Production of wine from mango (Magnifera indica L.) using Saccharomyces and Schizosaccharomyces species isolated from palm wine

Juice extracted from pulp of the mature ripe tropical fruit, mango ( Magnifera indica L.), containing 15.9% soluble solids, was fermented with four strains of yeast isolated from palm wine. Two of the strains belonged to the genus Schizosaccharomyces (T1 and T2) while the other two were Saccharomyces (B2 and M1). The two strains of Schizosaccharomyces were found to be suitable for the production of sweet, table mango wine with alcohol contents of 8.0 and 9.0% for T1 and T2, respectively. The two strains of Saccharomyces were found suitable for the production of dry mango fruit wines containing 10.0% alcohol.     

Long-Range Surface Plasmon Resonance–Based Sensitivity Study on D-shaped Ag-MgF2-Coated Models with Analyte Variations

In this report, a novel D-shaped long-range surface plasmon resonance (LRSPR) fiber base sensor has been introduced. The demonstration of proposed sensor involves two D-shaped silver-coated models to study the sensitivity responses. The entire study with the constructed models is based on a single-mode fiber. The models are multilayered consisting of metal, dielectric, and analyte as separate layers. Silver (Ag) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2) strips are used as metal and dielectric layers respectively. The constituency of analyte as an interface excellently standardized the models for sensitivity detection. In this report, a large range of analyte refractive indices (RI) which varies from 1.33 to 1.38 is appraised for the proposed models to characterize the sensitivity. The entire context is encompassed by the wavelength region from 450 to 850 nm with an interval of 20 nm. Sensitivities in this report are measured based on the analyte position from the core and metal for both models. For each of the two models, the analyte is placed as the top layer. RIs of the applied metal (Ag) are measured using the Drude-Lorentz formula. The simulated sensitivities for model-1 and model-2 vary from 6.3?×?10³ nm/RIU to 8.7?×?10³ nm/RIU.

     

Response of soil properties and maize yield to simulated erosion by artificial topsoil removal

The study was aimed at identifying the soil properties responsible for maize yield decline on eroded soils and at quantifying their relationship with yield. Topsoil was artificially removed to incremental depths of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm to simulate various degrees of erosion. Maize growth and yield were monitored on the plots and soil physical and chemical properties were determined after two years (4 seasons) of cultivation. Soil pH was significantly higher on the control plot and decreased with increased depth of topsoil removal. Bulk density (BD) increased with depth of topsoil removal from a mean value of 1.38 g cm⁻³ under control to 1.55 g cm⁻³ at 20 cm depth of removal, while cone index of penetrometer resistance (CI) correspondingly increased from 1.09 g cm⁻² to 1.37 g cm⁻². Maize yield significantly decreased in the first year from 3.2 t ha⁻¹ on the control plot to 0.12 t ha⁻¹ where 20 cm of topsoil was removed and correspondingly from 1.85 to 0.09 t ha⁻¹ in the second year of cropping. Maize yield decreased exponentially with increase in depth of topsoil removal (r ²=0.99, P<0.01) with an average of 55% yield loss on the removal of just 5 cm topsoil. Soil organic carbon (SOC), BD, CI, field capacity (FC), pH and exchangeable Mg²⁺ were significantly correlated to maize yield parameters. However, factor analysis showed that the combination of SOC and exchangeable Mg²⁺ with soil physical properties (BD, FC, CI and depth of topsoil removal) explained 99% of variation in maize grain yield. The need for conservation farm practices is recommended on the soil to prevent soil degradation. Section Editor: L. Wade     

Occurrence and relatedness of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in animals, humans, and the environment in different European regions

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in Europe are thought to have emerged partly due to the use of the glycopeptide avoparcin in animal husbandry. We compared the occurrence of VRE in geographical regions of Europe in which until 1997 large amounts of avoparcin were used (Spain, United Kingdom, and Denmark) with the occurrence of VRE in Sweden, where avoparcin was banned in 1986. We also studied the relatedness between VRE strains from different regions and habitats. In total, 2,580 samples were collected from humans, animals, and the environment (soil, sewage, recipient water). VRE resistant to 20 microg/ml vancomycin were identified in 8.2% of the samples and were found most frequently in raw and treated urban sewage samples (means, 71% and 36% of the samples, respectively), pig manure (17%), and hospital sewage (16%). The proportions of VRE-positive sewage samples were similar in Sweden, Spain, and the United Kingdom, whereas pig feces and manure were more often positive in Spain than in Sweden (30% versus 1%). Most VRE were Enterococcus faecium carrying vanA, and computerized biochemical phenotyping of the isolates of different ecological origins showed a high degree of polyclonality. In conclusion, it seems that animal-associated VRE probably reflect the former use of avoparcin in animal production, whereas VRE in human-associated samples may be a result of antibiotic use in hospitals. Since there seems to be a reservoir of the resistance genes in all countries studied, precautions must be taken to limit the use of antibiotics and antibiotic-like feed additives.     

