Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Fruit shape”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Crystallization and characterization of a lectin obtained from a mushroom, Aleuria aurantia.

A fucose-specific lectin with a unique sugar recognizing property was purified from an orange peel mushroom, Aleuria aurantia, by using a specific affinity adsorbent prepared from L-fucose and starch. From 100 g of fruiting bodies, 145 mg of pure lectin was obtained. The lectin was crystallized and the crystals showed hexagonal bipyramid in shape. Distribution of hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions in the molecule of this lectin was predicted from the amino acid sequence deduced from the previously reported nucleotide sequence of the lectin cDNA. Circular dichroism spectra revealed a very low content of alpha-helical and beta-sheet structures and a relatively high content of turns in this lectin. From the spectrum observed in the presence of L-fucose, a hapten sugar of this lectin, certain conformational change was assumed to occur.

Basidiomycota↗
PubMed2002

Life stressors, social resources, and coping skills in youth: applications to adolescents with chronic disorders.

OVERVIEW: After setting out a conceptual framework that focuses on how personal and social resources aid adolescents in managing acute and chronic stressors, I describe methods by which to assess adolescents' family environments and specific life stressors and social resources, and the approach and avoidance coping responses adolescents use to manage life stressors. I then review some research that employs these concepts and methods to focus on the families and life contexts, and coping skills, of youth with chronic medical disorders, including juvenile rheumatic disease (JRD). I close by drawing implications for assessment and intervention and describing some fruitful areas for future research, such as examining the reciprocal linkages between parental and youth behavior, how adolescents' personal characteristics shape their life context, and how life crises and transitions enhance adolescents' development and maturation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Antioxidative activity and carotenoid and tomatine contents in different typologies of fresh consumption tomatoes.

The phytonutrient intake associated with tomato consumption depends also on cultivar and fruit ripening stage. This work associates the antioxidative ability, the level of carotenoids, and the amount of glycoalkaloids to the main carpometric characteristics of four different typologies of tomatoes: "cherry", "cluster", "elongated," and "salad". These typologies have different weights and shapes, and they are usually consumed in the Mediterranean area at different ripening stages. Results showed that the considered tomato typologies also differ in their antioxidative ability and their carotenoid and glycoalkaloid contents. Growing conditions are also important in determining fruit characteristics: the analysis of the same cultivar of cherry tomato produced under the influence of moderate salt stress showed increases in the lipophilic antioxidative ability and the amount of carotenoid, whereas the level of glycoalkaloid decreased.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1991

Myxococcus xanthus protein C is a major spore surface protein.

Fruiting body formation in Myxococcus xanthus involves the aggregation of cells to form mounds and the differentiation of rod-shaped cells into spherical myxospores. The surface of the myxospore is composed of several sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-soluble proteins, the best characterized of which is protein S (Mr, 19,000). We have identified a new major spore surface protein called protein C (Mr, 30,000). Protein C is not present in extracts of vegetative cells but appears in extracts of developing cells by 6 h. Protein C, like protein S, is produced during starvation in liquid medium but is not made during glycerol-induced sporulation. Its synthesis is blocked in certain developmental mutants but not others. When examined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, two forms of protein C are observed. Protein C is quantitatively released from spores by treatment with 0.1 N NaOH or by boiling in 1% SDS. It is slowly washed from the spore surface in water but is stabilized by the presence of magnesium. Protein C binds to the surface of spores depleted of protein C and protein S. Protein C is a useful new marker for development in M. xanthus because it is developmentally regulated, spore associated, abundant, and easily purified.

Antigens, Surface↗
PubMed2004

[Phenotype analysis of ethylene response in tomato Epinastics mutant].

The characteristics in seedling development, vegetative growth and fruit ripening of Epinastics (Epi) mutant overproducing ethylene and its wild type VFN8 tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were systematically investigated. Epi overproduced ethylene during vegetative growth and fruit development. Incomplete triple response in etiolated seedling, strong petiole episnasty in adult plant, and accelerated abscission and fruit ripening displayed enhanced ethylene response, consistent with the known mode of ethylene response. Significant apical dominance and compact vegetative shape in Epi suggested an important role of ethylene in the regulation of apical dominance. The characteristics such as inhibited apical hook formation in etiolated seedling and delayed senescence of leaves and petals in Epi, which were not typical of symptoms induced by ethylene, suggest that different growth and developmental characteristics are possibly regulated through different signal transduction pathways.

