ALBERT

All Library Books, journals and Electronic Records Telegrafenberg

Your email was sent successfully. Check your inbox.

An error occurred while sending the email. Please try again.

Proceed reservation?

Export
Filter
  • Food Policy  (110)
  • Physiology & Biochemistry  (57)
  • Genomics  (47)
  • Oxford University Press  (214)
  • American Chemical Society
  • American Institute of Physics (AIP)
  • MDPI Publishing
  • 1
    Publication Date: 2015-08-11
    Description: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program is a key part of America's safety net, but its structure fails to incentivize participants to be cost-conscious in their purchases and may cause retailers to attach excessive markups to WIC products. We investigate cost containment in the WIC Program, with a focus on California. Results show that smaller vendors often charge considerably higher prices for WIC foods than their larger counterparts. However, larger vendors do not mark up WIC foods more or promote them less than comparable control products. Cost containment can be improved by targeting WIC Program sales to larger vendors when it is possible to do so without compromising participant access, and using large-vendor prices as a benchmark to limit prices set by smaller vendors.
    Keywords: D12 - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis, I38 - Government Policy ; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs, Q18 - Agricultural Policy ; Food Policy
    Print ISSN: 2040-5790
    Electronic ISSN: 2040-5804
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition , Economics
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 2
    Publication Date: 2015-09-19
    Description: Clonal populations accumulate mutations over time, resulting in different haplotypes. Deep sequencing of such a population in principle provides information to reconstruct these haplotypes and the frequency at which the haplotypes occur. However, this reconstruction is technically not trivial, especially not in clonal systems with a relatively low mutation frequency. The low number of segregating sites in those systems adds ambiguity to the haplotype phasing and thus obviates the reconstruction of genome-wide haplotypes based on sequence overlap information. Therefore, we present EVORhA, a haplotype reconstruction method that complements phasing information in the non-empty read overlap with the frequency estimations of inferred local haplotypes. As was shown with simulated data, as soon as read lengths and/or mutation rates become restrictive for state-of-the-art methods, the use of this additional frequency information allows EVORhA to still reliably reconstruct genome-wide haplotypes. On real data, we show the applicability of the method in reconstructing the population composition of evolved bacterial populations and in decomposing mixed bacterial infections from clinical samples.
    Keywords: Genomics
    Print ISSN: 0305-1048
    Electronic ISSN: 1362-4962
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 3
    Publication Date: 2015-08-29
    Description: Data on biological mechanisms of aging are mostly obtained from cross-sectional study designs. An inherent disadvantage of this design is that inter-individual differences can mask small but biologically significant age-dependent changes. A serially sampled design (same individual at different time points) would overcome this problem but is often limited by the relatively small numbers of available paired samples and the statistics being used. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a new vector-based approach, termed three-component analysis, which incorporates temporal distance, signal intensity and variance into one single score for gene ranking and is combined with gene set enrichment analysis. We tested our method on a unique age-based sample set of human skin fibroblasts and combined genome-wide transcription, DNA methylation and histone methylation (H3K4me3 and H3K27me3) data. Importantly, our method can now for the first time demonstrate a clear age-dependent decrease in expression of genes coding for proteins involved in translation and ribosome function. Using analogies with data from lower organisms, we propose a model where age-dependent down-regulation of protein translation-related components contributes to extend human lifespan.
    Keywords: Genomics
    Print ISSN: 0305-1048
    Electronic ISSN: 1362-4962
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 4
    Publication Date: 2015-05-29
