bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Size at birth and risk of breast cancer: Prospective population‐based study
Authors: Vatten Lars J. , Nilsen Tom I. Lund , Tretli Steinar , Trichopoulos Dimitrios , Romundstad Pål R.
Published: November 2004

It has been hypothesized that birth size is positively associated with breast cancer risk in adulthood. We studied birth length, birth weight and head circumference at birth and subsequent risk for breast cancer in a cohort of 16,016 women in Norway. Birth length was positively associated with risk (p trend = 002), and women who were 53 cm or longer had a relative risk of 1.8 (CI = 1.2–2.6) compared with women who were shorter than 50 cm, after adjustment for birth year, length of gestation, birth order, maternal age, maternal marital status and socioeconomic status at childbearing. Mutual adjustment for birth weight did not influence the results, and further adjustment for maternal height and adult factors (age at first birth and parity) in a subset of the cohort did not change the results. For birth weight, women in the highest category (≥ 3,840 g) had an adjusted relative risk (RR) of 1.5 (CI = 1.0–2.2) compared to women in the lowest (< 3,040 g), but mutual adjustment for birth length attenuated this association (RR = 1.1; CI = 0.7–1.8). Head circumference at birth showed a similar association as birth weight, with attenuation after mutual adjustment for birth length. The positive association with birth length was stronger among women whose mothers were relatively tall (median or taller, p trend = 0.001) compared to women whose mothers were relatively short (below median, p trend = 0.67) at childbearing. The results provide evidence that intrauterine factors influence future breast cancer risk. The positive association related to birth length suggests that factors that stimulate intrauterine longitudinal growth are particularly important. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Induced expression of human CCND1 alternative transcripts in mouse Cyl‐1 knockout fibroblasts highlights functional differences
Authors: Holley Sarah L. , Heighway Jim , Hoban Paul R.
Published: November 2004

Splicing of human cyclin D1 (CCND1) mRNA producing transcripts a and b is modulated by a common polymorphism (A → G) located in a conserved splice donor region at nucleotide 870. CCND1 A/G870 genotype is associated with tumour progression and clinical outcome in a variety of cancers. Although in vitro expression of cyclin D1 transcript a (CCND1tra) has been widely investigated, few studies have examined the expression of CCND1 transcript b (CCND1trb). We have studied the effects of inducible expression of human CCND1trb in comparison with human CCND1tra in a mouse fibroblast knock‐out for cyclin D1 (MEFCyl‐1−/−). Inducible expression was in stable clones isolated from MEFCyl‐1−/− transfectants. Induction of CCND1tra produced a 36‐kDa protein, which led to a significant increase in the proportion of cells in S‐phase, as detected by BrdU incorporation after 32 hr, compared to non‐induced cells (p = 0.012). Clones induced to express CCND1tra exhibited a significantly increased ability to grow in serum depleted (2% FCS) medium compared to non‐induced clones (p = 0.0004). Induced expression of CCND1trb in MEFCyl‐1−/− transfectants produced a 31‐kDa protein and resulted in no significant difference in DNA synthesis, neither did the cells acquire the ability to grow in serum‐depleted conditions compared to non‐induced cells. Induction of CCND1trb significantly enhanced the ability of MEFCyl‐1−/− transfectants to form colonies in soft agar, (average 30‐fold increase) compared to non‐induced clones or those induced to express CCND1tra. Our data supports the emerging view that CCND1 alternate transcripts encode proteins with differing independent biological functions. We suggest that CCND1tra encodes a protein involved in regulating mitogen responsive, anchorage‐dependent G1 progression, whereas CCND1trb modulates the ability of the cell to grow in an anchorage‐independent manner. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mechanical properties of cast Ti–Hf alloys
Authors: Sato Hideki , Kikuchi Masafumi , Komatsu Masashi , Okuno Osamu , Okabe Toru
Published: November 2004

This study examined the mechanical properties of a series of Ti–Hf alloys. Titanium alloys with 10 to 40 mass % Hf were made with titanium and hafnium sponge in an argon–arc melting furnace. Specimens cast into magnesia‐based investment molds were tested for yield strength, tensile strength, percentage elongation, and modulus of elasticity. Vickers microhardness was determined at 25 to 600 μm from the cast surface. X‐ray diffractometry was also performed. Commercially pure Ti (CP Ti) and pure Ti prepared from titanium sponge were used as controls. The data (n = 5) were analyzed with a one‐way ANOVA and the Student–Newman–Keuls test (α = 0.05). The diffraction peaks of all the metals matched those for α Ti; no β phase peaks were found. Alloys with Hf ≥ 25% had significantly (p < 0.05) higher yield and tensile strength compared to the CP Ti and pure Ti. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in elongation among all the Ti–Hf alloys and CP Ti, whereas the elongation of alloys with Hf ≥ 30% was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of the pure Ti. The cast Ti–Hf alloys tested can be considered viable alternatives to CP Ti because they were stronger than CP Ti and had similar elongation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 72B: 362–367, 2005
Ontogeny and homology of the paranasal sinuses in Platyrrhini (Mammalia: Primates)
Authors: Rossie James B.
Published: November 2004

