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Buchanania lanzan Spreng, a member of the Anacardiaceae family, is a valuable tropical fruit tree native to India. This tree species possesses enormous pharmacological properties and socio-economic significance but is underutilised due to inadequate genetic diversity and germplasm wealth resources data. The present investigation attempted to evaluate the diversity of nine accessions of B. lanzan obtained from three distinct geographical locations in the Chhattisgarh state of India using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Ten ISSR primers were used, of which eight ISSR primers produced remarkable bands selected for genetic diversity analysis. The ISSR primers produced a total of 127 loci, of which 63 loci exhibited polymorphism. On average, each primer yielded 7.87 loci. The maximum polymorphism was observed for primer BLA4 (77.77%), while primer BLA10 exhibited the lowest polymorphism (25%). An average 49.87% polymorphism was detected amongst nine accessions using eight ISSR primers. The Jaccard's similarity coefficient exhibited a range of values between 0.63 and 0.98. Genetic variability in B. lanzan accessions is low owing to low polymorphism percentage, although they belong to different agroclimatic regions of the Chhattisgarh state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This in vitro study evaluated the effect of different colouring solutions and primer systems used in the bonding of brackets on enamel colour change and bond strength. Materials and methods: 120 premolar teeth were divided into four main groups; brackets were bonded with 37% orthophosphoric acid + Transbond XT Primer in Group 1, 3 M Single Bond Universal in Group 2, Transbond Plus SEP in Group 3, and G-Premio Bond in Group 4. Each group was divided into three subgroups, and the teeth were placed in a cup containing coffee and tea mixture, in a cup containing cola and in distilled water. A bond strength test was applied to all teeth. Colour measurements of all teeth were performed at 2 different times: before bonding and after the bond strength test. Results: The average bond strength of the 37% orthophosphoric acid group was higher than that of the other groups. The effect of primer and solution groups on colour change was statistically significant (p = 0.001 and p = 0.023, respectively). Conclusions: In this study, the bond strength was clinically sufficient in all primer groups. The highest colour change was observed when the tea–coffee solution and Transbond Plus SEP primer were used. Clinical relevance: This study has identified enamel discoloration and bond strength from different colouring solutions and primer systems used for bonding braces, which can be used to inform clinicians and patients to achieve better treatment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus) is a national protected species in China. It first became extinct in the wild in 1976, and was reintroduced to the Kalamaili National Park (KNP) in Xinjiang, China in 2001. This study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity and structure of the reintroduced population of Przewalski's horse in KNP. Here, we developed and designed microsatellite molecular markers using 48 feces samples and combined this with published genomic data from the species. A preliminary analysis of genetic diversity within the Przewalski's horse population in the KNP was conducted using 16 pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers with high levels of polymorphism and high stability. A total of 199 alleles were amplified using 16 SSR primer pairs, averaging 12.438 at each locus. In the sample of 48 genomes, the average effective number of alleles detected was 2.695, the average expected heterozygosity was 0.577 and the inbreeding coefficient was 0.232. Twelve loci showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium following Bonferroni sequential corrections. Our research finds that the genetic diversity of the Przewalski's horse population in the KNP remains high. This is the first research using newly developed SSR markers to describe the genetic diversity and structure of the reintroduced Przewalski's horse population in KNP, China. As such, it can inform future reintroductions of the species and conservation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main reasons for the degradation of working conditions is the lack of air quality. It is known that indoor air contaminants pose a risk to both the human organism and the environment, which constitutes a challenge for employers and major industries. A car factory painting line is an evident example of a work location in which the employers must be especially aware and concerned with the employees' health. Since the coatings are the main VOCs-emitting source, this work studied the analytes emitted by four primers, 17 basecoats and one varnish used in a car factory of a world-renowned automotive brand, with gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), as a way of identifying all the coating-borne VOCs that can be emitted to the indoor air. The variability of the collected data was assessed, and the repeatability of the results proved the suitability of GC-IMS for this type of study. Among primers, inks and varnish, 45 VOCs were accurately identified using an exclusively developed database of compounds. The presence of the identified analytes in the composition of the coatings represents the potentiality of being emitted to the indoor air of the factory and, consequently, denotes their eventual toxicity for the employees of the painting line. These results represent a step forward in the assessment of the panting line work conditions, so eventual consequences to the employees' health are theoretically discussed; nonetheless, further studies aim to examine air samples of the factory and evaluate the work conditions and actual consequences to the employees that must be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose and methods: The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has once again affirmed the significant threat of respiratory infections to global public health and the utmost importance of prompt diagnosis in managing and mitigating any pandemic. The nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) is the primary detection method for most pathogens. Loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a rapid, simple, sensitive, and specific epitome of isothermal NAAT performed using a set of four to six primers. Primer design is a fundamental step in LAMP assays, with several complexities and experimental screening requirements. To address this challenge, an online database is presented here. Its workflow comprises three steps: literature aggregation, data curation, and database and website implementation. Results: LAMPPrimerBank (https://lampprimerbank.mathematik.uni-marburg.de) is a manually curated database dedicated to experimentally validated LAMP primers, their peculiarities of assays, and accompanying literature, with a primary