Intraspecific chemical variability of the leaf essential oil of Juniperus phoenicea subsp. turbinata from Corsica

The composition of 50 samples of essential oil of individual plants of Juniperus phoenicea subsp. turbinata from Corsica was investigated by GC, GC-MS and 13C NMR. alpha-Pinene, beta-phellandrene, alpha-terpinyl acetate, Delta-3-carene, myrcene and alpha-phellandrene were found to be the main constituents. The results were submitted to cluster analysis and discriminant analysis which allowed two groups of essential oils to be distinguished with respect to the content of alpha-pinene, beta-phellandrene and alpha-terpinyl acetate.     

An assessment of false discovery rates and statistical significance in label-free quantitative proteomics with combined filters

Background  

Many studies have provided algorithms or methods to assess a statistical significance in quantitative proteomics when multiple replicates for a protein sample and a LC/MS analysis are available. But, confidence is still lacking in using datasets for a biological interpretation without protein sample replicates. Although a fold-change is a conventional threshold that can be used when there are no sample replicates, it does not provide an assessment of statistical significance such as a false discovery rate (FDR) which is an important indicator of the reliability to identify differentially expressed proteins. In this work, we investigate whether differentially expressed proteins can be detected with a statistical significance from a pair of unlabeled protein samples without replicates and with only duplicate LC/MS injections per sample. A FDR is used to gauge the statistical significance of the differentially expressed proteins.     

Sequence and structure of Brassica rapa chromosome A3

Background

The species Brassica rapa includes important vegetable and oil crops. It also serves as an excellent model system to study polyploidy-related genome evolution because of its paleohexaploid ancestry and its close evolutionary relationships with Arabidopsis thaliana and other Brassica species with larger genomes. Therefore, its genome sequence will be used to accelerate both basic research on genome evolution and applied research across the cultivated Brassica species.

Results

We have determined and analyzed the sequence of B. rapa chromosome A3. We obtained 31.9 Mb of sequences, organized into nine contigs, which incorporated 348 overlapping BAC clones. Annotation revealed 7,058 protein-coding genes, with an average gene density of 4.6 kb per gene. Analysis of chromosome collinearity with the A. thaliana genome identified conserved synteny blocks encompassing the whole of the B. rapa chromosome A3 and sections of four A. thaliana chromosomes. The frequency of tandem duplication of genes differed between the conserved genome segments in B. rapa and A. thaliana, indicating differential rates of occurrence/retention of such duplicate copies of genes. Analysis of 'ancestral karyotype' genome building blocks enabled the development of a hypothetical model for the derivation of the B. rapa chromosome A3.

Conclusions

We report the near-complete chromosome sequence from a dicotyledonous crop species. This provides an example of the complexity of genome evolution following polyploidy. The high degree of contiguity afforded by the clone-by-clone approach provides a benchmark for the performance of whole genome shotgun approaches presently being applied in B. rapa and other species with complex genomes.     

Heterodimetallic Pd-based carboxylate-bridged complexes: Synthesis and structure of single-crystalline Pd-M (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Nd, Eu, Ce) acetates

A series of crystalline Pd^II-based heterodimetallic acetate-bridged complexes containing the transition (Mn^II, Co^II, Ni^II, Cu^II), post-transition (Zn^II) and rare-earth (Ce^IV, Nd^III, Eu^III) metals were synthesized starting from Pd₃(OOCMe)₆ and the complementary metal(II, III) acetates. The crystal and molecular structures of the binuclear Pd^IIM^II(μ-OOCMe)₄L (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Zn; L = H₂O, MeCN), trinuclear and tetranuclear (M = Nd, Eu) and complexes were established by X-ray diffraction.     

The co-distribution of Plasmodium falciparum and hookworm among African schoolchildren

Background

On the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been the main tool used to control malaria over the last 13 years. In 2004, started an indoor residual spraying (IRS) campaign to control malaria. The purpose of this study is to asses the impact of the two control strategies on the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea), with regards to Plasmodium infection and anaemia in the children under five years of age.

