in part to the influence of fungal-like lipids present in Sphagnum stems, and in part to dense mycorrhizal colonization in shrub and tree species. Isotopic data shows that microbial biomass has an enriched δ13C lower in the peat profile, indicating as expected that microbes at depth utilize older carbon or carbon more enriched in 13C. The increase over depth in the δ13C signature may also reflect the increased dominance of pre-industrial carbon that is more enriched in 13C. In this early period of warming we did not see clear effects of warming, either due to the highly heterogeneous microbial growth across the bog, or to the short term deep warming only. We expect that with the initiation of aboveground warming in July 2016, warming will begin to show stronger effects on microbial C cycling.

Proceedings of the 8. International Symposium on Microbial Ecology : microbial biosystems : new frontiers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, C.R.; Brylinsky, M.; Johnson-Green, P.

2000-01-01

A wide range of disciplines were presented at this conference which reflected the importance of microbial ecology and provided an understanding of the factors that determine the growth and activities of microorganisms. The conference attracted 1444 delegates from 54 countries. The research emerging from the rapidly expanding frontier of microbial ecosystems was presented in 62 oral presentation and 817 poster presentations. The two volumes of these proceedings presented a total of 27 areas in microbial ecology, some of which included terrestrial biosystems, aquatic, estuarine, surface and subsurface microbial ecology. Other topics included bioremediation, microbial ecology in industry and microbial ecology of oil fields. Some of the papers highlighted the research that is underway to determine the feasibility of using microorganisms for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Research has shown that microbial EOR can increase production at lower costs than conventional oil recovery. The use of bacteria has also proven to be a feasible treatment method in the biodegradation of hydrocarbons associated with oil spills. refs., tabs., figs

Fourteenth-Sixteenth Microbial Genomics Conference-2006-2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, Jeffrey H

2011-04-18

The concept of an annual meeting on the E. coli genome was formulated at the Banbury Center Conference on the Genome of E. coli in October, 1991. The first meeting was held on September 10-14, 1992 at the University of Wisconsin, and this was followed by a yearly series of meetings, and by an expansion to include The fourteenth meeting took place September 24-28, 2006 at Lake Arrowhead, CA, the fifteenth September 16-20, 2007 at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, and the sixteenth September 14-18, 2008 at Lake Arrowhead. The full program for the 16th meeting is attached. There have been rapid and exciting advances in microbial genomics that now make possible comparing large data sets of sequences from a wide variety of microbial genomes, and from whole microbial communities. Examining the “microbiomes”, the living microbial communities in different host organisms opens up many possibilities for understanding the landscape presented to pathogenic microorganisms. For quite some time there has been a shifting emphasis from pure sequence data to trying to understand how to use that information to solve biological problems. Towards this end new technologies are being developed and improved. Using genetics, functional genomics, and proteomics has been the recent focus of many different laboratories. A key element is the integration of different aspects of microbiology, sequencing technology, analysis techniques, and bioinformatics. The goal of these conference is to provide a regular forum for these interactions to occur. While there have been a number of genome conferences, what distinguishes the Microbial Genomics Conference is its emphasis on bringing together biology and genetics with sequencing and bioinformatics. Also, this conference is the longest continuing meeting, now established as a major regular annual meeting. In addition to its coverage of microbial genomes and biodiversity, the meetings also highlight microbial communities and the use of

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Natural Gas Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center : Natural Gas Vehicles to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Vehicles on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Vehicles on Twitter Bookmark Alternative

[Characterization and microbial community shifts of rice strawdegrading microbial consortia].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chunfang; Ma, Shichun; Huang, Yan; Liu, Laiyan; Fan, Hui; Deng, Yu

2016-12-04

To study the relationship between microbial community and degradation rate of rice straw, we compared and analyzed cellulose-decomposing ability, microbial community structures and shifts of microbial consortia F1 and F2. We determined exoglucanase activity by 3, 5-dinitrosalicylic acid colorimetry. We determined content of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in rice straw by Van Soest method, and calculated degradation rates of rice straw by the weight changes before and after a 10-day incubation. We analyzed and compared the microbial communities and functional microbiology shifts by clone libraries, Miseq analysis and real time-PCR based on the 16S rRNA gene and cel48 genes. Total degradation rate, cellulose, and hemicellulose degradation rate of microbial consortia F1 were significantly higher than that of F2. The variation trend of exoglucanase activity in both microbial consortia F1 and F2 was consistent with that of cel48 gene copies. Microbial diversity of F1 was complex with aerobic bacteria as dominant species, whereas that of F2 was simple with a high proportion of anaerobic cellulose decomposing bacteria in the later stage of incubation. In the first 4 days, unclassified Bacillales and Bacillus were dominant in both F1 and F2. The dominant species and abundance became different after 4-day incubation, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were dominant phyla of F1 and F2, respectively. Although Petrimonas and Pusillimonas were common dominant species in F1 and F2, abundance of Petrimonas in F2 (38.30%) was significantly higher than that in F1 (9.47%), and the abundance of Clostridiales OPB54 in F2 increased to 14.85% after 8-day incubation. The abundance of cel48 gene related with cellulose degradation rate and exoglucanase activity, and cel48 gene has the potential as a molecular marker to monitor the process of cellulose degradation. Microbial community structure has a remarkable impact on the degradation efficiency of straw cellulose, and Petrimonas

Annual report of Nuclear Human Resource Development Center. April 1, 2014 - March 31, 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-06-01

This annual report summarizes the activities of Nuclear Human Resource Development Center (NuHRDeC) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in the fiscal year (FY) 2014. In FY 2014, we flexibly designed special training courses corresponding with the outside training needs, while organizing the annually scheduled regular training programs. We also actively addressed the challenging issues on human resource development, such as to enhance the collaboration with academia and to organize international training for Asian countries. Besides these regular courses, we also organized the special training courses based on the outside needs, e.g. Nuclear Regulatory Authority or the people in Naraha town in Fukushima Prefecture. JAEA continued its cooperative activities with universities. In respect of the cooperation with graduate school of The University of Tokyo, we accepted nuclear major students and cooperatively conducted lectures and practical exercises for one year. In terms of the collaboration network with universities, the joint course was successfully held with six universities through utilizing the remote education system. Besides, the intensive summer course and practical exercise at Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories were also conducted. Furthermore, JAEA had re-signed the agreement “Japan Nuclear Education Network” with 7 Universities in Feb. 2015 for the new participation of Nagoya University from FY 2015. Concerning International training, we continuously implemented the Instructor Training Program (ITP) by receiving the annual sponsorship from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In FY 2014, eight countries (i.e. Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) joined this Instructor training courses such as “Reactor Engineering Course”. Furthermore, we organized nuclear technology seminar courses, e.g. “Basic Radiation Knowledge for School Education”. In respect of

75 FR 2549 - Health Center Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-15

... Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive Replacement Award to Regional Health Care Affiliates. SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be transferring Health Center Program (section 330 of the Public Health Service Act...

76 FR 1441 - Health Center Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-10

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Noncompetitive... for Services (IDS) and a portion of the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) from Saint Vincent's...

Plant Resources Center and the Vietnamese genebank system

Science.gov (United States)

The highly diverse floristic composition of Vietnam has been recognized as a center of angiosperm expansion and crop biodiversity. The broad range of climatic environments include habitats from tropical and subtropical, to temperate and alpine flora. The human component of the country includes 54 et...

Bridge resource program.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-01

The mission of Rutgers Universitys Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) Bridge Resource Program (BRP) is to provide bridge engineering support to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)s Bridge Engineering an...

Environmental drivers of differences in microbial community structure in crude oil reservoirs across a methanogenic gradient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenna L Shelton

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Stimulating in situ microbial communities in oil reservoirs to produce natural gas is a potentially viable strategy for recovering additional fossil fuel resources following traditional recovery operations. Little is known about what geochemical parameters drive microbial population dynamics in biodegraded, methanogenic oil reservoirs. We investigated if microbial community structure was significantly impacted by the extent of crude oil biodegradation, extent of biogenic methane production, and formation water chemistry. Twenty-two oil production wells from north central Louisiana, USA, were sampled for analysis of microbial community structure and fluid geochemistry. Archaea were the dominant microbial community in the majority of the wells sampled. Methanogens, including hydrogenotrophic and methylotrophic organisms, were numerically dominant in every well, accounting for, on average, over 98% of the total archaea present. The dominant Bacteria groups were Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Enterobacteriaceae, and Clostridiales, which have also been identified in other microbially-altered oil reservoirs. Comparing microbial community structure to fluid (gas, water, and oil geochemistry revealed that the relative extent of biodegradation, salinity, and spatial location were the major drivers of microbial diversity. Archaeal relative abundance was independent of the extent of methanogenesis, but closely correlated to the extent of crude oil biodegradation; therefore, microbial community structure is likely not a good sole predictor of methanogenic activity, but may predict the extent of crude oil biodegradation. However, when the shallow, highly biodegraded, low salinity wells were excluded from the statistical analysis, no environmental parameters could explain the differences in microbial community structure. This suggests that the microbial community structure of the 5 shallow up-dip wells was different than the 17 deeper, down-dip wells, and that

Microbial Genome Analysis and Comparisons: Web-based Protocols and Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Fully annotated genome sequences of many microorganisms are publicly available as a resource. However, in-depth analysis of these genomes using specialized tools is required to derive meaningful information. We describe here the utility of three powerful publicly available genome databases and ana...

Microbial physiology-based model of ethanol metabolism in subsurface sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Qusheng; Roden, Eric E.

2011-07-01

A biogeochemical reaction model was developed based on microbial physiology to simulate ethanol metabolism and its influence on the chemistry of anoxic subsurface environments. The model accounts for potential microbial metabolisms that degrade ethanol, including those that oxidize ethanol directly or syntrophically by reducing different electron acceptors. Out of the potential metabolisms, those that are active in the environment can be inferred by fitting the model to experimental observations. This approach was applied to a batch sediment slurry experiment that examined ethanol metabolism in uranium-contaminated aquifer sediments from Area 2 at the U.S. Department of Energy Field Research Center in Oak Ridge, TN. According to the simulation results, complete ethanol oxidation by denitrification, incomplete ethanol oxidation by ferric iron reduction, ethanol fermentation to acetate and H 2, hydrogenotrophic sulfate reduction, and acetoclastic methanogenesis: all contributed significantly to the degradation of ethanol in the aquifer sediments. The assemblage of the active metabolisms provides a frame work to explore how ethanol amendment impacts the chemistry of the environment, including the occurrence and levels of uranium. The results can also be applied to explore how diverse microbial metabolisms impact the progress and efficacy of bioremediation strategies.

Unique Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Pathway Features of Fermented Vegetables From Hainan, China

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Qiannan; Jiang, Shuaiming; Chen, Jieling; Ma, Chenchen; Huo, Dongxue; Shao, Yuyu; Zhang, Jiachao

2018-01-01

Fermented vegetables are typically traditional foods made of fresh vegetables and their juices, which are fermented by beneficial microorganisms. Herein, we applied high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent technology to describe the diversities of microbiota and identify core microbiota in fermented vegetables from different areas of Hainan Province, and abundant metabolic pathways in the fermented vegetables were simultaneously predicted. At the genus level, Lactobacillus bacteria were the most abundant. Lactobacillus plantarum was the most abundant species, followed by Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria. These species were present in each sample with average absolute content values greater than 1% and were thus defined as core microbiota. Analysis results based on the alpha and beta diversities of the microbial communities showed that the microbial profiles of the fermented vegetables differed significantly based on the regions and raw materials used, and the species of the vegetables had a greater effect on the microbial community structure than the region from where they were harvested. Regarding microbial functional metabolism, we observed an enrichment of metabolic pathways, including membrane transport, replication and repair and translation, which implied that the microbial metabolism in the fermented vegetables tended to be vigorous. In addition, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum were calculated to be major metabolic pathway contributors. Finally, we constructed a network to better explain correlations among the core microbiota and metabolic pathways. This study facilitates an understanding of the differences in microbial profiles and fermentation pathways involved in the production of fermented vegetables, establishes a basis for optimally selecting microorganisms to manufacture high-quality fermented vegetable products, and lays the foundation for better utilizing tropical microbial

Unique Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Pathway Features of Fermented Vegetables From Hainan, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiannan Peng

2018-03-01

tropical microbial resources.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center-fiscal year 2010 annual report

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Janice S.

2011-01-01

The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) facility focused on providing science and imagery to better understand our Earth. The work of the Center is shaped by the earth sciences, the missions of our stakeholders, and implemented through strong program and project management, and application of state-of-the-art information technologies. Fundamentally, EROS contributes to the understanding of a changing Earth through 'research to operations' activities that include developing, implementing, and operating remote-sensing-based terrestrial monitoring capabilities needed to address interdisciplinary science and applications objectives at all levels-both nationally and internationally. The Center's programs and projects continually strive to meet, and where possible exceed, the changing needs of the USGS, the Department of the Interior, our Nation, and international constituents. The Center's multidisciplinary staff uses their unique expertise in remote sensing science and technologies to conduct basic and applied research, data acquisition, systems engineering, information access and management, and archive preservation to address the Nation's most critical needs. Of particular note is the role of EROS as the primary provider of Landsat data, the longest comprehensive global land Earth observation record ever collected. This report is intended to provide an overview of the scientific and engineering achievements and illustrate the range and scope of the activities and accomplishments at EROS throughout fiscal year (FY) 2010. Additional information concerning the scientific, engineering, and operational achievements can be obtained from the scientific papers and other documents published by EROS staff or by visiting our web site at http://eros.usgs.gov. We welcome comments and follow-up questions on any aspect of this Annual Report and invite any of our customers or partners to contact us at their convenience. To

Center for Fetal Monkey Gene Transfer for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases: An NHLBI Resource for the Gene Therapy Community

Science.gov (United States)

Skarlatos, Sonia I.

2012-01-01

Abstract The goals of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Center for Fetal Monkey Gene Transfer for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases are to conduct gene transfer studies in monkeys to evaluate safety and efficiency; and to provide NHLBI-supported investigators with expertise, resources, and services to actively pursue gene transfer approaches in monkeys in their research programs. NHLBI-supported projects span investigators throughout the United States and have addressed novel approaches to gene delivery; “proof-of-principle”; assessed whether findings in small-animal models could be demonstrated in a primate species; or were conducted to enable new grant or IND submissions. The Center for Fetal Monkey Gene Transfer for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases successfully aids the gene therapy community in addressing regulatory barriers, and serves as an effective vehicle for advancing the field. PMID:22974119

Community Coordinated Modeling Center: A Powerful Resource in Space Science and Space Weather Education

Science.gov (United States)

Chulaki, A.; Kuznetsova, M. M.; Rastaetter, L.; MacNeice, P. J.; Shim, J. S.; Pulkkinen, A. A.; Taktakishvili, A.; Mays, M. L.; Mendoza, A. M. M.; Zheng, Y.; Mullinix, R.; Collado-Vega, Y. M.; Maddox, M. M.; Pembroke, A. D.; Wiegand, C.

2015-12-01

Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) is a NASA affiliated interagency partnership with the primary goal of aiding the transition of modern space science models into space weather forecasting while supporting space science research. Additionally, over the past ten years it has established itself as a global space science education resource supporting undergraduate and graduate education and research, and spreading space weather awareness worldwide. A unique combination of assets, capabilities and close ties to the scientific and educational communities enable this small group to serve as a hub for raising generations of young space scientists and engineers. CCMC resources are publicly available online, providing unprecedented global access to the largest collection of modern space science models (developed by the international research community). CCMC has revolutionized the way simulations are utilized in classrooms settings, student projects, and scientific labs and serves hundreds of educators, students and researchers every year. Another major CCMC asset is an expert space weather prototyping team primarily serving NASA's interplanetary space weather needs. Capitalizing on its unrivaled capabilities and experiences, the team provides in-depth space weather training to students and professionals worldwide, and offers an amazing opportunity for undergraduates to engage in real-time space weather monitoring, analysis, forecasting and research. In-house development of state-of-the-art space weather tools and applications provides exciting opportunities to students majoring in computer science and computer engineering fields to intern with the software engineers at the CCMC while also learning about the space weather from the NASA scientists.

The ORNL Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, D.R.; Krstic, P.S.; Ownby, F.M.; Meyer, F.W.; Havener, C.C.; Bannister, M.E.; Liu, W.; Jeffery, D.J.; Stancil, P.C.

1997-01-01

The principal mission of the Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center is the collection evaluation, and dissemination of atomic collision data relevant to fusion energy development. With the advent of the widespread use of the World Wide Web, the data center's resources are being placed on-line to facilitate their use by end-users (cf. http://www-cfadc.phy.ornl.gov/). As this development continues, initially disparate, individually compiled resources will be transformed into integrated tools for retrieving recommended data, or displaying and manipulating the information available. The data center's present capabilities, recent data production/evaluation efforts, and goals for future development are highlighted here

Ecological and soil hydraulic implications of microbial responses to stress - A modeling analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Brangarí, Albert C.; Fernàndez-Garcia, Daniel; Sanchez-Vila, Xavier; Manzoni, Stefano

2018-06-01

A better understanding of microbial dynamics in porous media may lead to improvements in the design and management of a number of technological applications, ranging from the degradation of contaminants to the optimization of agricultural systems. To this aim, there is a recognized need for predicting the proliferation of soil microbial biomass (often organized in biofilms) under different environments and stresses. We present a general multi-compartment model to account for physiological responses that have been extensively reported in the literature. The model is used as an explorative tool to elucidate the ecological and soil hydraulic consequences of microbial responses, including the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), the induction of cells into dormancy, and the allocation and reuse of resources between biofilm compartments. The mechanistic model is equipped with indicators allowing the microorganisms to monitor environmental and biological factors and react according to the current stress pressures. The feedbacks of biofilm accumulation on the soil water retention are also described. Model runs simulating different degrees of substrate and water shortage show that adaptive responses to the intensity and type of stress provide a clear benefit to microbial colonies. Results also demonstrate that the model may effectively predict qualitative patterns in microbial dynamics supported by empirical evidence, thereby improving our understanding of the effects of pore-scale physiological mechanisms on the soil macroscale phenomena.