emphasis on respiratory pathogens. LAMPPrimerBank, with its user-friendly web interface and an open application programming interface, enables the accelerated and facile exploration, comparison, and exportation of LAMP primer sequences and their respective information from the massively scattered literature. LAMPPrimerBank currently comprises LAMP primers for diagnosing viral, bacterial, and fungal respiratory pathogens. Additionally, to address the challenge of false-positive results generated by nonspecific amplifications, LAMPPrimerBank computationally predicted and visualized the sizes of LAMP products for recorded primer sets in the database. Conclusion: LAMPPrimerBank, as a pioneering database in the rapidly expanding field of isothermal NAAT, endeavors to confront the two challenges of the LAMP: primer design and discrimination of false-positive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the possibility of improving the strength of bonds in rubber–metal composites, which are represented by ethylene–propylene and ethylene–propylene–diene rubbers and a metallic substrate, namely, St 3 steel, and operated at increased temperatures, by using primers based on halogenated elastomers plasticized by lactam-containing complexes in an adhesive composition. This technique provides the possibility of operation under the conditions of increased temperatures for rubber–metal composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main characteristics of the new primer, which allows transforming rust, are presented, its advantages and disadvantages are considered, and the main areas of application are given. The primer is made on the basis of plasticized polyvinyl acetate dispersion, ethyl silicate, surfactants and phosphoric acid salts. The technology of its application is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population declines have been documented in many species within the genus Neotoma. Eastern woodrat, Neotoma floridana, recovery efforts in the Shawnee National Forest (SNF), Illinois USA provided an opportunity to study the long-term population-level genetic changes following an augmentation and reintroduction. We developed 24 microsatellite markers using QDD and genotyped 32 eastern woodrats from a single population. Number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 14 (mean = 7). Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.375 to 0.969 per locus and expected heterozygosity from 0.485 to 0.854. Two loci showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium following Bonferroni sequential corrections. These markers will provide valuable information useful for studying population dynamics of eastern woodrats and closely-related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide reductases (NORs) have a central role in denitrification, detoxification of nitric oxide (NO) in host-pathogen interactions, and NO-mediated cell-cell signaling. In this study, we focus on the phylogeny and detection of qNOR and cNOR genes because of their nucleotide sequence similarity and evolutionary relatedness to cytochrome oxidases, their key role in denitrification, and their abundance in natural, agricultural, and wastewater ecosystems. We also include nitric oxide dismutase (NOD) due to its similarity to qNOR. Using 548 nor sequences from publicly accessible databases and sequenced isolates from N2O-producing bioreactors, we constructed phylogenetic trees for 289 qnor/nod genes and 259 cnorB genes. These trees contain evidence of horizontal gene transfer and gene duplication, with 13.4% of the sequenced strains containing two or more nor genes. By aligning amino acid sequences for qnor + cnor, qnor, and cnor, we identified four highly conserved regions for NOR and NOD, including two highly conserved histidine residues at the active site for qNOR and cNOR. Extending this approach, we identified conserved sequences for: 1) all nor (nor-universal); 2) all qnor (qnor-universal) and all cnor (cnor-universal); 3) qnor of Comamonadaceae; 4) Clade-specific sequences; and 5) nod of Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera. Examples of primer performance were confirmed experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda is considered the main defoliating insect pest of maize in many countries. Silicon (Si) applied to plants has been shown to increase the resistance to insects, especially in grasses such as maize. This study characterized the effects of Si fertilization regarding priming, induced resistance, and tolerance to FAW in a landrace variety and hybrid of maize. Si was applied in soil of potted-plants as H4SiO4 at 2 t ha−1 when maize plants were at V2 stage, and when they reached V3 two FAW neonates were placed in the plant's whorls to cause herbivory. FAW performance was evaluated on excised leaf sections in the laboratory and on plants with larvae infesting V4-stage plants in the greenhouse. Concentrations of H2O2, malondialdehyde, and Si, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes were recorded and correlated to Si-based responses on plant growth, and FAW injury and performance. As main results, there was reduced FAW injury and larval weight gain in Si-treated plants subjected to herbivory. Greater root dry mass was observed in the landrace variety with Si and without herbivory. Landrace plants showed higher shoot weights than the hybrid under FAW infestation. Si-fertilized plants showed higher H2O2 concentrations. The highest peroxidase activities occurred in Si-treated plants without herbivory, and the catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were highest in Si-treated plants without herbivory or herbivory-injured plants without Si. In conclusion, Si-based defense in maize to FAW involve mixed effects of priming and tolerance, and were more pronounced in the landrace variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluated the use of Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT- PCR) to detect the adulteration of camel milk with goat, cow milk. DNA was isolated from camel milk, camel milk powder, camel milk soap, cow milk, and goat milk using DNA extraction kit. RT- PCR amplified a single piece of DNA into millions of copies. The camel specific primers were designed using the primer- 3 online software and quantification of the isolated DNA was carried out by RT- PCR system through DNA standard curves and cycle threshold (Ct) values. The detection limit of DNA template was in the range of 0.001–0.002%. The reaction mixture (20μL) contained 10 μL SYBR Green master mix, 0.3 μL of 10 μM of each primer and 5 μL DNA. Thermal cycling consisted of an initial denaturation at 95 °C for 1 min, followed by 40 cycles for 15 s at 95 °C and 60 °C for 30 s. The primer pairs used were confirmed for their PCR efficiency, and specific products were evaluated by melt curve analysis. Results indicated positive amplification for the camel milk, camel milk powder, and camel milk soap but negative amplification for cow and goat milk. In conclusion, the RT- PCR based identification is a low cost and