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Category Archives: Microbiology

13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master’s – NBC40.net

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By BISWAJEET BANERJEE Associated Press

LUCKNOW, India (AP) - In a country where many girls are still discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.

The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master's degree in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter's tuition in the hope of catapulting her into India's growing middle class.

Verma finished high school at 7 and earned an undergraduate degree at age 13 - milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.

"They allowed me to do what I wanted to do," Verma said in an interview Sunday, speaking her native language of Hindi. "I hope that other parents don't impose their choices on their children."

Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents - eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Their only income is her father's daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for laboring on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a second-hand computer.

It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. "There are a lot of dreams ... All of them cannot be fulfilled."

But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. "There is nothing to do but study."

Sushma begins her studies next week at Lucknow's B. R. Ambedkar Central University, though her father is already ferrying her to and from campus each day on his bicycle so she can meet with teachers before classes begin.

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13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master's - NBC40.net

13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master’s

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13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master's

Girl, 13, Begins Microbiology Master’s

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In a country where many girls are still discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.

The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master's degree in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter's tuition in the hope of catapulting her into India's growing middle class.

Verma finished high school at 7 and earned an undergraduate degree at age 13 milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.

"They allowed me to do what I wanted to do," Verma said in an interview Sunday, speaking her native language of Hindi. "I hope that other parents don't impose their choices on their children."

Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Their only income is her father's daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for laboring on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a second-hand computer.

It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. "There are a lot of dreams ... All of them cannot be fulfilled."

But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. "There is nothing to do but study."

Sushma begins her studies next week at Lucknow's B. R. Ambedkar Central University, though her father is already ferrying her to and from campus each day on his bicycle so she can meet with teachers before classes begin.

Her first choice was to become a doctor, but she cannot take the test to qualify for medical school until she is 18.

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Girl, 13, Begins Microbiology Master's

Report: Plant microbes might help agriculture produce higher yields

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In December 2012, Gwyn Beattie, professor of plant pathology and microbiology, along with 26 other participants from colleges around the nation convened to report how plant microbes could produce more yields for the agricultural community.

The question posed, Beattie said, was: To what extent can microbes help agricultural productivity?

Beattie said that the reports main message described that microbes actually do a lot for the plants.

We know there is bacteria and fungi that are associated with plants that provide nutrients, Beattie said.

The aspect of plant microbes helping agriculture has not been fully appreciated yet, Beattie said.

For example, when youre developing new corn lines you develop them in a field where you provide them high levels of fertilizer," Beattie said. "That high level of fertilizer prevents the microbial benefit that the microbes might be providing if the fertilizer wasnt there."

When plants are given the right opportunity under breeding conditions, it is possible to get the microbes to work for the plant,Beattie said.

Specifically, the research Beattie is working with consists of resolving the significant losses of phosphorous in fertilizers.

There are fungi in 80 percent of plants, and they effect the roots," Beattie said. "They establish a symbiosis with the root system and extend into the root system, so they become essentially part of the roots, and they funnel phosphorous into the plant.

Beattie said she is trying enhance the use of the fungi as opposed to mining phosphorous and applying it in fertilizers.

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Report: Plant microbes might help agriculture produce higher yields

US role in Syrian civil war divides Arab-Americans

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By JEFF KAROUB Associated Press

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Sawsan Jabri and Osama Siblani represent the advancement of the Arab community in the Detroit area: Jabri is a doctor from Syria who teaches microbiology at several community colleges, and Siblani came from Lebanon to be an engineer and now publishes the influential Arab-American News.

The two share Middle Eastern roots and the American dream. They also represent dissension among Arab-Americans over Syria and underscore a growing rift over ideological, political and regional differences.

Each speaks for opposing camps: Jabri is a spokeswoman for the Syrian Expatriates Organization, a lobbying and fundraising group of doctors and other professionals that staged rallies in support of the U.S. backing rebels in Syria's civil war and ousting President Bashar Assad. Siblani has been a voice opposing U.S. intervention through counter-demonstrations and the opinion pages of his newspaper.

When it comes to Syria, Siblani says, there's little room for agreement.

"I have been in this business for 29 years," he said. "I have never seen the community divided as much as we are divided today. ... It is an elephant in the room all the time."

President Barack Obama has been pushing for U.S. military action and seeks congressional approval, but on Tuesday asked congressional leaders to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force and threw his support behind a diplomatic plan for U.N. Security Council talks aimed at securing Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles. Regardless of what the U.S. ultimately decides to do, positions on Syria have unraveled Arab ties to the U.S. that date back more than a century, when immigrants from the Arab world started coming en masse and moved into enclaves dubbed "Little Syria."

They originally came from what today are known as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel or the Palestinian territories but then was Ottoman-controlled Syria. More came later from the region, particularly after immigration restrictions were eased in the 1960s and during the 15-year Lebanese civil war ending in 1990.

