Analysis of bacterioplankton genes in an impaired Great Lakes harbour reveals seasonal metabolic shifts and a previously undetected cyanobacterium.

Hamilton Harbour is an impaired embayment of Lake Ontario that experiences seasonal algal blooms despite decades of remedial efforts. To study the harbour's cyanobacterial and heterotrophic bacterial communities, we extracted and sequenced community DNA from surface water samples collected biweekly from different sites during summer and fall. Assembled contigs were annotated at the phylum level, and Cyanobacteria were further characterized at order and species levels.

Automated Data Generation for Raman Spectroscopy Calibrations in Multi-Parallel Mini Bioreactors.

Raman spectroscopy is an analytical technology for the simultaneous measurement of important process parameters, such as concentrations of nutrients, metabolites, and product titer in mammalian cell culture. The majority of published Raman studies have concentrated on using the technique for the monitoring and control of bioreactors at pilot and manufacturing scales. This research presents a novel approach to generating Raman models using a high-throughput 250 mL mini bioreactor system with the following two integrated analysis modules: a prototype flow cell enabling on-line Raman measurements and a bioanalyzer to generate reference measurements without a significant time-shift, compared to the corresponding Raman measurement.

Analysis of Different Size Fractions Provides a More Complete Perspective of Viral Diversity in a Freshwater Embayment.

Inspired by recent discoveries of the prevalence of large viruses in the environment, we reassessed the longstanding approach of filtering water through small-pore-size filters to separate viruses from cells before metagenomic analysis. We collected samples from three sites in Hamilton Harbour, an embayment of Lake Ontario, and studied 6 data sets derived from <0.45-μm- and >0.

Hip and Groin Injury Prevention in Elite Athletes and Team Sport - Current Challenges and Opportunities.

Hip and groin injury (HAGI) has been reported as a source of significant time loss in elite sport. Field and court-based sports such as basketball, football, hockey, soccer, among others, require explosive multiplanar movement in single stance and high-speed change of direction. Often situations arise where sub-optimal pre-season training has occurred or congested in-season competition minimizes physiologic recovery periods between bouts of physical activity, both of which could magnify concomitant existing risk factors and increase injury risk.

Diversity of Viruses Infecting Eukaryotic Algae.

Algae are photosynthetic organisms that drive aquatic ecosystems, e.g. fuelling food webs or forming harmful blooms.

Specific quantification of Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlorella vulgaris in mixed-species algal biofilms.

Two TaqMan® qPCR assays were developed to specifically quantify the absolute abundance of Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlorella vulgaris in mixed-species algal biofilms by targeting the psbA gene. Standard curves were developed with amplification efficiencies of 92.4% and 96.

Metagenomic Analysis of Virus Diversity and Relative Abundance in a Eutrophic Freshwater Harbour.

Aquatic viruses have been extensively studied over the past decade, yet fundamental aspects of freshwater virus communities remain poorly described. Our goal was to characterize virus communities captured in the >0.22 µm size-fraction seasonally and spatially in a freshwater harbour.

Corrigendum: Genome and Environmental Activity of a Virus and Its Virophages.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.

Genome and Environmental Activity of a Virus and Its Virophages.

Some giant viruses are ecological agents that are predicted to be involved in the top-down control of single-celled eukaryotic algae populations in aquatic ecosystems. Despite an increased interest in giant viruses since the discovery and characterization of and other viral giants, little is known about their physiology and ecology. In this study, we characterized the genome and functional potential of a giant virus that infects the freshwater haptophyte , originally isolated from Lake Ontario.

Viruses of Eukaryotic Algae: Diversity, Methods for Detection, and Future Directions.

The scope for ecological studies of eukaryotic algal viruses has greatly improved with the development of molecular and bioinformatic approaches that do not require algal cultures. Here, we review the history and perceived future opportunities for research on eukaryotic algal viruses. We begin with a summary of the 65 eukaryotic algal viruses that are presently in culture collections, with emphasis on shared evolutionary traits (e.

Rehabilitation and Return to Sport Following Surgical Repair of the Rectus Abdominis and Adductor Longus in a Professional Basketball Player: A Case Report.

Study Design Case report. Background Acute traumatic avulsion of the rectus abdominis and adductor longus is rare. Chronic groin injuries, often falling under the athletic pubalgia spectrum, have been reported to be more common.

Seasonal determinations of algal virus decay rates reveal overwintering in a temperate freshwater pond.

To address questions about algal virus persistence (i.e., continued existence) in the environment, rates of decay of infectivity for two viruses that infect Chlorella-like algae, ATCV-1 and CVM-1, and a virus that infects the prymnesiophyte Chrysochromulina parva, CpV-BQ1, were estimated from in situ incubations in a temperate, seasonally frozen pond.

The ecology of viruses that infect eukaryotic algae.

Because viruses of eukaryotic algae are incredibly diverse, sweeping generalizations about their ecology are rare. These obligate parasites infect a range of algae and their diversity can be illustrated by considering that isolates range from small particles with ssRNA genomes to much larger particles with 560 kb dsDNA genomes. Molecular research has also provided clues about the extent of their diversity especially considering that genetic signatures of algal viruses in the environment rarely match cultivated viruses.

Contrasting community versus population-based estimates of grazing and virus-induced mortality of phytoplankton.

In this study, grazing and virus-induced mortality of phytoplankton was investigated in a freshwater pond at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada, during September 2009. The modified dilution assay, which partitions phytoplankton mortality into virus and grazing-induced fractions, was used along with newly designed, taxon-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays that target psbA gene fragments to estimate growth and mortality rates for both the entire phytoplankton community and four distinct phytoplankton populations. Community mortality was estimated via fluorometric determination of chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations, whereas the relative mortality of individual phytoplankton populations was estimated via qPCR.

