Genetic interrelatedness among 13 strains of mycoplasmalike organisms (MLOs) from various sources was evaluated by dot hybridization and restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses using cloned DNA probes derived from Canadian peach X (CX) and western X (WX) MLOs. Dot hybridization analysis indicated that CX, WX, and clover yellow edge MLOs are closely related and form a distinct strain c...

This paper describes the application of electrochemical disposable biosensors in food analysis, which have recently been developed in our laboratory. Disposable biosensors, based on acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity, were exploited for testing the presence of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides in water, fruit, and vegetable samples. The paper further describes preliminary tests fo...

It is argued that the bias in synonymous codon usage observed in unicellular organisms is due to a balance between the forces of selection and mutation in a finite population, with greater bias in highly expressed genes reflecting stronger selection for efficiency of translation. A population genetic model is developed taking into account population size and selective differences between synony...

Although I was asked to give a talk on transgenic plants and issues concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs), I decided that this was too broad a topic. I would only be qualified to describe a few examples of the transgenic plants that have been a part of my research. I chose these examples only because of my familiarity with them, nothing more. Hence, this article should not be conside...

Were it not for the debate over Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), few outside of India ever would have heard of the suicides. St Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Bill Lambrecht only found the story because he was covering the GMO controversy in India, and even then his paper ran the story under a headline about Monsanto’s problems (“India Gives Monsanto An Unstable Lab For Genetics In Farming,...

The human population in Africa has undergone a rapid increase in the last decade and this, coupled with problems such as erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and agricultural pest problems, has resulted in severe food insecurity. Advanced agricultural technologies, including the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), could play a role in enhancing agricultural productivity in Africa. How...

When applying risk assessment and the broader process of risk analysis to decisions regarding the dissemination of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the process has a tendency to become remarkably complex. Further, as greater numbers of countries consider authorising the large-scale dissemination of GMOs, and as GMOs with more complex traits reach late stages of development, there has been...

Biotechnology is a broad field encompassing diverse disciplines from agriculture to zoology. Advances in research are occurring at a rapid pace, and applications that have broad implications socially, economically, ecologically and politically are emerging. Along with notable benefits, environmental consequences that affect core quality-of-life issues for present and future generations are mate...

In light of recent advances in genetic-algorithm-driven automated program modi€cation, our team has been actively exploring the art, engineering, and discovery of novel semantics-preserving transforms. While modern compilers represent some of the best ideas we have for automated program modi€cation, current approaches represent only a small subset of the types of transforms which can be achieve...

The inclusion of genetically modified maize in food aid shipments to Southern Africa during the 2002 food crisis rekindled debates over agricultural biotechnology. As the region edged ever closer to famine – putting the lives to some 14 million Africans at risk – corporate pundits, government officials and biotech s critics debated the health and environmental dangers posed by the new technolog...