Identification of a gene encoding GMP synthetase from a Neurospora crassa cDNA library by bacterial complementation

We report the isolation and identification of a gene encoding GMP synthetase from a Neurospora crassa cDNA library. Phage infection of the purine-requiring Escherichia coli strain SØ3834 using the NO3- induced cDNA phage library from the Fungal Genetics Stock Center resulted in colonies able to grow on minimal media with no added purine source. A plasmid, termed pGMPS1, was isolated from one of these colonies and shown to reproducibly support growth of strain SØ3834 in the absence of purines in the media. Identification of this gene as one encoding GMP synthetase is confirmed by DNA sequencing and comparison to the known guaA gene from yeast

Relaxation under outflow dynamics with random sequential updating

In this paper we compare the relaxation in several versions of the Sznajd model (SM) with random sequential updating on the chain and square lattice. We start by reviewing briefly all proposed one dimensional versions of SM. Next, we compare the results obtained from Monte Carlo simulations with the mean field results obtained by Slanina and Lavicka . Finally, we investigate the relaxation on the square lattice and compare two generalizations of SM, one suggested by Stauffer and another by Galam. We show that there are no qualitative differences between these two approaches, although the relaxation within the Galam rule is faster than within the well known Stauffer rule.Comment: 9 figure

Tracking Salmonella-Specific CD4 T Cells In Vivo Reveals a Local Mucosal Response to a Disseminated Infection

AbstractA novel adoptive transfer system was used to track the fate of naive Salmonella-specific CD4 T cells in vivo. These cells showed signs of activation in the Peyer's patches as early as 3 hr after oral infection. The activated CD4 T cells then produced IL-2 and proliferated in the T cell areas of these tissues before migrating into the B cell-rich follicles. In contrast, Salmonella-specific CD4 T cells were not activated in the spleen and very few of these cells migrated to the liver, despite the presence of bacteria in both organs. These results show that the T cell response to pathogenic Salmonella infection is localized to the gut-associated lymphoid tissue and does not extend efficiently to the major sites of late infection

Reconstructie van het Japanse oesterbestand in de Oosterschelde

Sinds 2011 wordt jaarlijks binnen het WOT Visserij programma in opdracht van het Ministerie van LNV een schatting gemaakt van het areaal Japanse oesterbanken op de droogvallende platen van de Oosterschelde en het daarin aanwezige bestand aan Japanse oesters. Ook vóór 2011 zijn in verschillende jaren schattingen gemaakt. Geschatte bestanden in de periode 2011-2017 blijken aanzienlijk kleiner dan geschat in de periode vóór 2011, terwijl arealen niet zo sterk zijn afgenomen. Het is daarom de vraag of het oesterbestand daadwerkelijk is afgenomen, of dat de afname eigenlijk veroorzaakt is door een verandering in werkwijze. Onderzocht is of de afname in het bestand van Japanse oesters tussen beide perioden veroorzaakt kan zijn door een afname in levende biomassa binnen de banken, of dat de afname is veroorzaakt door een verschil in methodiek. Op basis van de resultaten uit dit onderzoek is vervolgens de ontwikkeling van het bestand aan Japanse oesters in de Oosterschelde voor de periode 1980-2011 gereconstrueerd. Methodiek in de verschillende jaren en het effect daarvan op de resultaten zijn beschreven in hoofdstuk 2 “Onderzoek”. In hoofdstuk 3 “Reconstructie” worden methodiek en resultaten van de reconstructie beschreven. In hoofdstuk 4 worden methodiek en resultaten van de reconstructie bediscussieerd en de eindconclusies gepresenteerd. Geconcludeerd wordt dat: 1. De biomassa aan oesters per m2 binnen de Japanse oesterbanken niet is afgenomen tussen 2003 en 2011; 2. Het oesterbestand op de droogvallende platen van de Oosterschelde voor de jaren 1990, 2003 en 2011 overschat is; 3. De gereconstrueerde tijdreeks een beter beeld geeft van de ontwikkeling van het Japanse oesterbestand in de periode tot en met 2011