appropriate method for camel milk and its products. Although, the yield of DNA from camel milk soap after isolation is low but the isolated DNA segment was easily identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A corrosion inhibitor bis[[3,4-dihydroxyphenylmethylene]carbonothioicdihydrazide] (DCT) was synthesized and used to improve the corrosion resistance of an epoxy based primer coating on AA2024-T3 alloy in NaCl solution. The ability of DCT to inhibit the corrosion was evaluated by electrochemical studies. The compound exhibited an inhibition efficiency of 99%. The surfaces of the corroded specimens were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The anticorrosion nature of the substrate coated with a commercial epoxy-based primer doped with DCT was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and a salt spray test. The results established not only the ability of DCT to improve the anticorrosion property of the epoxy based primer coating on AA2024-T3 alloy but also a sustained corrosion protection (1000 h) of the alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental DNA (eDNA) technique is a convenient and powerful tool to detect rare species. Knowledge of the degradation rate of eDNA in water is important for understanding how degradation influences the presence and/or estimate biomass of aquatic animals. We developed a new set of species-specific primers and probe to detect eDNA of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica, which is a commercially important and endangered species, and then conducted a laboratory experiment to quantify the temperature-dependent degradation of emitted eDNA. Eels were held in tanks at five different temperature levels from 10 to 30 °C and water from each tank was sampled and kept in bottles at each temperature over 6 days. The concentration of eDNA was measured every day and the results showed that temperature (T) had a significant and positive effect on the degradation rate (k) as k = 0.02T + 0.18. Improved understanding of the effect of temperature on degradation rates would help data interpretations and adjustments would increase the reliability of eDNA analysis in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of nickel coating on polyethylene terephthalate substrate via primer modification combined with PdCl2 activation and electroless nickel plating is researched. The effect of surface roughness on structural properties of the plated coating was investigated. The modified substrate could adsorb Sn2+ and Pd2+, which can catalyze the electroless nickel plating. Increasing the SiO2 content in the primer could enhance surface roughness of primer coating, adsorbed capacity of Sn2+ and Pd2+, crystallinity and adhesive force of nickel-plated coating. The nickel-plated film was compact, as SiO2 particles were uniformly dispersed and well bonded with nickel coating. When the average roughness was about 18 μm, the plated coating presented thickness of 2 μm, a low resistivity of 6.6 × 10−5 Ω cm and good adhesive strength of 5B. In addition, selective and flexible nickel patterns could be obtained successfully after laser etching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mismatches between template sequences and reverse transcription (RT) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers can lead to underestimation or false negative results during detection and quantification of sequence-diverse viruses. We performed an in silico inclusivity analysis of a widely used RT-PCR assay for detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in food, described in ISO 15216-1. One of the most common mismatches found was a single G (primer) to U (template) mismatch located at the terminal 3′-end of the reverse primer region. This mismatch was present in all genotype III sequences available in GenBank. Partial HAV genomes with common or potentially severe mismatches were produced by in vitro transcription and analysed using RT-ddPCR and RT-qPCR. When using standard conditions for RT-qPCR, the mismatch identified resulted in underestimation of the template concentration by a factor of 1.7–1.8 and an increase in 95% limit of detection from 8.6 to 19 copies/reaction. The effect of this mismatch was verified using full-length viral genomes. Here, the same mismatch resulted in underestimation of the template concentration by a factor of 2.8. For the partial genomes, the presence of additional mismatches resulted in underestimation of the template concentration by up to a factor of 232. Quantification by RT-ddPCR and RT-qPCR was equally affected during analysis of RNA templates with mismatches within the reverse primer region. However, on analysing DNA templates with the same mismatches, we found that ddPCR quantification was less affected by mismatches than qPCR due to the end-point detection technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a total of eleven low-copy nuclear gene markers were developed using transcriptomes for the plant genus Orinus Hitchc. (Poaceae), which comprises three species of grasses widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These developed markers were successfully amplified and sequenced for 90 individuals from nine populations of three Orinus species. The DNA sequences for the eleven loci ranged from 606 to 1152 aligned based pairs. Compared with four candidate DNA barcoding markers in our previous studies, the newly developed markers had a relatively higher number of parsimony informative sites than three cpDNA spacers (7–20 vs. 1–8), but slightly lower than those of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS). Hence, these novel low-copy nuclear gene primer pairs were validly useful for the study of phylogeography, phylogenetic analysis and population genetics. Moreover, they could be used in phylogeny reconstruction and speciation for a broad range of Orinus and even the entire subtribe Tridentinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bathyarchaeota is a diverse, abundant, and widespread archaeal phylum that may play an important role in global carbon cycling. The vertical distribution of Bathyarchaeota and environmental impact on bathyarchaeotal community in deep-sea and lake sediments are known; however, little information is available on Bathyarchaeota in eutrophic and brackish environments, such as mangrove wetlands. In the current study, we investigated the bathyarchaeotal community in the mangrove ecosystem of Futian Nature Reserve, Shenzhen. By slicing the profile into 2-cm layers from the surface to bottom, 110 sediment samples were obtained from three mangrove and three mud flat profiles. High-throughput sequencing of archaeal 16S rRNA genes, quantification of bathyarchaeotal 16S rRNA genes with optimized quantitative primers, and the ensuing statistical analyses revealed the vertical distribution of Bathyarchaeota in the mangrove ecosystem, indicating that Bathyarchaeota was the dominant archaeal phylum therein, with Bathyarchaeota subgroups 6, 8, 15, and 17 as the most abundant subgroups. The abundance of Bathyarchaeota