A Bio-inspired Approach for Power and Performance Aware Resource Allocation in Clouds

OpenAIRE

Kumar Rajesh; Kumar Ashok; Sharma Anju

2016-01-01

In order to cope with increasing demand, cloud market players such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Gogrid, Flexiant, etc. have set up large sized data centers. Due to monotonically increasing size of data centers and heterogeneity of resources have made resource allocation a challenging task. A large percentage of total energy consumption of the data centers gets wasted because of under-utilization of resources. Thus, there is a need of resource allocation technique that improves the utilizatio...

75 FR 55587 - Family-to-Family Health Information Center Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration Family-to-Family Health Information Center Program AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS... Vermont Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) grant (H84MC00002) from the Parent to Parent...

Needs assessment of science teachers in secondary schools in Kumasi, Ghana: A basis for in-service education training programs at the Science Resource Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Gyamfi, Alexander

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it identified the priority needs common to all science teachers in secondary schools in Kumasi, Ghana. Second, it investigated the relationship existing between the identified priority needs and the teacher demographic variables (type of school, teacher qualification, teaching experience, subject discipline, and sex of teacher) to be used as a basis for implementing in-service education training programs at the Science Resource Centers in Kumasi Ghana. An adapted version of the Moore Assessment Profile (MAP) survey instrument and a set of open-ended questions were used to collect data from the science teachers. The researcher handed out one hundred and fifty questionnaire packets, and all one hundred and fifty (100%) were collected within a period of six weeks. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, content analysis, and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics reported the frequency of responses, and it was used to calculate the Need Index (N) of the identified needs of teachers. Sixteen top-priority needs were identified, and the needs were arranged in a hierarchical order according to the magnitude of the Need Index (0.000 ≤ N ≤ 1.000). Content analysis was used to analyze the responses to the open-ended questions. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses of the study on each of the sixteen identified top-priority needs and the teacher demographic variables. The findings of this study were as follows: (1) The science teachers identified needs related to "more effective use of instructional materials" as a crucial area for in-service training. (2) Host and Satellite schools exhibited significant difference on procuring supplementary science books for students. Subject discipline of teachers exhibited significant differences on utilizing the library and its facilities by students, obtaining information on where to get help on effective science teaching

HIV/AIDS - resources

Science.gov (United States)

Resources - HIV/AIDS ... information on AIDS : AIDS.gov -- www.aids.gov AIDS Info -- aidsinfo.nih.gov The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation -- www.kff.org/hivaids US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- www.cdc.gov/hiv

Fundamental Insights into Propionate Oxidation in Microbial Electrolysis Cells Using a Combination of Electrochemical, Molecular biology and Electron Balance Approaches

KAUST Repository

Rao, Hari Ananda

2016-11-01

Increasing demand for freshwater and energy is pushing towards the development of alternative technologies that are sustainable. One of the realistic solutions to address this is utilization of the renewable resources like wastewater. Conventional wastewater treatment processes can be highly energy demanding and can fails to recover the full potential of useful resources such as energy in the wastewater. As a consequence, there is an urgent necessity for sustainable wastewater treatment technologies that could harness such resources present in wastewaters. Advanced treatment process based on microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have a great potential for the resources recovery through a sustainable wastewater treatment process. METs rely on the abilities of microorganisms that are capable of transferring electrons extracellularly by oxidizing the organic matter in the wastewater and producing electrical current for electricity generation (MFC) or H2 and CH4 production (MEC). Propionate is an important volatile fatty acid (VFA) (24-70%) in some wastewaters and accumulation of this VFA can cause a process failure in a conventional anaerobic digestion (AD) system. To address this issue, MECs were explored as a novel, alternative wastewater treatment technology, with a focus on a better understanding of propionate oxidation in the anode of MECs. Having such knowledge could help in the development of more robust and efficient wastewater treatment systems to recover energy and produce high quality effluents. Several studies were conducted to: 1) determine the paths of electron flow in the anode of propionate fed MECs low (4.5 mM) and high (36 mM) propionate concentrations; 2) examine the effect of different set anode potentials on the electrochemical performance, propionate degradation, electron fluxes, and microbial community structure in MECs fed propionate; and 3) examine the temporal

Organic priority substances and microbial processes in river sediments subject to contrasting hydrological conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zoppini, Annamaria; Ademollo, Nicoletta; Amalfitano, Stefano; Casella, Patrizia; Patrolecco, Luisa; Polesello, Stefano

2014-06-15

Flood and drought events of higher intensity and frequency are expected to increase in arid and semi-arid regions, in which temporary rivers represent both a water resource and an aquatic ecosystem to be preserved. In this study, we explored the variation of two classes of hazardous substances (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Nonylphenols) and the functioning of the microbial community in river sediments subject to hydrological fluctuations (Candelaro river basin, Italy). Overall, the concentration of pollutants (∑PAHs range 8-275ngg(-1); ∑NPs range 299-4858ngg(-1)) suggests a moderate degree of contamination. The conditions in which the sediments were tested, flow (high/low) and no flow (wet/dry/arid), were associated to significant differences in the chemical and microbial properties. The total organic carbon contribution decreased together with the stream flow reduction, while the contribution of C-PAHs and C-NPs tended to increase. NPs were relatively more concentrated in sediments under high flow, while the more hydrophobic PAHs accumulated under low and no flow conditions. Passing from high to no flow conditions, a gradual reduction of microbial processes was observed, to reach the lowest specific bacterial carbon production rates (0.06fmolCh(-1)cell(-1)), extracellular enzyme activities, and the highest doubling time (40h) in arid sediments. In conclusion, different scenarios for the mobilization of pollutants and microbial processes can be identified under contrasting hydrological conditions: (i) the mobilization of pollutants under high flow and a relatively higher probability for biodegradation; (ii) the accumulation of pollutants during low flow and lower probability for biodegradation; (iii) the drastic reduction of pollutant concentrations under dry and arid conditions, probably independently from the microbial activity (abiotic processes). Our findings let us infer that a multiple approach has to be considered for an appropriate water

Microbial Inoculants and Their Impact on Soil Microbial Communities: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darine Trabelsi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The knowledge of the survival of inoculated fungal and bacterial strains in field and the effects of their release on the indigenous microbial communities has been of great interest since the practical use of selected natural or genetically modified microorganisms has been developed. Soil inoculation or seed bacterization may lead to changes in the structure of the indigenous microbial communities, which is important with regard to the safety of introduction of microbes into the environment. Many reports indicate that application of microbial inoculants can influence, at least temporarily, the resident microbial communities. However, the major concern remains regarding how the impact on taxonomic groups can be related to effects on functional capabilities of the soil microbial communities. These changes could be the result of direct effects resulting from trophic competitions and antagonistic/synergic interactions with the resident microbial populations, or indirect effects mediated by enhanced root growth and exudation. Combination of inoculants will not necessarily produce an additive or synergic effect, but rather a competitive process. The extent of the inoculation impact on the subsequent crops in relation to the buffering capacity of the plant-soil-biota is still not well documented and should be the focus of future research.

Engineering microbial cell factories for the production of plant natural products: from design principles to industrial-scale production.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaonan; Ding, Wentao; Jiang, Huifeng

2017-07-19

Plant natural products (PNPs) are widely used as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, seasonings, pigments, etc., with a huge commercial value on the global market. However, most of these PNPs are still being extracted from plants. A resource-conserving and environment-friendly synthesis route for PNPs that utilizes microbial cell factories has attracted increasing attention since the 1940s. However, at the present only a handful of PNPs are being produced by microbial cell factories at an industrial scale, and there are still many challenges in their large-scale application. One of the challenges is that most biosynthetic pathways of PNPs are still unknown, which largely limits the number of candidate PNPs for heterologous microbial production. Another challenge is that the metabolic fluxes toward the target products in microbial hosts are often hindered by poor precursor supply, low catalytic activity of enzymes and obstructed product transport. Consequently, despite intensive studies on the metabolic engineering of microbial hosts, the fermentation costs of most heterologously produced PNPs are still too high for industrial-scale production. In this paper, we review several aspects of PNP production in microbial cell factories, including important design principles and recent progress in pathway mining and metabolic engineering. In addition, implemented cases of industrial-scale production of PNPs in microbial cell factories are also highlighted.

Molecular microbial ecology manual

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kowalchuk, G.A.; Bruijn, de F.J.; Head, I.M.; Akkermans, A.D.L.

2004-01-01

The field of microbial ecology has been revolutionized in the past two decades by the introduction of molecular methods into the toolbox of the microbial ecologist. This molecular arsenal has helped to unveil the enormity of microbial diversity across the breadth of the earth's ecosystems, and has

Algal and microbial exopolysaccharides: new insights as biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Paniagua-Michel, José de Jesús; Olmos-Soto, Jorge; Morales-Guerrero, Eduardo Roberto

2014-01-01

Currently, efforts are being made to utilize more natural biological systems as alternatives as a way to replace fossil forms of carbon. There is a growing concern at global level to have nontoxic, nonhazardous surface-active agents; contrary to synthetic surfactants, their biological counterparts or biosurfactants play a primary function, facilitating microbial presence in environments dominated by hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces. Algal and microbial biosurfactants/bioemulsifiers from marine and deep-sea environments are attracting major interest due to their structural and functional diversity as molecules actives of surface and an alternative biomass to replace fossil forms of carbon. Algal and microbial surfactants are lipid in nature and classified as glycolipids, phospholipids, lipopeptides, natural lipids, fatty acids, and lipopolysaccharides. These metabolic bioactive products are applicable in a number of industries and processes, viz., food processing, pharmacology, and bioremediation of oil-polluted environments. This chapter presents an update of the progress and potentialities of the principal producers of exopolysaccharide (EPS)-type biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers, viz., macro- and microalgae (cyanobacteria and diatoms) and bacteria from marine and extreme environments. Particular interest is centered into new sources and applications, viz., marine and deep-sea environments and promissory uses of these EPSs as biosurfactants/emulsifiers and other polymeric roles. The enormous benefits of these molecules encourage their discovery, exploitation, and development of new microbial EPSs that could possess novel industrial importance and corresponding innovations. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disaster risk assessment pattern in higher education centers

OpenAIRE

M. Omidvari; J. Nouri; M. Mapar

2015-01-01

Disasters are one of the most important challenges which must be considered by every management system. Higher education centers have high disaster risk because of their risk factors (existence of historical and scientific documents and resources and expensive laboratory equipment in these centers emphasizes the importance of disaster management). Moreover, the existence of young volunteers of human resources in universities urges the necessity of making these people familiar with disaster ma...

Microbial electrosynthetic cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

May, Harold D.; Marshall, Christopher W.; Labelle, Edward V.

2018-01-30

Methods are provided for microbial electrosynthesis of H.sub.2 and organic compounds such as methane and acetate. Method of producing mature electrosynthetic microbial populations by continuous culture is also provided. Microbial populations produced in accordance with the embodiments as shown to efficiently synthesize H.sub.2, methane and acetate in the presence of CO.sub.2 and a voltage potential. The production of biodegradable and renewable plastics from electricity and carbon dioxide is also disclosed.

Moving from "optimal resources" to "optimal care" at trauma centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shafi, Shahid; Rayan, Nadine; Barnes, Sunni; Fleming, Neil; Gentilello, Larry M; Ballard, David

2012-04-01

The Trauma Quality Improvement Program has shown that risk-adjusted mortality rates at some centers are nearly 50% higher than at others. This "quality gap" may be due to different clinical practices or processes of care. We have previously shown that adoption of processes called core measures by the Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does not improve outcomes of trauma patients. We hypothesized that improved compliance with trauma-specific clinical processes of care (POC) is associated with reduced in-hospital mortality. Records of a random sample of 1,000 patients admitted to a Level I trauma center who met Trauma Quality Improvement Program criteria (age ≥ 16 years and Abbreviated Injury Scale score 3) were retrospectively reviewed for compliance with 25 trauma-specific POC (T-POC) that were evidence-based or expert consensus panel recommendations. Multivariate regression was used to determine the relationship between T-POC compliance and in-hospital mortality, adjusted for age, gender, injury type, and severity. Median age was 41 years, 65% were men, 88% sustained a blunt injury, and mortality was 12%. Of these, 77% were eligible for at least one T-POC and 58% were eligible for two or more. There was wide variation in T-POC compliance. Every 10% increase in compliance was associated with a 14% reduction in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality. Unlike adoption of core measures, compliance with T-POC is associated with reduced mortality in trauma patients. Trauma centers with excess in-hospital mortality may improve patient outcomes by consistently applying T-POC. These processes should be explored for potential use as Core Trauma Center Performance Measures.

How to access and exploit natural resources sustainably: petroleum biotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherry, Angela; Andrade, Luiza; Velenturf, Anne; Christgen, Beate; Gray, Neil D; Head, Ian M

2017-09-01

As we transition from fossil fuel reliance to a new energy future, innovative microbial biotechnologies may offer new routes to maximize recovery from conventional and unconventional energy assets; as well as contributing to reduced emission pathways and new technologies for carbon capture and utilization. Here we discuss the role of microbiology in petroleum biotechnologies in relation to addressing UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 (ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns), with a focus on microbially-mediated energy recovery from unconventionals (heavy oil to methane), shale gas and fracking, bioelectrochemical systems for the production of electricity from fossil fuel resources, and innovations in synthetic biology. Furthermore, using wastes to support a more sustainable approach to fossil fuel extraction processes is considered as we undertake the move towards a more circular global economy. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Data Center Consolidation: A Step towards Infrastructure Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Markus

Application service providers face enormous challenges and rising costs in managing and operating a growing number of heterogeneous system and computing landscapes. Limitations of traditional computing environments force IT decision-makers to reorganize computing resources within the data center, as continuous growth leads to an inefficient utilization of the underlying hardware infrastructure. This paper discusses a way for infrastructure providers to improve data center operations based on the findings of a case study on resource utilization of very large business applications and presents an outlook beyond server consolidation endeavors, transforming corporate data centers into compute clouds.

Microbial conversion of food wastes for biofertilizer production with thermophilic lipolytic microbes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Shu-Hsien; Yang, Shang-Shyng [Institute of Microbiology and Biochemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, (Taiwan); Liu, Ching-Piao [Department of Biological Science and Technology, Meiho Institute of Technology, Pingtung 91201, (Taiwan)

2007-05-15

Food waste is approximately one quarter of the total garbage in Taiwan. To investigate the feasibility of microbial conversion of food waste to multiple functional biofertilizer, food waste was mixed with bulking materials, inoculated with thermophilic and lipolytic microbes and incubated at 50{sup o}C in a mechanical composter. Microbial inoculation enhanced the degradation of food wastes, increased the total nitrogen and the germination rate of alfalfa seed, shortened the maturity period and improved the quality of biofertilizer. In food waste inoculated with thermophilic and lipolytic Brevibacillus borstelensis SH168 for 28 days, total nitrogen increased from 2.01% to 2.10%, ash increased from 24.94% to 29.21%, crude fat decreased from 4.88% to 1.34% and the C/N ratio decreased from 18.02 to 17.65. Each gram of final product had a higher population of thermophilic microbes than mesophilic microbes. Microbial conversion of food waste to biofertilizer is a feasible and potential technology in the future to maintain the natural resources and to reduce the impact on environmental quality. (author)

Implementation an human resources shared services center: Multinational company strategy in fusion context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João Paulo Bittencourt

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to analyze the process of implementation and management of the Shared Services Center for Human Resources, in a multinational company in the context of mergers and acquisitions. The company analyzed was called here Alpha, and is one of the largest food companies in the country that was born of a merger between Beta and Delta in 2008. The CSC may constitute a tool for strategic management of HR that allows repositioning of the role of the area in order to be more strategic at corporate level and more profitable at the operating level. The research was based on a descriptive and exploratory study of qualitative approach. Among the results, there is the fact that shared services were strategic to support, standardize and ensure the expansion of the company. The challenges found were associated with the development of a culture of service and the relationship with users and the definition of HR activities scope. The following management procedures include the adequacy of wage differences between employees, the career path limitation and the need to attract and retain talent and international expansion.

Microbial bioinformatics 2020.

Science.gov (United States)

Pallen, Mark J

2016-09-01

Microbial bioinformatics in 2020 will remain a vibrant, creative discipline, adding value to the ever-growing flood of new sequence data, while embracing novel technologies and fresh approaches. Databases and search strategies will struggle to cope and manual curation will not be sustainable during the scale-up to the million-microbial-genome era. Microbial taxonomy will have to adapt to a situation in which most microorganisms are discovered and characterised through the analysis of sequences. Genome sequencing will become a routine approach in clinical and research laboratories, with fresh demands for interpretable user-friendly outputs. The "internet of things" will penetrate healthcare systems, so that even a piece of hospital plumbing might have its own IP address that can be integrated with pathogen genome sequences. Microbiome mania will continue, but the tide will turn from molecular barcoding towards metagenomics. Crowd-sourced analyses will collide with cloud computing, but eternal vigilance will be the price of preventing the misinterpretation and overselling of microbial sequence data. Output from hand-held sequencers will be analysed on mobile devices. Open-source training materials will address the need for the development of a skilled labour force. As we boldly go into the third decade of the twenty-first century, microbial sequence space will remain the final frontier! © 2016 The Author. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Spatial variations in microbial community composition in surface seawater from the ultra-oligotrophic center to rim of the South Pacific Gyre.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi Yin

Full Text Available Surface seawater in the South Pacific Gyre (SPG is one of the cleanest oceanic environments on earth, and the photosynthetic primary production is extremely low. Despite the ecological significance of the largest aquatic desert on our planet, microbial community composition in the ultra-oligotrophic seawater remain largely unknown. In this study, we collected surface seawater along a southern transect of the SPG during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP Expedition 329. Samples from four distinct sites (Sites U1368, U1369, U1370 and U1371 were examined, representing ~5400 kilometers of transect line from the gyre heart to the edge area. Real-time PCR analysis showed 16S rRNA gene abundance in the gyre seawater, ranging from 5.96×10(5 to 2.55×10(6 copies ml(-1 for Bacteria and 1.17×10(3 to 1.90×10(4 copies ml(-1 for Archaea. The results obtained by statistic analyses of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed the community composition in the southern SPG area: diversity richness estimators in the gyre center (Sites U1368 & U1369 are generally lower than those at sites in the gyre edge (Sites U1370 & U1371 and their community structures are clearly distinguishable. Phylogenetic analysis showed the predominance of Proteobacteria (especially Alphaproteobacteria and Cyanobacteria in bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, whereas phylotypes of Betaproteobacteria were only detected in the central gyre. Archaeal 16S rRNA genes in the clone libraries were predominated by the sequences of Marine Group II within the Euryarchaeota, and the Crenarchaeota sequences were rarely detected, which is consistent with the real-time PCR data (only 9.9 to 22.1 copies ml(-1. We also performed cultivation of heterotrophic microbes onboard, resulting in 18.9% of phylogenetically distinct bacterial isolates at least at the species level. Our results suggest that the distribution and diversity of microbial communities in the SPG surface seawater are closely

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Diesel Vehicles Using Biodiesel

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Biodiesel Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center : Diesel Vehicles Using Biodiesel to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Diesel Vehicles Using Biodiesel on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Diesel Vehicles Using Biodiesel

[Engineering issues of microbial ecology in space agriculture].