Beantwoording helpdeskvraag Ligging meetlocaties benthos op de Noordzee

Doel van deze monitoring tweeledig: bepaling van de toestand van het habitattype binnen 1) het Natura 2000 gebied en 2) de open en gesloten gebieden binnen het N2000 gebied. Voor doel 1 wordt gebruik gemaakt van een combinatie van twee monstertechnieken: boxcorer en bodemschaaf (op de Klaverbank resp. bodemhapper en onderwatervideo). Voor deze afzonderlijke technieken hebben Wijnhoven et al. (2103) aantallen locaties voorgesteld. Voor de Bruine Bank, Centrale Oestergronden en het Friese Front zijn nieuwe monitoringslocaties vastgesteld met als doel de toestand van de gebieden te monitoren

Socioeconomic and physician supply determinants of racial disparities in colorectal cancer screening

Purpose: Causes of racial disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening may extend beyond individual-level characteristics. We examined how physician density, beyond socioeconomic factors, affected observed racial disadvantages in recent CRC screening for blacks and Hispanics. Methods: We obtained socioeconomic and CRC screening information on adults age > 50 years from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (1997 to 2008) and information on the number of primary care physicians and gastroenterologists from the American Medical Association Masterfile (1997 to 2008). We used fixed-effect multivariate logistic regression to model the probability of receiving a fecal occult blood test within the past year or endoscopic screening within the past 5 years as a function of individual-level socioeconomic factors and state-level physician supply. Results: In 2008, 60.6% of whites were current on CRC screening (95% CI, 60.6% to 61.0%) compared with 57.9% of blacks (95% CI, 56.7% to 59.2%) and 42.9% of Hispanics (95% CI, 41.0% to 44.8%). Inclusion of socioeconomic variables reversed black-white disparities (odds ratio [OR], 1.17; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.19) but did not explain disadvantage for Hispanics (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.87 to 0.92). Once interaction of race and physician supply was considered, likelihood of recent CRC screening became statistically indistinguishable for Hispanics and whites of similar socioeconomic status residing in states with high physician supplies. Conclusion: Socioeconomic factors and physician supply are key predictors of CRC screening. Adjustment for socio-economic determinants explained black-white disparities; further adjustment for physician supply explained Hispanic-white disparities. Physician distribution is a potentially remediable contributor to ethnic/racial disparities in CRC screening. Whether the United States is able to equitably meet future demand for screening may depend on access, physician supply, and organization of the health care system

Dynamiksimulation eines Fahrradfahrer-Sturms

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Varietal effects on methane intensity of paddy fields under different irrigation management

Alternate wetting and drying irrigation (AWD) has been shown to decrease water use and trace gas emissions from paddy fields. Whereas genotypic water use shows little variation, it has been shown that rice varieties differ in the magnitude of their methane emissions. Management and variety-related emission factors have been proposed for modelling the impact of paddy production on climate change; however, the magnitude of a potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by changing varieties has not yet been fully assessed. AWD has been shown to affect genotypic yields and high-yielding varieties suffer the greatest loss when grown under AWD. The highest yielding varieties may not have the highest methane emissions; thus, a potential yield loss could be compensated by a larger reduction in methane emissions. However, AWD can only be implemented under full control of irrigation water, leaving the rainy seasons with little scope to reduce methane emissions from paddy fields. Employing low-emitting varieties during the rainy season may be an option to reduce methane emissions but may compromise farmers’ income if such varieties perform less well than the current standard. Methane emissions and rice yields were determined in field trials over two consecutive winter/spring seasons with continuously flooded and AWD irrigation treatments for 20 lowland rice varieties in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Based on the results, this paper investigates the magnitude of methane savings through varietal choice for both AWD and continuous flooding in relation to genotypic yields and explores potential options for compensating farmers’ mitigation efforts