    Description: A major challenge in the field of shotgun metagenomics is the accurate identification of organisms present within a microbial community, based on classification of short sequence reads. Though existing microbial community profiling methods have attempted to rapidly classify the millions of reads output from modern sequencers, the combination of incomplete databases, similarity among otherwise divergent genomes, errors and biases in sequencing technologies, and the large volumes of sequencing data required for metagenome sequencing has led to unacceptably high false discovery rates (FDR). Here, we present the application of a novel, gene-independent and signature-based metagenomic taxonomic profiling method with significantly and consistently smaller FDR than any other available method. Our algorithm circumvents false positives using a series of non-redundant signature databases and examines G enomic O rigins T hrough T axonomic CHA llenge (GOTTCHA). GOTTCHA was tested and validated on 20 synthetic and mock datasets ranging in community composition and complexity, was applied successfully to data generated from spiked environmental and clinical samples, and robustly demonstrates superior performance compared with other available tools.
    Keywords: Genomics
    Print ISSN: 0305-1048
    Electronic ISSN: 1362-4962
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 5
    Publication Date: 2015-05-26
    Description: With the enactment of Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006, 20 December 2006, ‘ On nutrition and health claims made on foods ’ several health claims can no longer be used on food products in European markets. We simulate the overall impact of the regulation on consumers and producers using the Italian yogurt market as a case study, and data prior to the introduction of the policy. We quantify welfare losses incurred if accepted claims were false, and simulate scenarios where rejected truthful health claims are removed, considering also the case where the products carrying them exit the market. We find that consumers can incur large welfare losses if approved claims are untruthful; if truthful claims are instead denied both consumers and producers may incur losses, with consumers being penalised more than producers.
    Keywords: L66 - Food ; Beverages ; Cosmetics ; Tobacco ; Wine and Spirits, M38 - Government Policy and Regulation, Q18 - Agricultural Policy ; Food Policy
    Print ISSN: 0165-1587
    Electronic ISSN: 1464-3618
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition , Economics
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 6
    Publication Date: 2016-07-31
    Description: The 16S rRNA gene (16S rDNA) codes for RNA that plays a fundamental role during translation in the ribosome and is used extensively as a marker gene to establish relationships among bacteria. However, the complementary non-coding 16S rDNA (nc16S rDNA) has been ignored. An idea emerged in the course of analyzing bacterial 16S rDNA sequences in search for nucleotide composition and substitution patterns: Does the nc16S rDNA code? If so, what does it code for? More importantly: Does 16S rDNA evolution reflect its own evolution or the evolution of its counterpart nc16S rDNA? The objective of this minireview is to discuss these thoughts. nc strands often encode small RNAs (sRNAs), ancient components of gene regulation. nc16S rDNA sequences from different bacterial groups were used to search for possible matches in the Bacterial Small Regulatory RNA Database. Intriguingly, the sequence of one published sRNA obtained from Legionella pneumophila (GenBank: AE017354.1) showed high non-random similarity with nc16S rDNA corresponding in part to the V5 region especially from Legionella and relatives. While the target(s) of this sRNA is unclear at the moment, its mere existence might open up a new chapter in the use of the 16S rDNA to study relationships among bacteria.
    Keywords: Physiology & Biochemistry
    Print ISSN: 0378-1097
    Electronic ISSN: 1574-6968
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 7
    Publication Date: 2016-08-05
    Description: Thermotolerance of the fungus Fomes sp. EUM1 was evaluated in solid state fermentation (SSF). This thermotolerant strain improved both hyphal invasiveness (38%) and length (17%) in adverse thermal conditions exceeding 30°C and to a maximum of 40°C. In contrast, hyphal branching decreased by 46% at 45°C. The production of cellulases over corn stover increased 1.6-fold in 30°C culture conditions, xylanases increased 2.8-fold at 40°C, while laccase production improved 2.7-fold at 35°C. Maximum production of lignocellulolytic enzymes was obtained at elevated temperatures in shorter fermentation times (8–6 days), although the proteases appeared as a thermal stress response associated with a drop in lignocellulolytic activities. Novel and multiple isoenzymes of xylanase (four bands) and cellulase (six bands) were secreted in the range of 20–150 kDa during growth in adverse temperature conditions. However, only a single laccase isoenzyme (46 kDa) was detected. This is the first report describing the advantages of a thermotolerant white-rot fungus in SSF. These results have important implications for large-scale SSF, where effects of metabolic heat are detrimental to growth and enzyme production, which are severely affected by the formation of high temperature gradients.
