Changes in the contents of sugars and organic acids during the ripening and storage of sufu, a traditional Oriental fermented product of soybean cubes

In the present study, sufu, an oriental fermented product of soybeans, was prepared by ripening the tofu cubes in Aspergillus oryzae fermented rice-soybean koji mash for 16 days at 37 °C. The sufu product was further kept at room temperature for another 30 days. Examining the changes in the sugar content revealed that stachyose, raffinose, and sucrose contents of tofu and rice-soybean koji granules decreased while levels of glucose and fructose increased during the ripening period and after storage. Glucose was the most abundant sugar detected. Four organic acids, including oxalic, lactic, acetic, and citric acid, were detected in the sufu product and koji granules after ripening. Generally, the contents of these organic acid increased as the ripening period was extended. Among them, acetic acid was the most highly detected.     

Method development and application to determine potential plant uptake of antibiotics and other drugs in irrigated crop production systems

Studies have shown the detection of emerging contaminants (ECs), of which pharmaceuticals are a subset, in surface waters across the United States. The objective of this study was to develop methods, and apply them, to evaluate the potential for food chain transfer when EC-containing waters are used for crop irrigation. Greenhouse experiments were performed in which select food crops were irrigated with water spiked with three antibiotics. Field experiments, at two different sites, were conducted. Select crops were irrigated with wastewater effluent known to contain ECs, EC-free well water, and Colorado River water containing trace-level ECs. The results of the greenhouse studies show the potential for uptake of one or more of the antibiotics evaluated, albeit at very low levels. In those food crops watered with wastewater effluent, only an industrial flavoring agent, N,N'-dimethylphenethylamine (DMPEA), was consistently found. None of the evaluated contaminants were found in crops irrigated with Colorado River water.     

Riboswitches in eubacteria sense the second messenger cyclic di-GMP

Cyclic di-guanosine monophosphate (di-GMP) is a circular RNA dinucleotide that functions as a second messenger in diverse species of bacteria to trigger wide-ranging physiological changes, including cell differentiation, conversion between motile and biofilm lifestyles, and virulence gene expression. However, the mechanisms by which cyclic di-GMP regulates gene expression have remained a mystery. We found that cyclic di-GMP in many bacterial species is sensed by a riboswitch class in messenger RNA that controls the expression of genes involved in numerous fundamental cellular processes. A variety of cyclic di-GMP regulons are revealed, including some riboswitches associated with virulence gene expression, pilus formation, and flagellum biosynthesis. In addition, sequences matching the consensus for cyclic di-GMP riboswitches are present in the genome of a bacteriophage.     

Landscape features associated with lyme disease risk in a suburban residential environment

The landscape features of residential properties within two communities were studied in relation to the abundance of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis. Habitat types of 400 properties, located in a Lyme disease endemic area of Westchester Co., New York, USA, were categorized into lawn, ornamental, ecotone, woods, and stone wall as measured from aerial photographs and sampled for nymphal-stage ticks. Logistic regression results indicate that presence or absence of ticks is influenced by the proportion of either lawn or woodland, and total woodland area. Poisson regression results indicate the abundance of nymphs is negatively associated with proportion, area, and patch frequency of lawn, and positively associated with proportion, area, and patch frequency of woodland. Predictions of tick presence and abundance from landscape features at the scale of individual property is useful for implementing disease prevention measures.     

Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, a new Middle Miocene great ape from Spain

We describe a partial skeleton with facial cranium of Pierolapithecus catalaunicus gen. et sp. nov., a new Middle Miocene (12.5 to 13 million years ago) ape from Barranc de Can Vila 1 (Barcelona, Spain). It is the first known individual of this age that combines well-preserved cranial, dental, and postcranial material. The thorax, lumbar region, and wrist provide evidence of modern ape-like orthograde body design, and the facial morphology includes the basic derived great ape features. The new skeleton reveals that early great apes retained primitive monkeylike characters associated with a derived body structure that permits upright postures of the trunk. Pierolapithecus, hence, does not fit the theoretical model that predicts that all characters shared by extant great apes were present in their last common ancestor, but instead points to a large amount of homoplasy in ape evolution. The overall pattern suggests that Pierolapithecus is probably close to the last common ancestor of great apes and humans.