University of Guelph

About: University of Guelph is a education organization based out in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 26542 authors who have published 50553 publications receiving 1715255 citations. The organization is also known as: U of G & Guelph University.

Clostridium difficile in retail ground meat, Canada.

Abstract: Clostridium difficile was isolated from 12 (20%) of 60 retail ground meat samples purchased over a 10-month period in 2005 in Canada. Eleven isolates were toxigenic, and 8 (67%) were classified as toxinotype III. The human health implications of this finding are unclear, but with the virulence of toxinotype III strains further studies are required.

High-intensity aerobic interval training increases fat and carbohydrate metabolic capacities in human skeletal muscle

Abstract: High-intensity aerobic interval training (HIIT) is a compromise between time-consuming moderate-intensity training and sprint-interval training requiring all-out efforts. However, there are few dat...

Use of nitrogen-fixing bacteria as biofertiliser for non-legumes: prospects and challenges.

Abstract: The potential of nitrogen-fixing (NF) bacteria to form a symbiotic relationship with leguminous plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen has been exploited in the field to meet the nitrogen requirement of the latter. This phenomenon provides an alternative to the use of the nitrogenous fertiliser whose excessive and imbalanced use over the decades has contributed to green house emission (N2O) and underground water leaching. Recently, it was observed that non-leguminous plants like rice, sugarcane, wheat and maize form an extended niche for various species of NF bacteria. These bacteria thrive within the plant, successfully colonizing roots, stems and leaves. During the association, the invading bacteria benefit the acquired host with a marked increase in plant growth, vigor and yield. With increasing population, the demand of non-leguminous plant products is growing. In this regard, the richness of NF flora within non-leguminous plants and extent of their interaction with the host definitely shows a ray of hope in developing an ecofriendly alternative to the nitrogenous fertilisers. In this review, we have discussed the association of NF bacteria with various non-leguminous plants emphasizing on their potential to promote host plant growth and yield. In addition, plant growth-promoting traits observed in these NF bacteria and their mode of interaction with the host plant have been described briefly.

Why Do Boys Engage in More Risk Taking Than Girls? The Role of Attributions, Beliefs, and Risk Appraisals

Abstract: Objective: Assessed for age and sex differences in school-age children's reporting of injury-risk behaviors, ratings of injury-risk in various play situations, attributions for injuries (self, other, bad luck), and beliefs about their vulnerability to injury in comparison to their peers (more, less, comparable vulnerability). Methods: We used a structured interview and drawings that depicted children showing wary or confident facial expressions when engaged in injury-risk play activities. Results: Children's reported risk taking could be predicted from their risk appraisals, beliefs about the likelihood of injury, and attributions of injuries to bad luck, and these factors resulted in 80% correct assignment of cases by sex in a discriminant analysis. The wary affect display resulted in higher injury-risk ratings than the confident display, with this effect being greater for girls than boys. Conclusions: Cognitive-based factors differentiate boys from girls and contribute to sex differences in children's injury-risk behaviors.

Gram-Negative Bacteria Produce Membrane Vesicles Which Are Capable of Killing Other Bacteria

Abstract: Naturally produced membrane vesicles (MVs), isolated from 15 strains of gram-negative bacteria (Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Morganella, Proteus, Salmonella, and Shigella strains), lysed many gram-positive (including Mycobacterium) and gram-negative cultures. Peptidoglycan zymograms suggested that MVs contained peptidoglycan hydrolases, and electron microscopy revealed that the murein sacculi were digested, confirming a previous modus operandi (J. L. Kadurugamuwa and T. J. Beveridge, J. Bacteriol. 174: 2767‐2774, 1996). MV-sensitive bacteria possessed A1a ,A 4a ,A 1g ,A 2a, and A4g peptidoglycan chemotypes, whereas A3a ,A 3b ,A 3g ,A 4b ,B 1a, and B1b chemotypes were not affected. Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 vesicles possessed the most lytic activity. Many gram-negative bacteria produce external membrane vesicles (MVs) during normal growth (3, 6, 7, 10, 14, 22, 24, 25). During their formation, MVs entrap several periplasmic components; for Pseudomonas aeruginosa these include alkaline phosphatase, phospholipase C, proelastase, protease, and peptidoglycan hydrolase (10, 11, 16). Because several of these components are virulence factors (including the lipopolysaccharide contained in the MV membrane), MVs may be important during the initial phases of infection, as they concentrate such factors and convey them to host tissue (10, 12). The partitioning of peptidoglycan hydrolase into MVs has led to another possibility. This cell wall-degrading enzyme could be used to lyse surrounding dissimilar bacteria in the donor bacterium’s environment, thereby releasing organic compounds for growth. An earlier study showed that MVs from P. aeruginosa PAO1 were capable of lysing Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and another Pseudomonas strain (11).