bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of land surface forcings on mean and extreme temperature in eastern China
Authors: Hu Yichang , Dong Wenjie , He Yong
Published: October 2010

The “observation minus reanalysis” (OMR) method is used to estimate the impact of land surface forcings on surface temperature by computing the difference of trends between the observations and reanalysis data set. The basis of this method is that if observed surface temperature, moisture, and wind over land are not used in reanalysis, the reanalysis data set should not be sensitive to urbanization and other land use change. In this study, the OMR method is used to estimate the impacts of land surface change on surface temperature trends during the period from 1979 to 2008 in eastern China, and the difference time series of extreme temperature indices between the observations and the reanalysis data sets is also analyzed. The OMR trends of annual cold (warm) nights exhibit generally decrease (increase), it means that land surface change is likely to enhance the decreasing (increasing) trends of annual cold (warm) nights. The decreasing (increasing) OMR trends of annual cold (warm) days is found in semiarid region in northern China, while the increasing (decreasing) of cold (warm) days occurs in eastern agricultural area. For eastern China as a whole, the land surface change impact may explain about one third of the observed increase for the annual warm nights and nearly half of the observed decrease for the annual cold nights, and the impacts on the annual cold days and warm days are relatively small. The land surface change may reduce the diurnal temperature range significantly. The impact of land surface forcings on extreme temperature demonstrates obviously annual variation.
A novel nonintrusive method to resolve the thermal dome effect of pyranometers: Instrumentation and observational basis
Authors: Ji Qiang , Tsay Si‐Chee
Published: October 2010

A new method for improving the ground‐based pyranometer measurements of solar irradiance has been employed during the East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols and Impact on Regional Climate field experiment, Asian Monsoon Year in China in 2008. Depending on the temperature difference between its detector and domes, a pyranometer's thermal dome effect (TDE) can vary from a few W m−2 at night to over tens of W m−2 during daytime. Yet in traditional calibration procedures only a single calibration constant is determined, and consequently TDE is misrepresented. None of the methods that have been documented in the literature can capture TDE nonintrusively using the same instrument. For example, although adding a temperature sensor to the detector assembly is straightforward, attaching any sensor on a dome is intrusive and will affect its overall optical and physical properties. Furthermore, in response to the solar elevation and atmospheric variables, the dome temperature distribution is both dynamic and uneven, which makes it exceedingly difficult for locating a representative point on the dome for measuring TDE. However, the effective‐dome‐temperature is proportional to the pressure of the air trapped between the outer and the inner domes; therefore with a minor modification to a pyranometer, we can utilize the ideal gas law to gauge TDE without affecting the domes. Pyranometers can become climate‐quality instruments once their TDE are nonintrusively determined.
Observations of Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability at a cloud base with the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) and weather radars
Authors: Luce Hubert , Mega Tomoaki , Yamamoto Masayuki K. , Yamamoto Mamoru , Hashiguchi Hiroyuki , Fukao Shoichiro , Nishi Noriyuki , Tajiri Takuya , Nakazato Masahisa
Published: October 2010

Using the very high frequency (46.5 MHz) middle and upper atmosphere radar (MUR), Ka band (35 GHz) and X band (9.8 GHz) weather radars, a Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instability occurring at a cloud base and its impact on modulating cloud bottom altitudes are described by a case study on 8 October 2008 at the Shigaraki MU Observatory, Japan (34.85°N, 136.10°E). KH braids were monitored by the MUR along the slope of a cloud base gradually rising with time around an altitude of ∼5.0 km. The KH braids had a horizontal wavelength of about 3.6 km and maximum crest‐to‐trough amplitude of about 1.6 km. Nearly monochromatic and out of phase vertical air motion oscillations exceeding ±3 m s−1with a period of ∼3 min 20 s were measured by the MUR above and below the cloud base. The axes of the billows were at right angles of the wind and wind shear both oriented east‐north‐east at their altitude. The isotropy of the radar echoes and the large variance of Doppler velocity in the KH billows (including the braids) indicate the presence of strong turbulence at the Bragg (∼3.2 m) scale. After the passage of the cloud system, the KH waves rapidly damped and the vertical scale of the KH braids progressively decreased down to about 100 m before their disappearance. The radar observations suggest that the interface between clear air and cloud was conducive to the presence of the dynamical shear instability by reducing static stability (and then the Richardson number) near the cloud base. Downward cloudy protuberances detected by the Ka band radar had vertical and horizontal scales of about 0.6–1.1 and 3.2 km, respectively, and were clearly associated with the downward air motions. Observed oscillations of the reflectivity‐weighted Doppler velocity measured by the X band radar indicate that falling ice particles underwent the vertical wind motions generated by the KH instability to form the protuberances. The protuberances at the cloud base might be either KH billow clouds or perhaps some sort of mamma. Reflectivity‐weighted particle fall velocity computed from Doppler velocities measured by the X band radar and the MUR showed an average value of 1.3 ms−1within the cloud and in the protuberance environment.
Relative contributions of anthropogenic emissions to black carbon aerosol in the Arctic
Authors: Huang L. , Gong S. L. , Jia C. Q. , Lavoué D.
Published: October 2010

