Transcriptional profiles of emasculated flowers of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) determined using the cDNA-AFLP technique.

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a tree in the subfamily Faboideae, native to North America, that has been naturalized and widely planted in temperate Europe and Asia. Black locust has important ecological and economic value, but its quality needs improvement. Hybridization programs are important for black locust breeding, but the low rate of fruit set after controlled pollination limits both its breeding and that of other monoclinous plant species that share this problem. In this study, we investigated gene expression in emasculated black locust flowers using the cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism technique to determine why the rate of fruit set is low after controlled pollination. Flowers that were emasculated after being frozen in liquid nitrogen were used as controls. Changes in the flower transcriptome were more dramatic at 5 h after emasculation than at 48 h. Injury caused by emasculation decreased the expression levels of genes associated with metabolism, growth regulation, signal transduction, and photosynthesis, and it increased the expression of genes related to stress-response metabolism, signal transduction, and promotion of senescence. The changes in the expression levels of these genes had negative effects on sugar metabolism, protein metabolism, lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, matter transport, signal transduction, osmotic regulation, pH regulation, and photosynthesis. Thus, emasculation accelerated flower senescence, resulting in low fruit set.

Reducción de los tiempos de adquisición de imágenes por resonancia magnética utilizando técnicas de compressed sensing / Reduction of the acquisition time in magnetic resonance imaging using compressed sensing

Introduction: The acquisition process in magnetic resonance images (MRI) is slow. One approach to reduce the acquisition times is the reconstruction of undersampled data. i.e. to acquire less samples that those needed for standard application, and to reconstruct the unknown samples using mathematical algorithms. We propose to used reconstruction techniques for undersampled data based on Compressed Sensing (CS) to decrease the acquisition times, obtaining identical MRI as those obtained with all samples. Methods: We performed reconstructions of undersampled data obtained from phantoms and MRI with 60 percent, 55 percent and 50 percent of the samples. Results: When the number of samples was more that the double of pixels with non cero intensity, the reconstructions where identical to the original ones. For the MRI experiment, this was achieved with 60 percent of the samples, therefore obtaining a 40 percent of reduction in the acquisition time. Discussion: Our reconstruction technique based on CS is an effective way for reducing the acquisition times in MRI.

Introducción: El proceso de adquisición de imágenes por resonancia magnética (IRM) es lento. Una forma para disminuir los tiempos de adquisición es a través de reconstrucciones de datos submuestreados, es decir tomar menos muestras que las necesarias en aplicaciones estándares, y reconstruir las muestras faltantes a través de algoritmos matemáticos. Proponemos utilizar técnicas de reconstrucción de datos submuestreados basadas en técnicas de Compressed Sensing (CS) para disminuir los tiempos de adquisición, obteniendo imágenes idénticas a las obtenidas con todas las muestras. Métodos: Realizamos reconstrucciones de datos submuestreados de fantomas y IRM con 60 por ciento, 55 por ciento y 50 por ciento de las muestras. Resultados: Cuando el número de muestras fue mayor al doble del número de pixeles con intensidad cero, las reconstrucciones obtenidas fueron idénticas a las originales. Para las IRM esto se logró con 60 por ciento de las muestras, logrando reducciones del 40 por ciento en los tiempos de adquisición. Discusión: Nuestra técnica de reconstrucción basada en CS es una forma efectiva para reducir los tiempos de adquisición de IRM.

Primary human herpesvirus 7 infection: a comparison of human herpesvirus 7 and human herpesvirus 6 infections in children.

OBJECTIVE: To define the clinical and virologic characteristics of primary human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) infection and to compare these characteristics with those of primary human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective convenience sample study of 496 children < or =3 years old. HHV-7 and HHV-6 infections were identified by viral isolation. Polymerase chain reaction and serology for HHV-7 and HHV-6 were performed. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients were obtained from medical records and follow-up interviews. RESULTS: Children with primary HHV-7 infection (n = 8) were identified and compared with children with primary HHV-6 infection (n = 29) detected during the same time period. All children were febrile (mean temperature 39.8 degrees C) with no difference in the degree of fever, frequency of rash, or gastrointestinal complications between the groups. The median age of children with primary HHV-7 infection was 26 months, significantly older than that of children with primary HHV-6 infection (median, 9 months). Children with primary HHV-7 infection were also more likely than those with primary HHV-6 infection to have seizures associated with the illness (P = .004). CONCLUSION: Primary infection with HHV-7 can cause a highly febrile illness in childhood, complicated by seizures. The serologic diagnosis of primary HHV-6 and HHV-7 infections may be confounded by cross-reacting antibodies.