Methods

Two transversal studies, the first one prior to the start of the IRS campaign and the second one year later. Sampling was carried out by stratified clusters. Malaria infection was measured by means of thick and thin film, and the packed cell volume (PCV) percentage. Data related to ITN use and information regarding IRS were collected. The Pearson's chi-square and logistic regression statistical tests were used to calculate odds ratios (OR)

Results

In the first survey, 168 children were sampled and 433 children in the second one. The prevalence of infection was 40% in 2004, and significantly lower at 21.7% in 2005. PCV was 41% and 39%, respectively. 58% of the children surveyed in 2004 and 44.3% in 2005 had slept under an ITN. 78% of the dwellings studied in 2005 had been sprayed. In the 2005 survey, sleeping without a mosquito net meant a risk of infection 3 times greater than sleeping protected with a net hanged correctly and with no holes (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

IRS and ITNs have proven to be effective control strategies on the island of Bioko. The choice of one or other strategy is, above all, a question of operational feasibility and availability of local resources.     

Synthesis of palladium(II) 3d-metal(II) paddlewheel acetate-bridged heterodimetallic complexes: Unexpected catalysis by water molecules

A study of the reaction kinetics between the trinuclear palladium(II) acetate Pd₃(μ-OOCMe)₆ (1) and the mononuclear 3d-metal (Ni^II, Co^II, Cu^II) acetates in acetic acid under water-specified conditions revealed a fairly complicated reaction mechanism triggered by the primary hydrolytic cleavage of an acetate bridge in molecule 1. The isolated reaction products, as established by X-ray diffraction study, are 1D polymeric complexes {Pd(μ-OOCMe)₄M(OH₂)(HOOCMe)₂}_n (M = Ni^II, Co^II, Cu^II, Mn^II, Zn^II) built of the Pd^II-based paddlewheel units [Pd(μ-OOCMe)₄M] and linked trough the H-bonded H₂O and MeCOOH molecules.     

Prediction of joint center location by customizable multiple regressions: Application to clavicle,scapula and humerus

Accurate spatial location of joint center (JC) is a key issue in motion analysis since JC locations are used to define standardized anatomical frames, in which results are represented. Accurate and reproducible JC location is important for data comparison and data exchange. This paper presents a method for JC locations based on the multiple regression algorithms without preliminary assumption on the behavior of the joint-of-interest. Regression equations were obtained from manually palpable ALs on each bone-of-interest. Results are presented for all joint surfaces found on the clavicle, scapula and humeral bone. Mean accuracy errors on the JC locations obtained on dry bones were 5.2±2.5 mm for the humeral head, 2.5±1.1 mm for the humeral trochlea, 2.3±0.9 mm for the humeral capitulum, 8.2±3.9 mm for the scapula glenoid cavity, 7.2±3.2 mm for the scapular aspect of the acromio-clavicular joint, 3.5±1.8 mm for the clavicular aspect of the sternoclavicular joint and 3.2±1.4 mm for the clavicular aspect of the acromio-clavicular joint. In-vitro and in-vivo validation accuracy was 5.3 and 8.5 mm, respectively, for the humeral head center location. Regression coefficients for joint radius dimension and joint surface orientation were also processed and reported in this paper.     

Features of the Running Step Coordination Structure for Sprinters of Different Sports Qualifications in a State of Fatigue

Human Physiology - According to the data of kinematics and electrical activity of muscles in a state of fatigue when running in a straight line and in a bend there was studied the coordination...     

CYP2E1 gene polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk in the Yakut population

The CYP2E1 gene polymorphism has been studied in Yakut women with ovarian cancer and without cancer. The two groups have been found to substantially differ in the frequency of the CYP2E1* 1D allele (with a 96-bp insertion in the promoter region of the gene): it is more frequent in healthy women (16.3 versus 7.4%, P = 0.007).     

Streamlining genomes: toward the generation of simplified and stabilized microbial systems

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Highlights? Top-down and bottom-up approaches to genome streamlining. ? Computational support for constructing and refactoring streamlined genomes. ? From genome engineering to metabolic reprogramming. ? Perspectives in applied genome engineering.