The Syrian community in the U.S. is estimated to be about 150,000 people and about 10,000 in Michigan, but the number could be much higher if it reflected all those who trace their roots to early 20th century Greater Syria. The Detroit area alone, which has one of the largest Middle East populations in the U.S., has roughly 150,000 Arabs and Chaldeans, or Iraqi Christians based on the latest available data and scholarly research.

Siblani and Jabri agree that Syria has divided the U.S. Arab community despite a history of coexistence among different religions, Islamic sects, regions or countries.

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US role in Syrian civil war divides Arab-Americans

What is microbiology and biotechnology? My presentation for junior college students (Part 2) – Video

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What is microbiology and biotechnology? My presentation for junior college students (Part 2)
Part 2 video is out. 7:32 : The fact which I told is wrong, its actually not classified as mushroom, however, there are $1000 mushrooms/pound in the market.

By: IfuM Production

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What is microbiology and biotechnology? My presentation for junior college students (Part 2) - Video

Montville scholar spend summer exploring the world on microbiology

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During an intensive summer academic program, 84 Governors School in the sciences scholars learned how to plot the positions of the planets and determine the time each planet rises and sets on a given day; they studied the use of herbs and spices as mouthwash; they explored volcanic materials and the secrets of ancient Ecuadorian pottery engineers; and they researched the effect of increased levels of carbon dioxide, temperature, and drought-like conditions on different plant species. They presented their findings at a conference at Drew University on Aug. 2.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARBARA PEPE

Attending the summer academic program Governors School were: Joseph Lee; Rachel Sandler; Stephen Liang; Allan Wang; John Jensen; Cynthia Lo; Bryan Gerber; Claire Kim, of Montville; Piyush Puri; Gokul Mukunda; Anna Radakrishnan; Sameer Dhavalikar; Chris Choi; and Tyler Dorrity. The students project was Microbiology: The Spices of Life with Advisor Rachel Sandler and Assistant Joseph Lee.

Governors School scholars are high school students entering their senior year who were selected for the program from more than 300 applicants. Among the students who presented research projects at the Drew University campus were Claire Kim, and Kevin He of Montville; Adam Dormier, of Rockaway; and Hyejin Kim, of Lake Hiawatha.

Students worked in small groups during the three-week program.

"The Governors School cultivates interest in the sciences for high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds. Governors School graduates have made important contributions to research that benefit New Jerseys citizens and economy. We are very proud of the research the students presented earlier this month at Drew," said Rochelle Hendricks, New Jerseys secretary of higher education. Her office administers state funding for the Governors School.

Scholars lived on the Drew campus during the summer program. Emphasis was placed on solving complex issues that exist on local, state, national, and international levels. The scholars participated in college-level courses and labs. The scholars engaged in activities such as career day and a college fair that helped them connect with professors, professionals, and peers throughout the state.

This years program was funded by the State of New Jersey, the Charles Edison Foundation, Roche Foundation, Celgene, Novartis, the Independent College Fund of New Jersey, AT&T, Actavis, and contributions from alumni of the Governors School in the Sciences.

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Montville scholar spend summer exploring the world on microbiology

Scientists engineer strain of MERS coronavirus for use in a vaccine

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Public release date: 10-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Scientists have developed a strain of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that could be used as a vaccine against the disease, according to a study to be published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The mutant MERS virus, rMERS-CoV-ΔE, has a mutation in its envelope protein that makes it capable of infecting a cell and replicating its genetic material, but deprives it of the ability to spread to other tissues and cause disease. The authors say once additional safe guards are engineered into the virus, it could be used as the basis of a safe and effective live-attenuated vaccine against MERS.

"Our achievement was a combination of synthetic biology and genetic engineering," says co-author Luis Enjuanes of The Autonomous University of Madrid (Universidad Autnoma de Madrid).

"The injected vaccine will only replicate in a reduced number of cells and produce enough antigen to immunize the host," he says, and it cannot infect other people, even those in close contact with a vaccinated person.

Since MERS was first identified in June 2012, the World Health Organization has been notified of 108 cases of infection, including 50 deaths. Although the total number of cases is still relatively small, the case fatality rate and the spread of the virus to countries beyond the Middle East is alarming to public health officials. If the virus evolves the ability to transmit easily from person to person, a much more widespread epidemic is possible. Diagnostic assays and antiviral therapies for MERS have been described, but reliable vaccines have not yet been developed.

Enjuanes and his team applied what they had learned from 30 years of research on the molecular biology of coronaviruses to synthesize an infectious cDNA clone of the MERS-CoV genome based on a published sequence. They inserted the viral cDNA chromosome into a bacterial artificial chromosome, and mutated several of its genes, one by one, to study the effects on the virus' ability to infect, replicate, and re-infect cultured human cells.