[Estimation of energy expenditure in clinical practice: applicability to individual multiple injury cases]. / Estimación del gasto energético en clínica: aplicabilidad en casos individuales de pacientes con traumatismo múltiple.

In 37 multiple trauma patients the estimated and measured energy expenditures were compared. Predicted energy expenditure overestimated it in 89% of patients. The correction factor for the different pathologies was the principal source of error, since the measured/predicted basal energy expenditure ratio was 1.19 +/- 0.17. This ratio had a wide range of values (0.84-1.61) which renders the prediction of individual energy expenditure highly unreliable. Since the overestimation of energy requirements in the critically ill patients may convey important complications, the direct measurement of such requirements is recommended.

Cloning, characterisation and regulation of an alpha-amylase gene from Streptomyces venezuelae.

The alpha-amylase gene (aml) of Streptomyces venezuelae ATCC15068 was cloned in Streptomyces lividans TK24 using the plasmid vector pIJ702. Sub-cloning and exonuclease III deletion experiments localised the sequences required for alpha-amylase production to a segment of 2.05 kb. Low-resolution nuclease S1 mapping revealed a aml transcript of approx. 1.7 kb, and the extracellular form of alpha-amylase was estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be 59 kDa, suggesting that aml mRNA is monocistronic. The nucleotide sequence of aml was determined and high-resolution nuclease S1 mapping experiments identified transcripts that appeared to initiate at a promoter identical to that of the alpha-amylase gene of Streptomyces limosus [Long et al., J. Bacteriol. 169 (1987) 5745-5754]. Transcription of aml in S. venezuelae, and of the cloned gene in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), was induced by maltose and repressed by glucose. Glucose repression in S. coelicolor A3(2) depended on a functional glucose kinase gene. The predicted amino acid sequence of the extracellular enzyme was very similar (75% identity) to the alpha-amylase of S. limosus and shared with this enzyme a strong susceptibility to tendamistat, a potent inhibitor of mammalian alpha-amylases. Sequence inspection revealed a putative signal sequence of 28 amino acids that preceded the probable signal peptidase cleavage site.

Efectos de la suspensión no convencional de las canales en la palatabilidad de la carne de toretes / Effect of non-conventional of carcass suspension in the palatabilidad of bullock beek

La utilización de un método no convencional de suspender la canal vacuna mejoró significativamente las notas de terneza, y de satisfacción total aumentó el largo de los sarcomeros y disminuyó los valores de fuerza de corte o de cizalla en muestras provenientes de canales de los cuatro grupos de beneficio conciderados. La suspensión por el agujero obturador no mejoró significativamente las notas de terneza o de satisfacción total de las muestras de canales britanicas o sus cruzamientos en los grupos de 9-, 12- ó 18- meses de edad. La suspensión no convencional mejoró todas las notas de terneza y de satisfacción total de muestras provenientes de canales Brahman o sus cruzamientos en los cuatro grupos de edad al beneficio. En algunos casos, el mejoramiento alcanzó hasta 37.9 por ciento. Sin embargo, el mejoramiento mostró la tendencia de disminuir con avances en la edad. La suspensión por el agujero obturador disminuyó significativamente los valores de fuerza de corte o cizalla y aumentó significativamente el largo del sarcomero en tres de los cuatro grupos de edad al beneficio. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, pueden inferirse que la suspensión de la cual por el agujero abjurador mejora significativamente la palatabilidad de la carne de toretes, dentro del rango aquí estudiado (9-18 meses). El mayor efecto de la suspensión no-convencional en mejorar la terneza se logró en aquellas canales que fueron las menos tiernas y menos satisfactorias en palatabilidad total . Además, la suspensión por el agujero obturador tendió a reducir la variabilidad en terneza existente entre los cuatro grupos ..