The contribution of tympanic transmission to fine temporal signal evaluation in an ultrasonic moth.

In lesser waxmoths Achroia grisella, pair formation and female mate choice involve very fine discrimination of male ultrasonic signals. Female A. grisella prefer male signals with longer pulses and longer ;asynchrony intervals', and evaluate differences in these characteristics in the range of 80-260 mus.

Mood and cognitive changes with deep brain stimulation. What we know and where we should go.

Aim: The aim of this study was to completely review the literature on cognitive and mood changes resulting from deep brain stimulation (DBS), and to examine the factors that might lead to these changes. DBS has been shown to improve motor symptoms in many movement disorders. Despite the widespread use of this technique, there are relatively few well controlled studies describing the potential cognitive, mood and behavioral consequences that may result from DBS.

Sample phenotype clusters in high-density oligonucleotide microarray data sets are revealed using Isomap, a nonlinear algorithm.

Background: Life processes are determined by the organism's genetic profile and multiple environmental variables. However the interaction between these factors is inherently non-linear. Microarray data is one representation of the nonlinear interactions among genes and genes and environmental factors.

Management of referred deep brain stimulation failures: a retrospective analysis from 2 movement disorders centers.

Background: Since the Food and Drug Administration approved DBS, there has been a surge in the number of centers providing the procedure. There is currently no consensus regarding appropriate screening procedures, necessary training of individuals providing the therapy, the need for an interdisciplinary team, or guidelines for the management of complications. An increasing number of patients come to experienced DBS centers after unsatisfactory results from DBS surgery.

Vibrational communication and reproductive isolation in the Enchenopa binotata species complex of treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae).

Sexual communication can contribute to population divergence and speciation because of its effect on assortative mating. We examined the role of communication in assortative mating in the Enchenopa binotata species complex of treehoppers. These plant-feeding insects are a well studied case of sympatric speciation resulting from shifts to novel host-plant species.

Nutritional genomics: the next frontier in the postgenomic era.

The interface between the nutritional environment and cellular/genetic processes is being referred to as "nutrigenomics." Nutrigenomics seeks to provide a molecular genetic understanding for how common dietary chemicals (i.e.

Genetic variance and phenotypic plasticity in a component of female mate choice in an ultrasonic moth.

Female response to male advertisement signals in lesser waxmoths showed substantial genetic variation, phenotypic plasticity across rearing environments, and genotype-by-environment interactions resulting in crossing reaction norms. These results represent two previously underemphasized means by which genetic variation may be maintained in sexually selected traits: genetic variation in female response to male traits, and variation in the selection acting on both males and females. Genotype-by-environment interactions and reaction norms that cross indicate that divergent selection may act on male and female sexual traits if the level of environmental change is high.

Expression and inheritance of nine transgenes in rice.

A total of 66 transgenic rice cell lines were produced by simultaneously transforming rice callus with nine different plasmids/genes. PCR analysis indicated that the co-transformation frequency of each gene was about 70%. All the cell lines carried at least three genes and 11 cell lines carried all nine genes.

Expression of functional recombinant human lysozyme in transgenic rice cell culture.

Using particle bombardment-mediated transformation, a codon-optimized synthetic gene for human lysozyme was introduced into the calli of rice (Oryza sativa) cultivar Taipei 309. The expression levels of recombinant human lysozyme in the transformed rice suspension cell culture approached approximately 4% of total soluble protein. Recombinant human lysozyme was purified to greater than 95% homogeneity using a two-step chromatography process.

First Report and Partial Molecular Characterization of a New Begomovirus Associated with Pigeon Pea in Puerto Rico.

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is an important edible legume crop in Puerto Rico.

Recent progress in capillary electrochromatography.

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) continues to captivate many separation scientists. A remarkable activity is apparent from the numerous publications in the literature using CEC. A review of the most recent progress in CEC is presented herein, covering an extensive fraction of the literature on CEC published from the year 1997 until the beginning of 2000.

Expression and purification of functional human alpha-1-Antitrypsin from cultured plant cells.

Human alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), the most abundant protease inhibitor found in the blood, was expressed in rice embryonic tissue suspension cell culture. This was accomplished by cloning the codon-optimized AAT gene into a vector containing the rice RAmy3D promoter and its signal sequence. The synthetic gene incorporates codons synonymous with those found in highly expressed rice genes.

New perspectives on the endo-beta-glucanases of glycosyl hydrolase Family 17.

Isozymes of glycosyl hydrolase Family 17 hydrolyze 1,3-beta-glucan polysaccharides found in the cell wall matrix of plants and fungi, enabling these plant enzymes to serve diverse roles in plant defense and plant development. Fourteen genes from Family 17 have been characterized in the genome of rice. A sequence dendrogram analysis divided these genes into four subfamilies.