The identity and taxonomic distribution of paranasal sinuses among living platyrrhines has remained a contentious issue (e.g., Cave [1967] Am J Phys Anthropol 26:277–288 vs. Hershkovitz [1977] Chicago: University of Chicago Press) largely because the ontogenetic data required for their detection and identification (e.g., Cave [1967]; Maier [2000] Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 99–132.) were not attainable without sacrificing valuable juvenile and subadult specimens. Non‐invasive computed tomography (CT) scanning of ontogenetic series of skulls for 10 platyrrhine genera demonstrates the presence of maxillary and ethmoid sinuses, as well as homologs of the human sphenoid and frontal sinuses. Differences in the latter two sinuses between platyrrhines and hominoids highlight the need for early developmental data in establishing sinus homology. In particular, the identification of homologous recesses in the cartilaginous nasal capsule, from which sinuses later develop, emerges as the critical step. This developmental approach also reveals that the anterior and posterior ethmoid sinuses are each sets of serial homologs, a point which reconciles previous difficulties in establishing sinus homologies across mammalian orders (e.g., Paulli [1900] Gegenbaurs Morphol Jahrb 28:147–178, 179–251, 483–564). © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Kinetic method for the simultaneous chiral analysis of different amino acids in mixtures
Authors: Wu Lianming , Andy Tao W. , Cooks R. G.
Published: November 2004

The kinetic method has been extended to enantiomeric excess (ee) determinations on amino acids present in mixtures. Singly charged trimeric clusters [CuII(ref*)2(Am) − H]+ are readily generated by electrospraying solutions containing CuII, a chiral reference ligand (ref*), and the amino acids (analytes Am, m = 1–3). A trimeric cluster ion for each amino acid is individually mass‐selected and then collisionally activated to cause dissociation by competitive loss of either the reference ligand or the analyte. For each analyte in the mixture, as shown from separate experiments, the logarithm of the ratio of the fragment abundances for the complex containing one enantiomer of this analyte expressed relative to that for the fragments of the corresponding complex containing the other enantiomer is linearly related to the enantiomeric composition of the amino acid. Formation and dissociation of each trimeric complex ion are shown to occur independently of the presence of other analytes. Chiral selectivity appears to be an intrinsic property and the chiral selectivity Rchiral(m) measured from the mixture of analytes is equal to Rchiral measured for the pure analyte. The sensitive nature of the methodology and the linear relationship between the logarithm of the fragment ion abundance ratio and the optical purity, characteristic of the kinetic method, allow the determination of chiral impurities of less than 2% ee in individual compounds present in mixtures by simply recording the ratios of fragment ion abundances in a tandem mass spectrum. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Free Volume of Montmorillonite/Styrene‐Butadiene Rubber Nanocomposites Estimated by Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy
Authors: Wang Yi‐Qing , Wu You‐Ping , Zhang Hui‐Feng , Zhang Li‐Qun , Wang Bo , Wang Zhi‐Feng
Published: November 2004

Summary: The size and concentration of free‐volume holes of two kinds of montmorillonite (MMT)/styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) nanocomposites were investigated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). Strong interfacial interaction caused an apparent reduction of the free‐volume fraction of rubber probably by depressing the formation of free‐volume holes in the interfacial region. Interfacial interaction in MMT/SBR nanocomposites was weaker than that in SBR filled with carbon black.

Dependence of normalized o‐Ps intensity of four kinds of composites on filler volume fraction.

image

Dependence of normalized o‐Ps intensity of four kinds of composites on filler volume fraction.
B. J. Ash, R. W. Siegel and L. S. Schadler, 'Glass‐transition temperature behavior of alumina/PMMA nanocomposites', Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics (2004) 42(23) 4371–4383
Authors: Ash Benjamin J. , Siegel Richard W. , Schadler Linda S.
Published: November 2004

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics (2004) 42(23) 4371–4383
Activation‐dependent FasL expression in T lymphocytes and Natural Killer cells
Authors: Lettau Marcus , Qian Jing , Kabelitz Dieter , Janssen Ottmar
Published: November 2004

In cytotoxic T cells and Natural Killer cells, the death factor FasL is stored in association with secretory granules. Only upon activation, these vesicles are transported to the cytotoxic immunological synapse and FasL is expressed on the cell surface. Upon activation of T cells and NK cells with phorbol ester and calcium ionophore, we observed a biphasic expression of FasL in all lymphocyte subsets tested. The first peak was seen after 10−15 minutes of stimulation and was followed by a reduction of expression to baseline level before the second peak was reached at about two hours. Using inhibitors of protein biosynthesis (cycloheximide), vesicular transport (brefeldin A and monensin), actin polymerization (latrunculin A and cytochalasin D) and metalloproteases (GM 6001 and phenanthrolin), the regulation of FasL expression was analyzed in detail. We demonstrate that the first wave of expression is due to an actin‐dependent mobilization of preformed FasL whereas the second phase of expression requires de novo synthesis. The observed expression patterns might have implications for the development of therapeutic strategies that target FasL as an immunomodulatory protein.
Mixed infections of trypanosomes in tsetse and pigs and their epidemiological significance in a sleeping sickness focus of Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: JAMONNEAU V. , RAVEL S. , KOFFI M. , KABA D. , ZEZE D. G. , NDRI L. , SANE B. , COULIBALY B. , CUNY G. , SOLANO P.
Published: November 2004

