Survey onYersinia Enterocolitica and related bacteria in shellfish

Results from examining shellfish collected from ‘safe’ (2–34Escherichia coli/100 mL) and ‘unsafe’ (> 34E. coli/100 mL) waters for the presence ofYersinia enterocolitica and related bacteria are reported. The recovery of these microorganisms was low in bivalve mollusks destined for food consumption, high in those derived from prohibited areas. No human pathogenic bio-serogroup f Yersinia was found during the entire survey.     

Integrated research in archaeology using soil micromorphology and palynology

Archaeologists often encounter problems in interpreting the genesis of layers and the context in which specific materials occur in excavations. Field visits of geologists, soil scientists or biologists can solve a number of questions, but often, problems remain that only can be studied by microscopic research as, for example, soil micromorphology and palynology. In the past, the employment of these two disciplines, one in earth science and one in biology, generally occurred independently of each other, also in interdisciplinary research and contract research. Consequently, results could not always be correlated, permitting only a restricted integration of data. It was realised that soils, as archives, contain much more information than generally utilised. A skillful employment and balancing of both specialties create a real integrated approach that offers a substantially improved interpretation potential without hardly additional efforts and costs. The results of 7 years of experience were very stimulating and presented here.In this article, the essence of soil micromorphology and palynology applied to archaeology is briefly outlined and illustrated by selected examples of the different research themes covered, showing the possibilities and results of integrated research. Both specialties generate essential information that, when combined and integrated properly, lead to improved understanding of the landscape genesis and human activities in the past. To be able to employ the full interpretive potential of this integrated approach, the research procedures followed by both specialties had to be compared. The key requirements for optimal integration of each other's databases comprised a combined effort to compare the pros and cons during the first four steps of the research procedure: defining research questions, field survey, selection of sampling locations and sampling. This approach enabled optimal correlation of the individual results, made cross-checking and references possible and led to higher levels of interpretation that would not have been possible otherwise. The integrated research elucidated lacunae in the other's discipline, resulting in a distinctly more complete reconstruction of paleoenvironments and past land uses, important research themes of archaeologists for the specialties concerned.     

Germline allele-specific expression of TGFBR1 confers an increased risk of colorectal cancer

Much of the genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer (CRC) in humans is unexplained. Studying a Caucasian-dominated population in the United States, we showed that germline allele-specific expression (ASE) of the gene encoding transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) type I receptor, TGFBR1, is a quantitative trait that occurs in 10 to 20% of CRC patients and 1 to 3% of controls. ASE results in reduced expression of the gene, is dominantly inherited, segregates in families, and occurs in sporadic CRC cases. Although subtle, the reduction in constitutive TGFBR1 expression alters SMAD-mediated TGF-beta signaling. Two major TGFBR1 haplotypes are predominant among ASE cases, which suggests ancestral mutations, but causative germline changes have not been identified. Conservative estimates suggest that ASE confers a substantially increased risk of CRC (odds ratio, 8.7; 95% confidence interval, 2.6 to 29.1), but these estimates require confirmation and will probably show ethnic differences.     

For whose benefit?: A second look at fund raisers and other charitable responses to the U.S. farm crisis

The deepening U.S. farm crisis has been accompanied by numerous benefit fund raisers, individual donations and volunteer programs—all an expression of cooperation and concern on the part of U.S. citizens, farmer and non-farmer alike. These responses have received wide media attention and much public praise. A sense of patriotism and self-reliance underlies their popularity. Nevertheless, such efforts work to undermine their own ultimate objective—that of improving the economic circumstances of the family farm and farm family. This irony, it is argued, arises from the fact that these charitable responses typically depoliticize the nature of the U.S. farm crisis. First, they deflect public attention away from the larger economic context and the structural inequities within it. Second they revitalize agrarian-based myths which serve to rationalize and to reproduce the ‘independent’ behavior of small, commercial farmers. Finally, it is argued that the depoliticization of the farm crisis is itself a political strategy, one which supports and legitimizes ‘business as usual’ and is compatible with the interests of corporate agriculture.     

Properties of metallic nanowires: from conductance quantization to localization

Material structures of reduced dimensions exhibit electrical and mechanical properties different from those in the bulk. Measurements of room-temperature electronic transport in pulled metallic nanowires are presented, demonstrating that the conductance characteristics depend on the length, lateral dimensions, state and degree of disorder, and elongation mechanism of the wire. Conductance during the elongation of short wires (length l approximately 50 angstroms) exhibits periodic quantization steps with characteristic dips, correlating with the order-disorder states of layers of atoms in the wire predicted by molecular dynamics simulations. The resistance R of wires as long as l approximately 400 angstroms exhibits localization characteristics with In R(l) approximately l(2).     

Design and chemical synthesis of a homogeneous polymer-modified erythropoiesis protein

We report the design and total chemical synthesis of "synthetic erythropoiesis protein" (SEP), a 51-kilodalton protein-polymer construct consisting of a 166-amino-acid polypeptide chain and two covalently attached, branched, and monodisperse polymer moieties that are negatively charged. The ability to control the chemistry allowed us to synthesize a macromolecule of precisely defined covalent structure. SEP was homogeneous as shown by high-resolution analytical techniques, with a mass of 50,825 +/-10 daltons by electrospray mass spectrometry, and with a pI of 5.0. In cell and animal assays for erythropoiesis, SEP displayed potent biological activity and had significantly prolonged duration of action in vivo. These chemical methods are a powerful tool in the rational design of protein constructs with potential therapeutic applications.     

Serine-7 of the RNA polymerase II CTD is specifically required for snRNA gene expression

RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcribes genes that encode proteins and noncoding small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs). The carboxyl-terminal repeat domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of mammalian RNA Pol II, comprising tandem repeats of the heptapeptide consensus Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7, is required for expression of both gene types. We show that mutation of serine-7 to alanine causes a specific defect in snRNA gene expression. We also present evidence that phosphorylation of serine-7 facilitates interaction with the snRNA gene-specific Integrator complex. These findings assign a biological function to this amino acid and highlight a gene type-specific requirement for a residue within the CTD heptapeptide, supporting the existence of a CTD code.