Using a global air quality model with online aerosol algorithm GEM‐AQ, this work first validates the performance of the model against available observations and then estimates the regional contributions to the Arctic black carbon (BC) aerosol from anthropogenic sources. The comparisons against the surface measurements at Alert and Zeppelin suggest that the Arctic BC aerosol can be predicted by the model within 15% on annual average, and the seasonality of Arctic BC is predicted by 90% and 66% at these sites, respectively. Comparisons against surface measurements in North America, Europe, and South Asia confirm that surface BC concentrations are reproduced by the model within a factor of 2 at most (104 out of 115) sites investigated. Using GEM‐AQ, sensitivity experiments are conducted by reducing the anthropogenic emissions from selected regions by 20%. Based on area‐weighted results for the Arctic region, model simulations suggest that Europe contributes more (up to 57%) to the lowest 5 km of the Arctic troposphere than any other region. The contribution of Asian Russia is significant near the surface (about 30% at 100 m above the surface) and decreases rapidly to less than 10% at the altitude of about 5 km in the Arctic troposphere. The contributions from South and East Asia increase with increasing altitude, and become more significant than others in the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere, with their peak contributions of about 35% and 40%, respectively. North American contribution to the Arctic troposphere (about 10–20%) has the least variations in the vertical direction among the potential source regions affecting the Arctic.
Estimation of long‐term basin scale evapotranspiration from streamflow time series
Authors: Palmroth Sari , Katul Gabriel G. , Hui Dafeng , McCarthy Heather R. , Jackson Robert B. , Oren Ram
Published: October 2010

We estimated long‐term annual evapotranspiration (ETQ) at the watershed scale by combining continuous daily streamflow (Q) records, a simplified watershed water balance, and a nonlinear reservoir model. Our analysis used Q measured from 11 watersheds (area ranged from 12 to 1386 km2) from the uppermost section of the Neuse River Basin in North Carolina, USA. In this area, forests and agriculture dominate the land cover and the spatial variation in climatic drivers is small. About 30% of the interannual variation in the basin‐averaged ETQ was explained by the variation in precipitation (P), while ETQ showed a minor inverse correlation with pan evaporation. The sum of annual Q and ETQ was consistent with the independently measured P. Our analysis shows that records of Q can provide approximate, continuous estimates of long‐term ET and, thereby, bounds for modeling regional fluxes of water and of other closely coupled elements, such as carbon.
Fission‐track thermochronology, vertical kinematics, and tectonic development along the western extension of the North Anatolian Fault zone
Authors: Hejl E. , Bernroider M. , Parlak O. , Weingartner H.
Published: October 2010

