651 research outputs found
North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) gut mycobiome
No full textThe North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) is a semi-aquatic, hindgut-fermenting rodent that follows a tree bark-based diet and shows long feed retention time (14-40 hours). Their enlarged cecum harbors a complex microbial community that plays a key role in lignocellulose degradation. While some studies have investigated its gut microbiome, most focused on bacteria and archaea with little attention to the fungal community. Since anaerobic gut fungi (AGF) are known lignocellulose degraders in other herbivores, we hypothesize that beavers host AGF and furthermore possess a unique fungal community due to their lignocellulose-rich diet.
To test this hypothesis, cecal samples from 32 wild beavers were collected by trappers throughout the state of Utah. Amplicon sequencing targeting the D2 region of the LSU rRNA gene of the general fungal community has been performed. Preliminary results showed that Neocallimastigomycota constituted an integral component of the beaver’s gut (~23% of the total fungal community). Within this AGF community, genera encountered included Orpinomyces, Liebetanzomyces, and a novel genus in the Joblinomyces clade. Other than Neocallimastigomycota, the beaver gut harbored novel fungal lineages closely related to the Neocallimastigomycota and Chytridiomycota (~63% of the total fungal community). Comparative analysis of all 32 samples will elucidate community differences based on sex, age, and weight. In addition, enrichment and isolation efforts are underway.
This study provides the first report of AGF in beavers and aims to comprehensively characterize the fungal community associated with North American beavers.Microbiology and Molecular Genetic
Interview with Abdel Tawab Youssef
No full textلقاء مع عبد التواب يوسف الأديب و المؤلف المصري و الذى إشتهر بالكتابة في أدب الأطفال بمناسبة إنتخابه أمين عام لإتحاد كتاب مصر. أجرى هذا اللقاء حسن شمس الدين.An interview with Abdel Tawab Youssef, Egyptian children's book author, on the occasion of his election as Secretary General of Egypt Writers' Union. Interview conducted by Hassan Shams El Din
Service Quality in the Finnish Health Care System and Patients’ Decisions
No full textCustomer service is considered an important part of any organization and one which has a direct effect on the organization income and customer satisfaction toward organization efficiency. The value of organization services could change customer attitude. Each customer has his/her expec-tations and customer services could lead to memorable experiences, positive or negative ones and change customer perception towards what the organization offers. The customer or to be more specific healthcare patient, patient satisfaction is related to sharing in the decision making for treatment, care evaluation and cost reduction. The quality of health care services is of utmost importance to society and through research knowledge can be acquired about the importance of quality, concepts and its role in health care development and recommendations can be made to help in its improvement.
In this research the author examines the Finnish healthcare system provision and policy. Research is conducted on client types, preferences and rights, and an understanding of the client’s attitude towards healthcare services and factors affecting their decisions is desired. The author aims to investigate how much the quality of customer service in the Finnish healthcare system could affect customers decisions. Does the experience of challenges in customer services direct custom-er/patient from public healthcare services to private ones or vice versa? The purpose of the thesis project to offer guidance for healthcare professionals to improve the management of the healthcare system. Guidance includes the area which are valued by customers, the painful and joyful moments during the customer journey.
The author’s objectives during the research concern knowledge discovery; to know how much health care facilities put the quality factor in consideration, to be aware health care problems, to understand the different kinds of behaviors from the perspectives of professionals or clients, to summarize the most important elements which should be in any health organization to achieve a high level of quality and to decrease the gape between our needs and what are already offered by the health care
Ultrasonographic cervical length and risk of hemorrhage in pregnancies with placenta previa
No full textEnzymatic assessment of cells with distinct TP53 mutations