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Masamichi; Ishikawa, Yoji; Oshima, Tairo

2005-03-01

how to conduct preventive maintenance for keeping cultivating soil healthy and productive. 3) Does microbial ecology contribute to building sustainable and expandable human habitation by utilizing the on site extraterrestrial resources? We are assessing technical feasibility of converting regolith to farming soil and structural materials for space agriculture. In the case of Mars habitation, carbon dioxide and a trace amount of nitrogen in atmosphere, and potassium and phosphor in minerals are the sources we consider. Excess oxygen can be accumulated by woods cultivation and their use for lumber. 4) Is the operation of space agriculture robust and safe, if it adopts hyper-thermophilic aerobic microbial ecology? Any ecological system is complex and non-linear, and shows latency and memory effects in its response. It is highly important to understand those features to design and operate space agriculture without falling into the fatal failure. Assessment should be made on the microbial safety and preparation of the preventive measures to eliminate negative elements that would either retard agricultural production or harm the healthy environment. It is worth to mention that such space agriculture would be an effective engineering testbed to solve the global problem on energy and environment. Mars and Moon exploration itself is a good advocate of healthy curiosity expressed by the sustainable civilization of our humankind. We propose to work together towards Mars and Moon with microbial ecology to assure pleasant habitation there.

Development and Demise of a Women's Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Liss, Lora

The formation, development, and demise of a women's center in suburban New York are described. The women's center resulted from a conference designed to assess problems confronting women and to mobilize resources to meet those problems. However, after the formation of the center, a struggle for leadership and conflicts over the values and beliefs…

ALTERNATIVE MICROBIAL INDICATORS OF FAECAL POLLUTION: CURRENT PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. K. Tyagi, A. K. Chopra, A. A. Kazmi, Arvind Kumar

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Worldwide coliform bacteria are used as indicators of fecal contamination and hence, the possible presence of disease causing organisms. Therefore, it is important to understand the potential and limitations of these indicator organisms before realistically implementing guidelines and regulations to safeguard our water resources and public health. This review addresses the limitations of current faecal indicator microorganisms and proposed significant alternative microbial indicators of water and wastewater quality. The relevant literature brings out four such significant microbial water pollution indicators and the study of these indicators will reveal the total spectrum of water borne pathogens. As E.coli and enterococci indicates the presence of bacterial pathogens, Coliphages indicate the presence of enteric viruses, and Clostridium perfringens, an obligate anaerobe, indicates presence of parasitic protozoan and enteric viruses. Therefore, monitoring a suite of indicator organisms in reclaimed effluent is more likely to be predictive of the presence of certain pathogens in order to protect public health, as no single indicator is most highly predictive of membership in the presence or absence category for pathogens.

To what extent do food preferences explain the trophic position of heterotrophic and mixotrophic microbial consumers in a Sphagnum peatland?

Science.gov (United States)

Jassey, Vincent E J; Meyer, Caroline; Dupuy, Christine; Bernard, Nadine; Mitchell, Edward A D; Toussaint, Marie-Laure; Metian, Marc; Chatelain, Auriel P; Gilbert, Daniel

2013-10-01

Although microorganisms are the primary drivers of biogeochemical cycles, the structure and functioning of microbial food webs are poorly studied. This is the case in Sphagnum peatlands, where microbial communities play a key role in the global carbon cycle. Here, we explored the structure of the microbial food web from a Sphagnum peatland by analyzing (1) the density and biomass of different microbial functional groups, (2) the natural stable isotope (δ(13)C and δ(15)N) signatures of key microbial consumers (testate amoebae), and (3) the digestive vacuole contents of Hyalosphenia papilio, the dominant testate amoeba species in our system. Our results showed that the feeding type of testate amoeba species (bacterivory, algivory, or both) translates into their trophic position as assessed by isotopic signatures. Our study further demonstrates, for H. papilio, the energetic benefits of mixotrophy when the density of its preferential prey is low. Overall, our results show that testate amoebae occupy different trophic levels within the microbial food web, depending on their feeding behavior, the density of their food resources, and their metabolism (i.e., mixotrophy vs. heterotrophy). Combined analyses of predation, community structure, and stable isotopes now allow the structure of microbial food webs to be more completely described, which should lead to improved models of microbial community function.

VT County National Resources Inventory Data 1982-1997

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Vermont Center for Geographic Information — (Link to Metadata) This collection provides tabular USDA - Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), National Resources Inventory (NRI) data (1982-1997), by...

Networking at NASA. Johnson Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Garman, John R.

1991-01-01

A series of viewgraphs on computer networks at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) are given. Topics covered include information resource management (IRM) at JSC, the IRM budget by NASA center, networks evolution, networking as a strategic tool, the Information Services Directorate charter, and SSC network requirements, challenges, and status.

Genome-Based Microbial Taxonomy Coming of Age.

Science.gov (United States)

Hugenholtz, Philip; Skarshewski, Adam; Parks, Donovan H

2016-06-01

Reconstructing the complete evolutionary history of extant life on our planet will be one of the most fundamental accomplishments of scientific endeavor, akin to the completion of the periodic table, which revolutionized chemistry. The road to this goal is via comparative genomics because genomes are our most comprehensive and objective evolutionary documents. The genomes of plant and animal species have been systematically targeted over the past decade to provide coverage of the tree of life. However, multicellular organisms only emerged in the last 550 million years of more than three billion years of biological evolution and thus comprise a small fraction of total biological diversity. The bulk of biodiversity, both past and present, is microbial. We have only scratched the surface in our understanding of the microbial world, as most microorganisms cannot be readily grown in the laboratory and remain unknown to science. Ground-breaking, culture-independent molecular techniques developed over the past 30 years have opened the door to this so-called microbial dark matter with an accelerating momentum driven by exponential increases in sequencing capacity. We are on the verge of obtaining representative genomes across all life for the first time. However, historical use of morphology, biochemical properties, behavioral traits, and single-marker genes to infer organismal relationships mean that the existing highly incomplete tree is riddled with taxonomic errors. Concerted efforts are now needed to synthesize and integrate the burgeoning genomic data resources into a coherent universal tree of life and genome-based taxonomy. Copyright © 2016 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

11 Soil Microbial Biomass

African Journals Online (AJOL)

186–198. Insam H. (1990). Are the soil microbial biomass and basal respiration governed by the climatic regime? Soil. Biol. Biochem. 22: 525–532. Insam H. D. and Domsch K. H. (1989). Influence of microclimate on soil microbial biomass. Soil Biol. Biochem. 21: 211–21. Jenkinson D. S. (1988). Determination of microbial.

HSIP Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) in New Mexico

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) in New Mexico "The physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support domestic incident...

MBGD update 2013: the microbial genome database for exploring the diversity of microbial world.

Science.gov (United States)

Uchiyama, Ikuo; Mihara, Motohiro; Nishide, Hiroyo; Chiba, Hirokazu

2013-01-01

The microbial genome database for comparative analysis (MBGD, available at http://mbgd.genome.ad.jp/) is a platform for microbial genome comparison based on orthology analysis. As its unique feature, MBGD allows users to conduct orthology analysis among any specified set of organisms; this flexibility allows MBGD to adapt to a variety of microbial genomic study. Reflecting the huge diversity of microbial world, the number of microbial genome projects now becomes several thousands. To efficiently explore the diversity of the entire microbial genomic data, MBGD now provides summary pages for pre-calculated ortholog tables among various taxonomic groups. For some closely related taxa, MBGD also provides the conserved synteny information (core genome alignment) pre-calculated using the CoreAligner program. In addition, efficient incremental updating procedure can create extended ortholog table by adding additional genomes to the default ortholog table generated from the representative set of genomes. Combining with the functionalities of the dynamic orthology calculation of any specified set of organisms, MBGD is an efficient and flexible tool for exploring the microbial genome diversity.

Microbial ecology of terrestrial Antarctica: Are microbial systems at risk from human activities?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, G.J.

1996-08-01

Many of the ecological systems found in continental Antarctica are comprised entirely of microbial species. Concerns have arisen that these microbial systems might be at risk either directly through the actions of humans or indirectly through increased competition from introduced species. Although protection of native biota is covered by the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, strict measures for preventing the introduction on non-native species or for protecting microbial habitats may be impractical. This report summarizes the research conducted to date on microbial ecosystems in continental Antarctica and discusses the need for protecting these ecosystems. The focus is on communities inhabiting soil and rock surfaces in non-coastal areas of continental Antarctica. Although current polices regarding waste management and other operations in Antarctic research stations serve to reduce the introduction on non- native microbial species, importation cannot be eliminated entirely. Increased awareness of microbial habitats by field personnel and protection of certain unique habitats from physical destruction by humans may be necessary. At present, small-scale impacts from human activities are occurring in certain areas both in terms of introduced species and destruction of habitat. On a large scale, however, it is questionable whether the introduction of non-native microbial species to terrestrial Antarctica merits concern.

The influence of stents on microbial colonization of the airway in children after slide tracheoplasty: a 14-year single-center experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijnberg, Friso M; Butler, Colin R; Speggiorin, Simone; Fierens, Anja; Wallis, Colin; Nouraei, Reza; McLaren, Clare A; Roebuck, Derek J; Hewitt, Richard; Elliott, Martin J

2015-01-01

This study describes the microbial colonization profile of the airway in children after slide tracheoplasty (STP) with and without stents, and compares colonization to children undergoing cardiothoracic surgical procedures without airway related disease. A 14-year retrospective single case note review was performed on patients undergoing STP and stent insertion. Nose and throat (NT) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens were analyzed for microbial profile and expressed as cumulative mean microorganisms per patient (MMP). Forty-three patients (median age ± SD 15.02 ± 31.76 months) underwent STP and 141 patients underwent cardiothoracic but no airway surgery (median age ± SD 31.7 ± 47.2 months). Sixteen patients required a stent after STP. One-hundred seventy-two positive microbial specimens were identified. The predominant 6 microorganisms were (1) Staphylococcus aureus; (2) Pseudomonas aeruginosa; (3) Haemophilus influenzae not type B; (4) Coliforms; (5) Streptococcus pneumoniae; and (6) Candida Albicans, and accounted for 128 (74%) of all positive specimens found. Children with stents had more MMP compared to children without stents after STP [4.06 ± 2.38 and 2.04 ± 2.24 MMP (P stents had more microbial colonization of their lower respiratory tract compared to their upper respiratory tract (3.36 ± 2.02 and 1.36 ± 0.93 MMP (P stents compared to children without stents after STP [0.5 and 0.15 MMP (P stents to be a significant risk factor for microbial colonization of the airway in children. More specifically airway stents appear to increase colonization in the distal airway, which appears unrelated to that of the upper respiratory tract. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Budget, & Performance VA Center for Innovation (VACI) Agency Financial Report (AFR) Budget Submission Recovery Act Resources Business Congressional Affairs Jobs Benefits Booklet Data & Statistics ...

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Organizations History Budget and Performance VA Plans, Budget, & Performance VA Center for Innovation (VACI) Agency Financial Report (AFR) Budget Submission Recovery Act Resources Business ...

Patient centered integrated clinical resource management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofdijk, Jacob

2011-01-01

The impact of funding systems on the IT systems of providers has been enormous and have prevented the implementation of designs to focused on the health issue of patients. The paradigm shift the Dutch Ministry of Health has taken in funding health care has a remarkable impact on the orientation of IT systems design. Since 2007 the next step is taken: the application of the funding concept on chronic diseases using clinical standards as the norm. The focus on prevention involves the patient as an active partner in the care plan. The impact of the new dimension in funding has initiated a process directed to the development of systems to support collaborative working and an active involvement of the patient and its informal carers. This national approach will be presented to assess its international potential, as all countries face the long term care crisis lacking resources to meet the health needs of the population.

The Counseling Center: An Undervalued Resource in Recruitment, Retention, and Risk Management

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, John B.

2010-01-01

A primary responsibility for directors of college and university counseling centers is to explain to various audiences the multiple ways such units are of value to their institutions. This article reviews the history of how counseling center directors have been encouraged to develop and describe the work of their centers. Often overlooked are the…

Microbial production strategies and applications of lycopene and other terpenoids.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Tian; Deng, Zixin; Liu, Tiangang

2016-01-01

Terpenoids are a large class of compounds that have far-reaching applications and economic value, particularly those most commonly found in plants; however, the extraction and synthesis of these compounds is often expensive and technically challenging. Recent advances in microbial metabolic engineering comprise a breakthrough that may enable the efficient, cost-effective production of these limited natural resources. Via the engineering of safe, industrial microorganisms that encode product-specific enzymes, and even entire metabolic pathways of interest, microbial-derived semisynthetic terpenoids may soon replace plant-derived terpenoids as the primary source of these valuable compounds. Indeed, the recent metabolic engineering of an Escherichia coli strain that produces the precursor to lycopene, a commercially and medically important compound, with higher yields than those in tomato plants serves as a successful example. Here, we review the recent developments in the metabolic engineering of microbes for the production of certain terpenoid compounds, particularly lycopene, which has been increasingly used in pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, and cosmetics. Furthermore, we summarize the metabolic engineering strategies used to achieve successful microbial production of some similar compounds. Based on this overview, there is a reason to believe that metabolic engineering comprises an optimal approach for increasing the production of lycopene and other terpenoids.

Microbial diversity in European alpine permafrost and active layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Frey, Beat; Rime, Thomas; Phillips, Marcia; Stierli, Beat; Hajdas, Irka; Widmer, Franco; Hartmann, Martin

2016-03-01

Permafrost represents a largely understudied genetic resource. Thawing of permafrost with global warming will not only promote microbial carbon turnover with direct feedback on greenhouse gases, but also unlock an unknown microbial diversity. Pioneering metagenomic efforts have shed light on the permafrost microbiome in polar regions, but temperate mountain permafrost is largely understudied. We applied a unique experimental design coupled to high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal markers to characterize the microbiota at the long-term alpine permafrost study site 'Muot-da-Barba-Peider' in eastern Switzerland with an approximate radiocarbon age of 12 000 years. Compared to the active layers, the permafrost community was more diverse and enriched with members of the superphylum Patescibacteria (OD1, TM7, GN02 and OP11). These understudied phyla with no cultured representatives proposedly feature small streamlined genomes with reduced metabolic capabilities, adaptations to anaerobic fermentative metabolisms and potential ectosymbiotic lifestyles. The permafrost microbiota was also enriched with yeasts and lichenized fungi known to harbour various structural and functional adaptation mechanisms to survive under extreme sub-zero conditions. These data yield an unprecedented view on microbial life in temperate mountain permafrost, which is increasingly important for understanding the biological dynamics of permafrost in order to anticipate potential ecological trajectories in a warming world. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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Full Text Available ... Budget, & Performance VA Center for Innovation (VACI) Agency Financial Report (AFR) Budget Submission Recovery Act Resources Business Congressional Affairs Jobs Benefits Booklet Data & Statistics VA ...

Handbook on data centers

CERN Document Server

Khan, Samee Ullah

2015-01-01

This handbook offers a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research achievements in the field of data centers. Contributions from international, leading researchers and scholars offer topics in cloud computing, virtualization in data centers, energy efficient data centers, and next generation data center architecture.  It also comprises current research trends in emerging areas, such as data security, data protection management, and network resource management in data centers. Specific attention is devoted to industry needs associated with the challenges faced by data centers, such as various power, cooling, floor space, and associated environmental health and safety issues, while still working to support growth without disrupting quality of service. The contributions cut across various IT data technology domains as a single source to discuss the interdependencies that need to be supported to enable a virtualized, next-generation, energy efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly data cente...

The Biomedical Resource Ontology (BRO) to enable resource discovery in clinical and translational research.

Science.gov (United States)

Tenenbaum, Jessica D; Whetzel, Patricia L; Anderson, Kent; Borromeo, Charles D; Dinov, Ivo D; Gabriel, Davera; Kirschner, Beth; Mirel, Barbara; Morris, Tim; Noy, Natasha; Nyulas, Csongor; Rubenson, David; Saxman, Paul R; Singh, Harpreet; Whelan, Nancy; Wright, Zach; Athey, Brian D; Becich, Michael J; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S; Musen, Mark A; Smith, Kevin A; Tarantal, Alice F; Rubin, Daniel L; Lyster, Peter

2011-02-01

The biomedical research community relies on a diverse set of resources, both within their own institutions and at other research centers. In addition, an increasing number of shared electronic resources have been developed. Without effective means to locate and query these resources, it is challenging, if not impossible, for investigators to be aware of the myriad resources available, or to effectively perform resource discovery when the need arises. In this paper, we describe the development and use of the Biomedical Resource Ontology (BRO) to enable semantic annotation and discovery of biomedical resources. We also describe the Resource Discovery System (RDS) which is a federated, inter-institutional pilot project that uses the BRO to facilitate resource discovery on the Internet. Through the RDS framework and its associated Biositemaps infrastructure, the BRO facilitates semantic search and discovery of biomedical resources, breaking down barriers and streamlining scientific research that will improve human health. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center-Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Janice S.