Synthesis, molecular modeling studies and biological evaluation of fluorine substituted analogs of GW 501516

(±)-2-Fluoro-2-(2-methyl-4-(((4-methyl-2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thiazol-5-yl)methyl)thio)phenoxy)acetic acid (2a) has been prepared and subjected to biological testing against all three subtypes of the PPARs. This compound exhibited agonist effects with EC(50) values of 560 and 55 nM against PPARα and PPARδ, respectively, in a luciferase assay. Moreover, compound (±)-2a also exhibited potent ability to induce oleic acid oxidation in a human myotube cell assay with EC(50)=3.7 nM. Compound (±)-2a can be classified as a dual PPARα/δ agonist with a 10-fold higher potency against the PPARδ receptor than against the PPARα receptor. Molecular modeling studies revealed that both enantiomers of 2a bind to the PPARδ receptor with similar binding energies.     

Erythrocyte surface sialic acid levels of clinically healthy mongrel and exotic (alsatian and terrier) breeds of dogs

The erythrocyte surface sialic acid concentration of clinically healthy mongrel and exotic (Alsatian i.e. German shepherd and Terrier) breeds of dogs was analyzed in order to determine their role in the genetic resistance of these breeds of dogs to diseases that cause anaemia. The mean erythrocyte surface sialic acid (ESA) concentration was 57.08 ± 1.67, 34.50 ± 2.30 and 20.20 ± 3.54 mg/dl for Mongrel, Alsatian (German shepherd) and Terrier breeds of dogs, respectively, on acid hydrolysis. The mean values of ESA obtained following enzymic hydrolysis of haemoglobin-free erythrocyte membranes using Clostridium chauvoei (Jakari strain) sialidase were 49.08 ± 0.41, 30.97 ± 1.82 and 18.64 ± 0.75 mg/dl for Mongrel, Alsatian (German shepherd) and Terrier dogs respectively. When Trypanosoma vivax sialidase was used the ESA values obtained were 50.81 ± 0.37, 41.70 ±  0.94 and 19.65 + 0.65 mg/dl for Mongrel, Alsatian (German shepherd) and Terrier breeds of dogs respectively. This represents a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) between the mean ESA concentration of all the breeds of dogs investigated in this study. The higher mean ESA concentration in Mongrel dogs, compared to the exotic breeds may be responsible for their resistance to disease conditions, whose aetiologic agents produce neuraminidase and also cause anaemia.     

Localization of stilbene synthase in Vitis vinifera L. during berry development

The localization of stilbene synthase (STS) (EC 2.3.1.95) in grape berry (Vitis vinifera L.) was investigated during fruit development. The berries were collected at 2, 4, 7, 11, and 15 weeks postflowering from the cultivar Nebbiolo during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that berries accumulated cis- and trans-isomers of resveratrol mainly in the exocarp throughout fruit development. Immunodetection of STS protein was performed on berry extracts and sections with an antibody specifically developed against recombinant grape STS1. In agreement with resveratrol presence, STS was found in berry exocarp tissues during all stages of fruit development. The labeled epidermal cells were few and were randomly distributed, whereas nearly all the outer hypodermis cells were STS-positive. The STS signal decreased gradually from exocarp to mesocarp, where the protein was detected only occasionally. At the subcellular level, STS was found predominantly within vesicles (of varying size), along the plasma membrane and in the cell wall, suggesting protein secretion in the apoplast compartment. Despite the differences in fruit size and structure, the STS localization was the same before and after veraison, the relatively short developmental period during which the firm green berries begin to soften and change color. Nevertheless, the amount of protein detected in both exocarp and mesocarp decreased significantly in ripe berries, in agreement with the lower resveratrol content measured in the same tissues. The location of STS in exocarp cell wall is consistent with its role in synthesizing defense compounds and supports the hypothesis that a differential localization of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic machinery regulates the deposition of specific secondary products at different action sites within cells.     

The SET protein regulates G2/M transition by modulating cyclin B-cyclin-dependent kinase 1 activity

The SET protein and the cell cycle inhibitor p21(Cip1) interact in vivo and in vitro. We identified here the domain (157)LIF(159) of p21(Cip1) as essential for the binding of SET. We also found that SET contains at least two domains of interaction with p21(Cip1), one located in the fragment amino acids 81-180 and the other one in the fragment including amino acids 181-277. SET and p21(Cip1) co-localize in the cell nucleus in a temporal manner. Overexpression of SET blocks the cell cycle at the G(2)/M transition in COS and HCT116 cells. Moreover, SET inhibits cyclin B-CDK1 activity both in vivo and in vitro in both cell types. This effect is specific for these complexes since SET did not inhibit either cyclin A-CDK2 or cyclin E-CDK2 complexes. SET and p21(Cip1) cooperate in the inhibition of cyclin B-CDK1 activity. The inhibitory effect of SET resides in its acidic C terminus, as demonstrated by the ability of this domain to inhibit cyclin B-CDK1 activity and by the lack of blocking G(2)/M transition when a mutated form of SET lacking this C terminus domain was overexpressed in COS cells. These results indicate that SET might regulate G(2)/M transition by modulating cyclin B-CDK1 activity.