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Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Statistical Issues In Proteomic Research, Jeffrey S. Morris Dec 2007

Statistical Issues In Proteomic Research, Jeffrey S. Morris

Jeffrey S. Morris

No abstract provided.


The Potential Role Of Probiotics In Reducing Poverty-Associated Infections In Developing Countries, Kingsley C. Anukam Oct 2007

The Potential Role Of Probiotics In Reducing Poverty-Associated Infections In Developing Countries, Kingsley C. Anukam

Kingsley C Anukam

Probiotics are defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization/ World Health Organization as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host” [1]. The potential benefits of their use have not been adequately investigated, especially in the developing world. Japan introduced Yakult, a probiotic fermented food drink in 1935, and in the Northern hemisphere, research and use of probiotics has gained an unprecedented momentum in the last decade [2]. Use of probiotics is not uncommon in Europe [3], but in many developing countries use of probiotics in its present definition is a foreign concept. …


The Pattern Of Β-Catenin-Responsiveness Within The Mammary Gland Is Regulated By Progesterone Receptor, Minoti Hiremath, John Lydon, Pamela Cowin Oct 2007

The Pattern Of Β-Catenin-Responsiveness Within The Mammary Gland Is Regulated By Progesterone Receptor, Minoti Hiremath, John Lydon, Pamela Cowin

Minoti Hiremath

Experiments involving β-catenin loss- and gain-of-function in the mammary gland have decisively demonstrated the role of this protein in normal alveologenesis. However, the relationship between hormonal and β-catenin signaling has not been investigated. In this study, we demonstrate that activated β-catenin rescues alveologenesis in progesterone receptor (PR; Pgr)-null mice during pregnancy. Two distinct subsets of mammary cells respond to expression of ΔN89β-catenin. Cells at ductal tips are inherently β-catenin-responsive and form alveoli in the absence of PR. However, PR activity confers β-catenin responsiveness to progenitor cells along the lateral ductal borders in the virgin gland. Once activated …


Floral Biology Of Physaria Ludoviciana (Brassicaceae), A Plant Rare To The Midwest, Ann E. Claerbout, Janice M. Coons, Henry R. Owen, Kenneth R. Robertson Sep 2007

Floral Biology Of Physaria Ludoviciana (Brassicaceae), A Plant Rare To The Midwest, Ann E. Claerbout, Janice M. Coons, Henry R. Owen, Kenneth R. Robertson

Henry R. Owen

Physaria ludoviciana (Brassicaceae) is rare in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Environmental effects on floral development are unclear. Both self-compatibility and self-incompatibility occur within Physaria species. Objectives were to describe flowers, to determine how photoperiod affects flower development, and to predict whether flowers are self-compatible or self-incompatible. For photoperiods, greenhouse-grown plants were placed in either 16 or 8 hr photoperiods. Inflorescences and open flowers were counted weekly. For pollination, flowers were self-pollinated or cross-pollinated. Plants developed inflorescences after 20 and 28 d in long and short days, respectively. Inflorescences/plant increased for both photoperiods throughout the study. In short days, plants produced …


Francisella Philomiragia Subsp. Noatunensis Subsp. Nov., Isolated From Farmed Atlantic Cod (Gadus Morhua L.), Torstein Tengs Sep 2007

Francisella Philomiragia Subsp. Noatunensis Subsp. Nov., Isolated From Farmed Atlantic Cod (Gadus Morhua L.), Torstein Tengs

Dr. Torstein Tengs

Seven bacterial isolates from farmed Atlantic cod displaying chronic granulomatous disease were characterized by phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods. The isolates were Gram-negative, facultatively intracellular, non-motile, strictly aerobic coccobacilli which produced H2S from cysteine-supplemented media and are therefore phenotypically consistent with members of the genus Francisella. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences and six partial housekeeping gene sequences (groEL, shdA, rpoB, rpoA, pgm and atpA) confirmed the organism as a member of the genus Francisella, with Francisella philomiragia as its closest relative (99.3% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 92.2–99.0% housekeeping gene sequence similarity). Despite the close relationship with F. philomiragia, …


Barriers To Flow: The Effects Of Experimental Cage Structures On Water Velocities In High-Energy Subtidal And Intertidal Environments, Luke P. Miller, Brian Gaylord Jun 2007

Barriers To Flow: The Effects Of Experimental Cage Structures On Water Velocities In High-Energy Subtidal And Intertidal Environments, Luke P. Miller, Brian Gaylord

Luke P. Miller

For decades, marine ecologists have used cages as biological enclosure or exclosure devices to manipulate movement, growth, and survival of organisms. The ability to control the densities of focal organisms makes these structures a powerful tool. However, cages can often produce artifacts that influence the outcome of experiments. Although a subset of these artifacts have been examined previously, the effects of cages on water motion have not been adequately addressed from a quantitative standpoint, especially in high-flow environments. We targeted this data gap by explicitly measuring the fractional degree of velocity reduction inside a variety of experimental cage structures across …


Phenotypically Different Microalgal Morphospecies With Identical Ribosomal Rna: A Case Of Rapid Adaptive Evolution?, Torstein Tengs May 2007

Phenotypically Different Microalgal Morphospecies With Identical Ribosomal Rna: A Case Of Rapid Adaptive Evolution?, Torstein Tengs