2010-01-01

The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) facility focused on providing science and imagery to better understand our Earth. As part of the USGS Geography Discipline, EROS contributes to the Land Remote Sensing (LRS) Program, the Geographic Analysis and Monitoring (GAM) Program, and the National Geospatial Program (NGP), as well as our Federal partners and cooperators. The work of the Center is shaped by the Earth sciences, the missions of our stakeholders, and implemented through strong program and project management and application of state-of-the-art information technologies. Fundamentally, EROS contributes to the understanding of a changing Earth through 'research to operations' activities that include developing, implementing, and operating remote sensing based terrestrial monitoring capabilities needed to address interdisciplinary science and applications objectives at all levels-both nationally and internationally. The Center's programs and projects continually strive to meet and/or exceed the changing needs of the USGS, the Department of the Interior, our Nation, and international constituents. The Center's multidisciplinary staff uses their unique expertise in remote sensing science and technologies to conduct basic and applied research, data acquisition, systems engineering, information access and management, and archive preservation to address the Nation's most critical needs. Of particular note is the role of EROS as the primary provider of Landsat data, the longest comprehensive global land Earth observation record ever collected. This report is intended to provide an overview of the scientific and engineering achievements and illustrate the range and scope of the activities and accomplishments at EROS throughout fiscal year (FY) 2009. Additional information concerning the scientific, engineering, and operational achievements can be obtained from the scientific papers and other documents published by

Analysis of stability to cheaters in models of antibiotic degrading microbial communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Szilágyi, András; Boza, Gergely; Scheuring, István

2017-06-21

Antibiotic resistance carried out by antibiotic degradation has been suggested recently as a new mechanism to maintain coexistence of microbial species competing on a single limiting resource, even in well-mixed homogeneous environments. Species diversity and community stability, however, critically depend on resistance against social cheaters, mutants that do not invest in production, but still enjoy the benefits provided by others. Here we investigate how different mutant cheaters affect the stability of antibiotic producing and degrading microbial communities. We consider two cheater types, production and degradation cheaters. We generalize the mixed inhibition-zone and chemostat models introduced previously [Kelsic, E. D., Zhao, J., Vetsigian, K., Kishony, R., 2015. Counteraction of an tibiotic production and degradation stabilizes microbial communities. Nature521, 516-519.] to study the population dynamics of microbial communities in well-mixed environment, and analyze the invasion of different cheaters in these models. We show that production cheaters, mutants that cease producing antibiotics, always destroy coexistence whenever there is a cost of producing these antibiotics. Degradation cheaters, mutants that loose their function of producing extracellular antibiotic degrading molecules, induce community collapse only if the cost of producing the degradation factors is above a critical level. Our analytical studies, supported by numerical simulations, highlight the sensitivity of antibiotic producing and degrading communities to loss-of-function mutants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of Metabolism Function of Microbial Community of Corpses by Biolog-Eco Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, X Y; Wang, J F; Zhu, G H; Ma, M Y; Lai, Y; Zhou, H

2016-06-01

To detect the changes of microbial community functional diversity of corpses with different postmortem interval （PMI） and to evaluate forensic application value for estimating PMI. The cultivation of microbial community from the anal swabs of a Sus scrofa and a human corpse placed in field environment from 0 to 240 h after death was performed using the Biolog-Eco Microplate and the variations of the absorbance values were also monitored. Combined with the technology of forensic pathology and flies succession, the metabolic characteristics and changes of microbial community on the decomposed corpse under natural environment were also observed. The diversity of microbial metabolism function was found to be negatively correlated with the number of maggots in the corpses. The freezing processing had the greatest impact on average well color development value at 0 h and the impact almost disappeared after 48 h. The diversity of microbial metabolism of the samples became relatively unstable after 192 h. The principal component analysis showed that 31 carbon sources could be consolidated for 5 principal components （accumulative contribution ratio >90%）.The carbon source tsquare-analysis showed that N -acetyl- D -glucosamine and L -serine were the dominant carbon sources for estimating the PMI （0=240 h） of the Sus scrofa and human corpse. The Biolog-Eco method can be used to reveal the metabolic differences of the carbon resources utilization of the microbial community on the corpses during 0-240 h after death, which could provide a new basis for estimating the PMI. Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine

The utilization of microbial inoculants based on irradiated compost in dryland remediation to increase the growth of king grass and maize

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TRD Larasati; N Mulyana; D Sudradjat

2016-01-01

This research was conducted to evaluate the capability of functional microbial inoculants to remediate drylands. The microbial inoculants used consist of hydrocarbon-degrading microbial inoculants and plant-growth-promoting microbial inoculants. Compost-based carrier was sterilized by a gamma irradiation dose of 25 kGy to prepare seed inoculants. The irradiated-compost-based hydrocarbon-degrading microbial inoculants and king grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.) were used to remediate oil-sludge-contaminated soil using in-situ composting for 60 days. The results showed that they could reduce THP (total petroleum hydrocarbons) by up to 82.23%. Plant-growth-promoting microbial inoculants were able to increase the dry weight of king grass from 47.39 to 100.66 g/plant, N uptake from 415.53 to 913.67 mg/plant, and P uptake from 76.52 to 178.33 mg/plant. Cow dung and irradiated-compost-based plant-growth-promoting microbial inoculants were able to increase the dry weight of maize (Zea mays L.) from 5.75 to 6.63 ton/ha (12.54%) and dry weight of grain potential from 5.30 to 7.15 ton/ha (35.03%). The results indicate that irradiated-compost-based microbial inoculants are suitable for remediating a dryland and therefore increase potential resources and improve the quality of the environment. (author)

GapMap: Enabling Comprehensive Autism Resource Epidemiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, Nikhila; Daniels, Jena; Schwartz, Jessey; Du, Michael; Wall, Dennis P

2017-05-04

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), finding resources can be a lengthy and difficult process. The difficulty in obtaining global, fine-grained autism epidemiological data hinders researchers from quickly and efficiently studying large-scale correlations among ASD, environmental factors, and geographical and cultural factors. The objective of this study was to define resource load and resource availability for families affected by autism and subsequently create a platform to enable a more accurate representation of prevalence rates and resource epidemiology. We created a mobile application, GapMap, to collect locational, diagnostic, and resource use information from individuals with autism to compute accurate prevalence rates and better understand autism resource epidemiology. GapMap is hosted on AWS S3, running on a React and Redux front-end framework. The backend framework is comprised of an AWS API Gateway and Lambda Function setup, with secure and scalable end points for retrieving prevalence and resource data, and for submitting participant data. Measures of autism resource scarcity, including resource load, resource availability, and resource gaps were defined and preliminarily computed using simulated or scraped data. The average distance from an individual in the United States to the nearest diagnostic center is approximately 182 km (50 miles), with a standard deviation of 235 km (146 miles). The average distance from an individual with ASD to the nearest diagnostic center, however, is only 32 km (20 miles), suggesting that individuals who live closer to diagnostic services are more likely to be diagnosed. This study confirmed that individuals closer to diagnostic services are more likely to be diagnosed and proposes GapMap, a means to measure and enable the alleviation of increasingly overburdened diagnostic centers and resource-poor areas where parents are unable to diagnose their children as quickly and easily as needed. GapMap will

Fish bone foreign body presenting with an acute fulminating retropharyngeal abscess in a resource-challenged center: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oyewole Ezekiel O

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction A retropharyngeal abscess is a potentially life-threatening infection in the deep space of the neck, which can compromise the airway. Its management requires highly specialized care, including surgery and intensive care, to reduce mortality. This is the first case of a gas-forming abscess reported from this region, but not the first such report in the literature. Case presentation We present a case of a 16-month-old Yoruba baby girl with a gas-forming retropharyngeal abscess secondary to fish bone foreign body with laryngeal spasm that was managed in the recovery room. We highlight specific problems encountered in the management of this case in a resource-challenged center such as ours. Conclusion We describe an unusual presentation of a gas-forming organism causing a retropharyngeal abscess in a child. The patient's condition was treated despite the challenges of inadequate resources for its management. We recommend early recognition through adequate evaluation of any oropharyngeal injuries or infection and early referral to the specialist with prompt surgical intervention.

Engaging Community Stakeholders to Evaluate the Design, Usability, and Acceptability of a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Social Media Resource Center

Science.gov (United States)

Chaney, Beth; Chaney, Don; Paige, Samantha; Payne-Purvis, Caroline; Tennant, Bethany; Walsh-Childers, Kim; Sriram, PS; Alber, Julia

2015-01-01

Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often report inadequate access to comprehensive patient education resources. Objective The purpose of this study was to incorporate community-engagement principles within a mixed-method research design to evaluate the usability and acceptability of a self-tailored social media resource center for medically underserved patients with COPD. Methods A multiphase sequential design (qual → QUANT → quant + QUAL) was incorporated into the current study, whereby a small-scale qualitative (qual) study informed the design of a social media website prototype that was tested with patients during a computer-based usability study (QUANT). To identify usability violations and determine whether or not patients found the website prototype acceptable for use, each patient was asked to complete an 18-item website usability and acceptability questionnaire, as well as a retrospective, in-depth, semistructured interview (quant + QUAL). Results The majority of medically underserved patients with COPD (n=8, mean 56 years, SD 7) found the social media website prototype to be easy to navigate and relevant to their self-management information needs. Mean responses on the 18-item website usability and acceptability questionnaire were very high on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) (mean 4.72, SD 0.33). However, the majority of patients identified several usability violations related to the prototype’s information design, interactive capabilities, and navigational structure. Specifically, 6 out of 8 (75%) patients struggled to create a log-in account to access the prototype, and 7 out of 8 patients (88%) experienced difficulty posting and replying to comments on an interactive discussion forum. Conclusions Patient perceptions of most social media website prototype features (eg, clickable picture-based screenshots of videos, comment tools) were largely positive. Mixed-method stakeholder feedback was

Biotechnological Production of Organic Acids from Renewable Resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Pleissner, Daniel; Dietz, Donna; van Duuren, Jozef Bernhard Johann Henri; Wittmann, Christoph; Yang, Xiaofeng; Lin, Carol Sze Ki; Venus, Joachim

2017-03-07

Biotechnological processes are promising alternatives to petrochemical routes for overcoming the challenges of resource depletion in the future in a sustainable way. The strategies of white biotechnology allow the utilization of inexpensive and renewable resources for the production of a broad range of bio-based compounds. Renewable resources, such as agricultural residues or residues from food production, are produced in large amounts have been shown to be promising carbon and/or nitrogen sources. This chapter focuses on the biotechnological production of lactic acid, acrylic acid, succinic acid, muconic acid, and lactobionic acid from renewable residues, these products being used as monomers for bio-based material and/or as food supplements. These five acids have high economic values and the potential to overcome the "valley of death" between laboratory/pilot scale and commercial/industrial scale. This chapter also provides an overview of the production strategies, including microbial strain development, used to convert renewable resources into value-added products.

Climate Prediction Center - Outlooks

Science.gov (United States)

Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Center Home Site Map News Web resources and services. HOME > Outreach > Publications > Climate Diagnostics Bulletin Climate Diagnostics Bulletin - Tropics Climate Diagnostics Bulletin - Forecast Climate Diagnostics

Water-resources and land-surface deformation evaluation studies at Fort Irwin National Training Center, Mojave Desert, California

Science.gov (United States)

Densmore-Judy, Jill; Dishart, Justine E.; Miller, David; Buesch, David C.; Ball, Lyndsay B.; Bedrosian, Paul A.; Woolfenden, Linda R.; Cromwell, Geoffrey; Burgess, Matthew K.; Nawikas, Joseph; O'Leary, David; Kjos, Adam; Sneed, Michelle; Brandt, Justin

2017-01-01

The U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), in the Mojave Desert, obtains all of its potable water supply from three groundwater basins (Irwin, Langford, and Bicycle) within the NTC boundaries (fig. 1; California Department of Water Resources, 2003). Because of increasing water demands at the NTC, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army, completed several studies to evaluate water resources in the developed and undeveloped groundwater basins underlying the NTC. In all of the developed basins, groundwater withdrawals exceed natural recharge, resulting in water-level declines. However, artificial recharge of treated wastewater has had some success in offsetting water-level declines in Irwin Basin. Additionally, localized water-quality changes have occurred in some parts of Irwin Basin as a result of human activities (i.e., wastewater disposal practices, landscape irrigation, and/or leaking pipes). As part of the multi-faceted NTC-wide studies, traditional datacollection methods were used and include lithological and geophysical logging at newly drilled boreholes, hydrologic data collection (i.e. water-level, water-quality, aquifer tests, wellbore flow). Because these data cover a small portion of the 1,177 square-mile (mi2 ) NTC, regional mapping, including geologic, gravity, aeromagnetic, and InSAR, also were done. In addition, ground and airborne electromagnetic surveys were completed and analyzed to provide more detailed subsurface information on a regional, base-wide scale. The traditional and regional ground and airborne data are being analyzed and will be used to help develop preliminary hydrogeologic framework and groundwater-flow models in all basins. This report is intended to provide an overview of recent water-resources and land-surface deformation studies at the NTC.

A preliminary and qualitative study of resource ratio theory to nitrifying lab-scale bioreactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellucci, Micol; Ofiţeru, Irina D; Beneduce, Luciano; Graham, David W; Head, Ian M; Curtis, Thomas P

2015-05-01

The incorporation of microbial diversity in design would ideally require predictive theory that would relate operational parameters to the numbers and distribution of taxa. Resource ratio-theory (RRT) might be one such theory. Based on Monod kinetics, it explains diversity in function of resource-ratio and richness. However, to be usable in biological engineered system, the growth parameters of all the bacteria under consideration and the resource supply and diffusion parameters for all the relevant nutrients should be determined. This is challenging, but plausible, at least for low diversity groups with simple resource requirements like the ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). One of the major successes of RRT was its ability to explain the 'paradox of enrichment' which states that diversity first increases and then decreases with resource richness. Here, we demonstrate that this pattern can be seen in lab-scale-activated sludge reactors and parallel simulations that incorporate the principles of RRT in a floc-based system. High and low ammonia and oxygen were supplied to continuous flow bioreactors with resource conditions correlating with the composition and diversity of resident AOB communities based on AOB 16S rDNA clone libraries. Neither the experimental work nor the simulations are definitive proof for the application of RRT in this context. However, it is sufficient evidence that such approach might work and justify a more rigorous investigation. © 2015 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Ten years of maintaining and expanding a microbial genome and metagenome analysis system.

Science.gov (United States)

Markowitz, Victor M; Chen, I-Min A; Chu, Ken; Pati, Amrita; Ivanova, Natalia N; Kyrpides, Nikos C

2015-11-01

Launched in March 2005, the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) system is a comprehensive data management system that supports multidimensional comparative analysis of genomic data. At the core of the IMG system is a data warehouse that contains genome and metagenome datasets sequenced at the Joint Genome Institute or provided by scientific users, as well as public genome datasets available at the National Center for Biotechnology Information Genbank sequence data archive. Genomes and metagenome datasets are processed using IMG's microbial genome and metagenome sequence data processing pipelines and are integrated into the data warehouse using IMG's data integration toolkits. Microbial genome and metagenome application specific data marts and user interfaces provide access to different subsets of IMG's data and analysis toolkits. This review article revisits IMG's original aims, highlights key milestones reached by the system during the past 10 years, and discusses the main challenges faced by a rapidly expanding system, in particular the complexity of maintaining such a system in an academic setting with limited budgets and computing and data management infrastructure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Establish and manage a National Resource Center for plutonium, Quarterly report, April 1, 1995--June 30, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulder, R.

1995-06-27

The initial phase of the Plutonium Information Resource is well under way. Board members developed linkages with Russian scientists and engineers and obtained names of technical team members. Nuclear proposals were reviewed by the Nuclear Review Group, and the proposals were modified to incorporate the review group`s comments. Portions of the proposals were approved by the Governing Board. Proposals for education and outreach were reviewed by the Education Proposal Review Group, considered by the Governing Board and approved. The Senior Technical Review Group met to consider the R&D programs associated with fissile materials disposal. A newsletter was published. Progress continued on the high explosives demonstration project, on site-specific environmental work, and the multiattribute utility analysis. Center offices in Amarillo were furnished, equipment was purchased, and the lease was modified.

[Establish and manage a National Resource Center for plutonium, Quarterly report, April 1, 1995--June 30, 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulder, R.

1995-01-01

The initial phase of the Plutonium Information Resource is well under way. Board members developed linkages with Russian scientists and engineers and obtained names of technical team members. Nuclear proposals were reviewed by the Nuclear Review Group, and the proposals were modified to incorporate the review group's comments. Portions of the proposals were approved by the Governing Board. Proposals for education and outreach were reviewed by the Education Proposal Review Group, considered by the Governing Board and approved. The Senior Technical Review Group met to consider the R ampersand D programs associated with fissile materials disposal. A newsletter was published. Progress continued on the high explosives demonstration project, on site-specific environmental work, and the multiattribute utility analysis. Center offices in Amarillo were furnished, equipment was purchased, and the lease was modified

Climate Prediction Center - The ENSO Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Center Home Site Map News Web resources and services. HOME > El Niño/La Niña > The ENSO Cycle ENSO Cycle Banner Climate for Weather and Climate Prediction Climate Prediction Center 5830 University Research Court College

Biotechnological Aspects of Microbial Extracellular Electron Transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Souichiro

2015-01-01

Extracellular electron transfer (EET) is a type of microbial respiration that enables electron transfer between microbial cells and extracellular solid materials, including naturally-occurring metal compounds and artificial electrodes. Microorganisms harboring EET abilities have received considerable attention for their various biotechnological applications, in addition to their contribution to global energy and material cycles. In this review, current knowledge on microbial EET and its application to diverse biotechnologies, including the bioremediation of toxic metals, recovery of useful metals, biocorrosion, and microbial electrochemical systems (microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis), were introduced. Two potential biotechnologies based on microbial EET, namely the electrochemical control of microbial metabolism and electrochemical stimulation of microbial symbiotic reactions (electric syntrophy), were also discussed. PMID:26004795

A theoretical reassessment of microbial maintenance and implications for microbial ecology modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gangsheng; Post, Wilfred M

2012-09-01

We attempted to reconcile three microbial maintenance models (Herbert, Pirt, and Compromise) through a theoretical reassessment. We provided a rigorous proof that the true growth yield coefficient (Y(G)) is the ratio of the specific maintenance rate (a in Herbert) to the maintenance coefficient (m in Pirt). Other findings from this study include: (1) the Compromise model is identical to the Herbert for computing microbial growth and substrate consumption, but it expresses the dependence of maintenance on both microbial biomass and substrate; (2) the maximum specific growth rate in the Herbert (μ(max,H)) is higher than those in the other two models (μ(max,P) and μ(max,C)), and the difference is the physiological maintenance factor (m(q) = a); and (3) the overall maintenance coefficient (m(T)) is more sensitive to m(q) than to the specific growth rate (μ(G)) and Y(G). Our critical reassessment of microbial maintenance provides a new approach for quantifying some important components in soil microbial ecology models. © This article is a US government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Research Progress of Hydrogen Production fromOrganic Wastes in Microbial Electrolysis Cell(MEC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YU Yin-sheng

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Microbial electrolysis cell(MECtechnology as an emerging technology, has achieved the target of hydrogen production from different substrates such as waste water, forestry wastes, activated sludge by simultaneous enzymolysis and fermentation, which can effectively improve the efficiency of resource utilization. This paper described the working principle of MEC and analyzed these factors influencing the process of hydrogen production from organic waste in MEC.