Mutations that disabled accessory genes 3, 4a, 4b and 5 did not seem to hinder the virus: mutant viruses had similar growth rates as the wild-type virus, indicating that the mutations do not disable the virus enough to deploy the mutants in a vaccine. Mutations in the envelope protein (E protein), on the other hand, enabled the virus to replicate its genetic material, but prevented the virus from propagating, or infecting nearby cells.

A large amount of the rMERS-CoV-ΔE virus would be needed for a live attenuated MERS vaccine. A virus that can't propagate itself would be unable to grow the volume needed without help. Enjuanes says they provided the virus with a supplemental form E protein.

"To grow the virus, we create what are called 'packaging cells' that express the E protein missing in the virus. The gene to encode this protein is integrated in the cell chromosomes and will not mix with the viral genes. Therefore, in these cells, and only within them, the virus will grow by borrowing the E protein produced by the cell," says Enjuanes. "When the virus in administered to a person for vaccination, this person will not be able to provide the E protein to the defective virus," so the virus will die off after producing antigens to train the human immune system to fight a MERS-CoV infection.

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Scientists engineer strain of MERS coronavirus for use in a vaccine

Lloyd Mayer, MD, Renowned Researcher and Leader of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America Passes Away

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NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - September 06, 2013) - It is with great sadness that the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) announces the passing of immediate past Chairman of their National Scientific Advisory Committee (NSAC) Lloyd Mayer, MD. Dr. Mayer was also Professor and Co-Director of the Immunology Institute, the Dorothy and DavidMerksamer Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Microbiology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.

"Lloyd was a visionary leader and a brilliant researcher who was involved with CCFA for almost 30 years," said Richard Geswell, President & CEO of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. "He was fundamental in helping us set our research agenda. His passion, leadership, scientific expertise, and commitment to improving the lives of patients, will be his legacy here at CCFA."

Dr.Mayer's research focused on mucosal immunoregulation, inflammatorybowel disease and cytokine regulation of human B-cell differentiation with special attention on the role of intestinal epithelial cells(IEC) in regulatory T-cell responses in the gut. He and his team were the first to show that the epithelial lining cells of the intestine are active regulators of mucosal immune responses that are distinct from those that regulate systemic immunity. These findings had a profound significance in the development of highly effective anti-inflammatory drugs for IBD.

Dr. Mayer had been a part of CCFA's research programs since the mid 1980s and he held several key leadership positions including Chair of the Research Training Awards Committee, Chair of the Grants Review Committee, a member of the Research Initiative Committee and most recently Chair of the National Scientific Advisory Committee. As Chair, Dr. Mayer revived CCFA's Clinical Research Alliance, was a force in the Microbiome initiative and laid the foundation for the CCFA Partners in Research Program (ccfapartners.org) which is a groundbreaking, online research database.

"Lloyd always said that he grew up scientifically with CCFA and he was particularly committed to sharing his expertise by training the next generation of young IBD investigators," said Marjorie Merrick, Vice President of Research & Scientific Programs. "He was a dedicated and awe-inspiring teacher, mentor and colleague to IBD researchers worldwide and a staunch friend to all he knew. He will be sorely missed."

Dr. Mayer graduated from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 1976 and received the Mosby Award for Clinical Excellence at that time. From 1980 through 1984, Dr. Mayer held joint appointments at Rockefeller University and Mount Sinai.

He pursued his immunology interests in the laboratory of the late Dr. Henry Kunkel. In 1985, he became Associate Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at Mount Sinai. In 1986, he became the Director of the Division of Clinical Immunology. Shortlyafter achieving full Professorships in Medicine and Microbiology in1990, Dr. Mayer became Vice Chair of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.He also received the Jeffrey Modell Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.In1994, Dr. Mayer was named the David and Dorothy Merksamer Chair ofMedicine and in 1997 became Professor of Immunobiology and Chair of the Immunobiology Center at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.In 2007, he became Professor and Co-Director of the ImmunologyInstitute. He was also the Director of the Division of Gastroenterology(2003-2010).

Dr. Mayer received many awards for a life time of outstanding work including the Saul Horowitz Award and the Irma T.Hirschl Trust Career Development Award, the Jeffrey Modell Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute Award for Scientific Excellence, and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) Scientific Achievement Award in Basic IBD Research. He spoke and published widely, and his research was consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health. He also leaves behind multiple generations of physicians who trained with and were mentored by him.

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America staff and volunteers extend our deepest sympathy to the Mayer family. He is survived by his wife Dr. Jill Fishbane-Mayer and three children, Sara, Marisa and Josh.

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Lloyd Mayer, MD, Renowned Researcher and Leader of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America Passes Away


  1. Microbiology