We have investigated the low‐temperature history of pre‐Neogene basement areas adjacent to the western extension of the North Anatolian Fault zone (NAFZ) by apatite fission track thermochronology of 33 samples taken from Marmara island, Kapidag peninsula (both in the Sea of Marmara), Samothrake island, and Chalkidike peninsula (both in the North Aegean region). Together with already published apatite fission track data from 30 other sampling localities of the region, these data (63 in total) have been evaluated mainly with regard to the transitional period from the Mesohellenic orogeny (Eocene‐Oligocene) to the plate‐tectonical individualization of the Aegean‐Antolian microplate, to gain a better understanding of the tectonical chronology that has led to modern east Mediterranean plate tectonics. Apatite fission track investigations of the area under discussion reveal two major events of cooling and exhumation of pre‐Neogene rocks. A first frequency maximum of cooling ages between 35 and 25 Ma (late Eocene to early Oligocene) is due to postorogenic regional erosion after the climax of the Mesohellenic orogeny, which was caused by continental collision of the Pelagonian platform and the Rila‐Rhodope zone after the final closure of the Axios‐Vardar Ocean. A second frequency maximum of cooling ages between 17 and 11.5 Ma (early to middle Miocene) depicts more localized uplift and exhumation in consequence of transpressive and/or transtensive movements along early structural discontinuities that gave rise to the later fault systems in the western extension of the NAFZ. The earliest fault structures of this system have developed shortly after the orogenic collapse and crustal extension of the Rila‐Rhodope area but quasi simultaneously with the onset of subduction along the modern Hellenic trench. The regional distribution of fission track ages of the Miocene age group (17 to 11.5 Ma), and corresponding thermochronological calculations based on frequency distributions of confined track lengths suggest that an early fault propagation has occurred from east to west during the Miocene. The onset of subduction along the Hellenic trench and subsequent gravitational retreat of the subducting oceanic slab are considered as a major cause for transtension of the Aegean crust, especially with regard to the development of north Aegean pull‐apart basins. Such early fault structures have facilitated the westward propagation of a continuous NAFZ that took place during the Pliocene from the easternmost Marmara region to the Gallipoli peninsula and to the North Aegean trough.
Cyclin‐dependent kinase 9–cyclin K functions in the replication stress response
Authors: Yu David S , Zhao Runxiang , Hsu Emory L , Cayer Jennifer , Ye Fei , Guo Yan , Shyr Yu , Cortez David
Published: October 2010

Cyclin‐dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is a well‐characterized subunit of the positive transcription elongation factor b complex in which it regulates transcription elongation in cooperation with cyclin T. However, CDK9 also forms a complex with cyclin K, the function of which is less clear. Using a synthetic lethal RNA interference screen in human cells, we identified CDK9 as a component of the replication stress response. Loss of CDK9 activity causes an increase in spontaneous levels of DNA damage signalling in replicating cells and a decreased ability to recover from a transient replication arrest. This activity is restricted to CDK9–cyclin K complexes and is independent of CDK9–cyclin T complex. CDK9 accumulates on chromatin in response to replication stress and limits the amount of single‐stranded DNA in cells under stress. Furthermore, we show that CDK9 and cyclin K interact with ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3‐related protein and other checkpoint signalling proteins. These results reveal an unexpectedly direct role for CDK9–cyclin K in checkpoint pathways that maintain genome integrity in response to replication stress.
What Have We Learned From Physiological Approaches to Characterizing Dysarthria and Other Speech Production Disorders?
Authors: Etter Nicole M.
Published: October 2010

Traditionally, speech-language pathologists (SLP) have been trained to develop interventions based on a select number of perceptual characteristics of speech without or through minimal use of objective instrumental and physiologic assessment measures of the underlying articulatory subsystems. While indirect physiological assumptions can be made from perceptual assessment measures, the validity and reliability of those assumptions are tenuous at best. Considering that neurological damage will result in various degrees of aberrant speech physiology, the need for physiologic assessments appears highly warranted. In this context, do existing physiological measures found in the research literature have sufficient diagnostic resolution to provide distinct and differential data within and between etiological classifications of speech disorders and versus healthy controls? The goals of this paper are (a) to describe various physiological and movement-related techniques available to objectively study various dysarthrias and speech production disorders and (b) to develop an appreciation for the need for increased systematic research to better define physiologic features of dysarthria and speech production disorders and their relation to know perceptual characteristics.
Basic Electronics Theory for the Practicing Clinician
Authors: Andreatta Richard D.
Published: October 2010