Resources and Operations Section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgess, R.L.

1978-01-01

Progress is reported on the data resources group with regard to numeric information support; IBP data center; and geoecology project. Systems ecology studies consisted of nonlinear analysis-time delays in a host-parasite model; dispersal of seeds by animals; three-dimensional computer graphics in ecology; spatial heterogeneity in ecosystems; and analysis of forest structure. Progress is also reported on the national inventory of biological monitoring programs; ecological sciences information center; and educational activities

The Microbial DNA Index System (MiDIS): A tool for microbial pathogen source identification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Velsko, S. P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2010-08-09

The microbial DNA Index System (MiDIS) is a concept for a microbial forensic database and investigative decision support system that can be used to help investigators identify the sources of microbial agents that have been used in a criminal or terrorist incident. The heart of the proposed system is a rigorous method for calculating source probabilities by using certain fundamental sampling distributions associated with the propagation and mutation of microbes on disease transmission networks. This formalism has a close relationship to mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal human DNA forensics, and the proposed decision support system is somewhat analogous to the CODIS and SWGDAM mtDNA databases. The MiDIS concept does not involve the use of opportunistic collections of microbial isolates and phylogenetic tree building as a basis for inference. A staged approach can be used to build MiDIS as an enduring capability, beginning with a pilot demonstration program that must meet user expectations for performance and validation before evolving into a continuing effort. Because MiDIS requires input from a a broad array of expertise including outbreak surveillance, field microbial isolate collection, microbial genome sequencing, disease transmission networks, and laboratory mutation rate studies, it will be necessary to assemble a national multi-laboratory team to develop such a system. The MiDIS effort would lend direction and focus to the national microbial genetics research program for microbial forensics, and would provide an appropriate forensic framework for interfacing to future national and international disease surveillance efforts.

Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Salinity on the Microbial Diversity in Lithifying Microbial Mats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven R. Ahrendt

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2 are rising at an accelerated rate resulting in changes in the pH and carbonate chemistry of the world’s oceans. However, there is uncertainty regarding the impact these changing environmental conditions have on carbonate-depositing microbial communities. Here, we examine the effects of elevated CO2, three times that of current atmospheric levels, on the microbial diversity associated with lithifying microbial mats. Lithifying microbial mats are complex ecosystems that facilitate the trapping and binding of sediments, and/or the precipitation of calcium carbonate into organosedimentary structures known as microbialites. To examine the impact of rising CO2 and resulting shifts in pH on lithifying microbial mats, we constructed growth chambers that could continually manipulate and monitor the mat environment. The microbial diversity of the various treatments was compared using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. The results indicated that elevated CO2 levels during the six month exposure did not profoundly alter the microbial diversity, community structure, or carbonate precipitation in the microbial mats; however some key taxa, such as the sulfate-reducing bacteria Deltasulfobacterales, were enriched. These results suggest that some carbonate depositing ecosystems, such as the microbialites, may be more resilient to anthropogenic-induced environmental change than previously thought.

Fort Collins Science Center-Fiscal year 2009 science accomplishments

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Juliette T.

2010-01-01

Public land and natural resource managers in the United States are confronted with increasingly complex decisions that have important ramifications for both ecological and human systems. The scientists and technical professionals at the U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center?many of whom are at the forefront of their fields?possess a unique blend of ecological, socioeconomic, and technological expertise. Because of this diverse talent, Fort Collins Science Center staff are able to apply a systems approach to investigating complicated ecological problems in a way that helps answer critical management questions. In addition, the Fort Collins Science Center has a long record of working closely with the academic community through cooperative agreements and other collaborations. The Fort Collins Science Center is deeply engaged with other U.S. Geological Survey science centers and partners throughout the Department of the Interior. As a regular practice, we incorporate the expertise of these partners in providing a full complement of ?the right people? to effectively tackle the multifaceted research problems of today's resource-management world. In Fiscal Year 2009, the Fort Collins Science Center's scientific and technical professionals continued research vital to Department of the Interior's science and management needs. Fort Collins Science Center work also supported the science needs of other Federal and State agencies as well as non-government organizations. Specifically, Fort Collins Science Center research and technical assistance focused on client and partner needs and goals in the areas of biological information management and delivery, enterprise information, fisheries and aquatic systems, invasive species, status and trends of biological resources (including human dimensions), terrestrial ecosystems, and wildlife resources. In the process, Fort Collins Science Center science addressed natural-science information needs identified in the U

MICROBIAL FUEL CELL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2008-01-01

A novel microbial fuel cell construction for the generation of electrical energy. The microbial fuel cell comprises: (i) an anode electrode, (ii) a cathode chamber, said cathode chamber comprising an in let through which an influent enters the cathode chamber, an outlet through which an effluent...

The Earth Resources Observation Systems data center's training technical assistance, and applications research activities

Science.gov (United States)

Sturdevant, J.A.

1981-01-01

The Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center (EDO, administered by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, provides remotely sensed data to the user community and offers a variety of professional services to further the understanding and use of remote sensing technology. EDC reproduces and sells photographic and electronic copies of satellite images of areas throughout the world. Other products include aerial photographs collected by 16 organizations, including the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Primary users of the remotely sensed data are Federal, State, and municipal government agencies, universities, foreign nations, and private industries. The professional services available at EDC are primarily directed at integrating satellite and aircraft remote sensing technology into the programs of the Department of the Interior and its cooperators. This is accomplished through formal training workshops, user assistance, cooperative demonstration projects, and access to equipment and capabilities in an advanced data analysis laboratory. In addition, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, universities, and the general public can get assistance from the EDC Staff. Since 1973, EDC has contributed to the accelerating growth in development and operational use of remotely sensed data for land resource problems through its role as educator and by conducting basic and applied remote sensing applications research. As remote sensing technology continues to evolve, EDC will continue to respond to the increasing demand for timely information on remote sensing applications. Questions most often asked about EDC's research and training programs include: Who may attend an EDC remote sensing training course? Specifically, what is taught? Who may cooperate with EDC on remote sensing projects? Are interpretation services provided on a service basis? This report attempts to define the goals and

Methane production potential and microbial community structure for different forest soils

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Y.; Ueyama, M.; Kominami, Y.; Endo, R.; Tokumoto, H.; Hirano, T.; Takagi, K.; Takahashi, Y.; Iwata, H.; Harazono, Y.

2017-12-01

Forest soils are often considered as a methane (CH4) sink, but anaerobic microsites potentially decrease the sink at the ecosystem scale. In this study, we measured biological CH4 production potential of soils at various ecosystems, including upland forests, a lowland forest, and a bog, and analyzed microbial community structure using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Three different types of soil samples (upland, bank of the stream, and center of the stream) were collected from Yamashiro forest meteorology research site (YMS) at Kyoto, Japan, on 11 May 2017. The soils were incubated at dark and anaerobic conditions under three different temperatures (37°C, 25°C, and 10°C) from 9 June 2017. The upland soils emitted CH4 with largest yields among the three soils at 37°C and 25°C, although no CH4 emission was observed at 10°C. For all temperature ranges, the emission started to increase with a 14- to 20-days lag after the start of the incubation. The lag indicates a slow transition to anaerobic conditions; as dissolved oxygen in water decreased, the number and/or activity of anaerobic bacteria like methanogens increased. The soils at the bank and center of the stream emitted CH4 with smaller yields than the upland soils in the three temperature ranges. The microbial community analyses indicate that methanogenic archaea presented at the three soils including the aerobic upland soil, but compositions of methanogenic archaea were different among the soils. In upland soils, hydrogenotrophic methanogens, such as Methanobacterium and Methanothermobacter, consisted almost all of the total methanogen detected. In the bank and center of the stream, soils contained approximately 10-25% of acetoclastic methanogens, such as Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta, among the total methanogen detected. Methanotrophs, a genus of Methanobacteriaceae, was appeared in the all types of soils. We will present results from same incubation and 16S rRNA analyses for other ecosystems, including

Molecular ecology of microbial mats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolhuis, H.; Cretoiu, M.S.; Stal, L.J.

2014-01-01

Phototrophic microbial mats are ideal model systems for ecological and evolutionary analysis of highly diverse microbial communities. Microbial mats are small-scale, nearly closed, and self-sustaining benthic ecosystems that comprise the major element cycles, trophic levels, and food webs. The steep

Microbial dynamics in petroleum oilfields and their relationship with physiological properties of petroleum oil reservoirs.

Science.gov (United States)

Varjani, Sunita J; Gnansounou, Edgard

2017-12-01

Petroleum is produced by thermal decay of buried organic material over millions of years. Petroleum oilfield ecosystems represent resource of reduced carbon which favours microbial growth. Therefore, it is obvious that many microorganisms have adapted to harsh environmental conditions of these ecosystems specifically temperature, oxygen availability and pressure. Knowledge of microorganisms present in ecosystems of petroleum oil reservoirs; their physiological and biological properties help in successful exploration of petroleum. Understanding microbiology of petroleum oilfield(s) can be used to enhance oil recovery, as microorganisms in oil reservoirs produce various metabolites viz. gases, acids, solvents, biopolymers and biosurfactants. The aim of this review is to discuss characteristics of petroleum oil reservoirs. This review also provides an updated literature on microbial ecology of these extreme ecosystems including microbial origin as well as various types of microorganisms such as methanogens; iron, nitrate and sulphate reducing bacteria, and fermentative microbes present in petroleum oilfield ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clean Energy Solutions Center Services (Vietnamese Translation) (Fact Sheet)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-11-01

This is the Vietnamese language translation of the Clean Energy Solutions Center (Solutions Center) fact sheet. The Solutions Center helps governments, advisors and analysts create policies and programs that advance the deployment of clean energy technologies. The Solutions Center partners with international organizations to provide online training, expert assistance, and technical resources on clean energy policy.

Clean Energy Solutions Center Services (Arabic Translation) (Fact Sheet)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-06-01

This is the Arabic translation of the Clean Energy Solutions Center Services fact sheet. The Clean Energy Solutions Center (Solutions Center) helps governments, advisors and analysts create policies and programs that advance the deployment of clean energy technologies. The Solutions Center partners with international organizations to provide online training, expert assistance, and technical resources on clean energy policy.

Engineering Technical Support Center (ETSC)

Science.gov (United States)

ETSC is EPA’s technical support and resource centers responsible for providing specialized scientific and engineering support to decision-makers in the Agency’s ten regional offices, states, communities, and local businesses.

The Earth Microbiome Project and modeling the planets microbial potential (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, J. A.

2013-12-01

The understanding of Earth's climate and ecology requires multiscale observations of the biosphere, of which microbial life are a major component. However, to acquire and process physical samples of soil, water and air that comprise the appropriate spatial and temporal resolution to capture the immense variation in microbial dynamics, would require a herculean effort and immense financial resources dwarfing even the most ambitious projects to date. To overcome this hurdle we created the Earth Microbiome Project, a crowd-sourced effort to acquire physical samples from researchers around the world that are, importantly, contextualized with physical, chemical and biological data detailing the environmental properties of that sample in the location and time it was acquired. The EMP leverages these existing efforts to target a systematic analysis of microbial taxonomic and functional dynamics across a vast array of environmental parameter gradients. The EMP captures the environmental gradients, location, time and sampling protocol information about every sample donated by our valued collaborators. Physical samples are then processed using a standardized DNA extraction, PCR, and shotgun sequencing protocol to generate comparable data regarding the microbial community structure and function in each sample. To date we have processed >17,000 samples from 40 different biomes. One of the key goals of the EMP is to map the spatiotemporal variability of microbial communities to capture the changes in important functional processes that need to be appropriately expressed in models to provide reliable forecasts of ecosystem phenotype across our changing planet. This is essential if we are to develop economically sound strategies to be good stewards of our Earth. The EMP recognizes that environments are comprised of complex sets of interdependent parameters and that the development of useful predictive computational models of both terrestrial and atmospheric systems requires

Microbial production of natural gas from coal and organic-rich shale

Science.gov (United States)

Orem, William

2013-01-01

Natural gas is an important component of the energy mix in the United States, producing greater energy yield per unit weight and less pollution compared to coal and oil. Most of the world’s natural gas resource is thermogenic, produced in the geologic environment over time by high temperature and pressure within deposits of oil, coal, and shale. About 20 percent of the natural gas resource, however, is produced by microorganisms (microbes). Microbes potentially could be used to generate economic quantities of natural gas from otherwise unexploitable coal and shale deposits, from coal and shale from which natural gas has already been recovered, and from waste material such as coal slurry. Little is known, however, about the microbial production of natural gas from coal and shale.

REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS IN А FIELD OF HUMAN MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AND CONSTRUCTION OF PROBIOTICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Starovoitova

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Modern huge and world-wide known projects concerning studying of human microbial ecology and construction of probiotics, particularly: Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease, Probiotics & Health Targeted Initiative of International Science and Technology Center (TI PROBIO ISTC, Human Microbiome Project of National Institutes of Health, MetaHIT Project (Metagenomics of the Human Intestinal Tract of European Commission, Human Metabolome Project of Canadian University of Alberta and some more else were characterized in the article. Brief historical information and reference to official sites of every discussed project were given. Main goals and tasks of every project were described. Short characteristic of discussed projects and also modern accessible results of researches were given. Importance of every examined project for widening scientific knowledge in the field of human microbial ecology and also for improvement and/or for construction of modern effective probiotics on basis of human normal intestinal microflora were paid attention. Close interaction of scientific data received by realization of every discussed project was shown.

Microbial biosensors for environmental monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David VOGRINC

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Microbial biosensors are analytical devices capable of sensing substances in the environment due to the specific biological reaction of the microorganism or its parts. Construction of a microbial biosensor requires knowledge of microbial response to the specific analyte. Linking this response with the quantitative data, using a transducer, is the crucial step in the construction of a biosensor. Regarding the transducer type, biosensors are divided into electrochemical, optical biosensors and microbial fuel cells. The use of the proper configuration depends on the selection of the biosensing element. With the use of transgenic E. coli strains, bioluminescence or fluorescence based biosensors were developed. Microbial fuel cells enable the use of the heterogeneous microbial populations, isolated from wastewater. Different microorganisms are used for different pollutants – pesticides, heavy metals, phenolic compounds, organic waste, etc. Biosensing enables measurement of their concentration and their toxic or genotoxic effects on the microbes. Increasing environmental awareness has contributed to the increase of interest for biomonitoring. Although technologies, such as bioinformatics and genetic engineering, allow us to design complex and efficient microbial biosensors for environmental pollutants, the transfer of the laboratory work to the field still remains a problem to solve.

Trade-offs between microbial growth phases lead to frequency-dependent and non-transitive selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Manhart, Michael; Adkar, Bharat V; Shakhnovich, Eugene I

2018-02-14

Mutations in a microbial population can increase the frequency of a genotype not only by increasing its exponential growth rate, but also by decreasing its lag time or adjusting the yield (resource efficiency). The contribution of multiple life-history traits to selection is a critical question for evolutionary biology as we seek to predict the evolutionary fates of mutations. Here we use a model of microbial growth to show that there are two distinct components of selection corresponding to the growth and lag phases, while the yield modulates their relative importance. The model predicts rich population dynamics when there are trade-offs between phases: multiple strains can coexist or exhibit bistability due to frequency-dependent selection, and strains can engage in rock-paper-scissors interactions due to non-transitive selection. We characterize the environmental conditions and patterns of traits necessary to realize these phenomena, which we show to be readily accessible to experiments. Our results provide a theoretical framework for analysing high-throughput measurements of microbial growth traits, especially interpreting the pleiotropy and correlations between traits across mutants. This work also highlights the need for more comprehensive measurements of selection in simple microbial systems, where the concept of an ordinary fitness landscape breaks down. © 2018 The Author(s).

Long-term application of winery wastewater - Effect on soil microbial populations and soil chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Mosse, Kim; Patti, Antonio; Smernik, Ron; Cavagnaro, Timothy

2010-05-01

The ability to reuse winery wastewater (WWW) has potential benefits both with respect to treatment of a waste stream, as well as providing a beneficial water resource in water limited regions such as south-eastern Australia, California and South Africa. Over an extended time period, this practice leads to changes in soil chemistry, and potentially, also to soil microbial populations. In this study, we compared the short term effects of WWW (both treated and untreated) application on soil biology and chemistry in two adjacent paired sites with the same soil type, one of which had received WWW for approximately 30 years, and the other which had not. The paired sites were treated with an industrially relevant quantity of WWW, and the soil microbial activity (measured as soil CO2 efflux) and common soil physicochemical properties were monitored over a 16-day period. In addition, Solid State 13C NMR was employed on whole soil samples from the two sites, to measure and compare the chemical nature of the soil organic matter at the paired sites. The acclimatised soil showed a high level of organic matter and a greater spike in microbial activity following WWW addition, in comparison with the non-acclimatised soil, suggesting differences in soil chemistry and soil microbial communities between the two sites. Soil nitrate and phosphorus levels showed significant differences between WWW treatments; these differences likely to be microbially mediated.