Ethylenes↗
PubMed1988

Morphological studies on clinical isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus.

Morphological variation was examined in 19 strains of Aspergillus fumigatus Fres. isolated from the sputum of five patients with aspergilloma. For each patient a series of variant strains was obtained which exhibited gross differences in growth rate, colour and texture of the colony. On microscopical examination, some of the strains were found to produce markedly abnormal fruiting heads which were uncharacteristic for the species. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the variant produced conidia of anomalous size, shape and surface-sculpturing. The significance of the isolation of morphological variants of A. fumigatus in sputum and their selection in vivo are discussed.

Aspergillosis↗
PubMed2005

Damage to DNA and lipids in Boletus edulis exposed to heavy metals.

This study investigates the potential of emissions from a zinc smelter to induce oxidative damage to DNA and lipids in Boletus edulis, the king bolete. Concentrations of cadmium, zinc, copper, and mercury were determined in 16 fruit bodies collected near the smelter (exposed group), as well as in 15 reference samples. Frequency of apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites in DNA (a pre-mutagenic DNA base modification) and concentration of lipid hydroperoxides were chosen as damage parameters. Concentrations of the four metals, as well as oxidative damage to DNA and lipids were significantly elevated in the exposed group (Mann-Whitney, P<0.001). Both damage parameters correlated positively with concentrations of cadmium, zinc or copper in fruiting bodies (Spearman's P<0.01). Frequency of AP sites correlated significantly with mercury in the fruit bodies (P<0.05), whereas the association between lipid hydroperoxides and mercury was insignificant. Frequency of AP sites correlated positively with concentration of lipid hydroperoxides (P<0.001). Negative trends for the associations between concentrations of metals and AP sites or lipid hydroperoxides in the reference group (significant only for mercury and lipid hydroperoxides; P<0.05) suggest that in B. edulis low concentrations of mercury, possibly also of other of the metals determined in the present study, may induce dose-response relationships of a hormetic ('J-shaped') nature.

Basidiomycota↗
PubMed2005

The genetics of adaptation in Drosophila sechellia.

Drosophila sechellia is an island endemic of the Seychelles. After its geographic isolation on these islands, D. sechellia evolved into a host specialist on the fruit of Morinda citrifolia--a fruit often noxious and repulsive to Drosophila. Specialization on M. citrifolia required the evolution of a suite of adaptations, including resistance to and preference for some of the toxins found in this fruit. Several of these adaptive traits have been studied genetically. Here, I summarize what is known about the genetics of these traits and briefly describe the ecological and geographical context that shaped the evolution of these characters. The data from D. sechellia suggest that adaptations are not as genetically complex as historically thought, although almost all of the adaptations of D. sechellia involve several genes.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed2003

Fundamentals of the morphometric approach in neuropathology.

The purposes of neuropathological examination are diagnosis and discovery of new findings. Quantitative examination closely relates to these aims. To fulfil these aims, neuropathologists should understand well the strengths and weaknesses of the power of observation. The power of observation in humans is quite strong in differentiation of shapes, but weak in counting numbers and measuring size, length and width. Quantitative examination is a help in observation, and the fruits of the examination are generalization, numerization and schematization of the neuropathological findings, and analogy of neuronal function.

Brain↗
PubMed2003

[Identification of Kochia scoparia and its substitutes by scanning electron microscope and UV spectrum].

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV spectrum methods were used to identify Kochia scoparia and its substitutes, including the fruits of Chenopodium album, Chenopodium serotinum and Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad. f. trichophila Schirz. et Thell. The results showed that kochia scoparia differed from the substitutes in utride, trichome, stoma and shape of seed under SEM. The UV spectrum of Kochia scoparia was similar to that of Kochia scoparia f. trichophila, but significantly different from that of Chenopodium album and Chenopodium serotinum.