In a sleeping sickness focus of Côte d'Ivoire, trypanosomes were characterized in humans, pigs and tsetse using various techniques. Out of 74 patients, all the 43 stocks isolated by KIVI (Kit for In Vitro Isolation) appeared to belong to only one zymodeme ofTrypanosoma brucei gambiensegroup 1 (the major zymodeme Z3). The only stock isolated on rodents belonged to a different, new, zymodeme (Z50), ofT. b. gambiensegroup 1. From 18 pigs sampled in the same locations as the patients, PCR showed a high proportion of mixed infections ofT. brucei s. l.andT. congolenseriverine-forest. Zymodemes ofT. brucei s. l.from these pigs were different from those found in humans. From a total of 16260 captured tsetse (Glossina palpalis palpalis), 1701 were dissected and 28% were found to be infected by trypanosomes. The most prevalent trypanosome wasT. congolenseriverine-forest type, followed byT. vivax,T. brucei s. l.andT. congolensesavannah type, this latter being associated to the forest type ofT. congolensein most cases. Mixed infections by 2 or 3 of these trypanosomes were also found. Use of a microsatellite marker allowed us to distinguishT. b. gambiensegroup 1 in some of the mature infections in tsetse. Differences in infection rates and in trypanosome genotypes according to the host might indicate that the pig may not be an active animal reservoir for humans in this focus.
Intake of nutrient supplements affects multiplication ofLeishmania donovaniin hamsters
Authors: GARG RAVENDRA , SINGH NIRPENDRA , DUBE ANURADHA
Published: November 2004

The role of the essential nutrients, vitamins A,B (complex), C and E and iron, as prophylactic as well as supportive therapy in experimental visceral leishmaniasis (VL), was studied in hamsters. Prophylactic administration of vitamin C (50, 100 and 250 mg/kg) from day15 to day 0 (15 doses) significantly reduced the intake ofLeishmania donovaniin hamsters but had no therapeutic effect. In contrast, vitamins A,B complex and E and iron, whether used prophylactically or therapeutically, promoted parasite multiplication. The efficacy of sodium stibogluconate, a reference antileishmanial drug, was appreciably improved in animals administered prophylactically with vitamin C. However, supplementation of vitamin C during established infections resulted in reduced drug action. The results show that the prophylactic use of vitamin C may prevent the onset of leishmania infection and cautions against the indiscriminate use of nutrient supplements such as vitamin A, B complex, and E and iron in VL endemic areas.
Semi-nested PCR for the specific detection of Habronema microstoma or Habronema muscae DNA in horse faeces
Authors: TRAVERSA D. , GIANGASPERO A. , IORIO R. , OTRANTO D. , PAOLETTI B. , GASSER R. B.
Published: November 2004

Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae (Spirurida: Habronematidae) are parasitic nematodes which infect the stomach and/or skin of equids. The accurate diagnosis of gastric habronemosis is central to studying its epidemiology, but data on its distribution and prevalence are lacking, mainly due to the limitations of clinical and coprological diagnosis in live horses. To overcome this constraint, a two-step, semi-nested PCR-based assay was validated (utilizing genetic markers in the nuclear ribosomal DNA) for the specific amplification of H. microstoma or H. muscae DNA from the faeces from horses (n=46) whose gastrointestinal parasite status had been determined at autopsy and whose faeces were examined previously using a conventional parasitological approach. Of these horses examined at autopsy, some harboured adults of either H. microstoma (n=19) or H. muscae (n=4), and others (n=7) harboured both species. Most of them were also infected with other parasites, including strongylid nematodes (subfamilies Cyathostominae and Strongylinae), bots and/or cestodes; there was no evidence of metazoan parasites in 2 horses. Larvated spirurid eggs were detected in the faeces of 1 of the 30 horses (3·3%) shown to be infected with Habronema at autopsy. For this set of 46 samples, the PCR assay achieved a diagnostic specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of ~97% (being able to specifically detect as little as ~0·02 fg of Habronema DNA). The specificity of the assay was also tested using a panel of control DNA samples representing horse, the gastric spirurid Draschia megastoma and 26 other species of parasites from the alimentary tract of the horse. H. microstoma, H. muscae and D. megastoma could be readily differentiated from one another based on the sizes of their specific amplicons in the PCR. The results of this study showed that the performance of the PCR for the diagnosis of gastric habronemosis was similar to that of autopsy but substantially better than the traditional coprological examination procedure used. The ability to specifically diagnose gastric habronemosis in equids should have important implications for investigating the epidemiology and ecology of H. microstoma and H. muscae.
Ethnographic reflections on selfhood, embodiment and Alzheimer's disease
Authors: KONTOS PIA C.
Published: November 2004

Explicit in the current construction of Alzheimer's disease is the assumption that memory impairment caused by cognitive deficiencies leads to a steady loss of selfhood. The insistence that selfhood is the exclusive privilege of the sphere of cognition has its origins in the modern western philosophical tradition that separates mind from body, and positions the former as superior to the latter. This dichotomy suggests a fundamental passivity of the body, since it is primarily cognition that is held to be essential to selfhood. In contrast to the assumed erasure of selfhood in Alzheimer's disease, and challenging the philosophical underpinnings of this assumption, this paper presents the findings of an ethnographic study of selfhood in Alzheimer's disease in a Canadian long-term care facility. It argues and demonstrates that selfhood persists even with severe dementia, because it is an embodied dimension of human existence. Using a framework of embodiment that integrates the perspectives of Merleau-Ponty and Bourdieu, it is argued that selfhood is characterised by an observable coherence and capacity for improvisation, and sustained at a pre-reflective level by the primordial and socio-cultural significance of the body. The participants in this study interacted meaningfully with the world through their embodied way of ‘being-in-the-world’.
The 1997–1999 abrupt change of the upper ocean temperature in the north central Pacific
Authors: Kim Seung‐Bum , Lee Tong , Fukumori Ichiro
Published: November 2004