Evidence for a common toolbox based on necrotrophy in a fungal lineage spanning necrotrophs, biotrophs, endophytes, host generalists and specialists.

The Sclerotiniaceae (Ascomycotina, Leotiomycetes) is a relatively recently evolved lineage of necrotrophic host generalists, and necrotrophic or biotrophic host specialists, some latent or symptomless. We hypothesized that they inherited a basic toolbox of genes for plant symbiosis from their common ancestor. Maintenance and evolutionary diversification of symbiosis could require selection on toolbox genes or on timing and magnitude of gene expression.

Physiological characterization and light response of the CO2-concentrating mechanism in the filamentous cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. CPCC 696.

We studied the interactions of the CO(2)-concentrating mechanism and variable light in the filamentous cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. CPCC 696 acclimated to low light (15 μmol m(-2) s(-1) PPFD) and low inorganic carbon (50 μM Ci). Mass spectrometric and polarographic analysis revealed that mediated CO(2) uptake along with both active Na(+)-independent and Na(+)-dependent HCO(3)(-) transport, likely through Na(+)/HCO(3)(-) symport, were employed to concentrate Ci internally.

Performance-based quality specifications: the relationship between process critical control parameters, critical quality attributes, and clinical performance.

The quality of pharmaceutical products is currently evaluated through a series of tests that do not explicitly communicate the clinical consequences of product variability. A previously published risk simulation platform was used to generate quantitative estimates of inefficacy and toxicity for 288 uniform lots of extended-release theophylline tablets displaying various levels of content uniformity and dissolution variability. These data were used to evaluate the univariate specifications utilized in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <711> and <905>.

Quantification of virus genes provides evidence for seed-bank populations of phycodnaviruses in Lake Ontario, Canada.

Using quantitative PCR, the abundances of six phytoplankton viruses DNA polymerase (polB) gene fragments were estimated in water samples collected from Lake Ontario, Canada over 26 months. Four of the polB fragments were most related to marine prasinoviruses, while the other two were most closely related to cultivated chloroviruses. Two Prasinovirus-related genes reached peak abundances of >1000 copies ml(-1) and were considered 'high abundance', whereas the other two Prasinovirus-related genes peaked at abundances <1000 copies ml(-1) and were considered 'low abundance'.

A new definition of pharmaceutical quality: assembly of a risk simulation platform to investigate the impact of manufacturing/product variability on clinical performance.

The absence of a unanimous, industry-specific definition of quality is, to a certain degree, impeding the progress of ongoing efforts to "modernize" the pharmaceutical industry. This work was predicated on requests by Dr. Woodcock (FDA) to re-define pharmaceutical quality in terms of risk by linking production characteristics to clinical attributes.

Quantitative PCR reveals transient and persistent algal viruses in Lake Ontario, Canada.

To determine if different algal viruses (Phycodnaviridae) share common patterns of seasonal abundance, quantitative PCR methods were developed and applied to monitor the abundances of three different viruses in Lake Ontario, Canada over 13 months. Throughout the year, the abundances of two different phycodnavirus polB gene fragments (LO1b-49 and LO1a-68) varied by more than two orders of magnitude, peaked during the autumn months, and were lowest during the summer. The seasonal abundance patterns of these two virus genes were similar and both were detected in almost every sample, but LO1b-49 was consistently an order of magnitude more abundant than LO1a-68.

A near-infrared spectroscopic investigation of relative density and crushing strength in four-component compacts.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is commonly employed for the analysis of chemical and physical attributes of intact pharmaceutical compacts. Specifically, NIRS has proven useful in the nondestructive measurement of tablet hardness or crushing strength. Near-infrared (NIR) reflectance and transmittance spectra were acquired for 174 13-mm compacts, which were produced according to a four-constituent mixture design (29 points) composed of anhydrous theophylline, lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, and soluble starch.

The use of net analyte signal orthogonalization in the separation of multi-component diffraction patterns obtained from X-ray powder diffraction of intact compacts.

X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis of intact multi-component consolidated mixtures has significant potential owing to the ability to non-destructively quantify and discriminate between solid phases in composite bodies with minimal sample preparation. There are, however, limitations to the quantitative power using traditional univariate methods on diffraction data containing features from all components in the system. The ability to separate multi-component diffraction data into patterns representing single constituents allows both composition as well as physical phenomena associated with the individual components of complex systems to be probed.

Determination of figures of merit for near-infrared and Raman spectrometry by net analyte signal analysis for a 4-component solid dosage system.

Process analytical technology has elevated the role of sensors in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Often the ideal technology must be selected from many suitable candidates based on limited data. Net analyte signal (NAS) theory provides an effective platform for method characterization based on multivariate figures of merit (FOM).

Density mapping and chemical component calibration development of four-component compacts via terahertz pulsed imaging.

The purpose of this research was to investigate suitable procedures for generating multivariate prediction vectors for quantitative composition and density analysis of intact solid oral dosage forms using terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) spectroscopy. Both frequency- (absorbance and refractive index) and time-domain data are presented. A set of calibration and prediction samples were created according to a quaternary mixture design with five levels of compaction at each concentration design point.

Nitrogenase gene expression in the Chesapeake Bay Estuary.

Like many estuaries, the Chesapeake Bay has pronounced gradients in salinity and nutrients. Previous studies have shown that there is a high diversity of nitrogenase (nifH) genes in the estuary, and that there are specific distributions of individual nifH phylotypes. In contrast to previous work that revealed the remarkable diversity of nifH phylotypes in the Chesapeake estuary, in this study of nifH expression we only detected two phylotypes, and both were phylogenetically related to cyanobacterial nifH genes.