Bassia scoparia↗
PubMed1997

Starvation-independent sporulation in Myxococcus xanthus involves the pathway for beta-lactamase induction and provides a mechanism for competitive cell survival.

Myxococcus xanthus is a Gram-negative, soil-dwelling bacterium with a complex life cycle which includes fruiting body formation and sporulation in response to starvation. This developmental process is slow, requiring a minimum of 24-48 h, and requires cells to be at high cell density on a solid surface. It is known that, in the absence of starvation, vegetatively growing cell suspensions can form 'glycerol spores' when exposed to high levels of glycerol, usually 0.5 M. The cells differentiate from rods to resistant spheres rapidly (2-4 h) and synchronously. We have found that the chromosomally encoded beta-lactamase of M. xanthus can be induced by numerous beta-lactam antibiotics as well as by non-specific inducers including glycine and many D-amino acids. In addition, D-cycloserine, phosphomycin, and hen egg-white lysozyme also induce beta-lactamase in this bacterium. Unexpectedly, agents which induce beta-lactamase can induce 'glycerol spores'; all of the agents tested which induce glycerol spores (glycerol, DMSO, ethylene glycol) also induce beta-lactamase. During the induction of sporulation, beta-lactamase activity increases, reaching a peak during the morphological transition from rod-shaped cells to spherical spores. These spores are viable and resistant to many treatments which disrupt vegetatively growing rods but are not as resistant as fruiting body spores. The concomitant induction of beta-lactamase and starvation-independent sporulation suggests that these processes share a common signal-transduction pathway. These results also suggest that starvation-independent sporulation may be an adaptation of cells in order to resist agents that damage peptidoglycan structure and therefore threaten cell survival.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1988

Drawing deficits in brain-damaged patients' freehand pictures.

This study examines errors in brain-damaged patients' attempts to produce freehand drawings of common objects in response to a linguistic target (e.g., "fruit"). The pictures were carefully analyzed according to the features which dictionaries claim should vary necessarily from item to item, including color, shape, relative size, and special features which help distinguish between similar items. A "recognizability score" was created to quantify patients' overall drawing capacity. The findings revealed that subjects with right hemispheric insult are significantly more impaired overall than left hemisphere-damaged patients in producing freehand pictures. However, freehand drawing skills do not break down in an undifferentiated fashion after right hemispheric insult: Group and individual data reveal that patients with right central (primarily parietal) insult are most impaired at expressing shape attributes in their pictures, right posterior patients with primarily temporoparietal insult experience the greatest difficulty attributing color to their pictures, but patients with right anterior insult are impaired at expressing color, shape, and relative size in their pictures. All patients with right hemisphere insult often attribute specific features indiscriminantly to any member of the same category, resulting in anomalous pictures like a "potato bush." One patient with left posterior insult seemed to encounter difficulty generating the mental images necessary to serve as the basis for his pictures. These findings are discussed with reference to an image-based model for freehand drawing.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The conformation of membranes.

Membranes composed of amphiphilic molecules are highly flexible surfaces that determine the architecture of biological systems and provide a basic structural element for complex fluids such as microemulsions. Physical theories have been developed to describe many aspects of their conformational behaviour, such as the preferred shapes and shape transformations of closed vesicles, and the shape fluctuations, random-surface configurations, and adhesion and unbinding of interacting membranes. Understanding of these phenomena has been much improved through fruitful interactions between theory and experiment.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The role of the cortical cytoskeleton: F-actin crosslinking proteins protect against osmotic stress, ensure cell size, cell shape and motility, and contribute to phagocytosis and development.