The abrupt warming of the north central Pacific Ocean from 1997 to 1999 is studied using an ocean data assimilation product. During this period, the average mixed‐layer temperature in the region of 170–210°E, 25–40°N rises by 1.8 K. The major contributors to the warming are surface heat flux (1.3 K), geostrophic advection (0.7 K), and entrainment (0.7 K). For the geostrophic advection, the contributions by the zonal, meridional, and vertical components are 0.4, −0.1 and 0.3 K, respectively. Mixing and meridional Ekman advection have cooling effect. The significance of the geostrophic advection indicates the importance of ocean dynamics in controlling the abrupt warming tendency during the 1997–99 period and the inadequacy of a slab mixed‐layer model in simulating such warming tendency.
Are rupture zone limits of great subduction earthquakes controlled by upper plate structures? Evidence from multichannel seismic reflection data acquired across the northern Ecuador–southwest Colombia margin
Authors: Collot Jean‐Yves , Marcaillou Boris , Sage Françoise , Michaud François , Agudelo William , Charvis Philippe , Graindorge David , Gutscher Marc‐André , Spence George
Published: November 2004

Subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the Ecuador‐Colombia margin has produced four megathrust earthquakes during the last century. The 500‐km‐long rupture zone of the 1906 (Mw = 8.8) event was partially reactivated by three thrust events, in 1942 (Mw = 7.8), 1958 (Mw = 7.7), and 1979 (Mw = 8.2), whose rupture zones abut one another. Multichannel seismic reflection and bathymetric data acquired during the SISTEUR cruise show evidence that the margin wedge is segmented by transverse crustal faults that potentially correlate with the limits of the earthquake coseismic slip zones. The Paleogene‐Neogene Jama Quininde and Esmeraldas crustal faults define a ∼200‐km‐long margin crustal block that coincides with the 1942 earthquake rupture zone. Subduction of the buoyant Carnegie Ridge is inferred to partially lock the plate interface along central Ecuador. However, coseismic slip during the 1942 and 1906 earthquakes may have terminated against the subducted northern flank of the ridge. We report on a newly identified Manglares crustal fault that cuts transversally through the margin wedge and correlates with the limit between the 1958 and 1979 rupture zones. During the earthquake cycle the fault is associated with high‐stress concentration on the plate interface. An outer basement high, which bounds the margin seaward of the 1958 rupture zone, may act as a deformable buttress to seaward propagation of coseismic slip along a megathrust splay fault. Coseismic uplift of the basement high is interpreted as the cause for the 1958 tsunami. We propose a model of weak transverse faults which reduce coupling between adjacent margin segments, together with a splay fault and an asperity along the plate interface as controlling the seismogenic rupture of the 1958 earthquake.
Estimating accumulation rates and physical properties of sediment behind a dam: Englebright Lake, Yuba River, northern California
Authors: Snyder Noah P. , Rubin David M. , Alpers Charles N. , Childs Jonathan R. , Curtis Jennifer A. , Flint Lorraine E. , Wright Scott A.
Published: November 2004

Studies of reservoir sedimentation are vital to understanding scientific and management issues related to watershed sediment budgets, depositional processes, reservoir operations, and dam decommissioning. Here we quantify the mass, organic content, and grain‐size distribution of a reservoir deposit in northern California by two methods of extrapolating measurements of sediment physical properties from cores to the entire volume of impounded material. Englebright Dam, completed in 1940, is located on the Yuba River in the Sierra Nevada foothills. A research program is underway to assess the feasibility of introducing wild anadromous fish species to the river upstream of the dam. Possible management scenarios include removing or lowering the dam, which could cause downstream transport of stored sediment. In 2001 the volume of sediments deposited behind Englebright Dam occupied 25.5% of the original reservoir capacity. The physical properties of this deposit were calculated using data from a coring campaign that sampled the entire reservoir sediment thickness (6–32 m) at six locations in the downstream ∼3/4 of the reservoir. As a result, the sediment in the downstream part of the reservoir is well characterized, but in the coarse, upstream part of the reservoir, only surficial sediments were sampled, so calculations there are more uncertain. Extrapolation from one‐dimensional vertical sections of sediment sampled in cores to entire three‐dimensional volumes of the reservoir deposit is accomplished via two methods, using assumptions of variable and constant layer thickness. Overall, the two extrapolation methods yield nearly identical estimates of the mass of the reservoir deposit of ∼26 × 106 metric tons (t) of material, of which 64.7–68.5% is sand and gravel. Over the 61 year reservoir history this corresponds to a maximum basin‐wide sediment yield of ∼340 t/km2/yr, assuming no contribution from upstream parts of the watershed impounded by other dams. The uncertainties and limitations of the estimates of overall sediment quantities are discussed. Implications for watershed management and future reservoir sedimentation studies are also presented.
Genetic studies of South Australian Merino sheep. 3. Heritabilities of various wool and body traits
Authors: Gregory IP
Published: November 2004

