University of Adelaide

About: University of Adelaide is a education organization based out in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Pregnancy. The organization has 27251 authors who have published 79167 publications receiving 2671128 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Adelaide & Adelaide University.

Pollen-mediated movement of herbicide resistance between commercial canola fields

Abstract: There is considerable public and scientific debate for and against genetically modified (GM) crops. One of the first GM crops, Brassica napus (oilseed rape or canola) is now widely grown in North America, with proposed commercial release into Australia and Europe. Among concerns of opponents to these crops are claims that pollen movement will cause unacceptable levels of gene flow from GM to non-GM crops or to related weedy species, resulting in genetic pollution of the environment. Therefore, quantifying pollen-mediated gene flow is vital for assessing the environmental impact of GM crops. This study quantifies at a landscape level the gene flow that occurs from herbicide-resistant canola crops to nearby crops not containing herbicide resistance genes.

Navigating the complexity of ecological stability

Abstract: Human actions challenge nature in many ways. Ecological responses are ineluctably complex, demanding measures that describe them succinctly. Collectively, these measures encapsulate the overall 'stability' of the system. Many international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, broadly aspire to maintain or enhance ecological stability. Such bodies frequently use terms pertaining to stability that lack clear definition. Consequently, we cannot measure them and so they disconnect from a large body of theoretical and empirical understanding. We assess the scientific and policy literature and show that this disconnect is one consequence of an inconsistent and one-dimensional approach that ecologists have taken to both disturbances and stability. This has led to confused communication of the nature of stability and the level of our insight into it. Disturbances and stability are multidimensional. Our understanding of them is not. We have a remarkably poor understanding of the impacts on stability of the characteristics that define many, perhaps all, of the most important elements of global change. We provide recommendations for theoreticians, empiricists and policymakers on how to better integrate the multidimensional nature of ecological stability into their research, policies and actions.

Glycosyltransferases in secondary plant metabolism: tranquilizers and stimulant controllers

Abstract: Plants are exposed to a wide range of toxic and bioactive low-molecular-weight molecules from both exogenous and endogenous sources. Glycosylation is one of the primary sedative mechanisms that plants utilise in order to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Recently, a range of glycosyltransferases has been characterized in detail with regard to substrate specificity. The next step in increasing our understanding of the biology of glycosylation will require information regarding the exact role of individual glycosyltransferases in planta, as well as an insight into their potential involvement in metabolon-complexes. Hopefully, this will answer how a large number of glycosyltransferases with broad, rather than narrow, substrate specificity can be constrained in order to avoid interfering with other pathways of primary and secondary metabolism. These and other topics are discussed.

Red wine astringency: a review

Abstract: The chemical and physical basis for red wine astringency is reviewed. Models describing the physiological foundation of astringency are presented and compared. The phenolic and other red wine components that evoke astringency are described, together with their sensory properties and the factors that affect their perception. The paper also presents a detailed account of the chemical properties of saliva and the possible modes of interaction between these and red wine phenolics that lead to the necessary physical changes in saliva required to elicit astringency. Reasons for differences in astringency perception across oral sites and amongst individual tasters are also discussed. It is concluded that whilst great advances have been made in the field of red wine phenolic chemistry in recent years, a better understanding of the effect of wine polyphenol‐salivary protein interaction on the rheological properties of saliva is required in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of red wine astringency.

Twenty Years of the SENTRY Antifungal Surveillance Program: Results for Candida Species From 1997-2016.

Abstract: Background The emergence of antifungal resistance threatens effective treatment of invasive fungal infection (IFI). Invasive candidiasis is the most common health care-associated IFI. We evaluated the activity of fluconazole (FLU) against 20 788 invasive isolates of Candida (37 species) collected from 135 medical centers in 39 countries (1997-2016). The activity of anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin (MCF) was evaluated against 15 308 isolates worldwide (2006-2016). Methods Species identification was accomplished using phenotypic (1997-2001), genotypic, and proteomic methods (2006-2016). All isolates were tested using reference methods and clinical breakpoints published in the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute documents. Results A decrease in the isolation of Candida albicans and an increase in the isolation of Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis were observed over time. Candida glabrata was the most common non-C. albicans species detected in all geographic regions except for Latin America, where C. parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis were more common. Six Candida auris isolates were detected: 1 each in 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2015 and 2 in 2016; all were from nosocomial bloodstream infections and were FLU-resistant (R). The highest rates of FLU-R isolates were seen in C. glabrata from North America (NA; 10.6%) and in C. tropicalis from the Asia-Pacific region (9.2%). A steady increase in isolation of C. glabrata and resistance to FLU was detected over 20 years in the United States. Echinocandin-R (EC-R) ranged from 3.5% for C. glabrata to 0.1% for C. albicans and C. parapsilosis. Resistance to MCF was highest among C. glabrata (2.8%) and C. tropicalis (1.3%) from NA. Mutations on FKS hot spot (HS) regions were detected among 70 EC-R isolates (51/70 were C. glabrata). Most isolates harboring FKS HS mutations were resistant to 2 or more ECs. Conclusions EC-R and FLU-R remain uncommon among contemporary Candida isolates; however, a slow and steady emergence of resistance to both antifungal classes was observed in C. glabrata and C. tropicalis isolates.