was higher in the mangrove than in the mud flat and other oligotrophic or freshwater habitats. Total organic carbon (TOC) and nitric oxide were significantly correlated with the abundance of Bathyarchaeota, and pH was the major factor shaping the community composition. Further, the data suggested that Bathyarchaeota subgroup 6 preferentially dwelled in slightly acidic, high TOC, and subsurface environments, indicating a potentially distinct role in the global geochemical cycle. These findings expand the knowledge of the distribution and niche preference of Bathyarchaeota, emphasizing the need for continuous characterization of bathyarchaeotal subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supervision of staff has a rich history within the social work profession, and is widely valued internationally for the support, knowledge, and skill it is perceived to provide. Moreover, quality supervision is championed for ensuring good client care. However, supervisors practicing within the social work profession have not typically had access to best practice information, nor accessed the parallel research related to the supervision of staff. A supervision primer provides an orientation to the supervision literature, including definitions and disciplinary perspectives. This sets the stage for a scoping review of social work supervision articles for the purpose of supporting supervisors in keeping current, locating, understanding, and applying literature to their practice. Seventy-nine conceptual and empirical articles first-authored by social workers were published in 36 journals between 2013 and 2017. The volume, location, context and nature of these articles are presented, pointing to an increased social work presence in the literature. Implications for supervisory practice, scholarship, and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was found that food preferences and conditions of breeding of Habrobracon hebetor laboratory populations vary considerably. In this regard, it is necessary to identify populations within the studied species using DNA markers: an effective and reliable means for assessing the genetic differences between samplings of this insect species. A molecular genetic analysis of two different geographic populations of the Habrobracon hebetor entomophage (from Krasnodar, Russia, and Chimkent, Kazakhstan) was carried out using RAPD markers; 21 RAPD primers were tested for specificity to H. hebetor DNA. Five RAPD primers (OPA05, OPA10, OPB01, OPB04, and UBC519) were identified that have high specificity and the ability to differentiate H. hebetor populations. DNA markers that are specific for the Krasnodar and Chimkent entomophage populations and that can clearly identify them were revealed: for the Krasnodar population, RAPD markers with a molecular weight of 550 bp (UBC 519); 500 and 700 bp (OPA05); 1100, 1200, and 1300 bp (OPA10); 220 and 800 bp (OPB04); and 880 bp (OPB01); for the Chimkent population, 400, 600 and 1200 bp (UBC519); 600 and 950 bp (OPA10); and 800 bp (OPB01). It is concluded that these RAPD primers can be used for identification and differentiation of other H. hebetor populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present study seven RAPD primers were used to access the diversity within and among twelve populations of three mushroom species Ganoderma lucidum , leucoagaricus sp. and Lentinus sp. Total of 111 bands were scored by 7 RAPD primers in 30 accessions of three mushroom species collected from different sampling sites of central India. Total 111 bands were generated using seven primers which were F-1, OPG-06, OPC-07, OPD-08, OPA-02, OPD-02, OPB-10. All 111 bands were polymorphic in nature (100%). Therefore, it revealed that the used primers had sufficient potency for population studies and 30 accessions had higher genetic differences among each other. In best of the knowledge, this is the first report, which accesses the genetic diversity between three mushroom species ( Gd Ganoderma lucidum , Lg Leucoagaricus sp., Ls Lentinus ). The polymorphic percentage ranged from 3.60 to 23% within twelve populations, while polymorphic percentage among group was 40.56, among population within groups was 41.12 and within population was 18.32. This indicated that the genetic diversity within the population was very low, but slightly higher in the populations of three species. Among three groups representing Gd. , Lg and Ls , Among populations within groups shown highest percentage of variation ( Pv  = 41.12) while within populations, the lowest percentage of variation (18.32) was observed. This result also support that the highest genetic variation was present among groups in comparison to among the population within a species and lowest genetic variation was observed within the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe a method for real-time monitoring of the activity of ribonuclease H (RNase H). It is based on targettriggered rolling circle amplification (RCA). It utilizes a specially designed primer that contains a RNA sequence in the center and an amino group at the 3'-end. In the absence of RNase H, the primer when hybridized to a circular DNA template is not extended by DNA polymerase due to the amino group at the 3'-end. In contrast, the presence of RNase H specifically degrades the RNA sequence of the primer hybridized to the circular DNA template. This results in the conversion of the 3'-amino group to a 3'-hydroxy group and thereby enables the extension reaction promoted by DNA polymerase. This, consequently, leads to efficient RCA producing a long concatenated DNA strand. Its generation can be monitored in real-time by using the fluorescent dye SYBR green II which is specific for single-stranded DNA. Based on this RNase H-triggered RCA, RNase H activity can be selectively determined at levels as low as 0.019 U⋅mL-1 with a total assay time of <5 min. The diagnostic capability of this assay was demonstrated by monitoring the activity of RNase H in tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the region-selective electroless copper plating on the surface of calcium carbonate (CaCO)-filled polyehtylene (PE) (CFP) films have been established based on printing primer by screen printing in combination with electroless copper plating. Results showed only the printed areas formed amine groups on the surface of CFP sheets, which served as cores for adsorbing Pd ions. Thus, the pattern on the screen was transferred to the surface of CFP sheets after electroless plating. When the plated time increased from 5 to 120 min, the thickness of plated coating was enhanced from 0.12 to 10 μm and the electrical resistivity was decreased from 12,544 to 0.4 Ω cm. The blown PE films mixed with foam powders and CaCO powders could form the coarse surface which can provide a large area for mechanical anchor between the primer and the plated coating, resulting in a better adhesion of the plated coating. In addition, the copper patterning possessed excellent selectivity, compactness, and flexibility. The EMI-SE of plated CFP