For speech and hearing professionals who rely on and use electrical equipment to record and manipulate human biosignals, a poor appreciation of basic electrical theory may (a) inhibit their capacity to use novel instrumental approaches creatively and/or (b) prevent the correct interpretation of instrumental outputs. The purpose of this paper is to provide the practicing clinician with a non-mathematical tutorial on select topics of electricity, including force fields, voltage, current, resistance, Ohm's Law, and basic circuit configurations. The author's intent is directed toward demystifying basic concepts and principles of electricity, allowing the reader to feel more comfortable dealing with electrical applications in the workplace.
Mitochondrial Lon protease regulates mitochondrial DNA copy number and transcription by selective degradation of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM)
Authors: Matsushima Yuichi , Goto Yu-ichi , Kaguni Laurie S.
Published: October 2010

Lon is the major protease in the mitochondrial matrix in eukaryotes, and is well conserved among species. Although a role for Lon in mitochondrial biogenesis has been proposed, the mechanistic basis is unclear. Here, we demonstrate a role for Lon in mtDNA metabolism. An RNA interference (RNAi) construct was designed that reduces Lon to less than 10% of its normal level inDrosophilaSchneider cells. RNAi knockdown of Lon results in increased abundance of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and mtDNA copy number. In a corollary manner, overexpression of Lon reduces TFAM levels and mtDNA copy number. Notably, induction of mtDNA depletion in Lon knockdown cells does not result in degradation of TFAM, thereby causing a dramatic increase in the TFAM∶mtDNA ratio. The increased TFAM∶mtDNA ratio in turn causes inhibition of mitochondrial transcription. We conclude that Lon regulates mitochondrial transcription by stabilizing the mitochondrial TFAM∶mtDNA ratio via selective degradation of TFAM.
Isolation of circulating tumor cells using a microvortex-generating herringbone-chip
Authors: Stott Shannon L. , Hsu Chia-Hsien , Tsukrov Dina I. , Yu Min , Miyamoto David T. , Waltman Belinda A. , Rothenberg S. Michael , Shah Ajay M. , Smas Malgorzata E. , Korir George K. , Floyd Frederick P. , Gilman Anna J. , Lord Jenna B. , Winokur Daniel , Springer Simeon , Irimia Daniel , Nagrath Sunitha , Sequist Lecia V. , Lee Richard J. , Isselbacher Kurt J. , Maheswaran Shyamala , Haber Daniel A. , Toner Mehmet
Published: October 2010

Rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) present in the bloodstream of patients with cancer provide a potentially accessible source for detection, characterization, and monitoring of nonhematological cancers. We previously demonstrated the effectiveness of a microfluidic device, the CTC-Chip, in capturing these epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-expressing cells using antibody-coated microposts. Here, we describe a high-throughput microfluidic mixing device, the herringbone-chip, or “HB-Chip,” which provides an enhanced platform for CTC isolation. The HB-Chip design applies passive mixing of blood cells through the generation of microvortices to significantly increase the number of interactions between target CTCs and the antibody-coated chip surface. Efficient cell capture was validated using defined numbers of cancer cells spiked into control blood, and clinical utility was demonstrated in specimens from patients with prostate cancer. CTCs were detected in 14 of 15 (93%) patients with metastatic disease (median = 63 CTCs/mL, mean = 386 ± 238 CTCs/mL), and the tumor-specific TMPRSS2-ERG translocation was readily identified following RNA isolation and RT-PCR analysis. The use of transparent materials allowed for imaging of the captured CTCs using standard clinical histopathological stains, in addition to immunofluorescence-conjugated antibodies. In a subset of patient samples, the low shear design of the HB-Chip revealed microclusters of CTCs, previously unappreciated tumor cell aggregates that may contribute to the hematogenous dissemination of cancer.
Masked priming effects are modulated by expertise in the script
Authors: Perea Manuel , Abu Mallouh Reem , García-Orza Javier , Carreiras Manuel
Published: October 2010

