Team:Dundee/Project/DetectionComparison

From 2013.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)
Line 9: Line 9:
       <!-- Title -->
       <!-- Title -->
       <div class="page-header">
       <div class="page-header">
-
 
<h2><b>Detection Comparison</b></h2>
<h2><b>Detection Comparison</b></h2>
 +
<div>
-
<div><p>The current method for detecting toxic levels of microcystin is to take a sample of water from different regions of the site being investigated and then to carry out high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This process currently takes approximately 24 hours, we hope to reduce this to a more suitable 1 hour.<br><br>
+
<div class="row">
 +
<div class="span12" style="text-align: justify">
 +
<h2><b>Introduction </b></h2>
 +
<p>The current method for regulating toxic levels of microcystin does not involve directly detecting microcystin, but instead uses cyanobacteria cell counts. One direct method for detecting microcystin is to take water samples and carry out high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This process takes approximately 24 hours. Using our biological detector we hope to reduce this time.
-
Assuming the cyanobacteria undergo binary fission and growth is uninhibited we were able to determine how the problem increases over 24 hours in comparison to 1 hour detection.<br><br>
+
We examine the affect that this lengthy detection time can have on the change in numbers of cyanobacteria and microcystin found in the water body that is being tested. This then allows us to determine whether faster detection methods are necessary. </p>
 +
</div>
 +
</div>
 +
<div class="row">
 +
<div class="span12" style="text-align: justify">
 +
<h2><b>Theory</b></h2>
-
<h2><b>The Maths Bit</b></h2>
+
Making the following assumptions:
-
 
+
-
<div class="span6" style="text-align: justify">
+
-
<em>MC(T) &#61; Nb<sub>0</sub>2<sup>t</sup></em>
+
<br><br>
<br><br>
-
 
+
<ul>
-
where    <ul><li><em>MC&#40;T&#41; </em> is the number of microcystin at time <em>t</em></li>
+
<li> t = 0 is the time water samples are taken
-
    <li><em>b<sub>0</sub></em> is the initial number of algae</li>
+
<li> b0 is the initial number of cyanobacteria at t=0
-
    </ul><br><br>
+
<li> t is the time in hours after the water samples are taken
 +
<li> cyanobacteria undergo binary fission every hour
 +
<li> cyanobacteria growth is uninhibited
 +
<li> each cyanobacteria releases N microcystin molecules
 +
</ul><br><br>
 +
We arrive at these equations:
</div>
</div>
-
 
+
<div class="span12" style="text-align: justify">
-
<div style="text-align: justify">
+
<img src="http://placehold.it/350x150">
-
 
+
-
<p>The ratio for time t=24:1 is 8.4million:1. To put this into perspective this is the same as the height of the empire state building compared with the length of 7 E.coli bacterium.
+
-
This model therefore emphasises that the 1 hour detection period is much more efficient</p></div>
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
-
<div class="span6">
+
-
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/9600351842_68d9f4180f_o.png">
+
</div>
</div>
-
<div class="span-6">>
 
-
<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3747/9597444169_07d234afa0_o.png" height="300">
 
-
<p><em>Image not to scale...</em></p>
 
</div>
</div>

Revision as of 15:06, 3 September 2013

iGEM Dundee 2013 · ToxiMop