Non-hospital consumption of antibiotics in Spain: 1987-1997.

Spain has one of the highest incidences of bacterial resistance to antimicrobials, possibly linked to drug consumption patterns. Using Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs records, data were obtained on non-hospital sales of antibiotics for the period 1987-1997, and equivalents calculated in weight of active drug ingredient and defined daily doses per 1000 population per day (DDD/1000/day). The number of packages sold declined from 75 million in 1987 to 55 million in 1997.

Production of functional human alpha 1-antitrypsin by plant cell culture.

Recombinant human alpha 1-antitrypsin (rAAT) was expressed and secreted from transgenic rice cell suspension cultures in its biologically active form. This was accomplished by transforming rice callus tissues with an expression vector, p3D-AAT, containing the cDNA for mature human AAT protein. Regulated expression and secretion of rAAT from this vector was achieved using the promoter, signal peptide, and terminator from a rice alpha-amylase gene Amy3D.

Differential expression of rice alpha-amylase genes during seedling development under anoxia.

The unique capability of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings to grow under anoxic conditions may result in part from their ability to express alpha-amylase and maintain the supply of sugar needed for energy metabolism. Previous studies have demonstrated that under aerobic conditions the Amy1 and Amy2 subfamily genes are regulated primarily by phytohormones while the Amy3 subfamily genes are induced during sugar starvation.

Characterization of rice endo-beta-glucanase genes (Gns2-Gns14) defines a new subgroup within the gene family.

Thirteen new beta-glucanase-encoding genes have been identified in the rice genome. These genes, together with other monocot beta-glucanases, have now been classified into four subfamilies based on the structure and function of the genes. Two tandem gene clusters, Gns2-Gns3-Gns4 and Gns5-Gns6, were classified in the defense-related Subfamily A.

Three cis-elements required for rice alpha-amylase Amy3D expression during sugar starvation.

Expression of alpha-amylase genes during seedling development plays a key role in production of sugar from the starch stored in the cereal seed. Rice alpha-amylase Amy3D promoter/GUS constructs in transgenic rice cell lines were studied to identify cis elements in the promoter of this metabolite-regulated gene. Three sequences having the greatest effects on Amy3D gene expression included the amylase element (TATCCAT), the CGACG element, and a G box-related element (CTACGTGGCCA).

Characterization of rice alpha-amylase isozymes expressed by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Two rice alpha-amylase isozymes, AmylA and Amy3D, were produced by secretion from genetically engineered strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They have distinct differences in enzymatic characteristics that can be related to the physiology of the germinating rice seed. The rice isozymes were purified with immunoaffinity chromatography.

Development of a PCR-based marker to identify rice blast resistance gene, Pi-2(t), in a segregating population.

The genomic clone RG64, which is tightly linked to the blast resistance gene Pi-2(t) in rice, provides means to perform marker-aided selection in a rice breeding program. The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of generating a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based polymorphic marker that can distinguish the blast resistant gene, Pi-2(t), and susceptible genotypes within cultivated rice. RG64 was sequenced, and the sequence data was used to design pairs of specific primers for (PCR) amplification of genomic DNA from rice varieties differing in their blast disease responsiveness.

Developmental and Hormonal Regulation of Rice [alpha]-Amylase(RAmy1A)-gusA Fusion Genes in Transgenic Rice Seeds.

Transgenic seeds of rice (Oryza sativa L.) were used to investigate temporal, spatial, and hormonal regulation of a rice [alpha]-amylase gene, RAmy1A. Two overlapping segments of the RAmy1A promoter were fused to the coding region of the bacterial reporter gene, gusA.

Sequence-specific interactions of a nuclear protein factor with the promoter region of a rice gene for alpha-amylase, RAmy3D.

The expression of a rice gene for alpha-amylase, RAmy3D, in suspension-cultured cells is induced at the transcriptional level by the deprivation of sugars. Binding of a nuclear protein from suspension-cultured rice cells to the promoter region of the RAmy3D gene was studied by gel-retardation and DNase I footprinting assays. Gel-retardation assays indicated that a 358-bp fragment of the promoter region interacted specifically with a protein factor from suspension-cultured cells.

Molecular cloning and characterization of two complementary DNAs encoding putative peroxidases from rice (Oryza sativa L.) shoots.

PCR with oligonucleotide primers that corresponded to two highly homologous regions, in terms of amino acid sequence, of plant peroxidases was used to amplify a specific DNA fragment from a mixture of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cDNAs. We then screened a cDNA library prepared from mRNAs of rice shoots utilizing the product of PCR as probe.