Monte carlo simulation of bacterial disinfection: Nonlinear and time‐explicit intensity of transition

Bacteria being disinfected in fluid media are discrete entities and mesoscopic in size; moreover, they are incessantly as well as irregularly in motion and in collision among themselves or with the surrounding solid surfaces. As such, it is highly likely that some of the attributes of the bacterial population, for example, their number concentration, will fluctuate randomly. This is especially the case at the tail‐end of disinfection when the population of bacteria is sparse. It might be effectual, therefore, to explore the resultant random fluctuations via a stochastic paradigm. Proposed herein is a Markovian stochastic model for the rate of bacterial disinfection, whose intensity of transition takes into account the contact time of the bacteria with the disinfecting agent to eliminate any given percentage of the bacteria in terms of a nonlinear function of time. The model's master equation has been simulated by resorting to the Monte Carlo method to circumvent the undue complexities in solving it analytically or numerically via conventional numerical techniques. For illustration, the mean, the variance (standard deviation), and the coefficient of variation of the number concentration of bacteria during disinfection have been estimated through Monte Carlo simulation. The results of simulation compare favorably with the available experimental data as well as with those computed from the corresponding deterministic model. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

Terminal versus segmental development in the Drosophila embryo: the role of the homeotic gene fork head

Summary Mutations of the homeotic gene fork head (fkh) of Drosophila transform the non-segmented terminal regions of the embryonic ectoderm into segmental derivatives: Pre-oral head structures and the foregut are replaced by post-oral head structures which are occasionally associated with thoracic structures. Posterior tail structures including the hindgut and the Malpighian tubules are replaced by post-oral head structures associated with anterior tail structures. The fkh gene shows no maternal effect and is required only during embryogenesis. The phenotypes of double mutants indicate that fkh acts independently of other homeotic genes (ANT-C, BX-C, spalt) and caudal. In addition, the fkh domains are not expanded in Polycomb (Pc) group mutant embryos. Ectopic expression of the homeotic selector genes of the ANT-C and BX-C in Pc group mutant embryos causes segmental transformations in terminal regions of the embryo only in the absence of fkh gene activity. Thus, fkh is a region-specific homeotic rather than a selector gene, which promotes terminal as opposed to segmental development. Offprint requests to: Institut für Biologie II (Genetik), Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-7400 Tübingen, Federal Republic of Germany     

A new putative cellulose-synthesizing complex ofColeochaete scutata

Summary Cells of the charophycean alga,Coleochaete scutata active in cell wall formation were freeze fractured in the search for cellulose synthesizing complexes (TCs) since this alga is considered to be among the most advanced and a progenitor to land plant evolution. We have found a new TC which consists of two geometrically distinctive particle complexes complementary to one another in the plasma membrane and occasionally associated with microfibril impressions. In the E-fracture face is found a cluster of 8–50 closely packed particles, each with a diameter of 5–17 nm. Most of these particles are confined within an 80 nm circle. In the P-fracture face is found an 8-fold symmetrical arrangement of 10 nm particles circumferentially arranged around a 28 nm central particle. The TCs ofC. scutata are quite distinctive from the rosette/globule TCs of land plants. The 5.5×3.1 nm microfibril inC. scutata is also distinctive from the 3.5×3.5 nm microfibril typical of land plants. The phylogenetic implications of this unique TC in land plant evolution are discussed.     

The distribution of a proctolin-like immunoreactive material in the terminal ganglion of the cockroach,Periplaneta americana L.

Summary Neurons with proctolin-like immunoreactivity were mapped in the terminal ganglion of Periplaneta americana. The effect of different fixation methods on the variability of immunostaining is described and discussed. The appearance of immunoreactive presynaptic terminals, described here for the first time in insects, points to a function of proctolin as neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the central nervous system of P. americana besides its known role in the periphery. Proctolin-like immunoreactivity was shown in pre- and postsynaptic profiles. Synaptic contacts are described in detail.Supported by the Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Technik der DDR and by Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig.The authors are indebted for excellent technical assistance to Mrs. Angelika Schmidt and Mr. Bernd Mäusezahl.     

A novel peptide shows excellent anti-HIV-1 potency as a gp41 fusion inhibitor

Fusion inhibitors of HIV prevent the virus from entering into the target cell via the interaction with gp41, which stops the process of spatial rearrangement of the viral envelope protein. A series of peptides have been designed and screened to obtain a highly potent novel sequence. Among them, CT105 possesses the most potent anti-viral ability at low nanomolar IC50 values against a panel of HIV-1 pseudoviruses from A, B, C and A₁/D subtypes, whereas T20 shows much weaker potency. CT105 also shows excellent inhibitory activity at 260 pico molar IC50 against HIV-1 replication. As a fusion inhibitor, CT105 has a strong ability to interrupt gp41 core formation. The terminal half-life of CT105 possesses 1.72-fold longer than that of T20 as determined by developing an indirect competitive ELISA method. The results suggest that this artificial peptide CT105 could be a favorable architype for further optimization and modification.     

Physiological methods to study biofilm disinfection

This report reviews the development of a rapidin situ approach to study the physiological responses of bacteria within biofilms to disinfectants. One method utilized direct viable counts (DVC) to assess the disinfection efficacy when thin biofilms were exposed to chlorine or monochloramine. Results obtained using the DVC method were one log higher than plate count (PC) estimates of the surviving population after disinfection. Other methods incorporated the use of fluorogenic stains, a cryotomy technique to yield thin (5-m) sections of biofilm communities and examination by fluorescence microscopy. The fluorogenic stains used in this approach included 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC), which indicates cellular electron transport activity and Rhodamine 123, which responds specifically to proton motive force. The use of these stains allowed the microscopic discrimination of physiologically active bacteria as well as heterogeneities of active cells within thicker biofilms. The results of experiments using these techniques with pure culture and binary population biofilms on stainless steel coupons indicated biocidal activity of chlorine-based disinfectants occurred initially at the bulk-fluid interface of the communities and progressed toward the substratum. This approach provided a unique opportunity to describe the spatial response of bacteria within biofilms to antimicrobial agents and address mechanisms explaining their comparative resistance to disinfection in a way that has not been possible using traditional approaches. Results obtained using this alternative approach were also consistently higher than PC data following disinfection. These observations suggest that traditional methods involving biofilm removal and bacterial enumeration by colony formation overestimate biocide efficacy. Hence the alternative approach described here more accurately indicates the ability of bacteria surviving disinfection to recover and grow as well as demonstrate spatial heterogeneities in cellular physiological activities within biofilms.     

海枣曲霉木聚糖酶的纯化及末端序列研究

海枣曲霉麸曲经水浸提、硫酸铵盐析、凝胶过滤、离子交换层析及ＨＰＬＣ分子排阻层析制备了ＰＡＧＥ,ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ、ＰＡＧＥ酶谱及ＨＰＬＣ纯的木聚糖酶。