films is above 30 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effect of different ceramic primers and heat treatment of silane coupling agents on bond strength of resin cement to glass ceramic. Five ceramic primers (Clearfil Ceramic Primer/CCP, MonoBond-S, ProSil, RelyX Ceramic Primer and Silano) and one conventional resin cement (RelyX ARC) were tested. Lithium disilicate-based ceramic plates were previously etched with hydrofluoric acid, except for CCP (n = 10). All silane agents were applied to ceramics according to the manufacturer's instructions and primed ceramics plates were heated (in oven at 100 °C for 1 min) or not before resin cement placement. Dual-cure resin cement was mixed and inserted in tubes (0.75 mm diameter × 1 mm height) that were positioned over primed ceramic surfaces. Micro-shear testing was performed using a universal testing machine. Bond strength data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (5%). Ceramic primer heating did not improve the bond strength of the resin cement to lithium disilicate. Most of ceramic primers did not indicate significant difference in bond strength among them; however, CCP yielded the lowest bond strength among the ceramic primers. In conclusion, when the silane was applied on etched surface the bond strength was higher and heat treatment of silane coupling agents did not affect the bond strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the fingerprinting technique, random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR was evaluated to characterize 13 strains of Lactobacillus brevis, isolated from different vegetable products of South Korea. Two primers i.e. 239 and KAY3 were used. The primer 239 produced bands ranged from 500-4,000 bp and KAY3 primer produced bands with sizes from 600-4,000 bp. Both primers produced thirteen different RAPD profiles. Phylogenetic dendrogram showed that all the isolates could be divided into six major clusters both the primers. However, a few strains of L. brevis had similar profiles and were not well differentiated by RAPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt was made to infer the phylogeny of Pseudo- nitzschia species by using the mitochondrial-encoded gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( cox1), and comparing it with the nuclear-encoded large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA). A pair of primers targeting Pseudo- nitzschia cox1 was designed in silico and used to infer the molecular phylogeny of Pseudo- nitzschia. The primer pair was tested using genomic DNAs isolated from six species of Pseudo- nitzschia from Malaysia. The phylogenetic inference of cox1 was then compared to the LSU rDNA phylogeny. Phylogenetic reconstructions of both data sets revealed monophyly of Pseudo- nitzschia species complexes. The range of genetic divergences among Pseudo- nitzschia species were higher in the cox1 data set (3.5-20.4 %) compared to the LSU rDNA data set (0.1-8.8 %). The present study suggests that high genetic divergence in cox1 of Pseudo- nitzschia species could be a useful genetic marker for DNA bar coding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic nanoparticles and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active nanoparticles were coated with short chain DNA tags. These were then used to identify a target bacterial DNA sequence. The tags function as primers in a standard PCR with the reverse primers and forward primers on the SERS nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles, respectively. During the PCR cycles, a composite nanostructure is formed that is both magnetically responsive and SERS active. After magnetic trapping, the intensity of the SERS signal can be related back to the concentration of the target DNA. A test assay was performed that showed a detection limit (based on the signal to noise ratio) of less than 3 zeptomole (41 pg/L). For comparison, a PCR assay based on the standard SYBR Green method was performed. This used the same primers and target DNA and had a detection limit of 10 attomoles (138 ng/L), 3,000 times less sensitive. The work documents the proof of principle study and shows for the first time the use of SERS-NP labels in the quantification of nucleic acid amplification tests and PCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese fir ( Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) is one of the most important coniferous tree species used for timber production in China. Here, we conducted a sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) primer screening assay with a total of 594 primer combinations, using 22 forward and 27 reverse primers on four representative Chinese fir genotypes. The obtained results indicated that Chinese fir genomic DNA has a notable amplification bias on the employed forward or reverse primer nucleotides (3′ selection bases). Out of the tested primer sets, 35 primer combinations with clearly distinguished bands, stable amplification, and rich polymorphism were selected and identified as optimal primer sets. These optimal primer pairs gave a total of 379 scorable bands, including 265 polymorphic bands, with an average of 10.8 bands and 7.6 polymorphic bands per primer combination. The produced band number for each optimal primer set ranged from 7 to 14 with a percentage of polymorphic bands spanning from 33.3 to 100.0 %. These primer combinations could facilitate the next SRAP analysis assays in Chinese fir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expression of the genes encoding the enzymes involved in inulin, sucrose, and glucose metabolism in the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces marxianus was studied. The exon-intron structure of the relevant genes was identified and the primers for quantitative PCR were optimized. Expression of the genes was found to depend on the carbon source. Glucose was shown to exhibit a repressive effect on inulinase synthesis by K. marxianus, while sucrose induced it, and in S. cerevisiae glucose and sucrose were inulinase inducer and repressor, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of a primer on reproducibility of the RAPD-PCR-analysis in insect populations has been studied. A new approach to obtaining of reproducible results of the RAPD-PCR, which is based on identification and use of high-specific primers, has been proposed. Such method allows conducting reproducible RAPD-analysis of populations without preliminary evaluation of DNA concentrations and standardization of PCR conditions to this parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a series of waterborne acrylic-modified epoxy hybrid dispersions were synthesized and successfully used as primers for coil coatings. Epoxy was phosphated to improve its adhesion to the metal substrate. The grafting reaction of acrylate monomers onto the high molecular weight epoxy resins was studied with infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. The structure and resin molecules were found to be as expected and the film had the best performance when the acrylate monomer