Complete genome sequence of the orange-red pigmented, radioresistant Deinococcus proteolyticus type strain (MRP(T))

Deinococcus proteolyticus (ex Kobatake et al. 1973) Brook and Murray 1981 is one of currently 47 species in the genus Deinococcus within the family Deinococcaceae. Strain MRP(T) was isolated from feces of Lama glama and possesses extreme radiation resistance, a trait is shares with various other species of the genus Deinococcus, with D. proteolyticus being resistant up to 1.5 Mrad of gamma radiation. Strain MRP(T) is of further interest for its carotenoid pigment. The genome presented here is only the fifth completed genome sequence of a member of the genus Deinococcus (and the forth type strain) to be published, and will hopefully contribute to a better understanding of how members of this genus adapted to high gamma- or UV ionizing-radiation. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 2,886,836 bp long genome with its four large plasmids of lengths 97 kbp, 132 kbp, 196 kbp and 315 kbp harbors 2,741 protein-coding and 58 RNA genes and is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Ilyobacter polytropus type strain (CuHbu1)

Ilyobacter polytropus Stieb and Schink 1984 is the type species of the genus Ilyobacter, which belongs to the fusobacterial family Fusobacteriaceae. The species is of interest because its members are able to ferment quite a number of sugars and organic acids. I. polytropus has a broad versatility in using various fermentation pathways. Also, its members do not degrade poly-β-hydroxybutyrate but only the monomeric 3-hydroxybutyrate. This is the first completed genome sequence of a member of the genus Ilyobacter and the second sequence from the family Fusobacteriaceae. The 3,132,314 bp long genome with its 2,934 protein-coding and 108 RNA genes consists of two chromosomes (2 and 1 Mbp long) and one plasmid, and is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Ignisphaera aggregans type strain (AQ1.S1)

Ignisphaera aggregans Niederberger et al. 2006 is the type and sole species of genus Ignisphaera. This archaeal species is characterized by a coccoid-shape and is strictly anaerobic, moderately acidophilic, heterotrophic hyperthermophilic and fermentative. The type strain AQ1.S1(T) was isolated from a near neutral, boiling spring in Kuirau Park, Rotorua, New Zealand. This is the first completed genome sequence of the genus Ignisphaera and the fifth genome (fourth type strain) sequence in the family Desulfurococcaceae. The 1,875,953 bp long genome with its 2,009 protein-coding and 52 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Arcanobacterium haemolyticum type strain (11018)

Arcanobacterium haemolyticum (ex MacLean et al. 1946) Collins et al. 1983 is the type species of the genus Arcanobacterium, which belongs to the family Actinomycetaceae. The strain is of interest because it is an obligate parasite of the pharynx of humans and farm animal; occasionally, it causes pharyngeal or skin lesions. It is a Gram-positive, nonmotile and non-sporulating bacterium. The strain described in this study was isolated from infections amongst American soldiers of certain islands of the North and West Pacific. This is the first completed sequence of a member of the genus Arcanobacterium and the ninth type strain genome from the family Actinomycetaceae. The 1,986,154 bp long genome with its 1,821 protein-coding and 64 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Diatom assemblages in tsunami deposits associated with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Phra Thong Island, Thailand

Diatom assemblages in sandy deposits of the 2004 tsunami at Phra Thong Island, Thailand may provide clues to flow conditions during the tsunami. The tsunami deposits contain one or more beds that fine upward, commonly from medium sand to silty very fine sand. Diatom assemblages of the lowermost portion of the deposit predominantly comprise unbroken beach and subtidal species that live attached to sand grains. The dominant taxa shift to marine plankton species in the middle of the bed and to a mix of freshwater, brackish, and marine species near the top. These trends are consistent with expected changes in current velocities of tsunami through time. During high current velocities, medium sand is deposited; only beach and subtidal benthic diatoms attached to sediment can be incorporated into the tsunami deposit. High shear velocity keeps finer material, including planktonic diatoms in suspension. With decreasing current velocities, finer material including marine plankton can be deposited. Finally, during the lull between tsunami waves, the entrained freshwater, brackish, and marine species settle out with mud and plant trash. Low numbers of broken diatoms in the lower medium sand implies rapid entrainment and deposition, whilst selective breakage of marine plankton (Thalassionema nitzschioides, and Thalassiosira and Coscinodiscus spp.) in the middle portion of the deposit probably results from abrasion in the turbulent current before deposition.     

