Prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica in different phases of production on swine farms.

Swine have been identified as the primary reservoir of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica (YE), but little research has focused on the epidemiology of YE at the farm level. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of YE in different production phases on swine farms. In this cross-sectional study, individual pigs on eight swine operations were sampled for the presence of YE.

Identification and characterization of a regulatory domain on the carboxyl terminus of the measles virus nucleocapsid protein.

The paramyxovirus template for transcription and genome replication consists of the RNA genome encapsidated by the nucleocapsid protein (N protein). The activity of the complex, consisting of viral polymerase plus template, can be measured with minireplicons in which the genomic coding sequence is replaced by chloramphenical acetyltransferase (CAT) antisense RNA. Using this approach, we showed that the C-terminal 24 amino acids of the measles virus N protein are dispensable for transcription and replication, based upon the truncation of N proteins used to support minireplicon reporter gene expression.

Quantitative component analysis of mixtures for risk assessment: application to eye irritation.

A methodology called quantitative component analysis of mixtures (QCAM) was used to analyze an existing set of product formulation data to determine if the irritating ingredients in the mixtures could be identified. Eye irritation scores, based on a rat model, for 18 mixtures having a composite total of 37 components, were analyzed by QCAM. QCAM relates a net toxicity measure of a mixture to the toxicities of the individual components of the mixture through linear, quadratic, and pairwise cross-component concentration-dependent interactions.

A comparative analysis of plant mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA sequences.

The small subunit of the ribosomal RNA has long been used as a tool in determining phylogenetic relationships. This project explored a region of the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA (MSrRNA) that is found only in the plant mitochondrial genome referred to as Variable Region 7 (V7). The V7 region of cauliflower and radish, both members of the Brassicaceae family, was amplified with the polymerase chain reaction, cloned into the expression vector PBSSK +, and sequenced.