In a recent study using a masked priming same–different matching task, García-Orza, Perea, and Muñoz (2010) found a transposition priming effect for letter strings, digit strings, and symbol strings, but not for strings of pseudoletters (i.e., [Formula: see text] produced similar response times to the control pair [Formula: see text]). They argued that the mechanism responsible for position coding in masked priming is not operative with those “objects” whose identity cannot be attained rapidly. To assess this hypothesis, Experiment 1 examined masked priming effects in Arabic for native speakers of Arabic, whereas participants in Experiments 2 and 3 were lower intermediate learners of Arabic and readers with no knowledge of Arabic, respectively. Results showed a masked priming effect only for readers who are familiar with the Arabic script. Furthermore, transposed-letter priming in native speakers of Arabic only occurred when the order of the root letters was kept intact. In Experiments 3–7, we examined why masked repetition priming is absent for readers who are unfamiliar with the Arabic script. We discuss the implications of these findings for models of visual-word recognition.
Investigating the nature and time-course of the modality shift effect between vision and touch
Authors: Miles Eleanor , Brown Richard , Poliakoff Ellen
Published: October 2010

It is well known that stimuli grab attention to their location, but do they also grab attention to their sensory modality? The modality shift effect (MSE), the observation that responding to a stimulus leads to reaction time benefits for subsequent stimuli in the same modality, suggests that this may be the case. If noninformative cue stimuli, which do not require a response, also lead to benefits for their modality, this would suggest that the effect is automatic. We investigated the time-course of the visuotactile MSE and the difference between the effects of cues and targets. In Experiment 1, when visual and tactile tasks and stimulus locations were matched, uninformative cues did not lead to reaction time benefits for targets in the same modality. However, the modality of the previous target led to a significant MSE. Only stimuli that require a response, therefore, appear to lead to reaction time benefits for their modality. In Experiment 2, increasing attention to the cue stimuli attenuated the effect of the previous target, but the cues still did not lead to a MSE. In Experiment 3, a MSE was demonstrated between successive targets, and this effect decreased with increasing intertrial intervals. Overall, these studies demonstrate how cue- and target-induced effects interact and suggest that modalities do not automatically capture attention as locations do; rather, the MSE is more similar to other task repetition effects.
Gyration mode splitting in magnetostatically coupled magnetic vortices in an array
Authors: Barman Anjan , Barman Saswati , Kimura T , Fukuma Y , Otani Y
Published: October 2010

We present the experimental observation of gyration mode splitting by the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect in an array consisting of magnetostatically coupled Ni81Fe19 discs of 1 µm diameter, 50 nm thickness and inter-disc separations varying between 150 and 270 nm. A splitting of the vortex core gyration mode is observed when the inter-disc separation is 200 nm or less and the splitting is controllable by a bias magnetic field. The observed mode splitting is interpreted by micromagnetic simulations as the normal modes of the vortex cores analogous to the coupled classical oscillators. The splitting depends upon the strength of the inter-disc magnetostatic coupling mediated by magnetic side charges, which depends strongly on the magnetic ground states of the samples.
High-speed etching of SiO2 using a remote-type pin-to-plate dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Oh Jong Sik , Park Jae Beom , Gil Elly , Yeom Geun Young
Published: October 2010

High speed etching of SiO2 has been investigated using a remote-type dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in-line system with a multi-pin-to-plate power electrode configuration as functions of N2/NF3 gas combination, added gases and operating frequency of a pulse power supply. The SiO2 etch rate increased with an increase in NF3 flow rate (0.2–1.0 slm) in N2 (60 slm)/NF3 but showed a maximum with an increase in N2 (30–80 slm) at 60 slm in the N2/NF3 (1 slm) gas mixture. The SiO2 etch rate was also increased with the addition of up to 0.6 slm of He or Ar gas and it was also related to the increase in fluorine atomic density in the plasma. The addition of He or Ar to the N2 (60 slm)/NF3 (1 slm) and the increase in the frequency of the pulse power increased the fluorine atomic density through the increased Penning ionization/dissociation and the increased ionization by the increased pulse-on time, respectively.
A study of low temperature mechanical properties and creep behaviour of polypropylene using a new sub-ambient temperature nanoindentation test platform
Authors: Chen Jian , Bell Gerard A , Dong Hanshan , Smith James F , Beake Ben D
Published: October 2010