made up less than 40 wt% of the epoxy resin. Modification of the epoxy with phosphoric acid could increase the adhesion to the metal substrate. Better adhesion was achieved with greater amounts of phosphoric acid. R578 urea resin was found to be the most suitable for crosslinking of the resin in this system, and a paint film based on the resulting resin had excellent overall performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the development and characterization of microsatellite markers for Virola officinalis, an endemic Brazilian Atlantic rain forest tree and important food resource for local wildlife. Seventy-two individuals were collected to characterize the 21 primers developed by next generation sequencing. Of the 21 primers studied, 15 were polymorphic. On average, the expected heterozygosity per population ranged from 0.64 to 0.73. The combined probability of exclusion was higher than 0.999, indicating that the microsatellite markers developed are suitable for genetic structure investigations and paternity testing. Our results will contribute to the design of efficient conservation strategies not only for this species, but for the Atlantic rain forest as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study nine promising primer sets, targeting Archaea and methanogenic Archaea in particular, were evaluated in silico, in vitro and in situ concerning specificity, accuracy and applicability in end-point (ep-) and especially quantitative (q-)PCR research. The main goal was to adapt and evaluate already adapted primer sets, which were partially designed in combination with TaqMan probes, in substantially cheaper SYBR Green-based qPCR applications. An initial 16S rRNA gene bank-based in silico evaluation revealed high coverage potentials for all primers within targeted groups, ranging from 71 to 90 %, except the Methanosaeta specific set showing a low potential of 37 %. Mentionable cross-reacting potentials could be detected for the Methanothermobacter, Methanomicrobiales and Methanoculleus sets. The in vitro evaluation with selected reference organisms revealed a specific behavior for most primer sets, while the Methanosarcina and Methanothermobacter sets showed most problematic cross-reactions in epPCR application. We were able to show that primers for detecting the total archaeal community, methanogenic orders Methanosarcinales, Methanobacteriales, Methanococcales and the genus Methanoculleus performed in a highly specific way and allowed an accurate quantification of targeted organisms without the use of expensive TaqMan probes. However, primer pairs designed for detecting Methanomicrobiales, Methanothermobacter, Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta are not suitable for SYBR Green applications. The reliability of in situ quantifications was assessed for a typical methanogenic community, derived from a thermophilic fermenter, and confirmed via denaturing gradient gel band quantification and sequencing. Thereby, we revealed high abundances of methanogenic Archaea, mainly comprising Methanoculleus and Methanosarcinales, while Methanobacteriales only formed a minor fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insular marine biotas are often richer in faunal diversity than those from the open sea in the same geographical region. The existence of particular island effects were tested under polar conditions by comparing infaunal benthic assemblages on Peter I Island with those of similar latitudes in the open ocean at the Bellingshausen Sea and also from the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Sampling was carried out aboard the R/V Hespérides during the expedition named BENTART-2003 from 24 January to 3 March 2003. Benthic samples were collected at 18 stations ranging from 90 to 2 044 m depth, using an USNEL-type box corer (BC) dredge. Representatives of 32 higher taxa of invertebrates were found. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed various patterns in the data. First, significant differences in polychaete abundance were detected between the stations located in the open sea and the remaining sites (island plus mainland sites). Bivalve abundances were also distinct between island and mainland sampling sites. Sediment columns taken from the island seafloor exhibited the highest rate of bioturbation by the infauna. These findings confirm the model that islands develop distinct assemblages characterized by the enhancement of the benthic communities even in cold waters. Several abiotic factors were measured simultaneously at the seafloor and along the water column to investigate faunal distribution patterns. Significant correlations were found between the benthic assemblages and a combination of two environmental variables: 'island effect' (measured as a categorical variable) and the redox state of sediments. Richer andmore complex benthic assemblages were found in Peter I Island's sea bottom, whereas the more depauperate bottoms remained in the open sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing a durable bond with dental zirconia ceramic remains difficult. This study investigated the effect of heat treatment of primer-coated dental zirconia on the bonding durability of resin cement to the zirconia. Each of three types of primers (silane primer, acidic monomer-containing primer, and silane/acidic monomer containing two-component primer) was applied to sandblasted zirconia surfaces. For subsequent heat treatment, half were then put in a furnace for 60 min at 150 °C. All specimens were bonded with resin cement and aged using thermocycling (0, 5,000, and 20,000 cycles) prior to a shear test. The surface energy parameters of the zirconia were also calculated from the contact angle measurements based on the acid-base theory. The heat treatment enhanced the bonding durability of the zirconia pre-treated with the silane primer and the acidic monomer-containing one, the shear test and Weibull analysis results showed that the former performed better than the latter. In contrast, the twocomponent primer-coated zirconia showed poor bonding durability after the heat treatment. The bonding performance was related to the surface characteristics of the zirconia. Thus, we suggest that heat treatment of zirconia pretreated with silane primer effectively improves bonding durability with resin cement. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial diversity within formation water and oil from two compartments in Bokor oil reservoir from a Malaysian petroleum oil field was examined. A total of 1,056 16S rRNA gene clones were screened from each location by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. All samples were dominated by clones affiliated with Marinobacter, some novel Deferribacteraceae genera and various clones allied to the Methanococci. In addition, either Marinobacterium- or Pseudomonas-like operational taxonomic units were detected from either compartment. A systematic comparison with the existing pertinent studies was undertaken by analysing the microbial amplicons detected and the PCR primers used. The analyses demonstrated that bacterial communities were site specific, while Archaea co-occurred more frequently. Amplicons related to Marinobacter, Marinobacterium and Pseudomonas were detected in a number of the studies examined, suggesting they may be ubiquitous members in oil reservoirs. Further analysis of primers used in those studies suggested that most primer pairs had fairly broad but low matches across the bacterial and archaeal domains, while a minority had selective matches to certain taxa or low matches to all the microbial taxa tested. Thus, it indicated that primers may play an important role in determining which taxa would be detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little terns are a widespread species but most European populations are declining which presents a concern for conservation. We here present 45 novel microsatellite markers for little terns. In the 23 individuals tested from Denmark, 30 out of 45 markers tested were shown to be polymorphic with observed heterozygosities of up to 0.74. These markers are expected to prove highly useful in conservation and population genetic studies in the little tern and possibly other tern species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophytum borivilianum is a traditional medicinal plant distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. In the present investigation, AFLP analysis was used to assess the genetic similarity among 34 accessions. Nine primer sets of AFLP amplified 612 fragments, of which 246 fragments were found to be polymorphic. The average number of polymorphic bands per AFLP primer pair was 27.33. The amplified fragments ranged from 50 base pairs to 600 base pairs. Significant correlation was observed between total number of amplified fragments and polymorphic bands ( p > 0.05) per primers. Cluster analysis based on AFLP data revealed limited genetic variation within the thirty four accessions collected from various parts of Central Indian forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-borne polyurethane (WPU) primers were synthesized from three types of polyol, viz., poly(propylene glycol), poly(tetramethylene glycol), and polycaprolactone diol (PCL) at two prepolymer molecular weights, and were tested for the adhesion between vinyltrimethoxysilane modified aluminum panel and polycarbonate. It was found that chemical hybridizations of Al panel with WPU via sol-gel reaction were crucial to enhance the adhesion. Among three types of polyol, PCL gave the highest adhesion strength, glassy and rubbery moduli, tensile strength, and glass transition temperature. On the other hand, smaller prepolymer molecular weight gave improved adhesion and improved mechanical properties due to the increased crosslink density and cohesive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses peculiar features of polymer tape coatings for protecting pipelines and main methods of applying them in a field environment. It is shown that the design of polymer tape coating depends on operational conditions, the conditions of the coating application, and the method of pipeline construction. The main Russian and Western insulating materials are reviewed and some of the technical characteristics of these materials are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercuric reductase (MerA) enzyme plays an important role in biogeochemical cycling and detoxification of Hg and recently, has also been shown to be useful in clean up of Hg-contaminated effluents. Present study describes isolation of a heavy metal-resistant isolate of Sporosarcina, which could tolerate up to 40, 525, 210, 2900 and 370 μM of Cd, Co, Zn, Cr and Hg respectively. It was found to reduce and detoxify redox-active metals like Cr and Hg. The chromate reductase and MerA activities in the crude cell extract of the culture were 1.5 and 0.044 units/mg protein respectively. The study also describes designing of a new set of highly degenerate primers based on a dataset of 23 Firmicute merA genes. As the primers encompass the known diversity of merA genes within the phylum Firmicutes, they can be very useful for functional diversity analysis. They were successfully used to amplify a 787 bp merA fragment from the current isolate. A 1174 bp merA fragment was further cloned by designing an additional downstream primer. It was found to show 92% similarity to the putative merA gene from Bacillus cereus AH820. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of mercury resistance and merA gene sequence from Sporosarcina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has gained popularity as a technique to detect and quantify a specific group of target microorganisms from various environmental samples including soil, water, sediments, and sludge. Although qPCR is a very useful technique for nucleic acid quantification, accurately quantifying the target microbial group strongly depends on the quality of the primer and probe used. Many aspects of conducting qPCR assays have become increasingly routine and automated; however, one of the most important aspects, designing and selecting primer and probe sets, is often a somewhat arcane process. In many cases, failed or non-specific amplification can be attributed to improperly designed primer-probe sets. This paper is intended to provide guidelines and general principles for designing group-specific primers and probes for qPCR assays. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these guidelines by reviewing the use of qPCR to study anaerobic processes and biologic nutrient removal processes. qPCR assays using group-specific primers and probes designed with this method, have been used to successfully quantify 16S ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid (16S rRNA) gene copy numbers from target methanogenic and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in various laboratory- and full-scale biologic processes. Researchers with a good command of primer and probe design can use qPCR as a valuable tool to study biodiversity and to develop more efficient control strategies for biologic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study about the gammarid amphipods of Vellar and Uppanar estuaries was performed during two seasons (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, 2005-2006), respectively, in nine habitats: five in the Vellar estuary and four in the Uppanar estuary. Amphipod samples were collected from sediments, oyster beds, seaweeds, sea grass, and mangroves. A total of 29 species of gammarid amphipods were collected in each area. The surface water temperature ranged from 16°C to 26°C, the salinity from 20 to 32 psu, and the pH between 7.5 and 8.3. