Aspergillus Bibliography

This bibliography attempts to cover genetical and biochemical publications on Aspergillus nidulans and also includes selected references to related species and topics

Aspergillus Bibliography

This bibliography attempts to cover genetical and biochemical publications on Aspergillus nidulans and also includes selected references to related species and topics

Revised allelism relationships among Aspergillus meth and gal mutants.

Revised allelism relationships among Aspergillus meth and gal mutants

The Maximum Flux of Star-Forming Galaxies

The importance of radiation pressure feedback in galaxy formation has been extensively debated over the last decade. The regime of greatest uncertainty is in the most actively star-forming galaxies, where large dust columns can potentially produce a dust-reprocessed infrared radiation field with enough pressure to drive turbulence or eject material. Here we derive the conditions under which a self-gravitating, mixed gas-star disc can remain hydrostatic despite trapped radiation pressure. Consistently taking into account the self-gravity of the medium, the star- and dust-to-gas ratios, and the effects of turbulent motions not driven by radiation, we show that galaxies can achieve a maximum Eddington-limited star formation rate per unit area $\dot{\Sigma}_{\rm *,crit} \sim 10^3 M_{\odot}$ pc$^{-2}$ Myr$^{-1}$, corresponding to a critical flux of $F_{\rm *,crit} \sim 10^{13} L_{\odot}$ kpc$^{-2}$ similar to previous estimates; higher fluxes eject mass in bulk, halting further star formation. Conversely, we show that in galaxies below this limit, our one-dimensional models imply simple vertical hydrostatic equilibrium and that radiation pressure is ineffective at driving turbulence or ejecting matter. Because the vast majority of star-forming galaxies lie below the maximum limit for typical dust-to-gas ratios, we conclude that infrared radiation pressure is likely unimportant for all but the most extreme systems on galaxy-wide scales. Thus, while radiation pressure does not explain the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, it does impose an upper truncation on it. Our predicted truncation is in good agreement with the highest observed gas and star formation rate surface densities found both locally and at high redshift.Comment: Version accepted for publication in MNRAS. 12 pages, 8 figures. New appendix on photon tirin

Guido Pontecorvo 1907-1999

Ponte , as he was known, even to his family, died in September 1999, aged 91, of complications following a fall whilst collecting mushrooms in his beloved Swiss mountains. He was the founder of the genetics of Aspergillus nidulans, and as a result of the discovery of the parasexual cycle, the originator of genetical studies in many other fungi. He made significant contributions to modern genetics in elucidating the divisibility of the gene by recombination, and in his later years in the application of parasexual techniques to mammalian cell cultures. He was also an irascible yet genial friend and adviser who attracted the great admiration of colleagues and students worldwide

Nutritional targeting of inflammatory pathways and catabolic mediators involved in equine osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of synovial joints with an inflammatory component, which affects humans and companion animals, including horses. Current pharmacotherapy for OA is associated with deleterious side effects. Therefore, plant-derived products with anti-inflammatory properties may provide safer natural alternatives. The project aimed to use in vitro models of equine cartilage to test the hypothesis that plant-derived extracts would reduce inflammation and degradation in an explant model of early OA. The anti-inflammatory polyphenol, curcumin, significantly reduced interleukin-1 beta (lL-1β)-stimulated glycosaminoglycan, matrix metalloproteinase-3 and prostaglandin E[subscript]2 release in the explant model. Using a cocktail of plant extracts illustrated how different effects were observed depending on the solvent used to dissolve the raw material. Chondrocyte monolayers were used to determine that counteraction of IL-1β- stimulated effects in the explant model occurred at non-cytotoxic concentrations. The explant model was adapted for proteomic studies of the cartilage secretome. Several proteins involved in matrix function and degradation were identified. This adaptation may further our understanding of the processes in the early OA explant model and may facilitate studying the effects of anti-inflammatory compounds on the secretome. A concurrent field trial showed that the plant extract cocktail did not significantly improve mobility in horses with chronic hindlimb stiffness. However, it illustrated the need for practical, more objective markers to help select animals of similar disease status and determine effects in the joints. Therefore, the proteomic study highlighted the potential for in vitro models to support field trials by identifying in vivo biomarkers for diagnosing early OA and assessing therapeutic responses. In conclusion, in vitro models of equine cartilage have considerable potential for assessing the ability of plant extracts to target inflammatory pathways and catabolic mediators in OA. The data presented suggests that nutritional intervention using plant-derived extracts with putative anti-inflammatory properties may support equine joint health