Heritabilities have been estimated for a large number of quantitative and qualitative wool and body traits recorded on two flocks of South Australian Merino sheep over a 12-year period. Data were unadjusted for fixed environmental effects and so the estimates are applicable to the heterogeneous populations found in most practical situations. Dam-offspring heritabilities of quantitative traits ranged from 0.15 for primary follicle number to 0.63 for body weight. Greasy and clean fleece weights, percentage clean yield, staple length, crimps per inch, fibre diameter, secondary and total follicle number, skin thickness, coefficient of variation of fibre diameter and secondary/primary follicle ratio had moderate to high heritabilities. Dam-offspring heritabilities of qualitative traits ranged from 0.12 for weather damage of the fleece to 0.75 for birthcoat. Total folds, face cover and hocks had high heritabilities, and wool character, type of staple formation and wool quality had moderate heritabilities. The main production traits (body weight, greasy fleece weight, yield, clean fleece weight, staple length, fibre diameter and total follicle number) were corrected for variation due to type of birth and age of dam and their heritabilities re-estimated. No change occurred in the half-sib heritabilities; dam-offspring heritabilities increased by an average of 0.05.
A simple test to detect sulphur deficiency in wheat
Authors: Moss R , Randall PJ , Wrigley CW
Published: November 2004

Wheat grain from sulfur-adequate plants remains straw yellow in colour when soaked in glutaraldehyde, but grain from sulfur-deficient plants turns brown or purplish brown. This observation is the basis of a proposed test to identify low-sulfur grain samples, and thus to identify sites requiring sulfur fertilizer. The colour formed during treatment with 4% glutaraldehyde in pH 6.8 phosphate buffer is ranked zero (no colour change), 1, 2 or 3 (maximum colour intensity). A glutaraldehyde score is then awarded on the basis of the percentage of grains in each of these four colour classes. Scores range from 0 to 300 with sulfur-deficient samples having scores > 100. The glutaraldehyde score was highly correlated with N/S ratio in the grain (v = 0.88***) and negatively correlated with percentage sulfur in the grain (r = -0.60** *). In a program to identify wheat-grain samples which are deficient in sulfur for breadmaking quality or yield, the glutaraldehyde test could be used in preliminary sorting to identify those samples requiring further testing.
Yield losses in wheat from yellow spot: comparison of estimates derived from single tillers and plots
Authors: Rees RG , Platz GJ , Mayer RJ
Published: November 2004

Losses in wheat yield associated with yellow spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) have been examined in a field experiment where development of crop and disease were promoted with sprinkler irrigation. Different amounts of infected wheat stubble were applied to initiate epidemics in four treatments, while fungicide sprays were used to reduce the severity of yellow spot in a fifth treatment. The relationship between severity of yellow spot and the amount of infected stubble at first appeared to be linear but became more noticeably logarithmic as the epidemics progressed. Under conditions favouring disease development, a loss in grain yield of c. 49% was measured in the most severely diseased treatment relative to the sprayed treatment, with grain number per unit area and grain size both being reduced. The percentage loss in grain yield was less for main stems than for later heads. Regression analyses of disease severity with grain yield and its components using 50 main stems in each plot gave different estimates of yield loss, depending on the growth stage at which disease severity was assessed. These estimates of yield loss and those provided by a previously developed disease-loss relationship severely underestimated the overall loss in grain yield. However, there was better agreement between estimates derived from the regressions and loss in grain yield on main stems. Possible reasons for the discrepancies in estimates of loss in grain yield are discussed.
Stem nitrate nitrogen and yield of wheat in a permanent rotation experiment
Authors: Papastylianou I , Puckridge DW
Published: November 2004

The growth of wheat on the permanent rotation experiment at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute was examined over two seasons. Measurements of stem nitrate nitrogen concentration were used to assess the effect of nitrogen on yield for treatments which can also affect the availability of water and the severity of pests and diseases. High nitrate nitrogen was positively correlated with yield in a wet year, but its importance changed between years and was determined by rotation and environmental conditions. On average the sequence oats-oats for grazing-fallow-wheat had the highest nitrate nitrogen and the highest long-term mean yield, even though it had no apparent nitrogen input. Rotations which included grass-clover phases can be more severely infested by pests and diseases, and the wheat less able to respond to favourable nitrogen supply than rotations which included fallow or a non-host crop.
Differences between two grain sorghum genotypes in adaptation to drought stress. I. Crop growth and yield responses
Authors: Wright GC , Smith RCG , McWilliam JR
Published: November 2004

A sorghum F1-hybrid, E57 , with reputed drought resistance was compared with another F1-hybrid, TX- 671, under irrigation and dryland conditions of severe rainfall insufficiency but ample soil water at depth in a deep cracking clay soil. Significant cultivar differences in grain yield occurred under rain-fed but not under irrigated conditions. Differences in yield were associated with different morphological responses to drought stress, with the variety E-57, in comparison with TX-671, having a lower level of floret abortion, the ability to maintain green leaf area longer during grain-filling and probably a higher root to shoot ratio. The implication of these results in relation to adaptation to drought stress is discussed.
The inheritance of seed resistance to Callosobruchus maculatus F. in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.). I. Analyses of parental, F1, F2, F3 and backcross seed generations
Authors: Redden RJ , Dobie P , Gatehouse AMR
Published: November 2004