Dr. Torstein Tengs

The agents driving the divergence and speciation of freeliving microbial populations are still largely unknown. We investigated the dinoflagellate morphospecies Scrippsiella hangoei and Peridinium aciculiferum, which abound in the Baltic Sea and in northern temperate lakes, respectively. Electron microscopy analyses showed significant interspecific differences in the external cellular morphology, but a similar plate pattern in the characteristic dinoflagellate armor. Experimentally, S. hangoei grew in a wide range of salinities (0–30), whereas P. aciculiferum only grew in low salinities (0–3). Despite these phenotypic differences and the habitat segregation, molecular analyses showed identical ribosomal DNA sequences (ITS1, ITS2, 5.8S, SSU, and partial …


Dislodged But Not Dead: Survivorship Of A High Intertidal Snail Following Wave Dislodgement, Luke P. Miller, Michael J. O'Donnell, Katharine J. Mach May 2007

Dislodged But Not Dead: Survivorship Of A High Intertidal Snail Following Wave Dislodgement, Luke P. Miller, Michael J. O'Donnell, Katharine J. Mach

Luke P. Miller

Waves breaking on rocky shorelines impart large forces on intertidal organisms, sometimes dislodging individuals. Dislodged individuals may be deposited in habitats that have a greater risk of predation or that prevent return to preferred regions on the shore. Thus, dislodgement is often assumed to be lethal. We experimentally dislodged Littorina keenae snails from high in the intertidal zone to test the likelihood of survival. Under a variety of wave conditions, we measured return rates to the high shore of 54–90%, so in this species, dislodgement is not equal to death. Snails showed a strong preference for returning to the approximate …


"Minimizing Injuries Resulting From Patient Handling In Nursing Home Staff" - A Hazard Control Plan, Vikas Singh Apr 2007

"Minimizing Injuries Resulting From Patient Handling In Nursing Home Staff" - A Hazard Control Plan, Vikas Singh

Vikas Singh

A concise hazard control plan for "Minimizing Injuries Resulting from Patient Handling In Nursing Home Staff".


Short Telomeres In Short-Lived Males: What Are The Molecular And Evolutionary Causes?, Stephanie Jemielity, Masayuki Kimura, Karen M. Parker, Joel D. Parker, Xiaojian Cao, Abraham Aviv, Laurent Keller Apr 2007

Short Telomeres In Short-Lived Males: What Are The Molecular And Evolutionary Causes?, Stephanie Jemielity, Masayuki Kimura, Karen M. Parker, Joel D. Parker, Xiaojian Cao, Abraham Aviv, Laurent Keller

Joel D Parker

Telomere length regulation is an important aspect of cell maintenance in eukaryotes, since shortened telomeres can lead to a number of defects, including impaired cell division. Although telomere length is correlated with lifespan in some bird species, its possible role in aging and lifespan determination is still poorly understood. Here we investigate telomere dynamics (changes in telomere length and attrition rate) and telomerase activity in the ant Lasius niger, a species in which different groups of individuals have evolved extraordinarily different lifespans. We found that somatic tissues of the short-lived males had dramatically shorter telomeres than those of the much …


Alaska At The Crossroads Of Migration: Space-Based Ornithology, Jill L. Deppe, K Wessels, J A. Smith Jan 2007

Alaska At The Crossroads Of Migration: Space-Based Ornithology, Jill L. Deppe, K Wessels, J A. Smith

Jill L Deppe

Understanding bird migration on a global scale is one of the most compelling and challenging problems of modern biology. Each year multitudes of migratory birds travel between breeding grounds in Alaska and wintering grounds in the Americas, Asia, and Australia. Here we present the conceptual framework for a spatially explicit, individual-based biophysical migration model driven by dynamic remote sensing observations of atmospheric and land surface conditions to simulate migration routes, timing, energy budgets, and probability of survival. Understanding temporal and spatial patterns of bird migration will provide insight into pressing conservation and human health issues related to this taxonomic group.


Review Of Breeding Field Crops, 5th Ed., Henry R. Owen Jan 2007

Review Of Breeding Field Crops, 5th Ed., Henry R. Owen

Henry R. Owen

No abstract provided.


Review Of Dictionary Of Plant Tissue Culture, Henry R. Owen Jan 2007

Review Of Dictionary Of Plant Tissue Culture, Henry R. Owen

Henry R. Owen

No abstract provided.


Feeding In Extreme Flows: Behavior Compensates For Mechanical Constraints In Barnacle Cirri, Luke P. Miller Jan 2007

Feeding In Extreme Flows: Behavior Compensates For Mechanical Constraints In Barnacle Cirri, Luke P. Miller

Luke P. Miller

Plastic morphological changes in response to environmental cues can allow organisms to adapt to their local environment. Barnacle feeding legs (cirri) exhibit substantial plasticity in size and shape along wave exposure gradients on rocky shores, but only up to a certain limit in maximum water velocities. Above the limit, the morphology of the cirri becomes invariant. Behavioral observations of barnacles feeding at a wave-exposed shore indicate that the fast response time for feeding motions allows barnacles to avoid potentially damaging flows associated with breaking waves, while still allowing feeding between wave impacts. The ability of barnacles to avoid individual waves …