Aspergillus nidulans pyrE and pyrF

Sequencing of a gene cloned by complementation of a pyr mutant in Glasgow strain G190 shows this mutant to be pyrE, encoding dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. This discovery necessitates a revision of the genetic map derived from crosses with this strain

Evaluation of the Induction of Immune Memory following Infant Immunisation with Serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis Conjugate Vaccines - Exploratory Analyses within a Randomised Controlled Trial

Aim: We measured meningococcal serogroup C (MenC)-specific memory B-cell responses in infants by Enzyme-Linked Immunospot (ELISpot) following different MenC conjugate vaccine schedules to investigate the impact of priming on immune memory. Methods: Infants aged 2 months were randomised to receive 1 or 2 doses of MenC-CRM197 at 3 or 3 and 4 months, 1 dose of MenC-TT at 3 months, or no primary MenC doses. All children received a Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)-MenC booster at 12 months. Blood was drawn at 5, 12, 12 months +6 days and 13 months of age. Results: Results were available for 110, 103, 76 and 44 children from each group respectively. Following primary immunisations, and prior to the 12-month booster, there were no significant differences between 1- or 2-dose primed children in the number of MenC memory B-cells detected. One month following the booster, children primed with 1 dose MenC-TT had more memory B-cells than children primed with either 1-dose (p = 0.001) or 2-dose (p<0.0001) MenC-CRM197. There were no differences in MenC memory B-cells detected in children who received 1 or 2 doses of MenC-CRM197 in infancy and un-primed children. Conclusions: MenC-specific memory B-cell production may be more dependent on the type of primary vaccine used than the number of doses administered. Although the mechanistic differences between MenC-CRM197 and MenC-TT priming are unclear, it is possible that structural differences, including the carrier proteins, may underlie differential interactions with B- and T-cell populations, and thus different effects on various memory B-cell subsets. A MenC-TT/Hib-MenC-TT combination for priming/boosting may offer an advantage in inducing more persistent antibody.peer-reviewe

Evidence for view-invariant Face Recognition Units in unfamiliar face learning

Many models of face recognition incorporate the idea of a face recognition unit (FRU). This is an abstracted representation formed from each experience of a face. Longmore et al. (2008) devised a face learning experiment to investigate such a construct (i.e., view-invariance) but failed to find evidence of its existence. Three experiments developed Longmore et al.’s study further by using a different learning task, by employing more stimuli. One or two views of previously unfamiliar faces were shown to participants in a serial matching task (learning). Later, participants attempted to recognise both seen and novel views of the learned faces. Experiment one tested participants’ recognition of a novel view, a day after learning. Experiment two was identical, but tested participants on the same day as learning. And experiment three repeated experiment one, but tested participants on a novel view that was outside the rotation of those views learned. Results revealed a significant advantage for recognising a novel view when two views had been learned, rather than a single learned view – for all experiments. The effect of view-invariance found when both views were learned is discussed

Viewers base estimates of face matching accuracy on their own familiarity: Explaining the photo-ID paradox

Matching two different images of a face is a very easy task for familiar viewers, but much harder for unfamiliar viewers. Despite this, use of photo-ID is widespread, and people appear not to know how unreliable it is. We present a series of experiments investigating bias both when performing a matching task and when predicting other people’s performance. Participants saw pairs of faces and were asked to make a same/different judgement, after which they were asked to predict how well other people, unfamiliar with these faces, would perform. In four experiments we show different groups of participants familiar and unfamiliar faces, manipulating this in different ways: celebrities in experiments 1 to 3 and personally familiar faces in experiment 4. The results consistently show that people match images of familiar faces more accurately than unfamiliar faces. However, people also reliably predict that the faces they themselves know will be more accurately matched by different viewers. This bias is discussed in the context of current theoretical debates about face recognition, and we suggest that it may underlie the continued use of photo-ID, despite the availability of evidence about its unreliability