No full textThe P53 transcription factor, encoded by the human gene TP53, is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancers. The P53 transcription factor suppresses tumor growth through the regulation of genes with diverse biological functions. Once the TP53 gene is mutated, P53 proteins not only lose their tumor suppression abilities, but also contribute to tumor growth. One way mutant P53 can contribute to tumor growth is to alter the regulation of iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster-containing proteins, thereby increasing iron uptake and availability. Understanding such alterations in function is important because Fe-S cluster proteins play a role in both energy metabolism and DNA repair enzymes, both of which can suppress the progression and expansion of cancerous tumors. This thesis work examines how TP53 mutation status influences Fe-S cluster protein regulation, and subsequently iron homeostasis in tumor cells. First, we assessed the activity of the Fe-S containing enzymes using both cytosolic and mitochondrial aconitase, in cell lines expressing a variety of TP53 mutations. Specifically, we used human cancer cell lines that express the six most commonly observed TP53 mutations, these six represent nearly 25% of all TP53 mutations in human cancers. We found that TP53 mutations significantly influence how the activity within Fe-S cluster enzymes is regulated. Thus, our ongoing studies are focused on investigating the mechanisms by which TP53 mutation status influences the regulation of genes involved with Fe-S cluster biogenesis and consequently, Fe-S cluster containing protein activity. This research is important because it will help determine how homeostatic control of iron metabolism is maintained in cancer cells expressing distinct TP53 mutations. Such findings could have significant implications for further facilitating the development of metabolic interventions and iron-targeted chemotherapy strategies
Youssef al-Sebai as a novelist
No full textBu çalışmada, 20. yüzyıl Mısır edebiyatının önemli kısa hikâye ve roman yazarlarından biri olan Yusuf es-Sibâ'î'nin hayatı, edebî kişiliği ve romanları incelenmektedir. Sibâ'î'nin yaşadığı dönem; sosyal, siyasi ve kültürel açıdan önemli pek çok olaya şahitlik etmiştir. Bu olaylar arasında, 1919 ve 1952 devrimleri, Arap-İsrail savaşı, Mısır'ın öncülük ettiği Arap birliğinin kuruluşu, kadınların bireysel ve toplumsal hak ve özgürlüklere kavuşması gibi önemli gelişmeler yer almaktadır. Bu olaylara kayıtsız kalmayan Sibâ'î, romanları aracılığıyla Mısır'ın siyasi hayatını, bağımsızlık mücadelesini ve bu süreçte yaşanan önemli gelişmeleri kurgusal aleme taşımıştır. Bu durum yazarın romanlarının, sosyal, siyasi ve kültürel anlamda zengin bir içeriğe sahip olmasını sağlamıştır. Sibâ'î'nin fantastik, gerçekçi, romantik ve psikolojik türden kaleme aldığı romanlarında ağırlıklı olarak romantik bir eğilim kendini gösteriyor olsa da romantizmi ve realizmi aynı çatı altında başarılı bir şekilde birleştirdiği görülmektedir. Bu sayede, romanlarında gerçekçi ve romantik unsurları harmanlamış ve okuyucuya etkileyici bir okuma deneyimi sunmuştur. Ayrıca Sibâ'î'nin eserleri, Mısır edebiyatında bir dönüm noktası olarak kabul edilmektedir. Bu eserler, dönemin siyasi ve toplumsal sorunlarına dair kayda değer birer belge niteliği taşımaktadır. Bu yönüyle de yazarın eserleri Mısır edebiyatının önemli bir parçasıdır ve gelecek kuşaklara aktarılması gereken bir miras olarak değerlendirilmelidir.This work focuses on the life and literary works of Youssef al-Sebai, one of the leading short story and novel writers of 20th century Egyptian literature. The period in which the author lived witnessed many important events from political, social, and cultural perspectives. Among these events were the 1919 and 1952 revolutions, the Arab-Israeli war, the establishment of the Arab unity led by Egypt, and the achievement of individual and societal rights for women. Youssef al-Sebai did not remain indifferent to these events and addressed the significant developments that occurred during Egypt's political life and struggle for independence through his works. His works demonstrate that they have a rich content in terms of social, political, and cultural meanings. Youssef al-Sebai used fantastic, realistic, romantic and psychological genres in his works. Although a romantic tendency is mainly observed in his novels, the author successfully combined romanticism and realism under the same roof. In this way, he blended realistic and romantic elements in his works and provided readers with an impressive reading experience. Furthermore, Youssef al-Sebai's works are considered a turning point in Egyptian literature. These works are regarded as important documents on the political and societal issues of their time. In this sense, the author's works are an important part of Egyptian literature and should be recognized as a legacy that needs to be passed down to future generations
The energy-converting hydrogenase Ech2 is important for the growth of the thermophilic acetogen Thermoanaerobacter kivui on ferredoxin-dependent substrates
No full textABSTRACTThermoanaerobacter kivui is the thermophilic acetogenic bacterium with the highest temperature optimum (66°C) and with high growth rates on hydrogen (H2) plus carbon dioxide (CO2). The bioenergetic model suggests that its redox and energy metabolism depends on energy-converting hydrogenases (Ech). Its genome encodes two Echs, Ech1 and Ech2, as sole coupling sites for energy conservation during growth on H2 + CO2. During growth on other substrates, its redox activity, the (proton-gradient-coupled) oxidation of H2 may be essential to provide reduced ferredoxin (Fd) to the cell. While Ech activity has been demonstrated biochemically, the physiological function of both Ech’s is unclear. Toward that, we deleted the complete gene cluster encoding Ech2. Surprisingly, the ech2 mutant grew as fast as the wild type on sugar substrates and H2 + CO2. Hence, Ech1 may be the essential enzyme for energy conservation, and either Ech1 or another enzyme may