Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), one of the most common types of nanomaterials in medical fields and consumer products, are known to have antimicrobial effects;these materials also undergo a series of chemical and biolo...Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), one of the most common types of nanomaterials in medical fields and consumer products, are known to have antimicrobial effects;these materials also undergo a series of chemical and biological transformations in the environment. Although the pristine form of silver nanoparticles has been studied, less is known about the impacts of the transformed Ag-NPs on biological systems. This knowledge gap hinders the progress of effectively assessing the impacts of Ag-NPs on the environment and human health. In this study, we demonstrate that the most common form of transformed Ag-NPs, sulfidized silver nano-particles (Ag2S-NPs), show less damage on established Pseudomonas aeruginosa GFP (ATCC? 10145 GFP?) biofilm than the pristine form of the nanoparticle. At a dosage of 0.625 mg/L, the total biomass in the biofilm decreased 64% after being exposed to Ag-NPs and 44% after exposure to Ag2S-NPs. Live biofilms were also interrogated. We observed high reduction in live population for biofilm exposed to Ag-NPs and relatively low reduction by Ag2S-NPs at exposure concentrations higher than 0.625 mg/L. Compared with Ag-NPs, the lower solubility of Ag2S-NPs results in less Ag+ diffusion into established biofilms. Our results suggest that the sulfidation of Ag-NPs reduces their impacts on established biofilms, indicating that the transformed Ag-NPs may have less environmental or human health risks.展开更多
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a common opportunistic human pathogen that can lead to severe diseases in immunocompromised patients. The insulin-cleaving membrane protease (ICMP) of P. aeruginosa plays a vi...Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a common opportunistic human pathogen that can lead to severe diseases in immunocompromised patients. The insulin-cleaving membrane protease (ICMP) of P. aeruginosa plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of the bacterium and is therefore characterized as an important bacterial virulence factor. In addition, ICMP also serves as a founding member of the M75 peptidase family and represents a prototype of the imelysin/imelysin-like proteins. Despite of its functional importance in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa and of a root position as the prototypic imelysin/imelysin-like member, the structural features of the protein remain uninvestigated. Since preparation of homogeneous and crystallizable protein species is the prerequisite for structural studies by crystallography, we reported the successful expression, purification, and crystallization of P. aeruginosa ICMP in this study. The protein was over-expressed in Escherichia coli as a GST-fusion protein, cleaved to remove the fusion tag, and then purified to homogeneity. Diffractable crystals were obtained using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to 2.5 Å?resolution and belonged to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 54.47, b = 158.98, c = 162.84 Å, α = β = γ = 90°. Preliminary analysis of the diffraction data revealed high-quality crystallographic statistics with a Matthews coefficient of about 2.61 Å3.Da-1 and a solvent content of about 52.58%, indicating the presence of three ICMP molecules in the asymmetric unit. The current work therefore paved the way for future studies aiming to delineate the characteristics of ICMP at the atomic level.展开更多