We generated Dictyostelium double mutants lacking the two F-actin crosslinking proteins alpha-actinin and gelation factor by inactivating the corresponding genes via homologous recombination. Here we investigated the consequences of these deficiencies both at the single cell level and at the multicellular stage. We found that loss of both proteins severely affected growth of the mutant cells in shaking suspension, and led to a reduction of cell size from 12 microns in wild-type cells to 9 microns in mutant cells. Moreover the cells did not exhibit the typical polarized morphology of aggregating Dictyostelium cells but had a more rounded cell shape, and also exhibited an increased sensitivity towards osmotic shock and a reduced rate of phagocytosis. Development was heavily impaired and never resulted in the formation of fruiting bodies. Expression of developmentally regulated genes and the final developmental stages that were reached varied, however, with the substrata on which the cells were deposited. On phosphate buffered agar plates the cells were able to form tight aggregates and mounds and to express prespore and prestalk cell specific genes. Under these conditions the cells could perform chemotactic signalling and cell behavior was normal at the onset of multicellular development as revealed by time-lapse video microscopy. Double mutant cells were motile but speed was reduced by approximately 30% as compared to wild type. These changes were reversed by expressing the gelation factor in the mutant cells. We conclude that the actin assemblies that are formed and/or stabilized by both F-actin crosslinking proteins have a protective function during osmotic stress and are essential for proper cell shape and motility.

Actinin↗
PubMed1982

[Inguinal island flap for covering trochanteric bedsores].

Trochanteric bedsores are a serious condition because of the danger of osteoarthritis of the coxofemoral joint, which is a source of septicemia, and also because of the difficulty of covering them with skin owing to the mobility of the bone and the absence of skin laxity in the area. The authors suggest a new technique of closure after local preparation providing a clean "surgical" defect. They use a groin island flap raised in the Japanese "retrograde" manner (i.e. laterally to medially). This technique is of course the fruit of the authors' experience of the microsurgery. The distal portion of the flap is drawn, corresponding to the size of the defect (round shape). The proximal portion contains the vessels surrounded by subcutaneous and protected by a de-epithelialized triangle of skin with a distal base. The flap is passed through a subcutaneous tunnel between the femoral trigone and the trochanteric area to be covered. The donor site is closed by approximation of the edges after they have been undermined. The authors discuss the others possible surgical managements: 1) local flaps (transposition flap, Z plasties, are unsuitable; 2) the double S-rotation flap had the drawback of creating a large undermined area and leaving a scar on the trochanteric region; 3) simple GER-type muscle flaps are not advisable because the transposed muscle always indergoes a fibrous involution so that the graft provides insufficient protection; 4) myocutaneous flaps, and especially fascia lata myocutaneous flap, offer better indication, because of muscle only acts as a vascular pedicle for the skin flap. The only drawback is the relative defect resulting from raising the flap. The authors conclude that the groin island flap offers the following advantages; a skin material which is more than efficient; ideal vascularization; perfect corverage without undue tension of the trochanteric surface; an interesting training for the plastic surgeon performing microsurgical reconstruction.

Groin↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changing the home nutrition environment: effects of a nutrition and media literacy pilot intervention.

The specific aim for this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition and media literacy intervention targeting elementary students and their parents. The purpose of the intervention was to increase child fruit and vegetables (FV) consumption and change the home nutrition environment (measured with FV availability and accessibility and parental social support). During the intervention, students learned about nutrition, the role media plays in shaping values concerning nutrition, and developed a media campaign for their parents. A quasi-experimental research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The media intervention was effective in changing the home environment.

Child↗
PubMed1972

Alternative fruiting pathways in phycomyces.

Developmental distinctions between giant and dwarf fruiting bodies of Phycomyces blakesleeanus (Burgeff) were studied by means of size measurements and growth analyses. Histograms of fruiting body lengths showed a bimodal distribution, with peaks around 0.3 millimeter (dwarfs) and 30 millimeters (giants). Individual cultures contain both giants and dwarfs. Differences between giants and dwarfs appear in the first phase of development; the apex of the giant is tapered, whereas the dwarf apex is dome-shaped. Probable cytological distinctions at this stage are cited in discussion. The dwarfs terminate enlargement upon expansion of the sporangium, thus lacking the subsequent phase of rapid elongation (stage IV) that contributes 90% of the length in the case of giants. It was concluded that P. blakesleeanus maintains two developmental patterns for asexual fruiting, with dwarfs and giants differing radically in growth regulation.

Journal Article↗