The microbial ferrous wheel in a neutral pH groundwater seep

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric eRoden

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Evidence for microbial Fe redox cycling was documented in a circumneutral pH groundwater seep near Bloomington, Indiana. Geochemical and microbiological analyses were conducted at two sites, a semi-consolidated microbial mat and a floating puffball structure. In situ voltammetric microelectrode measurements revealed steep opposing gradients of O2 and Fe(II at both sites, similar to other groundwater seep and sedimentary environments known to support microbial Fe redox cycling. The puffball structure showed an abrupt increase in dissolved Fe(II just at its surface (~ 5 cm depth, suggesting an internal Fe(II source coupled to active Fe(III reduction. MPN enumerations detected microaerophilic Fe(II-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB and dissimilatory Fe(III-reducing bacteria (FeRB at densities of 102-105 cells mL-1 in samples from both sites. In vitro Fe(III reduction experiments revealed the potential for immediate reduction (no lag period of native Fe(III oxides. Conventional full-length 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were compared withhigh throughput barcode sequencing of the V1, V4 or V6 variable regions of 16S rRNA genes in order to evaluate the extent to which new sequencing approaches could provide enhanced insight into the composition of Fe redox cycling microbial community structure. The composition of the clone libraries suggested a lithotroph-dominated microbial community centered around taxa related to known FeOB (e.g. Gallionella, Sideroxydans, Aquabacterium. Sequences related to recognized FeRB (e.g. Rhodoferax, Aeromonas, Geobacter, Desulfovibrio were also well represented. Overall, sequences related to known FeOB and FeRB accounted for 88 and 59% of total clone sequences in the mat and puffball libraries, respectively. Taxa identified in the barcode libraries showed partial overlap with the clone libraries, but were not always consistent across different variable regions and sequencing platforms. However, the barcode libraries provided

Microbial Diversity in Hydrothermal Surface to Sub-surface Environment of Suiyo Seamount

Science.gov (United States)

Higashi, Y.; Sunamura, M.; Kitamura, K.; Kurusu, Y.; Nakamura, K.; Maruyama, A.

2002-12-01

After excavation trials to a hydrothermal subsurface biosphere of the Suiyo Seamount, Izu-Bonin Arc, microbial diversity was examined using samples collected from drilled boreholes and natural vents with an catheter-type in situ microbial entrapment/incubator. This instrument consisted of a heat-tolerant cylindrical pipe with entrapment of a titanium-mesh capsule, containing sterilized inorganic porous grains, on the tip. After 3-10 day deployment in venting fluids with the maximum temperatures from 156 to 305degC, Microbial DNA was extracted from the grains and a 16S rDNA region was amplified and sequenced. Through the phylogenetic analysis of total 72 Bacteria and 30 Archaea clones, we found three novel phylogenetic groups in this hydrothermal surface to subsurface biosphere. Some new clades within the epsilon-Proteobacteria, which seemed to be microaerophilic, moderate thermophilic, and/or sulfur oxidizing, were detected. Clones related to moderate thermophilic and photosynthetic microbes were found in grain-attached samples at collapsed borehole and natural vent sites. We also detected a new clade closely related to a hyperthermophilic Archaea, Methanococcus jannashii, which has the capability of growing autotrophically on hydrogen and producing methane. However, the later two phylogroups were estimated as below a detection limit in microscopic cell counting, i.e., fluorescence in situ hybridization and direct counting. Most of microbes in venting fluids were assigned to be Bacteria, but difficult in specifying them using any known probes. The environment must be notable in microbial and genetic resources, while the ecosystem seems to be mainly supported by chemosynthetic products through the microbial sulfur oxidation, as in most deep-sea hydrothermal systems.

Uncharted Microbial World: Microbes and Their Activities in the Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harwood, Caroline; Buckley, Merry

2007-12-31

Microbes are the foundation for all of life. From the air we breathe to the soil we rely on for farming to the water we drink, everything humans need to survive is intimately coupled with the activities of microbes. Major advances have been made in the understanding of disease and the use of microorganisms in the industrial production of drugs, food products and wastewater treatment. However, our understanding of many complicated microbial environments (the gut and teeth), soil fertility, and biogeochemical cycles of the elements is lagging behind due to their enormous complexity. Inadequate technology and limited resources have stymied many lines of investigation. Today, most environmental microorganisms have yet to be isolated and identified, let alone rigorously studied. The American Academy of Microbiology convened a colloquium in Seattle, Washington, in February 2007, to deliberate the way forward in the study of microorganisms and microbial activities in the environment. Researchers in microbiology, marine science, pathobiology, evolutionary biology, medicine, engineering, and other fields discussed ways to build on and extend recent successes in microbiology. The participants made specific recommendations for targeting future research, improving methodologies and techniques, and enhancing training and collaboration in the field. Microbiology has made a great deal of progress in the past 100 years, and the useful applications for these new discoveries are numerous. Microorganisms and microbial products are now used in industrial capacities ranging from bioremediation of toxic chemicals to probiotic therapies for humans and livestock. On the medical front, studies of microbial communities have revealed, among other things, new ways for controlling human pathogens. The immediate future for research in this field is extremely promising. In order to optimize the effectiveness of community research efforts in the future, scientists should include manageable

Common Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Additives Alter the Structure and Function of Anaerobic Microbial Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Mumford, Adam C; Akob, Denise M; Klinges, J Grace; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M

2018-04-15

The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources results in the production of large volumes of wastewater containing a complex mixture of hydraulic fracturing chemical additives and components from the formation. The release of these wastewaters into the environment poses potential risks that are poorly understood. Microbial communities in stream sediments form the base of the food chain and may serve as sentinels for changes in stream health. Iron-reducing organisms have been shown to play a role in the biodegradation of a wide range of organic compounds, and so to evaluate their response to UOG wastewater, we enriched anaerobic microbial communities from sediments collected upstream (background) and downstream (impacted) of an UOG wastewater injection disposal facility in the presence of hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) additives: guar gum, ethylene glycol, and two biocides, 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA) and bronopol (C 3 H 6 BrNO 4 ). Iron reduction was significantly inhibited early in the incubations with the addition of biocides, whereas amendment with guar gum and ethylene glycol stimulated iron reduction relative to levels in the unamended controls. Changes in the microbial community structure were observed across all treatments, indicating the potential for even small amounts of UOG wastewater components to influence natural microbial processes. The microbial community structure differed between enrichments with background and impacted sediments, suggesting that impacted sediments may have been preconditioned by exposure to wastewater. These experiments demonstrated the potential for biocides to significantly decrease iron reduction rates immediately following a spill and demonstrated how microbial communities previously exposed to UOG wastewater may be more resilient to additional spills. IMPORTANCE Organic components of UOG wastewater can alter microbial communities and biogeochemical processes, which could alter the rates of

National Pesticide Information Center

Science.gov (United States)

... How can I protect my pets when using pesticides around them? More FAQs FAQ Comics Video FAQs From NPIC: Fact Sheets Videos Web Apps Podcasts Outreach Materials NPIC Professional Resources Social Media: National Pesticide Information Center Tweets by NPICatOSU Please read our ...

Enhanced microbial coalbed methane generation: A review of research, commercial activity, and remaining challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Ritter, Daniel J.; Vinson, David S.; Barnhart, Elliott P.; Akob, Denise M.; Fields, Matthew W.; Cunningham, Al B.; Orem, William H.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.

2015-01-01

Coalbed methane (CBM) makes up a significant portion of the world’s natural gas resources. The discovery that approximately 20% of natural gas is microbial in origin has led to interest in microbially enhanced CBM (MECoM), which involves stimulating microorganisms to produce additional CBM from existing production wells. This paper reviews current laboratory and field research on understanding processes and reservoir conditions which are essential for microbial CBM generation, the progress of efforts to stimulate microbial methane generation in coal beds, and key remaining knowledge gaps. Research has been primarily focused on identifying microbial communities present in areas of CBM generation and attempting to determine their function, in-situ reservoir conditions that are most favorable for microbial CBM generation, and geochemical indicators of metabolic pathways of methanogenesis (i.e., acetoclastic or hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis). Meanwhile, researchers at universities, government agencies, and companies have focused on four primary MECoM strategies: 1) microbial stimulation (i.e., addition of nutrients to stimulate native microbes); 2) microbial augmentation (i.e., addition of microbes not native to or abundant in the reservoir of interest); 3) physically increasing microbial access to coal and distribution of amendments; and 4) chemically increasing the bioavailability of coal organics. Most companies interested in MECoM have pursued microbial stimulation: Luca Technologies, Inc., successfully completed a pilot scale field test of their stimulation strategy, while two others, Ciris Energy and Next Fuel, Inc., have undertaken smaller scale field tests. Several key knowledge gaps remain that need to be addressed before MECoM strategies can be implemented commercially. Little is known about the bacterial community responsible for coal biodegradation and how these microorganisms may be stimulated to enhance microbial methanogenesis. In addition, research

42 CFR 486.326 - Condition: Human resources.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Condition: Human resources. 486.326 Section 486.326 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... Organizations Organ Procurement Organization Process Performance Measures § 486.326 Condition: Human resources...

Water Resources Research Institute | Mississippi State University

Science.gov (United States)

Welcome The Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute provides a statewide center of expertise in water and associated land-use and serves as a repository of knowledge for use in education private interests in the conservation, development, and use of water resources; to provide training

Common hydraulic fracturing fluid additives alter the structure and function of anaerobic microbial communities

Science.gov (United States)

Mumford, Adam C.; Akob, Denise M.; Klinges, J. Grace; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.

2018-01-01

The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources results in the production of large volumes of wastewater containing a complex mixture of hydraulic fracturing chemical additives and components from the formation. The release of these wastewaters into the environment poses potential risks that are poorly understood. Microbial communities in stream sediments form the base of the food chain and may serve as sentinels for changes in stream health. Iron-reducing organisms have been shown to play a role in the biodegradation of a wide range of organic compounds, and so to evaluate their response to UOG wastewater, we enriched anaerobic microbial communities from sediments collected upstream (background) and downstream (impacted) of an UOG wastewater injection disposal facility in the presence of hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) additives: guar gum, ethylene glycol, and two biocides, 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA) and bronopol (C3H6BrNO4). Iron reduction was significantly inhibited early in the incubations with the addition of biocides, whereas amendment with guar gum and ethylene glycol stimulated iron reduction relative to levels in the unamended controls. Changes in the microbial community structure were observed across all treatments, indicating the potential for even small amounts of UOG wastewater components to influence natural microbial processes. The microbial community structure differed between enrichments with background and impacted sediments, suggesting that impacted sediments may have been preconditioned by exposure to wastewater. These experiments demonstrated the potential for biocides to significantly decrease iron reduction rates immediately following a spill and demonstrated how microbial communities previously exposed to UOG wastewater may be more resilient to additional spills.

Microbial transformations of nitrogen, sulfur and iron dictate vegetation composition in wetlands: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leon P.M. Lamers

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The majority of studies on rhizospheric interactions between microbial communities and vegetation focus on pathogens, mycorrhizal symbiosis, and/or carbon transformations. Although the biogeochemical transformations of nitrogen (N, sulfur (S and iron (Fe have profound effects on plants, these effects have received far less attention. Firstly, all three elements are plant nutrients, and microbial activity significantly changes their mobility and availability. Secondly, microbial oxidation with oxygen supplied by radial oxygen loss (ROL from roots in wetlands causes acidification, while reduction using alternative electron acceptors leads to generation of alkalinity, affecting pH in the rhizosphere and hence plant composition. Thirdly, reduced species of all three elements may become phytotoxic. In addition, Fe cycling is tightly linked to that of S and phosphorus (P. As water level fluctuations are very common in wetlands, rapid changes in the availability of oxygen and alternative terminal electron acceptors will result in strong changes in the prevalent microbial redox reactions, with significant effects on plant growth. Depending on geological and hydrological settings, these interacting microbial transformations change the conditions and resource availability for plants, which are strong drivers of vegetation development and composition by changing relative competitive strengths. Conversely, microbial composition is strongly driven by vegetation composition. Therefore, the combination of micro- and macroecological knowledge is essential to understand the biogeochemical and biological key factors driving heterogeneity and total (i.e., micro-macro community composition at different spatial and temporal scales. As N and S inputs have drastically increased due to anthropogenic forcing and Fe inputs have decreased at a global scale, this combined approach has become even more urgent.

Hydrodynamics of microbial filter feeding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lasse Tor; Asadzadeh, Seyed Saeed; Dölger, Julia

2017-01-01

Microbial filter feeders are an important group of grazers, significant to the microbial loop, aquatic food webs, and biogeochemical cycling. Our understanding of microbial filter feeding is poor, and, importantly, it is unknown what force microbial filter feeders must generate to process adequate......-feeding choanoflagellate Diaphanoeca grandis using particle tracking, and demonstrate that the current understanding of microbial filter feeding is inconsistent with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and analytical estimates. Both approaches underestimate observed filtration rates by more than an order of magnitude......; the beating flagellum is simply unable to draw enough water through the fine filter. We find similar discrepancies for other choanoflagellate species, highlighting an apparent paradox. Our observations motivate us to suggest a radically different filtration mechanism that requires a flagellar vane (sheet...

BASIN-CENTERED GAS SYSTEMS OF THE U.S.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marin A. Popov; Vito F. Nuccio; Thaddeus S. Dyman; Timothy A. Gognat; Ronald C. Johnson; James W. Schmoker; Michael S. Wilson; Charles Bartberger

2000-11-01

The USGS is re-evaluating the resource potential of basin-centered gas accumulations in the U.S. because of changing perceptions of the geology of these accumulations, and the availability of new data since the USGS 1995 National Assessment of United States oil and gas resources (Gautier et al., 1996). To attain these objectives, this project used knowledge of basin-centered gas systems and procedures such as stratigraphic analysis, organic geochemistry, modeling of basin thermal dynamics, reservoir characterization, and pressure analysis. This project proceeded in two phases which had the following objectives: Phase I (4/1998 through 5/1999): Identify and describe the geologic and geographic distribution of potential basin-centered gas systems, and Phase II (6/1999 through 11/2000): For selected systems, estimate the location of those basin-centered gas resources that are likely to be produced over the next 30 years. In Phase I, we characterize thirty-three (33) potential basin-centered gas systems (or accumulations) based on information published in the literature or acquired from internal computerized well and reservoir data files. These newly defined potential accumulations vary from low to high risk and may or may not survive the rigorous geologic scrutiny leading towards full assessment by the USGS. For logistical reasons, not all basins received the level of detail desired or required.

Guidelines and Ethical Considerations for Assessment Center Operations: International Task Force on Assessment Center Guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Public Personnel Management, 2000

2000-01-01

This update of the International Personnel Management Association's guidelines for organizational psychologists, human resource management specialists, and others addresses elements of assessment centers, policy statements, assessor training, informed participation, and participants' rights. (SK)

New and traditional energy resources from microbial activities in the agroindustrial system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massimo i Vincenzin

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Microbial processes leading to the production of energy from vegetable biomasses and from residues of the agroindustry make possible the exploitation of widely available and renewable energy sources which can be considered at zero balance with regard to CO2 fixation and emission. These processes show a different level of technological maturity: some of them, like the production of bioethanol or biogas, are well established and diffused processes, while others, like hydrogen production, are in the phase of advanced research. Considering the future prospects, the latter process is the most promising owing to the high calorific value of hydrogen and the absence of polluting emissions when H2 is used for combustions or for the production of electricity with fuel cells. In this review, the research activities carried out, in the field of biogas and hydrogen production, by research groups belonging to the Italian Society for Agricultural, Environmental and Food Microbiology (SIMTREA are presented.

New and traditional energy resources from microbial activities in the agroindustrial system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto De Philippis

Full Text Available Microbial processes leading to the production of energy from vegetable biomasses and from residues of the agroindustry make possible the exploitation of widely available and renewable energy sources which can be considered at zero balance with regard to CO2 fixation and emission. These processes show a different level of technological maturity: some of them, like the production of bioethanol or biogas, are well established and diffused processes, while others, like hydrogen production, are in the phase of advanced research. Considering the future prospects, the latter process is the most promising owing to the high calorific value of hydrogen and the absence of polluting emissions when H2 is used for combustions or for the production of electricity with fuel cells. In this review, the research activities carried out, in the field of biogas and hydrogen production, by research groups belonging to the Italian Society for Agricultural, Environmental and Food Microbiology (SIMTREA are presented.

Microbial Monitoring of Surface Water in South Africa: An Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brendan S. Wilhelmi

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Infrastructural problems force South African households to supplement their drinking water consumption from water resources of inadequate microbial quality. Microbial water quality monitoring is currently based on the Colilert^®18 system which leads to rapidly available results. Using Escherichia coli as the indicator microorganism limits the influence of environmental sources on the reported results. The current system allows for understanding of long-term trends of microbial surface water quality and the related public health risks. However, rates of false positive for the Colilert^®18-derived concentrations have been reported to range from 7.4% to 36.4%. At the same time, rates of false negative results vary from 3.5% to 12.5%; and the Colilert medium has been reported to provide for cultivation of only 56.8% of relevant strains. Identification of unknown sources of faecal contamination is not currently feasible. Based on literature review, calibration of the antibiotic-resistance spectra of Escherichia coli or the bifidobacterial tracking ratio should be investigated locally for potential implementation into the existing monitoring system. The current system could be too costly to implement in certain areas of South Africa where the modified H₂S strip test might be used as a surrogate for the Colilert^®18.

Microbial stratification and microbially catalyzed processes along a hypersaline chemocline

Science.gov (United States)

Hyde, A.; Joye, S. B.; Teske, A.

2017-12-01

Orca Basin is the largest deep hypersaline anoxic basin in the world, covering over 400 km2. Located at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, this body of water reaches depths of 200 meters and is 8 times denser (and more saline) than the overlying seawater. The sharp pycnocline prevents any significant vertical mixing and serves as a particle trap for sinking organic matter. These rapid changes in salinity, oxygen, organic matter, and other geochemical parameters present unique conditions for the microbial communities present. We collected samples in 10m intervals throughout the chemocline. After filtering the water, we used high-throughput bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the changing microbial community along the Orca Basin chemocline. The results reveal a dominance of microbial taxa whose biogeochemical function is entirely unknown. We then used metagenomic sequencing and reconstructed genomes for select samples, revealing the potential dominant metabolic processes in the Orca Basin chemocline. Understanding how these unique geochemical conditions shape microbial communities and metabolic capabilities will have implications for the ocean's biogeochemical cycles and the consequences of expanding oxygen minimum zones.