Background: Intubated patients are particularly at risk of developing infections caused by these pathogens, specifically, P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii. In the past fifteen years, Carbapenems were known to be the dru...Background: Intubated patients are particularly at risk of developing infections caused by these pathogens, specifically, P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii. In the past fifteen years, Carbapenems were known to be the drugs of choice for these bacteria. With the increase in the use and misuse of antibiotics, these bacteria became highly resistant, and almost all available antibiotics, including Carbapenems, became inefficient. Synergistic combination therapy may be a useful strategy in slowing as well as overcoming the emergence of resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-bacterial activity on P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii of the combination of two antibiotics: Colistin and a Carbapenem (Meropenem or Imipenem). Methods: The antibacterial activity was assessed by determining the MIC. Then, the effect of combining the antibiotics was studied using the Checkerboard Technique described by White et al., 1996. The Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (FIC) for each strain was then calculated and classified as synergy, additive, indifference or antagonism. 11 strains of A. baumannii and 11 strains of P. aeruginosa were tested in the presence of Meropenem combined with Colistin or Imipenem combined with Colistin. Results: For the combination of Meropenem and Colistin, 6 strains of A. baumannii and 3 strains of P. aeruginosa showed synergy while 5 strains of A. baumannii and 7 strains of P. aeruginosa showed additive effect, only 1 strain of P. aeruginosa showed antagonism. For Imipenem and Colistin, only 1 strain of A. baumannii and 3 strains of Pseudomonas showed synergy while 8 strains of Acinetobacter and 8 strains of Pseudomonas showed additive effect. Conclusion: The “in vitro” combination Colistin-Carbapenem is associated with an improvement in MIC. In the majority of the cases, this improvement suggests a synergistic combination or an additive effect.展开更多
目前电磁时间反演(electromagnetic time reversal,EMTR)多应用在单一线路故障定位,且现有判据在高阻抗接地情况下效果不理想。针对上述问题,基于EMTR故障定位原理和均匀传输线理论推导了传播过程中线路故障信号与测量信号的传递函数,...目前电磁时间反演(electromagnetic time reversal,EMTR)多应用在单一线路故障定位,且现有判据在高阻抗接地情况下效果不理想。针对上述问题,基于EMTR故障定位原理和均匀传输线理论推导了传播过程中线路故障信号与测量信号的传递函数,根据传递函数的相关性提出了P范数判据。利用ATP-EMTP搭建10 kV配电网线路,对比了2范数与P范数判据在复杂配电网中的定位性能,并验证了所提判据在混合配电网线路的适用性。最后,分析了配电网发生低阻抗及高阻抗接地故障下P范数判据的鲁棒性。仿真结果表明,该方法在过渡电阻高达3 kΩ的情况下能准确定位,且定位精度高,受噪声、故障类型和采样频率的影响小。展开更多
随着分布式清洁能源发电技术的发展,传统电力用户逐渐转变为电能产消者,并可采用合作联盟形式参与电力P2P(peer to peer)交易,促进分布式清洁能源就地消纳。该文通过从源端和传输端分别核算碳减排量的方法,构建一类考虑经济效益和环境...随着分布式清洁能源发电技术的发展,传统电力用户逐渐转变为电能产消者,并可采用合作联盟形式参与电力P2P(peer to peer)交易,促进分布式清洁能源就地消纳。该文通过从源端和传输端分别核算碳减排量的方法,构建一类考虑经济效益和环境效益的社会福利函数,研究分布式电能产消者通过合作联盟形式实现社会福利最大化的途径。设计一种依据产消者对联盟社会福利贡献值分配合作剩余的机制,激励产消者合作的积极性以维持联盟的稳定。算例分析表明:相较于P2G(peer-to-grid)交易和非合作P2P交易,产消者以合作联盟方式参与电力P2P交易的社会福利分别提升了62.62%、33.79%。因此,以市场化的方式组建合作联盟参与电力P2P交易并合理分配利益,可挖掘分布式清洁能源就地消纳的潜力,促进能源消费的绿色低碳转型。展开更多
文摘Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), one of the most common types of nanomaterials in medical fields and consumer products, are known to have antimicrobial effects;these materials also undergo a series of chemical and biological transformations in the environment. Although the pristine form of silver nanoparticles has been studied, less is known about the impacts of the transformed Ag-NPs on biological systems. This knowledge gap hinders the progress of effectively assessing the impacts of Ag-NPs on the environment and human health. In this study, we demonstrate that the most common form of transformed Ag-NPs, sulfidized silver nano-particles (Ag2S-NPs), show less damage on established Pseudomonas aeruginosa GFP (ATCC? 10145 GFP?) biofilm than the pristine form of the nanoparticle. At a dosage of 0.625 mg/L, the total biomass in the biofilm decreased 64% after being exposed to Ag-NPs and 44% after exposure to Ag2S-NPs. Live biofilms were also interrogated. We observed high reduction in live population for biofilm exposed to Ag-NPs and relatively low reduction by Ag2S-NPs at exposure concentrations higher than 0.625 mg/L. Compared with Ag-NPs, the lower solubility of Ag2S-NPs results in less Ag+ diffusion into established biofilms. Our results suggest that the sulfidation of Ag-NPs reduces their impacts on established biofilms, indicating that the transformed Ag-NPs may have less environmental or human health risks.
