No evidence of conditioning of pupillary constriction despite overtraining.

Eyeblink conditioning is the most popular paradigm for studying classical conditioning in humans. But the fact that eyelids are under voluntary control means it is ultimately impossible to ascertain whether a blink response is 'conditioned' or a timed 'voluntary' blink response. In contrast, the pupillary response is an autonomic response, not under voluntary control.

Seasonal pattern of lesion development in diseased Fraxinus excelsior infected by Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus.

Ash dieback is a recent widespread disease on ash (Fraxinus sp.) that is causing important economic and ecological losses throughout Europe. The disease is initiated by the ascomycetous fungus Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (anamorph Chalara fraxinea).

Characterization and comparison of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) resistance genotypes and population structure of Escherichia coli isolated from Franklin's gulls (Leucophaeus pipixcan) and humans in Chile.

We investigated the general level of antibiotic resistance with further analysis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) prevalence, as well as the population structure of E. coli in fecal flora of humans and Franklin's gulls (Leucophaeus pipixcan) in central parts of Chile. We found a surprisingly high carriage rate of ESBL-producing E.

Viridin-like steroids from Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus.

Three furanosteroids were isolated from the ash dieback causing fungus Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus along with the known compounds viridiol and demethoxyviridiol. The compounds were characterized by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, LC-HRMS and polarimetry.

B-norsteroids from Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus.

Two viridin-related B-norsteroids, B-norviridiol lactone (1) and B-norviridin enol (2), both possessing distinct unprecedented carbon skeletons, were isolated from a liquid culture of the ash dieback-causing fungus Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus. Compound 2 was found to degrade to a third B-norsteroidal compound, 1β-hydroxy-2α-hydro-asterogynin A (3), which was later detected in the original culture. The proposed structure of 1 is, regarding connectivity, identical to the original erroneous structure for TAEMC161, which was later reassigned as viridiol.

Sequence types and plasmid carriage of uropathogenic Escherichia coli devoid of phenotypically detectable resistance.

Objectives: Plasmids play a major role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance, and several studies have shown the association between specific resistance mechanisms and certain plasmid types and/or Escherichia coli lineages. This study describes the distribution of plasmids, replicon types, sequence types (STs) and ST complexes (STCs) of E. coli devoid of phenotypic resistance to 24 antibiotics.

Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. from Norway and Sweden.

The prevalence of the plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr was investigated among clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. selected from 2 collections of consecutive isolates collected in 2004 to 2005 in Norway (n = 2479) and Sweden (n = 2980) and 1 group of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates collected in 2003 in Norway (n = 71). A total of 414 isolates was selected for screening based on resistance to nalidixic acid and/or reduced susceptibility/resistance to ciprofloxacin.

Dissemination of multidrug-resistant bacteria into the Arctic.

We show that Escherichia coli isolates originating from Arctic birds carry antimicrobial drug resistance determinants. This finding implies that dissemination of drug-resistant bacteria is worldwide. Resistance genes can be found even in a region where no selection pressure for resistance development exists.