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 5.3 to 7.8 ml/l. The maximum abundance of amphipods was observed during the pre-monsoon (July to September) in Vellar mangrove, and it was minimum during the pre-monsoon in Uppanar sea grass. It was found that several physicochemical factors, such as salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and the substrate have a marked effect on the distribution and the relative abundance of amphipods. The ranges of species diversity, richness, dominance, and evenness in the Vellar and Uppanar estuaries were 1.58-4.15, 1.82-5.29, 0-0.11, and 0.96-1, respectively. Using multivariate analyses, in each estuary, it was possible to identify different communities of amphipod species according to their habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate shear bond strength (SBS) between a light-curing nano-ionomer restorative and enamel or dentin after acid etching, after erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser etching, or after combined treatment. Forty third molars were selected, the crowns were sectioned, and 80 tooth slabs were obtained. The specimens were assigned to two groups, which were divided into four subgroups(n = 10). Group 1 [enamel (e)], treated with 37% phosphoric acid (A) + Ketac nano-primer (K); group 2 [dentin (d)], (A) + (K); group 3(e), Er:YAG laser etching (L) + (A) + (K); group 4(d), (L) + (A) + (K); group 5(e), (L) + (K); group 6(d), (L) + (K); group 7(e), (K); group 8(d), (K). The SBS of the specimens was measured with a universal test machine (1 mm/min). Data were analyzed by independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a post-hoc Duncan test (p < 0.05). No difference was determined between groups 3 and 5 (p > 0.05). Group 7 exhibited higher SBS values than those of groups 3 and 5 (p < 0.05). Group 1 showed higher SBSs than those of groups 3, 5 and 7 (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between groups 4 and 6 (p > 0.05). No difference was observed between groups 2 and 4 (p > 0.05). However, group 2 presented higher SBSs than did group 6 (p < 0.05). Group 8 exhibited the highest SBS values when compared with groups 2, 4 and 6 (p < 0.05). Er:YAG laser adversely affected the adhesion of the light-curing nano-ionomer restorative to both enamel and dentin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on phylogenetic relationships among seven old rose species in Iran by International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) markers. NTSYSpc 2.02 software program was used to process binary data of presence-absence and matrices. The study used a dendrogram with Jaccard coefficient and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) algorithm and found that there was no direct relationship between the seven rose species.

Traditionally primers for PCR detection of viruses have been selected from genomic sequence of single or representative viral strain. However, high mutation rate of viral genomes often results in failure in detecting viruses in clinical and environmental samples. Thus, it seems necessary to consider primers designed from multiple viral sequences in order to improve detection of viral variants. Matchup is a program intended to select universal primers from multiple sequences. We designed using Matchup program primer pairs for HBV detection from 691 full genomic HBV DNA sequences available from NCBI GenBank database. Thousands of primer candidates were initially extracted and these were sequentially filtered down to 5 primer pairs. These primer pairs were tested by PCR using 5 HBV Korean HBsAg(+) patient sera, and eventually one universal primer pair was selected and named MUW (multiple-universal-worldwide). This primer pair, 3 HBV reference primer pairs reported by others and 1 commercial primer pair were compared using 86 HBV HBsAg(+) sera from Korean and Vietnamese patients. The detection rate for MUW primer pair was 72.1%, much greater than those obtained by reference and commercial primers (32.5 to 40.7%). The superiority of MUW primer pair appeared to be correlated with the conserved sequences of the forward primer binding sites and primer quality score. These results suggest that the universal primers designed by the Matchup program from multiple sequences could be useful in detecting viruses from clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We isolated seven novel polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci from the burrowing parrot ( Cyanoliseus patagonus) and optimised them for future studies of population differentiation and genetic variation. The loci were screened for polymorphism using 38 samples from wild individuals from three neighbouring colonies in Argentina. The primers amplified highly variable loci characterised by 3–10 alleles per locus and their observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.15 to 0.78 and 0.15 to 0.81, respectively. When we analysed 52 samples across Argentina and Chile, we found strong genetic differentiation between the Chilean and the Argentinean subspecies as well as significant differentiation between two geographically separated subspecies within Argentina. Our results indicate the suitability of these microsatellites for investigating further questions regarding the population genetics in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is dedicated to constructing of Bluetongue virus group-specific recombinant antigen producer (VP7). The basic phases of making the construction are described: cloning VP7 gene into procariotic vector, E. coli clones selection which are born recombinant plasmid, confirmation of expressing protein specificity in ELISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the effects of two dual-functional primers and a tribochemical surface modification system on the bond strength between an indirect composite resin and gold alloy or titanium. Disk specimens (diameter, 10 mm; thickness, 2.5 mm) were cast from type 4 gold alloy and commercially pure titanium. The specimens were wetground to a final surface finish using 600-grit silicone carbide paper. The specimens were then air-dried and treated using the following four bonding systems: (1) air-abrasion with 50–70 μm alumina, (2) system 1 + alloy primer, (3) system 1 + metal link primer, and (4) tribochemical silica/silane coating (Rocatec). A light-polymerizing indirect composite resin (Ceramage) was applied to each metal specimen and polymerized according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Shear bond strengths (MPa) were determined both before and after thermocycling (4°C and 60°C for 1 min each for 20 000 cycles). The values were compared using analysis of variance, post hoc Scheffe tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests (alpha = 0.05). The strengths decreased after thermocycling for all combinations. For both gold alloy and titanium, the bond strength with air-abrasion only was statistically lower than that with the other three modification methods after thermocycling. Titanium exhibited a significantly higher value (13.4 MPa) than gold alloy (10.5 MPa) with the air. abrasion and alloy primer system. Treatment with the tribochemical system or air abrasion followed by treatment with dual-functional priming agents was found to be effective for enhancement of the bonding between the indirect composite and gold alloy or titanium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]