Mechanical properties and creep behaviour of an atactic-polypropylene (aPP) have been studied in the vicinity of its glass transition temperature (−18 °C) via a nanoindentation platform integrated with a sub-ambient temperature capability. All low temperature tests were validated by measurements on a fused silica reference sample from 25 to −30 °C. The fused silica results showed virtually invariant elastic modulus with temperature over this range consistent with the literature measurements by sonic resonance. Hardness and elastic modulus of aPP increased as the test temperature decreased and the amorphous regions went through the glass transition. The creep behaviour was analysed using two approaches: (i) a logarithmic method and (ii) the Boltzmann integral method. The results showed that the creep extent decreased as the temperature was reduced, and for the time constants obtained there were upper-limit values at −10 °C, about 8 °C above the quoted glass transition temperature. The strain rate sensitivity obtained by the logarithmic method also showed a maximum at −10 °C.
ECCD calculations in ITER by means of the quasi-optical code
Authors: Bertelli N. , Balakin A.A. , Westerhof E. , Buyanova M.N.
Published: October 2010

Electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) calculations for the case of the ITER electron cyclotron resonant heating upper port launcher are presented making use of a quasi-optical (QO) code (Balakin et al
2008 Nucl. Fusion
48 065003). The QO code describes accurately the behaviour of the wave beam in the electron cyclotron resonance layer, taking into account spatial inhomogeneity and dispersion. The ECCD efficiency is obtained using the adjoint calculation as presented by (Lin-Liu et al 2003 Phys. Plasmas
10 4064). The results show a broadening of the EC driven current density profiles in the range 15–30% as compared with beam-tracing calculations using TORBEAM. Consistently, peak driven current density values are found to be decreased by 10–20%. These results have significant consequences for the determination of the requirements on ECCD power to control magnetohydrodynamic instabilities such as neoclassical tearing modes and sawteeth.
A Statistical Model to Detect Asymptomatic Infectious Individuals with an Application in thePhytophthora alni-Induced Alder Decline
Authors: Elegbede Chabi Fabrice , Pierrat Jean-Claude , Aguayo Jaime , Husson Claude , Halkett Fabien , Marçais Benoît
Published: October 2010

In some diseases—in particular, tree root infection—stages of infection and inoculum production level and timing are not readily observable because of uncertainty or time lags in symptom appearance. Here, we pose a criterion, based on relative hazard of disease symptoms, to discriminate between healthy and asymptomatic infected individuals. We design a statistical procedure to estimate the criterion for a 6-year survey of alder decline along a northeastern French river. Individual tree symptom hazard was modeled with Cox's regression model, taking estimation of local infection pressure as a risk factor. From an inoculum production experiment, we thereafter assessed the inoculum production level of target trees, including symptomatic and asymptomatic trees ranked according to their symptoms hazard. Using receiver operating characteristic methods, we first evaluated the criterion performance and determined the discrimination threshold to sort out asymptomatic individuals into healthy and infected. Then, we highlighted the fact that the infected asymptomatic trees were among the major inoculum producers whereas severely declining and dead trees were found to be poor inoculum sources.
Invasion of Phytophthora infestans at the Landscape Level: How Do Spatial Scale and Weather Modulate the Consequences of Spatial Heterogeneity in Host Resistance?
Authors: Skelsey Peter , Rossing Walter A. H. , Kessel Geert J. T. , van der Werf Wopke
Published: October 2010