    Keywords: Physiology & Biochemistry
    Print ISSN: 0378-1097
    Electronic ISSN: 1574-6968
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 8
    Publication Date: 2016-06-23
    Description: The rhizobacterium Serratia plymuthica 4Rx13 emits the novel and unique volatile sodorifen (C 16 H 26 ), which has a polymethylated bicyclic structure. Transcriptome analysis revealed that gene SOD_c20750 (annotated as terpene cyclase) is involved in the biosynthesis of sodorifen. Here we show that this gene is located in a small cluster of four genes ( SOD_c20750 – SOD_c20780 ), and the analysis of the knockout mutants demonstrated that SOD_c20760 (annotated as methyltransferase) and SOD_c20780 (annotated as isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) isomerase) are needed for the biosynthesis of sodorifen, while a sodorifen-negative phenotype was not achieved with the SOD_c20770 (annotated as deoxy-xylulose-5-phosphate (DOXP) synthase) mutant. Altogether, the function of this new gene cluster was assigned to the biosynthesis of this structurally unusual volatile compound sodorifen.
    Keywords: Physiology & Biochemistry
    Print ISSN: 0378-1097
    Electronic ISSN: 1574-6968
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 9
    Publication Date: 2016-06-23
    Description: Among staphylococci Staphylococcus saprophyticus is the only species that is typically uropathogenic and an important cause of urinary tract infections in young women. The amino acid D-serine occurs in relatively high concentrations in human urine and has a bacteriostatic or toxic effect on many bacteria. In uropathogenic Escherichia coli and S. saprophyticus , the amino acid regulates the expression of virulence factors and can be used as a nutrient. The ability of uropathogens to respond to or to metabolize D-serine has been suggested as a factor that enables colonization of the urinary tract. Until now nothing is known about D-serine transport in S.   saprophyticus . We generated mutants of putative transporter genes in S.   saprophyticus 7108 that show homology to the D-serine transporter cyc A of E. coli and tested them in a D-serine depletion assay to analyze the D-serine uptake rate of the cells. The mutant of SPP1070 showed a strong decrease in D-serine uptake. Therefore, SSP1070 was identified as a major D-serine transporter in S. saprophyticus 7108 and was named D-serine transporter A (DstA). D-serine caused a prolonged lag phase of S. saprophyticus in a chemically defined medium. This negative effect was dependent on the presence of DstA.
    Keywords: Physiology & Biochemistry
    Print ISSN: 0378-1097
    Electronic ISSN: 1574-6968
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
  • 10
    Publication Date: 2016-05-12
    Description: Genes encoding fluoride transporters have been identified in bacterial and archaeal species. The genome sequence of the cariogenic  Streptococcus mutans  bacteria suggests the presence of a putative fluoride transporter, which is referred to as a chloride channel permease. Two homologues of this gene (GenBank locus tags SMU_1290c and SMU_1289c) reside in tandem in the genome of  S. mutans . The aim of this study was to determine whether the chloride channel permeases contribute to fluoride resistance. We constructed SMU_1290c- and SMU_1289c-knockout  S. mutans  UA159 strains. We also constructed a double-knockout strain lacking both genes. SMU_1290c or SMU_1289c was transformed into a fluoride transporter- disrupted  Escherichia coli strain. All bacterial strains were cultured under appropriate conditions with or without sodium fluoride, and fluoride resistance was evaluated. All three gene-knockout  S. mutans  strains showed lower resistance to sodium fluoride than did the wild-type strain. No significant changes in resistance to other sodium halides were recognized between the wild-type and double-knockout strains. Both SMU_1290c and SMU_1289c transformation rescued fluoride transporter-disrupted  E. coli  cell from fluoride toxicity. We conclude that the chloride channel permeases contribute to fluoride resistance in  S. mutans .
    Keywords: Physiology & Biochemistry
    Print ISSN: 0378-1097
    Electronic ISSN: 1574-6968
    Topics: Biology
    Location Call Number Expected Availability
    BibTip Others were also interested in ...
Close ⊗
This website uses cookies and the analysis tool Matomo. More information can be found here...