The fast agglutination screening test, using S. Typhimurium as the antigen, was compared with the standard bacterial method to identify rheas (Rhea americana) contaminated with Salmonella spp.at ...slaughter.Seventy birds were serologically tested for Salmonella enterica Pullorum using a commercial antigen.Of these, 66 were also submitted to a macroagglutination test, using a strain of Salmonella Typhimurium isolated from rheas.All birds did not react with the commercial S. Pullorum antigen, but 37 were positive for the FAST-ST.The isolation of Salmonella spp. was verified in 66 (94.2%) birds. 85.7% were found in liver samples, 60% in feces and 42.3% in cloacal swabs.A total of 16.6% were identified as being S. enterica enterica rugosa, 35.9% as S. Typhimurium, 46.5% as S.Newport and 0.9% as S. Anatum. An insignificant concordance between the results of bacterial isolation and the serological response was observed (k=0.016).The detection of Salmonella spp. by bacteriological and serological methods in samples from rheas must be deemed important, because birds without a clinical manifestation can be significant sources of salmonellas in food infections.
Most of the known imprinted genes are assembled into clusters that share common imprinting control regions (ICRs). Non-coding transcripts are often associated with ICRs and implicated in imprinting ...regulation. We undertook a systematic search for transcripts originating from the Dlk1-Gtl2 intergenic region that contains the ICR for the chromosome 12 imprinted cluster and identified two overlapping transcripts expressed from opposite strands exclusively from the maternal chromosome. These novel imprinted transcripts most likely represent non-coding RNAs and are located telomeric to the IG DMR, extending the proximal boundary of the region of maternal-specific transcription. Their expression is tissue-specific and shows diurnal and circadian oscillations. Therefore, we named these novel transcripts maternal intergenic circadian oscillating 1 (Mico1) and Mico1, opposite strand (Mico1os).
Reduced levels of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in the medial amygdala (MeA) and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BST) have been hypothesized to play a significant role in the expression of male ...behaviors associated with monogamy. Therefore, the regulation of ERα could be a critical factor in determining male behavior and the evolution of monogamy. Central expression of ERα immunoreactivity was compared in hybrid offspring from crosses between two phenotypically distinct populations of prairie voles (
Microtus ochrogaster). Illinois voles (IL) are socially monogamous and display low levels of ERα, while Kansas voles (KN) display some characteristics associated with polygyny and have higher levels of ERα. In offspring from hybrid crosses, the pattern of ERα expression was dependent upon parentage; the two types of hybrid crosses did not produce the same ERα pattern in the offspring. In the BST and MeA, hybrid males expressed ERα patterns consistent with those of males from their mother’s population, while hybrid females had ERα patterns typical of females belonging to their father’s population. The parental-specific patterns of ERα expression are suggestive of genomic imprinting, therefore, the vole ERα (
Esr1) gene was cloned and sequenced, and examined for allele-specific expression. Results from this study indicate that while maternal factors may play a major role the expression of ERα in their male offspring, genomic imprinting is unlikely to be involved, suggesting another mechanism is responsible.
Performance tests of electronic instruments measuring the activity concentration of
222Rn have been carried out with respect to the standard IEC 61577-2. In total, 9 types of instrument operating ...with ionization chambers or electrostatic collection have been tested for the influence of different climatic and radiological factors on the measurement characteristics. It is concluded that all types of instrument, which are commercially available, are suitable for indoor radon measurements. Because of the dependence on climatic conditions, the outdoor use is partly limited.
Genome-wide assessment of protein-DNA interaction by chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massive parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq) is a key technology for studying transcription factor (TF) ...localization and regulation of gene expression. Signal-to-noise-ratio and signal specificity in ChIP-seq studies depend on many variables, including antibody affinity and specificity. Thus far, efforts to improve antibody reagents for ChIP-seq experiments have focused mainly on generating higher quality antibodies. Here we introduce KOIN (knockout implemented normalization) as a novel strategy to increase signal specificity and reduce noise by using TF knockout mice as a critical control for ChIP-seq data experiments. Additionally, KOIN can identify 'hyper ChIPable regions' as another source of false-positive signals. As the use of the KOIN algorithm reduces false-positive results and thereby prevents misinterpretation of ChIP-seq data, it should be considered as the gold standard for future ChIP-seq analyses, particularly when developing ChIP-assays with novel antibody reagents.
Piezoelectric polymer sheets usually have metallic electrodes that considerably stiffen the sheet and correspondingly decrease its piezoelectric response in actuator and sensor applications. We have ...developed both airbrush and inkjet printing methods for applying electrodes of the conducting polymer poly(ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT-PSS) to sheets of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). PEDOT-PSS electrodes of reasonable thickness have considerably higher resistance than metal electrodes. We calculated the voltage and current response as a function of position on the electrodes of a single "electroded" PVDF sheet. We did this both for a rectangular sheet with an ac voltage applied at one end, and for a semicircular sheet with ac voltage applied to a small semicircular metal tab. By finding the response as a function of frequency, we can determine the necessary electrode thickness for various applications. Next we calculated the extension-mode piezoelectric response of a rectangular sheet to an ac voltage applied at one end. We made and tested bimorphs of two such electroded sheets that are glued together to give a bending response. We have also constructed actuators made of two bimorphs attached together at both ends. Better response is achieved than for similar actuators constructed from sheets with metal electrodes. Finally, we compare results for these high-displacement, low-force actuators with those for low-displacement, high-force actuators of direct extension designs, and propose a cylindrical actuator design with intermediate displacement and force
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