Analysis and production of two exopolysaccharides from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris LC330

Two polysaccharides produced concurrently by Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strain LC330 have been identified. One had a high molecular mass (> 1 × 106 Da) and was neutral. The second was smaller ( 10000 Da), charged and had a high phosphorus content. Sugar composition also differed. In chemostat culture the neutral polysaccharide was influenced by temperature and by nitrogen limitation. This polysaccharide was branched with terminal galactose moieties and contained galactose, glucose and glucosamine. The phosphopolysaccharide was more complex with glucose, rhamnose, galactose and glucosamine in an approximate ratio of 6:5:4:

Sixteen Draft Genome Sequences Representing the Genetic Diversity of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus Colonizing Peanut Seeds in Ethiopia

Draft genomes of 16 isolates of Aspergillus flavus Link and Aspergillus parasiticus Speare, identified as the predominant genotypes colonizing peanuts in four farming regions in Ethiopia, are reported. These data will allow mining for se- quences that could be targeted by RNA interference to prevent aflatoxin accumula- tion in peanut seeds

Better for us all — recent learning on how the Royal College of General Practitioners can reduce racism

The charitable mission of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is to ‘encourage, foster and maintain the highest possible standards in general medical practice‘, with the implication that this is better for the patients we serve, and for the health of the nation. Within this, there are multiple levels of action typical of professional medical colleges: the curriculum and examination for speciality qualification, ongoing professional development opportunities, guidance on good practice and the latest evidence, membership support, advocacy on behalf of GPs, and many other domains. The College, with its more than 54 000 members, has a wonderfully diverse membership with many different backgrounds, working contexts, and special interests. As a crosscutting effort to ensure we are effectively improving our aim to be an inclusive and diverse organisation in all aspects, we have been updating our Equality Diversity and Inclusivity strategy. We want to embed best organisational practice on an ongoing basis, including when managing resources and staff, as well as responding to members’ needs. It was in this context that the RCGP had been working with members from Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic groups (‘BAME') to develop relevant actions, motivated in part by some findings from the President's Listening Exercise conducted during 2018-2019. Members from non-White ethnic backgrounds had raised issues of lack of representation, and the BMA special issue on Racism in Medicine in February 2020 1 had begun to trigger action across the sector when the horrific murder of George Floyd in May 2020 shocked the world into action and galvanised the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. An emergency motion was brought to RCGP Council in June 2020, asking for a clear commitment from the RCGP to the issues raised by the BLM movement, and to tackle structural racism across society, including within general practice and, indeed, with the implication to look at RCGP itself. Questions within RCGP had also been raised about why an apparently democratic electoral process was resulting in an atypical demographic profile in senior RCGP leadership, both in relation to the UK population per se, 2 and in even greater contrast with the current RCGP membership profile. This has led us to look in more depth at how to move strategic aims into effective action. So this article focuses on the question: what can and should a professional body do to address such issues? 3 There is a substantive body of literature derived both from academic studies and the development of good organisational practice, 4 which advocates for a combination of routine training, data monitoring, and encouraging a shift in organisational awareness and cultural practices. Other principles include active outreach and positive action programmes, which can be defined as 'a range of measures allowed under the Equality Act 2010 which can be lawfully taken to encourage and train people from under-represented groups to help them overcome disadvantages in competing with other applicants‘. 5 Strategies include organisations using relevant images and role models, and — to address and avoid more negative experiences — training in ‘speaking up', ‘unconscious bias', or ‘active bystander' approaches. 6 Finally, the principles of equity and justice need to be embraced and embedded in relevant organisational practices at every level

Sixteen Draft Genome Sequences Representing the Genetic Diversity of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus Colonizing Peanut Seeds in Ethiopia

Draft genomes of 16 isolates of Aspergillus flavus Link and Aspergillus parasiticus Speare, identified as the predominant genotypes colonizing peanuts in four farming regions in Ethiopia, are reported. These data will allow mining for sequences that could be targeted by RNA interference to prevent aflatoxin accumulation in peanut seeds

A Collection of Fragrances

This book was completed for Jan Baker\u27s artists\u27 book class, Papermaking.https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/specialcollections_bookmark_senses/1015/thumbnail.jp

A Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE) for Pre-Licensure Learners in Maternity Care: A Short Report on the Development of an Assessment Tool for Collaboration