A Bio-inspired Approach for Power and Performance Aware Resource Allocation in Clouds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kumar Rajesh

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In order to cope with increasing demand, cloud market players such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Gogrid, Flexiant, etc. have set up large sized data centers. Due to monotonically increasing size of data centers and heterogeneity of resources have made resource allocation a challenging task. A large percentage of total energy consumption of the data centers gets wasted because of under-utilization of resources. Thus, there is a need of resource allocation technique that improves the utilization of resources with effecting performance of services being delivered to end users. In this work, a bio-inspired resource allocation approach is proposed with the aim to improve utilization and hence the energy efficiency of the cloud infrastructure. The proposed approach makes use of Cuckoo search for power and performance aware allocation of resources to the services hired by the end users. The proposed approach is implemented in CloudSim. The simulation results have shown approximately 12% saving in energy consumption.

Microbial electrode sensor for alcohols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hikuma, M [Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan; Kubo, T; Yasuda, T; Karube, I; Suzuki, S

1979-10-01

A microbial electrode consisting of immobilized microorganisms, a gas permeable Teflon membrane, and an oxygen electrode was prepared for the continuous determination of methyl and ethyl alcohols. Immobilized Trichosporon brassicae was employed for a microbial electrode sensor for ethyl alcohol. When a sample solution containing ethyl alcohol was injected into a microbial electrode system, the current of the electrode decreased markedly with time until a steady state was reached. The response time was within 10 min by the steady state method and within 6 min by the pulse method. A linear relationship was observed between the current decrease and the concentration of ethyl alcohol below 22.5 mg/liter. The current was reproducible within +- 6% of the relative error when a sample solution containing 16.5 mg/liter ethyl alcohol. The standard deviation was 0.5 mg/liter in 40 experiments. The selectivity of the microbial electrode sensor for ethyl alcohol was satisfactory. The microbial electrode sensor was applied to a fermentation broth of yeasts and satisfactory comparative results were obtained (correlation coefficient 0.98). The current output of the microbial electrode sensor was almost constant for more than three weeks and 2100 assays. A microbial electrode sensor using immobilized bacteria for methyl alcohol was also described.

Global microbialization of coral reefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Haas, Andreas F; Fairoz, Mohamed F M; Kelly, Linda W; Nelson, Craig E; Dinsdale, Elizabeth A; Edwards, Robert A; Giles, Steve; Hatay, Mark; Hisakawa, Nao; Knowles, Ben; Lim, Yan Wei; Maughan, Heather; Pantos, Olga; Roach, Ty N F; Sanchez, Savannah E; Silveira, Cynthia B; Sandin, Stuart; Smith, Jennifer E; Rohwer, Forest

2016-04-25

Microbialization refers to the observed shift in ecosystem trophic structure towards higher microbial biomass and energy use. On coral reefs, the proximal causes of microbialization are overfishing and eutrophication, both of which facilitate enhanced growth of fleshy algae, conferring a competitive advantage over calcifying corals and coralline algae. The proposed mechanism for this competitive advantage is the DDAM positive feedback loop (dissolved organic carbon (DOC), disease, algae, microorganism), where DOC released by ungrazed fleshy algae supports copiotrophic, potentially pathogenic bacterial communities, ultimately harming corals and maintaining algal competitive dominance. Using an unprecedented data set of >400 samples from 60 coral reef sites, we show that the central DDAM predictions are consistent across three ocean basins. Reef algal cover is positively correlated with lower concentrations of DOC and higher microbial abundances. On turf and fleshy macroalgal-rich reefs, higher relative abundances of copiotrophic microbial taxa were identified. These microbial communities shift their metabolic potential for carbohydrate degradation from the more energy efficient Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway on coral-dominated reefs to the less efficient Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways on algal-dominated reefs. This 'yield-to-power' switch by microorganism directly threatens reefs via increased hypoxia and greater CO2 release from the microbial respiration of DOC.

Functional gene array-based analysis of microbial community structure in groundwaters with a gradient of contaminant levels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waldron, P.J.; Wu, L.; Van Nostrand, J.D.; Schadt, C.W.; Watson, D.B.; Jardine, P.M.; Palumbo, A.V.; Hazen, T.C.; Zhou, J.

2009-06-15

To understand how contaminants affect microbial community diversity, heterogeneity, and functional structure, six groundwater monitoring wells from the Field Research Center of the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Remediation Science Program (ERSP; Oak Ridge, TN), with a wide range of pH, nitrate, and heavy metal contamination were investigated. DNA from the groundwater community was analyzed with a functional gene array containing 2006 probes to detect genes involved in metal resistance, sulfate reduction, organic contaminant degradation, and carbon and nitrogen cycling. Microbial diversity decreased in relation to the contamination levels of the wells. Highly contaminated wells had lower gene diversity but greater signal intensity than the pristine well. The microbial composition was heterogeneous, with 17-70% overlap between different wells. Metal-resistant and metal-reducing microorganisms were detected in both contaminated and pristine wells, suggesting the potential for successful bioremediation of metal-contaminated groundwaters. In addition, results of Mantel tests and canonical correspondence analysis indicate that nitrate, sulfate, pH, uranium, and technetium have a significant (p < 0.05) effect on microbial community structure. This study provides an overall picture of microbial community structure in contaminated environments with functional gene arrays by showing that diversity and heterogeneity can vary greatly in relation to contamination.

Microbial ecology of methanogenic crude oil biodegradation; from microbial consortia to heavy oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Head, Ian M.; Maguire, Michael J.; Sherry, Angela; Grant, Russell; Gray, Neil D.; Aitken, Carolyn M.; Martin Jones, D.; Oldenburg, Thomas B.P.; Larter, Stephen R. [Petroleum Research Group, Geosciences, University of Calgary (Canada)

2011-07-01

This paper presents the microbial ecology of methanogenic crude oil biodegradation. Biodegraded petroleum reservoirs are one of the most dramatic indications of the deep biosphere. It is estimated that heavy oil and oil sands will account for a considerable amount of energy production in the future. Carbon, a major resource for deep subsurface microorganisms, and energy are contained in large quantities in petroleum reservoirs. The aerobic to anaerobic paradigm shift is explained. A key process for in-situ oil biodegradation in petroleum reservoirs is methanogenesis. New paradigms for in-reservoir crude oil biodegradation are discussed. Variations in anaerobic degradation of crude oil hydrocarbons are also discussed. A graph shows the different patterns of crude oil biodegradation under sulfate-reducing and methanogenic conditions. Alternative anaerobic alkane activation mechanisms are also shown. From the study, it can be concluded that methanogenic crude oil degradation is of global importance and led to the establishment of the world's enormous heavy oil deposits.

Exploitation of heterogeneous resources for ATLAS Computing

CERN Document Server

Chudoba, Jiri; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

LHC experiments require significant computational resources for Monte Carlo simulations and real data processing and the ATLAS experiment is not an exception. In 2017, ATLAS exploited steadily almost 3M HS06 units, which corresponds to about 300 000 standard CPU cores. The total disk and tape capacity managed by the Rucio data management system exceeded 350 PB. Resources are provided mostly by Grid computing centers distributed in geographically separated locations and connected by the Grid middleware. The ATLAS collaboration developed several systems to manage computational jobs, data files and network transfers. ATLAS solutions for job and data management (PanDA and Rucio) were generalized and now are used also by other collaborations. More components are needed to include new resources such as private and public clouds, volunteers' desktop computers and primarily supercomputers in major HPC centers. Workflows and data flows significantly differ for these less traditional resources and extensive software re...

Tried & Tested. Ideas from Teacher Centers in the Southeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Bohstedt, Jinx, Ed.; Eisenmann-Donahue, Pat, Ed.

Throughout the southeastern United States, teacher centers share much in common. The conceptual framework of teachers helping teachers inspires the development of resources and services which are similar whether the center serves a large district or only a few schools. Although the teacher centers share similar philosophies, concerns, successes,…

78 FR 42788 - School-Based Health Center Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration School-Based... Gadsden County. SUMMARY: HRSA will be transferring a School-Based Health Center Capital (SBHCC) Program... support the expansion of services at school-based health centers will continue. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION...

AGI's Earth Science Week and Education Resources Network: Connecting Teachers to Geoscience Organizations and Classroom Resources that Support NGSS Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Robeck, E.; Camphire, G.; Brendan, S.; Celia, T.

2016-12-01

There exists a wide array of high quality resources to support K-12 teaching and motivate student interest in the geosciences. Yet, connecting teachers to those resources can be a challenge. Teachers working to implement the NGSS can benefit from accessing the wide range of existing geoscience resources, and from becoming part of supportive networks of geoscience educators, researchers, and advocates. Engaging teachers in such networks can be facilitated by providing them with information about organizations, resources, and opportunities. The American Geoscience Institute (AGI) has developed two key resources that have great value in supporting NGSS implement in these ways. Those are Earth Science Week, and the Education Resources Network in AGI's Center for Geoscience and Society. For almost twenty years, Earth Science Week, has been AGI's premier annual outreach program designed to celebrate the geosciences. Through its extensive web-based resources, as well as the physical kits of posters, DVDs, calendars and other printed materials, Earth Science Week offers an array of resources and opportunities to connect with the education-focused work of important geoscience organizations such as NASA, the National Park Service, HHMI, esri, and many others. Recently, AGI has initiated a process of tagging these and other resources to NGSS so as to facilitate their use as teachers develop their instruction. Organizing Earth Science Week around themes that are compatible with topics within NGSS contributes to the overall coherence of the diverse array of materials, while also suggesting potential foci for investigations and instructional units. More recently, AGI has launched its Center for Geoscience and Society, which is designed to engage the widest range of audiences in building geoscience awareness. As part of the Center's work, it has launched the Education Resources Network (ERN), which is an extensive searchable database of all manner of resources for geoscience

The USC Epigenome Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Laird, Peter W

2009-10-01

The University of Southern California (USC, CA, USA) has a long tradition of excellence in epigenetics. With the recent explosive growth and technological maturation of the field of epigenetics, it became clear that a dedicated high-throughput epigenomic data production facility would be needed to remain at the forefront of epigenetic research. To address this need, USC launched the USC Epigenome Center as the first large-scale center in academics dedicated to epigenomic research. The Center is providing high-throughput data production for large-scale genomic and epigenomic studies, and developing novel analysis tools for epigenomic research. This unique facility promises to be a valuable resource for multidisciplinary research, education and training in genomics, epigenomics, bioinformatics, and translational medicine.

VT Mineral Resources - MRDS Extract

Data.gov (United States)

Vermont Center for Geographic Information — (Link to Metadata) MRDSVT is an extract from the Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) covering the State of Vermont only. MRDS database contains the records provided...

Resource Utilization by Native and Invasive Earthworms and Their Effects on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Puerto Rican Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ching-Yu Huang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Resource utilization by earthworms affects soil C and N dynamics and further colonization of invasive earthworms. By applying 13C-labeled Tabebuia heterophylla leaves and 15N-labeled Andropogon glomeratus grass, we investigated resource utilization by three earthworm species (invasive endogeic Pontoscolex corethrurus, native anecic Estherella sp, and native endogeic Onychochaeta borincana and their effects on soil C and N dynamics in Puerto Rican soils in a 22-day laboratory experiment. Changes of 13C/C and 15N/N in soils, earthworms, and microbial populations were analyzed to evaluate resource utilization by earthworms and their influences on C and N dynamics. Estherella spp. utilized the 13C-labeled litter; however, its utilization on the 13C-labeled litter reduced when cultivated with P. corethrurus and O. borincana. Both P. corethrurus and O. borincana utilized the 13C-labeled litter and 15C-labeled grass roots and root exudates. Pontoscolex corethrurus facilitated soil respiration by stimulating 13C-labeled microbial activity; however, this effect was suppressed possibly due to the changes in the microbial activities or community when coexisting with O. borincana. Increased soil N mineralization by individual Estherella spp. and O. borincana was reduced in the mixed-species treatments. The rapid population growth of P. corethrurus may increase competition pressure on food resources on the local earthworm community. The relevance of resource availability to the population growth of P. corethrurus and its significance as an invasive species is a topic in need of future research.

Fort Collins Science Center Ecosystem Dynamics branch--interdisciplinary research for addressing complex natural resource issues across landscapes and time

Science.gov (United States)

Bowen, Zachary H.; Melcher, Cynthia P.; Wilson, Juliette T.

2013-01-01

The Ecosystem Dynamics Branch of the Fort Collins Science Center offers an interdisciplinary team of talented and creative scientists with expertise in biology, botany, ecology, geology, biogeochemistry, physical sciences, geographic information systems, and remote-sensing, for tackling complex questions about natural resources. As demand for natural resources increases, the issues facing natural resource managers, planners, policy makers, industry, and private landowners are increasing in spatial and temporal scope, often involving entire regions, multiple jurisdictions, and long timeframes. Needs for addressing these issues include (1) a better understanding of biotic and abiotic ecosystem components and their complex interactions; (2) the ability to easily monitor, assess, and visualize the spatially complex movements of animals, plants, water, and elements across highly variable landscapes; and (3) the techniques for accurately predicting both immediate and long-term responses of system components to natural and human-caused change. The overall objectives of our research are to provide the knowledge, tools, and techniques needed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, state agencies, and other stakeholders in their endeavors to meet the demand for natural resources while conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services. Ecosystem Dynamics scientists use field and laboratory research, data assimilation, and ecological modeling to understand ecosystem patterns, trends, and mechanistic processes. This information is used to predict the outcomes of changes imposed on species, habitats, landscapes, and climate across spatiotemporal scales. The products we develop include conceptual models to illustrate system structure and processes; regional baseline and integrated assessments; predictive spatial and mathematical models; literature syntheses; and frameworks or protocols for improved ecosystem monitoring, adaptive management, and program evaluation. The descriptions

Taxonomia e potencial antimicrobiano de fungos depositados no acervo de pesquisa da Central de Recursos Microbianos da UNESP

OpenAIRE

Polezel, Danilo Augusto [UNESP

2015-01-01

Culture collections are keystones in the preservation, cataloging and exploration of microbial diversity. In order to meet international standards of deposit and supply of biological materials, the UNESP-Microbial Resources Center (CRM-UNESP) started their suitability for functioning and management to reach international standards; which include taxonomic authentication of cultures preserved in the collection. Using an adapted molecular screening protocol (microsatellites) coupled with morpho...

New Center Links Earth, Space, and Information Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Aswathanarayana, U.

2004-05-01

Broad-based geoscience instruction melding the Earth, space, and information technology sciences has been identified as an effective way to take advantage of the new jobs created by technological innovations in natural resources management. Based on this paradigm, the University of Hyderabad in India is developing a Centre of Earth and Space Sciences that will be linked to the university's super-computing facility. The proposed center will provide the basic science underpinnings for the Earth, space, and information technology sciences; develop new methodologies for the utilization of natural resources such as water, soils, sediments, minerals, and biota; mitigate the adverse consequences of natural hazards; and design innovative ways of incorporating scientific information into the legislative and administrative processes. For these reasons, the ethos and the innovatively designed management structure of the center would be of particular relevance to the developing countries. India holds 17% of the world's human population, and 30% of its farm animals, but only about 2% of the planet's water resources. Water will hence constitute the core concern of the center, because ecologically sustainable, socially equitable, and economically viable management of water resources of the country holds the key to the quality of life (drinking water, sanitation, and health), food security, and industrial development of the country. The center will be focused on interdisciplinary basic and pure applied research that is relevant to the practical needs of India as a developing country. These include, for example, climate prediction, since India is heavily dependent on the monsoon system, and satellite remote sensing of soil moisture, since agriculture is still a principal source of livelihood in India. The center will perform research and development in areas such as data assimilation and validation, and identification of new sensors to be mounted on the Indian meteorological

GeoChip-based insights into the microbial functional gene repertoire of marine sponges (high microbial abundance, low microbial abundance) and seawater

KAUST Repository

Bayer, Kristina

2015-01-08

The GeoChip 4.2 gene array was employed to interrogate the microbial functional gene repertoire of sponges and seawater collected from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Complementary amplicon sequencing confirmed the microbial community composition characteristic of high microbial abundance (HMA) and low microbial abundance (LMA) sponges. By use of GeoChip, altogether 20 273 probes encoding for 627 functional genes and representing 16 gene categories were identified. Minimum curvilinear embedding analyses revealed a clear separation between the samples. The HMA/LMA dichotomy was stronger than any possible geographic pattern, which is shown here for the first time on the level of functional genes. However, upon inspection of individual genes, very few specific differences were discernible. Differences were related to microbial ammonia oxidation, ammonification, and archaeal autotrophic carbon fixation (higher gene abundance in sponges over seawater) as well as denitrification and radiation-stress-related genes (lower gene abundance in sponges over seawater). Except for few documented specific differences the functional gene repertoire between the different sources appeared largely similar. This study expands previous reports in that functional gene convergence is not only reported between HMA and LMA sponges but also between sponges and seawater.

GeoChip-based insights into the microbial functional gene repertoire of marine sponges (high microbial abundance, low microbial abundance) and seawater

KAUST Repository

Bayer, Kristina; Moitinho-Silva, Lucas; Brü mmer, Franz; Cannistraci, Carlo V.; Ravasi, Timothy; Hentschel, Ute

2015-01-01

The GeoChip 4.2 gene array was employed to interrogate the microbial functional gene repertoire of sponges and seawater collected from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Complementary amplicon sequencing confirmed the microbial community composition characteristic of high microbial abundance (HMA) and low microbial abundance (LMA) sponges. By use of GeoChip, altogether 20 273 probes encoding for 627 functional genes and representing 16 gene categories were identified. Minimum curvilinear embedding analyses revealed a clear separation between the samples. The HMA/LMA dichotomy was stronger than any possible geographic pattern, which is shown here for the first time on the level of functional genes. However, upon inspection of individual genes, very few specific differences were discernible. Differences were related to microbial ammonia oxidation, ammonification, and archaeal autotrophic carbon fixation (higher gene abundance in sponges over seawater) as well as denitrification and radiation-stress-related genes (lower gene abundance in sponges over seawater). Except for few documented specific differences the functional gene repertoire between the different sources appeared largely similar. This study expands previous reports in that functional gene convergence is not only reported between HMA and LMA sponges but also between sponges and seawater.