Bioassays for bruchid emergence on cowpea seeds were conducted on the parent, hybrid F1, F2, F3, and backcross seed generations of five crosses between susceptible cowpea lines and the resistant accession TVu 2027. The study was repeated with reciprocal F1 hybrid seeds, and reciprocal backcross hybrid seeds. For the latter, the mean day of bruchid emergence was also measured. F3 seed from individual F2 plants of one reciprocal cross were also bioassayed. Trypsin inhibitor determinations were made on the parental, reciprocal F1 and reciprocal and non-reciprocal F3 seed generations. The results indicated: (1) that the expression of resistance is mainly determined by the maternal genotype; (2) that resistance may be inherited as a major gene effect, with resistance recessive, and with the presence of modifier genes of different effects in different crosses; (3) that a cytoplasmic effect appears to be absent; (4) that a paternal or embryo genotypic effect on seed resistance can be detected in a certain backcross combination; (5) that trypsin inhibitors are partly associated with expression of resistance, but are uncorrelated in F2 segregation, and appear to be quantitatively inherited and variable between crosses. Thus additional mechanisms so far undetected may also be implicated in the expression of seed resistance to bruchids.
Determination of the irrigation regimen for an avocado plantation in spring and autumn
Authors: Lahav E , Kalmar D
Published: November 2004

An irrigation experiment was conducted with three cultivars (Hass, Ettinger and Fuerte) in the avocado plantation of the Akko Experiment Station, Israel, during 1974-80 to determine the effect of irrigation regimen in spring and autumn on tree growth and productivity. Two treatments (wet and dry) were tested in the spring and in the autumn. In spring the trees receiving the wet treatment were irrigated when the tension at a soil depth of 30 cm reached 25 char (250 MPa), while those in the dry treatment were irrigated at 40 cbar tension. The same wet treatment was also applied in the autumn, while in the dry treatment the trees were not irrigated until the fruit reached elasticity at noon. The water regimen in the spring affected tree growth slightly, but in cvv. Hass and Ettinger the absolute and relative growth was higher in the spring dry treatment than in the wet. Trees grew faster under the autumn wet regimen than with the autumn dry regimen. The effect of irrigation regimen on yield, fruit size and export quality was light. Only with cv. Ettinger were higher yields recorded from trees irrigated with the dry-wet regimen. The autumn water stress sometimes decreased fruit size, but size was affected much more by the tree yield than by the irrigation regimen. It seems that the regimens in spring and autumn do not increase the productivity of avocado trees. However, equivalent yields of the same quality can be obtained with reduced water amounts, by using the water more efficiently.
Comparative toxicity responses of goats fed on Leucaena leucocephala in Australia and Hawaii
Authors: Jones RJ , Megarrity RG
Published: November 2004

To examine the apparent absence of toxicity in ruminants fed on Leucaena leucocephala in Hawaii, U.S.A., goats were offered comparable diets of Leucaena and lucerne chaff (control) in both Australia and Hawaii over a 7-week period. Intake of mimosine, excretion of the ruminal metabolite 3-hydroxy- 4(1H)-pyridone (DHP), and serum concentrations of thyroxine (T4) were measured in both studies. Mean mimosine intakes on the highest Leucaena diets in Australia and Hawaii were similar at about 20 g day-1. In Australia, goats on the all-Leucaena diets became hypothyroid after only 3 weeks of feeding, thyroid glands were enlarged and erosion of the oesophageal mucosa and reticulo-rumen occurred. Excretion of DHP in the urine was related to the daily mirnosine intakes, with recoveries of about 86%. In marked contrast, goats fed on Leucaena in Hawaii exhibited no clinical signs of toxicity and excreted less than 1% of the mirnosine intake as DHP in the urine. No degradation of DHP occurred in vitro with rumen fluid from Australian goats, whereas 71% of the added DHP was degraded after 5 h with rumen fluid from goats in Hawaii. The results support the hypothesis that the differences observed are attributable to a different microbial metabolism of mimosine and DHP in ruminants in Hawaii.
Temperature dependence of germinability of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain in relation to pre-harvest sprouting
Authors: Mares DJ
Published: November 2004

Germinability in harvest-mature wheat grain showed a marked dependence on temperature. The optimum temperature for the complete germination of all grains ranged from 20�C for the non-dormant variety, Timgalen, to 10�C for the strongly dormant red wheat RL 4137, whereas the optimum in terms of the shortest lag period ranged from 25� to 15�C for the same varieties. Germinability gradually increased during post-harvest storage and, for after-ripened grain, the optimum temperature for both complete germination and shortest lag period were greater than 30�C. Germinability could also be increased by pre-treating imbibing grains at temperatures of 5�, 10� or in some cases 15�C. This treatment was only effective for grain at moisture contents >25% (dry weight) and the effect was not reversed by redesiccation. The pre-treatment temperature required for maximum germinability decreased with increasing levels of grain dormancy. Complete removal of dormancy required a pre-treatment period of c. 48 h; however, lesser periods gave the shortest lag period in the case of the dormant varieties. The implications of these results for the utilization of dormancy in the development of preharvest sprouting damage tolerant varieties and their subsequent use in practice are discussed.
Flowering of Stylosanthes guianensis in controlled temperatures under natural photoperiod
Authors: Ison RL , Humphreys LR
Published: November 2004

