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Many bacterial histidine kinases work in two-component systems that combine into larger multi-kinase networks. NahK is one of the kinases in the GacS Multi-Kinase Network (MKN), which is the MKN that controls biofilm regulation in the opportunistic pathogenPseudomonas aeruginosa. This network has also been associated with regulating many virulence factorsP. aeruginosasecretes to cause disease. However, the individual role of each kinase is unknown. In this study, we identify NahK as a novel regulator of the phenazine pyocyanin (PYO). Deletion ofnahKleads to a fourfold increase in PYO production, almost exclusively through upregulation of phenazine operon two (phz2). We determined that this upregulation is due to mis-regulation of allP. aeruginosaquorum-sensing (QS) systems, with a large upregulation of thePseudomonasquinolone signal system and a decrease in production of the acyl-homoserine lactone-producing system,las. In addition, we see differences in expression of quorum-sensing inhibitor proteins that align with these changes. Together, these data contribute to understanding how the GacS MKN modulates QS and virulence and suggest a mechanism for cell density-independent regulation of quorum sensing.

Pseudomonas aeruginosais a Gram-negative bacterium that establishes biofilms as part of its pathogenicity.P. aeruginosainfections are associated with nosocomial infections. As the prevalence of multi-drug-resistantP. aeruginosaincreases, it is essential to understand underlying virulence molecular mechanisms. Histidine kinase NahK is one of several kinases inP. aeruginosaimplicated in biofilm formation and dispersal. Previous work has shown that the nitric oxide sensor, NosP, triggers biofilm dispersal by inhibiting NahK. The data presented here demonstrate that NahK plays additional important roles in theP. aeruginosalifestyle, including regulating bacterial communication mechanisms such as quorum sensing. These effects have larger implications in infection as they affect toxin production and virulence.

 

We vary the inflow properties in a finite-volume solver to investigate their effects on the computed cyclonic motion in a right-cylindrical vortex chamber. The latter comprises eight tangential injectors through which steady-state air is introduced under incompressible and inviscid conditions. To minimize cell skewness around injectors, a fine tetrahedral mesh is implemented first and then converted into polyhedral elements, namely, to improve convergence characteristics and precision. Once convergence is achieved, our principal variables are evaluated and compared using a range of inflow parameters. These include the tangential injector speed, count, diameter, and elevation. The resulting computations show that well-resolved numerical simulations can properly predict the forced vortex behavior that dominates in the core region as well as the free vortex tail that prevails radially outwardly, beyond the point of peak tangential speed. It is also shown that augmenting the mass influx by increasing the number of injectors, injector size, or average injection speed, further amplifies the vortex strength and all peak velocities while shifting the mantle radially inwardly. Overall, the axial velocity is found to be the most sensitive to vertical displacements of the injection plane. By raising the injection plane to the top half portion of the chamber, the flow character is markedly altered, and an axially unidirectional vortex is engendered, particularly, with no upward motion or mantle formation. Conversely, the tangential and radial velocities are found to be axially independent and together with the pressure distribution prove to be the least sensitive to injection plane relocations. 

We vary the inflow properties in a finite-volume solver to investigate their effects on the computed cyclonic motion in a right-cylindrical vortex chamber. The latter comprises eight tangential injectors through which steady-state air is introduced under incompressible and inviscid conditions. To minimize cell skewness around injectors, a fine tetrahedral mesh is implemented first and then converted into polyhedral elements, namely, to improve convergence characteristics and precision. Once convergence is achieved, our principal variables are evaluated and compared using a range of inflow parameters. These include the tangential injector speed, count, diameter, and elevation. The resulting computations show that well-resolved numerical simulations can properly predict the forced vortex behavior that dominates in the core region as well as the free vortex tail that prevails radially outwardly, beyond the point of peak tangential speed. It is also shown that augmenting the mass influx by increasing the number of injectors, injector size, or average injection speed further amplifies the vortex strength and all peak velocities while shifting the mantle radially inwardly. Overall, the axial velocity is found to be the most sensitive to vertical displacements of the injection plane. By raising the injection plane to the top half portion of the chamber, the flow character is markedly altered, and an axially unidirectional vortex is engendered, particularly, with no upward motion or mantle formation. Conversely, the tangential and radial velocities are found to be axially independent and together with the pressure distribution prove to be the least sensitive to injection plane relocations. 

An outer-membrane complex exposes the cell-surface CglB adhesin at bacterial focal-adhesion sites to mediate gliding motility. 

This work focuses on the use of a finite-volume solver to describe the wall-bounded cyclonic flowfield that evolves in a swirl-driven thrust chamber. More specifically, a non-reactive, cold-flow simulation is carried out using an idealized chamber configuration of a square-shaped, right-cylindrical enclosure with eight tangential injectors and a variable nozzle size. For simplicity, we opt for air as the working fluid and perform our simulations under steady, incompressible, and inviscid flow conditions. First, a meticulously developed mesh that consists of tetrahedral elements is generated in a manner to minimize the overall skewness, especially near injectors; second, this mesh is converted into a polyhedral grid to improve convergence characteristics and accuracy. After achieving convergence in all variables, our three velocity components are examined and compared to an existing analytical solution obtained by Vyas and Majdalani (Vyas, A. B., and Majdalani, J., “Exact Solution of the Bidirectional Vortex,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 44, No. 10, 2006, pp. 2208-2216). We find that the numerical model is capable of predicting the expected forced vortex behavior in the inner core region as well as the free vortex tail in the inviscid region. Moreover, the results appear to be in fair agreement with the Vyas–Majdalani solution derived under similarly inviscid conditions, and thus resulting in a quasi complex-lamellar profile. In this work, we are able to ascertain the axial independence of the swirl velocity no matter the value of the outlet radius, which confirms the key assumption made in most analytical models of wall-bounded cyclonic motions. Moreover, the pressure distribution predicted numerically is found to be in fair agreement with both theoretical formulations and experimental measurements of cyclone separators. The bidirectional character of the flowfield is also corroborated by the axial and radial velocity distributions, which are found to be concurrent with theory. Then using parametric trade studies, the sensitivity of the numerical simulations to the outlet diameter of the chamber is explored to determine the influence of outlet nozzle variations on the mantle location and the number of mantles. Since none of the cases considered here promote the onset of multiple mantles, we are led to believe that more factors are involved in producing more mantles than one. Besides the exit diameter, the formation of a multiple mantle structure may be influenced by the physical boundary conditions, nozzle radius, inlet curvature, and length. In closing, we show that the latter plays a significant role in controlling the development of backflow regions inside the chamber.