Background: Despite the support for Interprofessional Education (IPE) among policymakers, educators and professional regulating bodies, the research literature is limited with respect to the evaluation of effective assessment strategies. This short report outlines the development of a Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE), which brings together learners from three health professions involved in primary care obstetrics-family physicians, midwives, and obstetricians-as a strategy for assessing collaborative competencies.Methods: An interprofessional research team was brought together to develop and implement the TOSCE. The process by which the team generated TOSCE scenario stations is outlined, including the consensus-building process, based on a modified Delphi technique, to include expert input from others in the field of practice.Findings: The scenarios developed by the research team for the TOSCE are highlighted including the assessment criteria, based on the Canadian InterprofessionalHealth Collaborative's National Competency Framework.Conclusions: The TOSCE is an emerging and innovative learning tool that encourages the development of essential collaborative competencies. The process of developing a TOSCE outlined in this report offers an affordable, streamlined approach that could be used by educators in many disciplines as a summative or formative assessment strategy

Examining EdD Dissertations in Practice: The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate

In 2007, 25 colleges and schools of education (Phase I) came together under the aegis of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) to transform doctoral education for education practitioners. A challenging aspect of the reform of the educational doctorate is the role and design of the dissertation or Dissertation in Practice. In response to consortium concerns, members of the CPED Dissertation in Practice Awards Committee conducted this action research study to examine the format and design of Dissertations in Practice submitted by (re) designed programs. Data were gathered with an online survey, interviews, analyses of 25 Dissertations in Practice submitted in 2013 to the Committee. Results indicated few changes occurred in the final product, despite evidence of change in the Dissertation in Practice process. Findings contribute to debates about the distinctive nature of EdDs (and of professional doctorates generally) as distinct from PhDs, and how about the key criteria for demonstrating “new knowledge to solve significant problems of practice” are demonstrated through the dissertation submission

Transformation of Major Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Stilbenoid Phytoalexins Caused by Selected Microorganisms

The peanut plant accumulates defensive stilbenoid phytoalexins in response to the presence of soil fungi, which in turn produce phytoalexin-detoxifying enzymes for successfully invading the plant host. Aspergillus spp. are opportunistic pathogens that invade peanut seeds; most common fungal species often produce highly carcinogenic aflatoxins. The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the in vitro dynamics of peanut phytoalexin transformation/detoxification by important fungal species. This work revealed that in feeding experiments, Aspergillus spp. from section Flavi were capable of degrading the major peanut phytoalexin, arachidin-3, into its hydroxylated homolog, arachidin-1, and a benzenoid, SB-1. However, Aspergillus niger from section Nigri as well as other fungal and bacterial species tested, which are not known to be involved in the infection of the peanut plant, were incapable of changing the structure of arachidin-3. The results of feeding experiments with arachidin-1 and resveratrol are also reported. The research provided new knowledge on the dynamics of peanut stilbenoid transformations by essential fungi. These findings may contribute to the elucidation of the phytoalexin detoxification mechanism involved in the infection of peanut by important toxigenic Aspergillus spp

2008 FORUM Questions

What qualities of the helping person are needed for care in the context of fear?Are the strategies of care different when fear is all around us

Long-term follow-up of R403W MYH7 and R92W TNNT2 HCM families : mutations determine left ventricular dimensions but not wall thickness during disease progression

The original publication is available at http://www.cvja.co.za/CVJA holds the copyrightThe clinical profile and prognosis of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a primary cardiac muscle disease caused mostly by mutations in sarcomeric protein-encoding genes, have been linked to particular disease-causing mutations in the past. However, such associations are often based on cross-sectional observations, as longitudinal studies of the progression of the disease in genotypically defined patients are sparse. Most importantly, the relative contribution of age, gender and genetic cause to disease profile and progression has not yet been reported, and the question remains whether one or more of these factors could mask the effect of the other(s). Methods: We previously described cross-sectional family studies of two hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)-causing mutations, R92WTNNT2 and R403WMYH7, both associated with minimal hypertrophy, but with widely different life expectancies. We re-investigated 22 and 26 R92WTNNT2 and R403WMYH7 mutation carriers in these and additional South African R92WTNNT2 families after a mean 11.08 ± 2.79 years, and compared the influence of the two mutations, in the context of age and gender, on disease progression. Results: We demonstrated a positive correlation between age and interventricular septal thickness for both mutations, with more than a third of all mutation carriers developing clinically recognised hypertrophy only after the age of 35 years. This period of hypertrophically silent HCM also coincided with the years in which most sudden cardiac deaths occurred, particularly in male R92WTNNT2 carriers. Statistical analyses indicated that the particular mutation was the strongest determinant of left ventricular remodelling; particularly, LVESD increased and EF reduction was noted in the majority of R403WMYH7 carriers, which may require clinical follow-up over the longer term. Conclusions: Statistical modelling of follow-up data suggests that an interplay between unidentified, possibly genderassociated factors, and the causal mutation are the determinants of eventual cardiac function and survival, but not of the extent of hypertrophy, and emphasises the need for long-term follow-up even in individuals with apparently mild disease.Publishers' Versio