Seedlings of Stylosanthes guianensis var. guianensis cv. Cook and cv. Endeavour were grown in naturally lit glasshouses at Brisbane (lat. 27� 30' S.) at 35/30, 30/25 and 25/20�C (day/night), and were sown so as to emerge at 18-day intervals from 18 January to 11 June. Cook behaved as a long day-short day plant, with seedlings emerging after 5 February flowering incompletely or remaining vegetative until the experiment was terminated in mid-October. In the 25/20�C regimen flowering was incomplete in Cook; in Endeavour flowering was delayed but a conventional short-day response was observed. At 35/30�C Endeavour flowering was inhibited in the shortest days of mid-winter, suggesting a stenophotoperiodic response, but short days were confounded with low levels of irradiance. Minimum duration of the phase from emergence to floral initiation was c. 66-70 days in Cook and c. 40-45 days in Endeavour; the duration of the phase floral initiation to flower appearance was linearly and negatively related to temperature.
Identification and selection for salt tolerance in lucerne (Medicago sativa L.)
Authors: Noble CL , Halloran GM , West DW
Published: November 2004

Variation existed between plants of the lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) cultivar CUF 101 for dry matter production, shoot number and length, and leaf damage when grown for 70 days under 250 mM NaCl (15 h photoperiod, 20�C day, 10�C night). Salt tolerance evaluation using the criteria percentage leaf damage (percentage of total number of leaves with complete or partial necrosis) and length of the main shoot, isolated plants which showed salt tolerance of reasonably high heritability (h2=0.41). Two generations of recurrent selection for tolerance significantly increased the mean population tolerance without decreasing production under non-saline conditions. While both sodium and chloride concentrations of the shoot were lower in the tolerant than in less tolerant plants, chloride was more closely associated with salt tolerance than sodium. Sodium and chloride concentrations in the roots did not vary with the level of salt tolerance. No association of shoot and root potassium concentration with tolerance was evident. Selection for salt tolerance in lucerne plants using percentage leaf damage of less than 10% as the main criterion should give a rapid response to selection. The efficiency of selection may be increased if selection is based on the efficiency of chloride exclusion from the shoots and/or the level of chloride tolerated by the shoots prior to leaf damage becoming evident.
Losses, by leaching, of alkaloids from the capsule of the poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) during maturation
Authors: Hofman PJ , Menary RC
Published: November 2004

Losses by leaching of morphine, codeine and thebaine from field-grown capsules of Papaver somniferum at various stages of maturity were determined by subjecting them to a mist of tap water, and collecting the leachate. Up to 60 and 80% of the morphine and codeine were removed from the mature capsule by leaching, but only 40% of the thebaine. Losses from the immature capsules were generally small, but increased dramatically as the capsules matured. An undamaged waxy bloom significantly reduced leaching losses. Significant quantities of morphine and thebaine were removed from the capsule by mechanisms other than leaching.
The effect of soil- and foliar-applied manganese in preventing the onset of manganese deficiency in Lupinus angustifolius
Authors: Hannam RJ , Davies WJ , Graham RD , Riggs JL
Published: November 2004

The efficacy of the application of manganese, either applied to soil or as foliar sprays at three stages of flower development, in preventing the expression of manganese deficiency (ruptured seed coats ('split seed'); delayed maturity ('regreening'); and poor grain yield) in two cultivars of Lupinus angustifolius (cvv. Marri and Illyarrie) was assessed on sandy soils of the upper South East and Eyre Peninsula regions of South Australia. Six experiments were conducted during 1979 and 1980. A single foliar application of manganese (1.7 kg Mn/ha, in 200 litre water) when the upper-lateral shoots were in mid-flower, prevented the onset of the disorder. Applications of manganese to the soil at sowing at rates of up to 11.1 kg Mn/ha were usually less effective. The appearance of 'split-seed' symptoms in mature grain was a more sensitive indicator of manganese deficiency than was grain yield response to manganese fertilization. The degree to which these symptoms appeared increased markedly when the manganese concentration in intact seed became less than 8-10 �g/g dry seed, an observation which is consistent with other studies.
Rapid estimation of corynetoxins in bacterial galls from annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin) by high-performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Cockrum PA , Edgar JA
Published: November 2004

A rapid and sensitive method is described for the extraction, detection and measurement of corynetoxins in ryegrass seed galls colonized by Corynebucterium rathayi. Excised galls are extracted with aqueous methanol and the extract analysed, without further purification, by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with detection by uItraviolet absorption. The method is applicable down to the level of a single gall or part of a gall with a minimum level of detection of about 0.25 �g using the equipment described. The corynetoxin content of the individual galls examined varied from below the detection limit to 10.6 �g. The highest level of corynetoxin in a single gall was 1.15% of gall weight. The corynetoxin composition of galls collected during outbreaks of annual ryegrass toxicity in South Australia, Western Australia and South Africa during a 19-year period were found to be similar.
A short-term study of calcium and phosphorus absorption in sheep fed on diets high and low in calcium and phosphorus
Authors: Schneider KM , Ternouth JH , Sevilla CC , Boston RC
Published: November 2004