substitute for H2-dependent Fd reduction during growth on sugar substrates, putatively the H2-dependent CO2 reductase (HDCR). Growth on pyruvate and CO, substrates that are oxidized by Fd-dependent enzymes, was significantly impaired, but to a different extent. While ∆ech2 grew well on pyruvate after four transfers, ∆ech2 did not adapt to CO. Cell suspensions of ∆ech2 converted pyruvate to acetate, but no acetate was produced from CO. We analyzed the genome of five T. kivui strains adapted to CO. Strikingly, all strains carried mutations in the hycB3 subunit of HDCR. These mutations are obviously essential for the growth on CO but may inhibit its ability to utilize Fd as substrate.IMPORTANCEAcetogens thrive by converting H2+CO2 to acetate. Under environmental conditions, this allows for only very little energy to be conserved (∆G′<–20 kJ mol−1). CO2 serves as a terminal electron acceptor in the ancient Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WLP). Since the WLP is ATP neutral, energy conservation during growth on H2 + CO2 is dependent on the redox metabolism. Two types of acetogens can be distinguished, Rnf- and Ech-type. The function of both membrane-bound enzyme complexes is twofold—energy conversion and redox balancing. Ech couples the Fd-dependent reduction of protons to H2 to the formation of a proton gradient in the thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter kivui. This bacterium may be utilized in gas fermentation at high temperatures, due to very high conversion rates and the availability of genetic tools. The physiological function of an Ech hydrogenase in T. kivui was studied to contribute an understanding of its energy and redox metabolism, a prerequisite for future industrial applications
Interview with Abdel Tawab Youssef
No full textمقابلة مع الأديب وكاتب كتب الأطفال، عبد التواب يوسف، يناقش فيها مهنته في كتابة كتب الأطفال وأخر دراساته في الموضوعات المتصلة بذلك المجال بجامعات أمريكية، ويتحدث عن عدة كتب مهمة مثل كتاب ""تاريخ البشرية،"" لأرنولد توينبى، كما يتحدث عن قراءات مهمة للطفل في سن المدرسة وما قبلها في موضوعات مهمة وعميقة كمناقشة الموت، الحياة والجنس. قامت بالمقابلة درية شرف الدين.An interview with writer and children's books author, Abdel Tawab Youssef, in which he discusses writing children's books and tells about books ""The History of Humanity"" by Arnold Toynbee. The interview was conducted by Doria Sharaf El-Din
THE LEVANT: ZONE OF CULTURE OR CONFLICT?
No full textPalestinian novelist Samir El-Youssef writes that the question in the title of this essay, “is the Levant a zone of conflict or culture?” is an ironic one indeed. Anyone with a token knowledge of the Levant, argues El-Youssef, knows that these lands are of both conflict and culture; the problem dwells in the fact that the people of the Levant need to be reminded that theirs is a land of great culture that deserves recognition and valorization as such. The author was born and brought up in Rashidiyyé—a Palestinian refugee camp in Southern Lebanon. Rashidiyyé, writes El-Youssef, was and still is as bad as a refugee camp could get. Yet, a mere fifteen minutes walk from the camp stood the ancient Phoenician port-city of Tyr; a harbour town housing the awesome vestiges of one of the greatest, most pacifist, most benevolent builders of civilization. El-Youssef concludes that "the refugee camp (in its indigence,) and the ancient city (in all its glory,) standing side by side, are a stark example of the Levant being both a land of conflict and culture."</jats:p
Examining the fungal community in Iguania digestive tracts
No full textAnaerobic gut fungi (AGF; phylum Neocallimastigomycota) contribute to the degradation of plant biomass within the digestive tracts of herbivores. Regardless of their ecological importance, their evolution and host range remain poorly understood. Most studies, both culture-dependent and independent, have focused on herbivorous mammals, with limited research on AGF in reptiles. Comparative molecular dating of AGF from tortoise and mammalian feces suggests AGF predate their known mammalian hosts, with reptiles as potential original hosts. Beyond tortoises, herbivorous reptiles in the infraorder Iguania (squamate reptiles like iguanas, agamids, and other lizards) are capable of hindgut fermentation. With a prolonged solids retention time and their mostly plant-based diet, Iguania might be suitable AGF hosts.
To test the hypothesis that Iguania host evolutionary older AGF, we sampled wild and zoo-housed species within this order. We employed amplicon sequencing targeting the D1/D2 region of the LSU region using both general fungal and AGF-specific primers. Our objective is to identify and characterize the AGF communities within this order and place it within the context of their broader fungal communities. Preliminary results show a variety of known and novel AGF present. A more detailed data analysis is currently underway. Additionally, quantitative PCR will be used to estimate AGF abundance relative to total fungal abundance in these samples.
This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of AGF communities in herptiles, shedding light on the ecological roles and evolutionary history of AGF. It is the first detailed report on the AGF and broader fungal community in Iguania.Microbiology and Molecular Genetic
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