Fueling the Bio-economy: European Culture Collections and Microbiology Education and Training

KAUST Repository

Antunes, Andre; Stackebrandt, Erko; Lima, Nelson

2015-01-01

A survey of European Microbial Biological Resource Centers and their users provided an overview on microbiology education and training. The results identified future increases in demand despite several shortcomings and gaps in the current offer

Tribal engagement strategy of the South Central Climate Science Center, 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, William J.; Taylor, April; Winton, Kimberly T.

2014-01-01

The South Central Climate Science Center was established by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2012 to increase understanding of climate change and coordinate an effective response to climate-change effects on Native American tribes and natural and cultural resources that the Department manages. The eight regional Climate Science Centers of the U.S. Department of the Interior work closely with natural-resource management agencies, university researchers, and others such as tribes and private landowners on climate-change issues. The relatively large number of Native Americans in the south central United States and their special knowledge of changing ecosystems make working with tribes and tribal members on climate-change issues particularly important in this part of the Nation. This circular describes priorities of the South Central Climate Science Center and provides information about resources available from Climate Science Centers and partner agencies regarding climate change. The circular also describes how this Climate Science Center, tribes and tribal members, and others can collaborate to minimize potential harmful effects of climate change on human society and our surrounding ecosystems.

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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Disaster risk assessment pattern in higher education centers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Omidvari

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Disasters are one of the most important challenges which must be considered by every management system. Higher education centers have high disaster risk because of their risk factors (existence of historical and scientific documents and resources and expensive laboratory equipment in these centers emphasizes the importance of disaster management. Moreover, the existence of young volunteers of human resources in universities urges the necessity of making these people familiar with disaster management rules and responses in emergency conditions. Creating appropriate tools for disaster management assessment makes it correct and precise in higher education systems using the presented conceptual model. The present model was planned so as to cover three phases which exist before, during, and after disaster. Studies were performed in one of the largest higher education centers in Tehran: Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University Campus. Results showed high-risk disasters in these centers which must be taken into consideration continuously. The objective of this study was to create appropriate patterns of disaster risk management in these centers.

Nitrogen amendment of green waste impacts microbial community, enzyme secretion and potential for lignocellulose decomposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Chaowei; Harrold, Duff R.; Claypool, Joshua T.; Simmons, Blake A.; Singer, Steven W.; Simmons, Christopher W.; VanderGheynst, Jean S.

2017-01-01

Microorganisms involved in biomass deconstruction are an important resource for organic waste recycling and enzymes for lignocellulose bioconversion. The goals of this paper were to examine the impact of nitrogen amendment on microbial community restructuring, secretion of xylanases and endoglucanases, and potential for biomass deconstruction. Communities were cultivated aerobically at 55 °C on green waste (GW) amended with varying levels of NH₄Cl. Bacterial and fungal communities were determined using 16S rRNA and ITS region gene sequencing and PICRUSt (Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States) was applied to predict relative abundance of genes involved in lignocellulose hydrolysis. Nitrogen amendment significantly increased secretion of xylanases and endoglucanases, and microbial activity; enzyme activities and cumulative respiration were greatest when nitrogen level in GW was between 4.13–4.56 wt% (g/g), but decreased with higher nitrogen levels. The microbial community shifted to one with increasing potential to decompose complex polymers as nitrogen increased with peak potential occurring between 3.79–4.45 wt% (g/g) nitrogen amendment. Finally, the results will aid in informing the management of nitrogen level to foster microbial communities capable of secreting enzymes that hydrolyze recalcitrant polymers in lignocellulose and yield rapid decomposition of green waste.

The maturing of microbial ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Thomas M

2006-09-01

A.J. Kluyver and C.B. van Niel introduced many scientists to the exceptional metabolic capacity of microbes and their remarkable ability to adapt to changing environments in The Microbe's Contribution to Biology. Beyond providing an overview of the physiology and adaptability of microbes, the book outlined many of the basic principles for the emerging discipline of microbial ecology. While the study of pure cultures was highlighted, provided a unifying framework for understanding the vast metabolic potential of microbes and their roles in the global cycling of elements, extrapolation from pure cultures to natural environments has often been overshadowed by microbiologists inability to culture many of the microbes seen in natural environments. A combination of genomic approaches is now providing a culture-independent view of the microbial world, revealing a more diverse and dynamic community of microbes than originally anticipated. As methods for determining the diversity of microbial communities become increasingly accessible, a major challenge to microbial ecologists is to link the structure of natural microbial communities with their functions. This article presents several examples from studies of aquatic and terrestrial microbial communities in which culture and culture-independent methods are providing an enhanced appreciation for the microbe's contribution to the evolution and maintenance of life on Earth, and offers some thoughts about the graduate-level educational programs needed to enhance the maturing field of microbial ecology.

Microbial Cell Factories for the Production of Terpenoid Flavor and Fragrance Compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Schempp, Florence M; Drummond, Laura; Buchhaupt, Markus; Schrader, Jens

2018-03-14

Terpenoid flavor and fragrance compounds are of high interest to the aroma industry. Microbial production offers an alternative sustainable access to the desired terpenoids independent of natural sources. Genetically engineered microorganisms can be used to synthesize terpenoids from cheap and renewable resources. Due to its modular architecture, terpenoid biosynthesis is especially well suited for the microbial cell factory concept: a platform host engineered for a high flux toward the central C 5 prenyl diphosphate precursors enables the production of a broad range of target terpenoids just by varying the pathway modules converting the C 5 intermediates to the product of interest. In this review typical terpenoid flavor and fragrance compounds marketed or under development by biotech and aroma companies are given, and the specificities of the aroma market are discussed. The main part of this work focuses on key strategies and recent advances to engineer microbes to become efficient terpenoid producers.

Starting an aphasia center?

Science.gov (United States)

Elman, Roberta J

2011-08-01

Starting an aphasia center can be an enormous challenge. This article provides initial issues to review and consider when deciding whether starting a new organization is right for you. Determining the need for the program in your community, the best size and possible affiliation for the organization, and available resources, as well as developing a business plan, marketing the program, and building awareness in the community, are some of the factors that are discussed. Specific examples related to starting the Aphasia Center of California are provided. © Thieme Medical Publishers.

In-Drift Microbial Communities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D. Jolley

2000-11-09

As directed by written work direction (CRWMS M and O 1999f), Performance Assessment (PA) developed a model for microbial communities in the engineered barrier system (EBS) as documented here. The purpose of this model is to assist Performance Assessment and its Engineered Barrier Performance Section in modeling the geochemical environment within a potential repository drift for TSPA-SR/LA, thus allowing PA to provide a more detailed and complete near-field geochemical model and to answer the key technical issues (KTI) raised in the NRC Issue Resolution Status Report (IRSR) for the Evolution of the Near Field Environment (NFE) Revision 2 (NRC 1999). This model and its predecessor (the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document, CRWMS M and O 1998a) was developed to respond to the applicable KTIs. Additionally, because of the previous development of the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document (CRWMS M and O 1998a), the M and O was effectively able to resolve a previous KTI concern regarding the effects of microbial processes on seepage and flow (NRC 1998). This document supercedes the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document (CRWMS M and O 1998a). This document provides the conceptual framework of the revised in-drift microbial communities model to be used in subsequent performance assessment (PA) analyses.

In-Drift Microbial Communities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jolley, D.

2000-01-01

As directed by written work direction (CRWMS M and O 1999f), Performance Assessment (PA) developed a model for microbial communities in the engineered barrier system (EBS) as documented here. The purpose of this model is to assist Performance Assessment and its Engineered Barrier Performance Section in modeling the geochemical environment within a potential repository drift for TSPA-SR/LA, thus allowing PA to provide a more detailed and complete near-field geochemical model and to answer the key technical issues (KTI) raised in the NRC Issue Resolution Status Report (IRSR) for the Evolution of the Near Field Environment (NFE) Revision 2 (NRC 1999). This model and its predecessor (the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document, CRWMS M and O 1998a) was developed to respond to the applicable KTIs. Additionally, because of the previous development of the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document (CRWMS M and O 1998a), the M and O was effectively able to resolve a previous KTI concern regarding the effects of microbial processes on seepage and flow (NRC 1998). This document supercedes the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document (CRWMS M and O 1998a). This document provides the conceptual framework of the revised in-drift microbial communities model to be used in subsequent performance assessment (PA) analyses

Medical Waste Management in Community Health Centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabrizi, Jafar Sadegh; Rezapour, Ramin; Saadati, Mohammad; Seifi, Samira; Amini, Behnam; Varmazyar, Farahnaz

2018-02-01

Non-standard management of medical waste leads to irreparable side effects. This issue is of double importance in health care centers in a city which are the most extensive system for providing Primary Health Care (PHC) across Iran cities. This study investigated the medical waste management standards observation in Tabriz community health care centers, northwestern Iran. In this triangulated cross-sectional study (qualitative-quantitative), data collecting tool was a valid checklist of waste management process developed based on Iranian medical waste management standards. The data were collected in 2015 through process observation and interviews with the health center's staff. The average rate of waste management standards observance in Tabriz community health centers, Tabriz, Iran was 29.8%. This case was 22.8% in dimension of management and training, 27.3% in separating and collecting, 31.2% in transport and temporary storage, and 42.9% in sterilization and disposal. Lack of principal separation of wastes, inappropriate collecting and disposal cycle of waste and disregarding safety tips (fertilizer device performance monitoring, microbial cultures and so on) were among the observed defects in health care centers supported by quantitative data. Medical waste management was not in a desirable situation in Tabriz community health centers. The expansion of community health centers in different regions and non-observance of standards could predispose to incidence the risks resulted from medical wastes. So it is necessary to adopt appropriate policies to promote waste management situation.

Gene Ontology Terms and Automated Annotation for Energy-Related Microbial Genomes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukhopadhyay, Biswarup [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States); Tyler, Brett M. [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States); Setubal, Joao [Univ. of Sao Paulo (Brazil); Murali, T. M. [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)

2017-11-03

Gene Ontology (GO) is one of the more widely used functional ontologies for describing gene functions at various levels. The project developed 660 GO terms for describing energy-related microbial processes and filled the known gaps in this area of the GO system, and then used these terms to describe functions of 179 genes to showcase the utilities of the new resources. It hosted a series of workshops and made presentations at key meetings to inform and train scientific community members on these terms and to receive inputs from them for the GO term generation efforts. The project has developed a website for storing and displaying the resources (http://www.mengo.biochem.vt.edu/). The outcome of the project was further disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and poster and seminar presentations.

Generation of Electricity and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Wheat Straw Biomass-Powered Microbial Fuel Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Yifeng; Min, Booki; Huang, L.

2009-01-01

Electricity generation from wheat straw hydrolysate and the microbial ecology of electricity producing microbial communities developed in two chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were investigated. Power density reached 123 mW/m2 with an initial hydrolysate concentration of 1000 mg-COD/L while...

Microbial community structure elucidates performance of Glyceria maxima plant microbial fuel cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Timmers, Ruud A; Rothballer, Michael; Strik, David P B T B; Engel, Marion; Schulz, Stephan; Schloter, Michael; Hartmann, Anton; Hamelers, Bert; Buisman, Cees

2012-04-01

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a technology in which living plant roots provide electron donor, via rhizodeposition, to a mixed microbial community to generate electricity in a microbial fuel cell. Analysis and localisation of the microbial community is necessary for gaining insight into the competition for electron donor in a PMFC. This paper characterises the anode-rhizosphere bacterial community of a Glyceria maxima (reed mannagrass) PMFC. Electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) were located on the root surfaces, but they were more abundant colonising the graphite granular electrode. Anaerobic cellulolytic bacteria dominated the area where most of the EAB were found, indicating that the current was probably generated via the hydrolysis of cellulose. Due to the presence of oxygen and nitrate, short-chain fatty acid-utilising denitrifiers were the major competitors for the electron donor. Acetate-utilising methanogens played a minor role in the competition for electron donor, probably due to the availability of graphite granules as electron acceptors.

Microbial community structure elucidates performance of Glyceria maxima plant microbial fuel cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Timmers, Ruud A.; Strik, David P.B.T.B.; Hamelers, Bert; Buisman, Cees [Wageningen Univ. (Netherlands). Sub-dept. of Environmental Technology; Rothballer, Michael; Hartmann, Anton [Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg (Germany). Dept. Microbe-Plant Interactions; Engel, Marion; Schulz, Stephan; Schloter, Michael [Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg (Germany). Dept. Terrestrial Ecogenetics

2012-04-15

The plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) is a technology in which living plant roots provide electron donor, via rhizodeposition, to a mixed microbial community to generate electricity in a microbial fuel cell. Analysis and localisation of the microbial community is necessary for gaining insight into the competition for electron donor in a PMFC. This paper characterises the anode-rhizosphere bacterial community of a Glyceria maxima (reed mannagrass) PMFC. Electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) were located on the root surfaces, but they were more abundant colonising the graphite granular electrode. Anaerobic cellulolytic bacteria dominated the area where most of the EAB were found, indicating that the current was probably generated via the hydrolysis of cellulose. Due to the presence of oxygen and nitrate, short-chain fatty acid-utilising denitrifiers were the major competitors for the electron donor. Acetate-utilising methanogens played a minor role in the competition for electron donor, probably due to the availability of graphite granules as electron acceptors. (orig.)

Effects of hydraulic frac fluids and formation waters on groundwater microbial communities

Science.gov (United States)

Krueger, Martin; Jimenez, Nuria

2017-04-01

Shale gas is being considered as a complementary energy resource to other fossil fuels. Its exploitation requires using advanced drilling techniques and hydraulic stimulation (fracking). During fracking operations, large amounts of fluids (fresh water, proppants and chemicals) are injected at high pressures into the formations, to create fractures and fissures, and thus to release gas from the source rock into the wellbore. The injected fluid partly remains in the formation, while up to 40% flows back to the surface, together with reservoir waters, sometimes containing dissolved hydrocarbons, high salt concentrations, etc. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential impacts of frac or geogenic chemicals, frac fluid, formation water or flowback on groudnwater microbial communities. Laboratory experiments under in situ conditions (i.e. at in situ temperature, high pressure) were conducted using groundwater samples from three different locations. Series of microcosms containing R2 broth medium or groundwater spiked with either single frac chemicals (including biocides), frac fluids, artificial reservoir water, NaCl, or different mixtures of reservoir water and frac fluid (to simulate flowback) were incubated in the dark. Controls included non-amended and non-inoculated microcosms. Classical microbiological methods and molecular analyses were used to assess changes in the microbial abundance, community structure and function in response to the different treatments. Microbial communities were quite halotolerant and their growth benefited from low concentrations of reservoir waters or salt, but they were negatively affected by higher concentrations of formation waters, salt, biocides or frac fluids. Changes on the microbial community structure could be detected by T-RFLP. Single frac components like guar gum or choline chloride were used as substrates, while others like triethanolamine or light oil distillate hydrogenated prevented microbial growth in

VirSorter: mining viral signal from microbial genomic data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Roux

2015-05-01

available through the iPlant Cyberinfrastructure that provides a web-based user interface interconnected with the required computing resources. VirSorter thus complements existing prophage prediction softwares to better leverage fragmented, SAG and metagenomic datasets in a way that will scale to modern sequencing. Given these features, VirSorter should enable the discovery of new viruses in microbial datasets, and further our understanding of uncultivated viral communities across diverse ecosystems.

VirSorter: mining viral signal from microbial genomic data

Science.gov (United States)

Roux, Simon; Enault, Francois; Hurwitz, Bonnie L.

2015-01-01

Plant Cyberinfrastructure that provides a web-based user interface interconnected with the required computing resources. VirSorter thus complements existing prophage prediction softwares to better leverage fragmented, SAG and metagenomic datasets in a way that will scale to modern sequencing. Given these features, VirSorter should enable the discovery of new viruses in microbial datasets, and further our understanding of uncultivated viral communities across diverse ecosystems. PMID:26038737

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

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Toward Understanding, Managing, and Protecting Microbial Ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Bodelier, Paul L. E.

2011-01-01

Microbial communities are at the very basis of life on earth, catalyzing biogeochemical reactions driving global nutrient cycles. However, unlike for plants and animals, microbial diversity is not on the biodiversity–conservation agenda. The latter, however, would imply that microbial diversity is not under any threat by anthropogenic disturbance or climate change. This maybe a misconception caused by the rudimentary knowledge we have concerning microbial diversity and its role in ecosystem functioning. This perspective paper identifies major areas with knowledge gaps within the field of environmental microbiology that preclude a comprehension of microbial ecosystems on the level we have for plants and animals. Opportunities and challenges are pointed out to open the microbial black box and to go from descriptive to predictive microbial ecology. PMID:21747797

Towards understanding, managing and protecting microbial ecosystems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul eBodelier

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Microbial communities are at the very basis of life on earth, catalysing biogeochemical reactions driving global nutrient cycles. However, unlike for plants and animals, microbial diversity is not on the biodiversity conservation agenda. The latter, however, would imply that microbial diversity is not under any threat by anthropogenic disturbance or climate change. This maybe a misconception caused by the rudimentary knowledge we have concerning microbial diversity and its role in ecosystem functioning. This perspective paper indentifies major areas with knowledge gaps within the field of environmental microbiology that preclude a comprehension of microbial ecosystems on the level we have for plants and animals. Opportunities and challenges are pointed out to open the microbial black box and to go from descriptive to predictive microbial ecology.

Toward understanding, managing, and protecting microbial ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodelier, Paul L E

2011-01-01

Microbial communities are at the very basis of life on earth, catalyzing biogeochemical reactions driving global nutrient cycles. However, unlike for plants and animals, microbial diversity is not on the biodiversity-conservation agenda. The latter, however, would imply that microbial diversity is not under any threat by anthropogenic disturbance or climate change. This maybe a misconception caused by the rudimentary knowledge we have concerning microbial diversity and its role in ecosystem functioning. This perspective paper identifies major areas with knowledge gaps within the field of environmental microbiology that preclude a comprehension of microbial ecosystems on the level we have for plants and animals. Opportunities and challenges are pointed out to open the microbial black box and to go from descriptive to predictive microbial ecology.