Compartmental modelling techniques were used to measure the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in young sheep which had been fed ad libitum for 6 months on one of four diets containing 1.35 or 8.2 g calcium and 0.72 or 4.5 g phosphorus per kg dry matter. In most of the compartmental models, absorption could be represented by a primary and secondary compartment. The percentage of 45Ca absorbed increased as calcium intake decreased so that the amount of calcium absorbed was not greatly affected by changes in the dietary intake or abomasal contents of calcium. Also, there were no differences due to treatment in the amount of calcium absorbed by primary or secondary absorption. The percentage of 32P absorbed did not vary between treatments, although the percentage absorbed by primary absorption was higher in sheep on low phosphorus diets. For secondary absorption, the percentage absorbed was higher in sheep on high phosphorus diets. The amount of phosphorus absorbed by primary absorption was the same for all treatments; however, sheep on low phosphorus diets absorbed very little phosphorus by secondary absorption, whereas sheep on high phosphorus diets absorbed 2.5 times as much phosphorus as those on low phosphorus diets. The amounts of mineral absorbed by primary absorption for phosphorus and calcium, and by secondary absorption for calcium, were not altered by changes in the amount of phosphorus or calcium mixed with the tracer, indicating that primary absorption may be saturable for phosphorus and calcium and secondary absorption for calcium. The large absorption of phosphorus by the secondary compartment was proportional to the amount of phosphorus in the lower small intestine and therefore the phosphorus was probably absorbed by a non-saturable mechanism.
Genetic variation in sodium and potassium concentration in herbage of Digitaria milanjiana, and its relation to provenance
Authors: Hacker JB , Strickland RW , Basford KE
Published: November 2004

Sixty-five accessions, including diploids, tetraploids and hexaploids, of the African grass Digitaria milanjiana, were grown in a grass garden in south-eastern Queensland, and sodium (Na) and potassium (K) concentrations of herbage were determined after regrowth periods of either 6 weeks or 6 months. The accessions were originally obtained from sites in Africa from l�S. to 25�S., and over 400-1700 mm mean annual rainfall. The Na concentration of herbage ranged from 0.01 to 2.30% (w/w) and was inversely correlated with K concentration. There was a clearly defined geographic distribution of accessions which had high or low Na concentrations. Accessions from coastal sites had high concentrations of Na in the dry matter (>0.25% DM), those from inland sites south of 20�S. had low concentrations of Na (usually <0.24% DM), and all those from inland sites north of latitude 20' S. were invariably very low in Na concentration (<0.09% DM). Accessions with high and low levels of Na occurred at all three ploidy levels. Genetic studies at the diploid level, using generation means analysis, showed differing patterns of inheritance of Na and K concentration for two crosses, even though they had one parent in common. Both additive and dominance effects were evident for Na and K; in addition, significant inter-allelic interactions occurred, especially involving dominance. The results are discussed in relation to the adaptive significance of Na accumulation, to its significance in animal production, and to the possibilities of breeding cultivars that have adequate Na concentration and are adapted to low rainfall regions.
Comparative tolerance of tropical grain legumes to salinity
Authors: Keating BA , Fisher MJ
Published: November 2004

The tolerances of a range of tropical grain legumes to salinity were compared during early vegetative growth of plants grown in pots with NaCl added to a sandy loam soil to achieve electrical conductivities (sat. extract, ECe) over the range, 1.3-13.8 dS m-1. Tolerance, based on the ECe at 50% of maximum growth (in parenthesis) was of the order: Sesbania cannabina (13.2 dS m-1) > guar cv. CP 177 (10.1 dS m-1) > guar cv. Brooks (9.8 dS m-1) > cowpea cv. Caloona (9.0 dS m-1) > soybean CPI 26671 (6.7 dS m-1) > pigeon pea cv. Hunt (5.4 dS m-1) > black gram cv. Regur (5.0 dS m-1) > pigeon pea cv. Royes (4.9 dS m-1) > green gram cv. Celera (3.5 dS m-1). Genotypes exhibited differences in Na+ accumulation, with black gram, green gram and pigeon pea accumulating large quantities in shoot tissues, compared with effective exclusion of Na+ by Sesbania, guar and soybean. Smaller relative differences existed between species in terms of Cl- uptake, and the relative yield reduction was closely related to the amount of cl- in shoots. These results are discussed in terms of current understanding of the nature of salt tolerance in nonhalophytes.
Phosphorus metabolism in ruminants. 2. Effects of inorganic phosphorus concentration upon food intake and digestibility
Authors: Milton JTB , Ternouth JH
Published: November 2004

Four sheep, prepared with bilateral re-entrant parotid duct catheters, ruminal fistulas and abomasal catheters, were offered a pelleted high-calcium low-phosphorus diet. By infusing saline or phosphate solutions into the abomasum with or without diversion of the parotid saliva, three treatments were created: low ruminal, low blood; high ruminal, high blood; and low ruminal, high blood inorganic phosphorus concentrations. The organic matter intake of the sheep on the low-blood treatment was 34% less than on either of the high-blood treatments. Although there were no differences between treatments in organic matter digestibility, the digestibility of the neutral-detergent fibre fraction on both low-ruminal treatments was 5% lower than on the high-ruminal treatment. There were no differences between treatments in ruminal fluid volume, but there was a tendency for the retention times of ruminal fluid and caeco-colic digesta to be greater and the rate of flow of fluid from the rumen and daily parotid saliva secretion to be lower when less food was eaten. It is concluded that although phosphorus deficiency may depress microbial digestion, the reduced food intake of the sheep was not due to a depression in microbial digestion and that the primary factor limiting food intake was due to some nondigestive tract disturbance, possibly a disturbance of intracellular metabolism.