文摘Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a common opportunistic human pathogen that can lead to severe diseases in immunocompromised patients. The insulin-cleaving membrane protease (ICMP) of P. aeruginosa plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of the bacterium and is therefore characterized as an important bacterial virulence factor. In addition, ICMP also serves as a founding member of the M75 peptidase family and represents a prototype of the imelysin/imelysin-like proteins. Despite of its functional importance in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa and of a root position as the prototypic imelysin/imelysin-like member, the structural features of the protein remain uninvestigated. Since preparation of homogeneous and crystallizable protein species is the prerequisite for structural studies by crystallography, we reported the successful expression, purification, and crystallization of P. aeruginosa ICMP in this study. The protein was over-expressed in Escherichia coli as a GST-fusion protein, cleaved to remove the fusion tag, and then purified to homogeneity. Diffractable crystals were obtained using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to 2.5 Å?resolution and belonged to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 54.47, b = 158.98, c = 162.84 Å, α = β = γ = 90°. Preliminary analysis of the diffraction data revealed high-quality crystallographic statistics with a Matthews coefficient of about 2.61 Å3.Da-1 and a solvent content of about 52.58%, indicating the presence of three ICMP molecules in the asymmetric unit. The current work therefore paved the way for future studies aiming to delineate the characteristics of ICMP at the atomic level.
文摘Background: Intubated patients are particularly at risk of developing infections caused by these pathogens, specifically, P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii. In the past fifteen years, Carbapenems were known to be the drugs of choice for these bacteria. With the increase in the use and misuse of antibiotics, these bacteria became highly resistant, and almost all available antibiotics, including Carbapenems, became inefficient. Synergistic combination therapy may be a useful strategy in slowing as well as overcoming the emergence of resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-bacterial activity on P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii of the combination of two antibiotics: Colistin and a Carbapenem (Meropenem or Imipenem). Methods: The antibacterial activity was assessed by determining the MIC. Then, the effect of combining the antibiotics was studied using the Checkerboard Technique described by White et al., 1996. The Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (FIC) for each strain was then calculated and classified as synergy, additive, indifference or antagonism. 11 strains of A. baumannii and 11 strains of P. aeruginosa were tested in the presence of Meropenem combined with Colistin or Imipenem combined with Colistin. Results: For the combination of Meropenem and Colistin, 6 strains of A. baumannii and 3 strains of P. aeruginosa showed synergy while 5 strains of A. baumannii and 7 strains of P. aeruginosa showed additive effect, only 1 strain of P. aeruginosa showed antagonism. For Imipenem and Colistin, only 1 strain of A. baumannii and 3 strains of Pseudomonas showed synergy while 8 strains of Acinetobacter and 8 strains of Pseudomonas showed additive effect. Conclusion: The “in vitro” combination Colistin-Carbapenem is associated with an improvement in MIC. In the majority of the cases, this improvement suggests a synergistic combination or an additive effect.
文摘目前电磁时间反演(electromagnetic time reversal,EMTR)多应用在单一线路故障定位,且现有判据在高阻抗接地情况下效果不理想。针对上述问题,基于EMTR故障定位原理和均匀传输线理论推导了传播过程中线路故障信号与测量信号的传递函数,根据传递函数的相关性提出了P范数判据。利用ATP-EMTP搭建10 kV配电网线路,对比了2范数与P范数判据在复杂配电网中的定位性能,并验证了所提判据在混合配电网线路的适用性。最后,分析了配电网发生低阻抗及高阻抗接地故障下P范数判据的鲁棒性。仿真结果表明,该方法在过渡电阻高达3 kΩ的情况下能准确定位,且定位精度高,受噪声、故障类型和采样频率的影响小。
文摘随着分布式清洁能源发电技术的发展,传统电力用户逐渐转变为电能产消者,并可采用合作联盟形式参与电力P2P(peer to peer)交易,促进分布式清洁能源就地消纳。该文通过从源端和传输端分别核算碳减排量的方法,构建一类考虑经济效益和环境效益的社会福利函数,研究分布式电能产消者通过合作联盟形式实现社会福利最大化的途径。设计一种依据产消者对联盟社会福利贡献值分配合作剩余的机制,激励产消者合作的积极性以维持联盟的稳定。算例分析表明:相较于P2G(peer-to-grid)交易和非合作P2P交易,产消者以合作联盟方式参与电力P2P交易的社会福利分别提升了62.62%、33.79%。因此,以市场化的方式组建合作联盟参与电力P2P交易并合理分配利益,可挖掘分布式清洁能源就地消纳的潜力,促进能源消费的绿色低碳转型。
