A putative cytadhesin-related protein (PvpA) undergoing variation in its expression was identified in the avian pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The pvpA gene was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli, and sequenced. It exhibits 54 and 52% homology with the P30 and P32 cytadhesin proteins of the human pathogens Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Mycoplasma genitalium, respectively. In addition, 50% ho...

The U.S. Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) of 1970 was meant to strengthen intellectual property protection for plant breeders. A model of investment under partial excludability is developed, leading to the hypotheses that any increase in excludability or appropriability of the returns to invention, attributable to the PVPA, would lead to increases in investment or efficiency gains in varieta...

There is a clear clinical need for a bioactive bone graft substitute. Poly(vinyl phosphonic acid-co-acrylic acid) (PVPA-co-AA) has been identified as a promising candidate for bone regeneration but there is little evidence to show its direct osteogenic effect on progenitor or mature cells. In this study mature osteoblast-like cells (SaOS-2) and human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (...

There is a clinical need for a synthetic alternative to bone graft substitute (BGS) derived from demineralised bone matrix. We report the electrospinning of Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) to form a 3-dimensional scaffold for use as a synthetic BGS. Additionally, we have used Poly(vinyl phosphonic acid-co-acrylic acid) (PVPA) to improve bone formation. Fibres were formed using a 10% w/v PCL/acetone ...

Maize inbred lines with expired Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) certifi cates are publicly available and potentially represent a new germplasm resource for many public and private breeding programs. However, accurate pedigree and genetic background information for ex-PVPA maize inbreds is necessary if they are to be effectively utilized in breeding efforts. We have used single nucleotide po...

The introduction of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) into clinical practice in the late 1970s transformed organ transplantation and led to significant improvement in acute rejection episodes. However, despite their significant clinical utility, the use of these agents is hampered by the development of hypertension and nephrotoxicity, which ultimately lead to end-stage kidney disease and overt cardi...

Mycoplasma gallisepticum is an important pathogen of chickens and turkeys that causes considerable economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. The reemergence of M. gallisepticum outbreaks among poultry, the increased use of live M. gallisepticum vaccines, and the detection of M. gallisepticum in game and free-flying song birds has strengthened the need for molecular diagnostic and strai...

The development of a durable and methanol tolerant electrocatalyst with a high oxygen reduction reaction activity is highly important for the cathode side of direct methanol fuel cells. Here, we describe a simple and novel methodology to fabricate a practically applicable electrocatalyst with a high methanol tolerance based on poly[2,2'-(2,6-pyridine)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole]-wrapped multi-walled ...

There is a clinical need for a synthetic bone graft substitute that can be used at sites of surgical intervention to promote bone regeneration. Poly(vinylphosphonic acid-co-acrylic acid) (PVPA-co-AA) has recently been identified as a potential candidate for use in bone tissue scaffolds. It is hypothesized that PVPA-co-AA can bind to divalent calcium ions on bone mineral surfaces to control matr...