Complete genome sequence of Intrasporangium calvum type strain (7 KIP)

Intrasporangium calvum Kalakoutskii et al. 1967 is the type species of the genus Intrasporangium, which belongs to the actinobacterial family Intrasporangiaceae. The species is a Gram-positive bacterium that forms a branching mycelium, which tends to break into irregular fragments. The mycelium of this strain may bear intercalary vesicles but does not contain spores. The strain described in this study is an airborne organism that was isolated from a school dining room in 1967. One particularly interesting feature of I. calvum is that the type of its menaquinone is different from all other representatives of the family Intrasporangiaceae. This is the first completed genome sequence from a member of the genus Intrasporangium and also the first sequence from the family Intrasporangiaceae. The 4,024,382 bp long genome with its 3,653 protein-coding and 57 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Tsukamurella paurometabola type strain (no. 33)

Tsukamurella paurometabola corrig. (Steinhaus 1941) Collins et al. 1988 is the type species of the genus Tsukamurella, which is the type genus to the family Tsukamurellaceae. The species is not only of interest because of its isolated phylogenetic location, but also because it is a human opportunistic pathogen with some strains of the species reported to cause lung infection, lethal meningitis, and necrotizing tenosynovitis. This is the first completed genome sequence of a member of the genus Tsukamurella and the first genome sequence of a member of the family Tsukamurellaceae. The 4,479,724 bp long genome contains a 99,806 bp long plasmid and a total of 4,335 protein-coding and 56 RNA genes, and is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of the aerobic, heterotroph Marinithermus hydrothermalis type strain (T1(T)) from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney

Marinithermus hydrothermalis Sako et al. 2003 is the type species of the monotypic genus Marinithermus. M. hydrothermalis T1(T) was the first isolate within the phylum "Thermus-Deinococcus" to exhibit optimal growth under a salinity equivalent to that of sea water and to have an absolute requirement for NaCl for growth. M. hydrothermalis T1(T) is of interest because it may provide a new insight into the ecological significance of the aerobic, thermophilic decomposers in the circulation of organic compounds in deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems. This is the first completed genome sequence of a member of the genus Marinithermus and the seventh sequence from the family Thermaceae. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 2,269,167 bp long genome with its 2,251 protein-coding and 59 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Fast processing of microscopic images using object-based extended depth of field

Background

Microscopic analysis requires that foreground objects of interest, e.g. cells, are in focus. In a typical microscopic specimen, the foreground objects may lie on different depths of field necessitating capture of multiple images taken at different focal planes. The extended depth of field (EDoF) technique is a computational method for merging images from different depths of field into a composite image with all foreground objects in focus. Composite images generated by EDoF can be applied in automated image processing and pattern recognition systems. However, current algorithms for EDoF are computationally intensive and impractical, especially for applications such as medical diagnosis where rapid sample turnaround is important. Since foreground objects typically constitute a minor part of an image, the EDoF technique could be made to work much faster if only foreground regions are processed to make the composite image. We propose a novel algorithm called object-based extended depths of field (OEDoF) to address this issue.

Methods

The OEDoF algorithm consists of four major modules: 1) color conversion, 2) object region identification, 3) good contrast pixel identification and 4) detail merging. First, the algorithm employs color conversion to enhance contrast followed by identification of foreground pixels. A composite image is constructed using only these foreground pixels, which dramatically reduces the computational time.

Results

We used 250 images obtained from 45 specimens of confirmed malaria infections to test our proposed algorithm. The resulting composite images with all in-focus objects were produced using the proposed OEDoF algorithm. We measured the performance of OEDoF in terms of image clarity (quality) and processing time. The features of interest selected by the OEDoF algorithm are comparable in quality with equivalent regions in images processed by the state-of-the-art complex wavelet EDoF algorithm; however, OEDoF required four times less processing time.

Conclusions

This work presents a modification of the extended depth of field approach for efficiently enhancing microscopic images. This selective object processing scheme used in OEDoF can significantly reduce the overall processing time while maintaining the clarity of important image features. The empirical results from parasite-infected red cell images revealed that our proposed method efficiently and effectively produced in-focus composite images. With the speed improvement of OEDoF, this proposed algorithm is suitable for processing large numbers of microscope images, e.g., as required for medical diagnosis.

     

Non-contiguous finished genome sequence of Aminomonas paucivorans type strain (GLU-3)

Aminomonas paucivorans Baena et al. 1999 is the type species of the genus Aminomonas, which belongs to the family Synergistaceae. The species is of interest because it is an asaccharolytic chemoorganotrophic bacterium which ferments quite a number of amino acids. This is the first finished genome sequence (with one gap in a rDNA region) of a member of the genus Aminomonas and the third sequence from the family Synergistaceae. The 2,630,120 bp long genome with its 2,433 protein-coding and 61 RNA genes is a part of the GenomicEncyclopedia ofBacteria andArchaea project.