Strategic spatial patterning of crop species and cultivars could make agricultural landscapes less vulnerable to plant disease epidemics, but experimentation to explore effective disease-suppressive landscape designs is problematic. Here, we present a realistic, multiscale, spatiotemporal, integrodifference equation model of potato late blight epidemics to determine the relationship between spatial heterogeneity and disease spread, and determine the effectiveness of mixing resistant and susceptible cultivars at different spatial scales under the influence of weather. The model framework comprised a landscape generator, a potato late blight model that includes host and pathogen life cycles and fungicide management at the field scale, and an atmospheric dispersion model that calculates spore dispersal at the landscape scale. Landscapes consisted of one or two distinct potato-growing regions (6.4-by-6.4-km) embedded within a nonhost matrix. The characteristics of fields and growing regions and the separation distance between two growing regions were investigated for their effects on disease incidence, measured as the proportion of fields with ≥1% severity, after inoculation of a single potato grid cell with a low initial level of disease. The most effective spatial strategies for suppressing disease spread in a region were those that reduced the acreage of potato or increased the proportion of a resistant potato cultivar. Clustering potato cultivation in some parts of a region, either by planting in large fields or clustering small fields, enhanced the spread within such a cluster while it delayed spread from one cluster to another; however, the net effect of clustering was an increase in disease at the landscape scale. The planting of mixtures of a resistant and susceptible cultivar was a consistently effective option for creating potato-growing regions that suppressed disease spread. It was more effective to mix susceptible and resistant cultivars within fields than plant some fields entirely with a susceptible cultivar and other fields with a resistant cultivar, at the same ratio of susceptible to resistant potato plants at the landscape level. Separation distances of at least 16 km were needed to completely prevent epidemic spread from one potato-growing region to another. Effects of spatial placement of resistant and susceptible potato cultivars depended strongly on meteorological conditions, indicating that landscape connectivity for the spread of plant disease depends on the particular coincidence between direction of spread, location of fields, distance between the fields, and survival of the spores depending on the weather. Therefore, in the simulation of (airborne) pathogen invasions, it is important to consider the large variability of atmospheric dispersion conditions.
Baseline Sensitivity and Resistance-Risk Assessment of Phytophthora capsici to Iprovalicarb
Authors: Lu Xiao Hong , Zhu Shu Sheng , Bi Yang , Liu Xi Li , Hao Jianjun J.
Published: October 2010

Iprovalicarb has been used to control Phytophthora capsici, a devastating pathogen of many economically important crops. To evaluate the risk of fungicide resistance, 158 isolates of P. capsici were examined for sensitivity to iprovalicarb by measuring mycelial growth. Values of effective concentrations for 50% mycelial growth inhibition varied from 0.2042 to 0.5540 μg/ml and averaged 0.3923 (±0.0552) μg/ml, with a unimodal distribution. This is the first report of P. capsici isolates highly resistant to iprovalicarb (resistance factor >100). Resistance of the isolates was stable through 10 transfers on iprovalicarb-free medium, and most resistant isolates had the same level of fitness (mycelial growth, zoospore production, and virulence) as their corresponding parents, indicating that iprovalicarb resistance was independent from other general growth characters. There was cross-resistance among all tested carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides, including iprovalicarb, flumorph, dimethomorph, and mandipropamid, but not with non-CAA fungicides, including azoxystrobin, chlorothalonil, cymoxanil, etridiazole, metalaxyl, and zoxamide. Based on the present results, resistance risk of P. capsici to CAAs could be moderate and resistance management should be considered.
Molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates at a tertiary-care centre in Monterrey, Mexico
Authors: Garza-González Elvira , Mendoza Ibarra Sandra Iveth , Llaca-Díaz Jorge M. , Gonzalez Gloria M.
Published: October 2010

Our objective was to analyse phenotypic and genetic data of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescens that cause infections in our hospital. Over a 3 year period, 342 randomly selected clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates were tested for ESBL production and evaluated for the presence of the β-lactamase genes bla
SHV, bla
TEM,
bla
CTX-M and bla
TLA-1. The antibiotic susceptibilities of these isolates were also determined, and the clonality of the isolates was assessed by PFGE. Based on our analyses, 33/92 (35.9 %) K. pneumoniae, 31/87 (35.6 %) Enterobacter cloacae, 24/80 (30 %) E. coli and 17/83 (20.5 %) S. marcescens were identified as ESBL producers. The presence of TEM, SHV or CTX ESBL types was detected in 99/105 (94 %) of the isolates. TLA-1 was not detected in any of the 105 isolates. The dominant ESBL types were bla
SHV-5 (n=33), bla
SHV12 (n=31) and bla
CTX-M-15 (n=30). The predominant ESBL identified in E. coli and Enterobacter cloacae isolates was CTX-M-15, whereas in K. pneumoniae and S. marcescens the predominant types were SHV-12 and SHV-5, respectively. PFGE genotyping revealed two main genetic patterns in the K. pneumoniae isolates, types SHV-12 and TEM-1+SHV-5. An outbreak caused by Enterobacter cloacae SHV-5+CTX-M-15 was detected. In contrast, most ESBL-producing isolates of E. coli and S. marcescens did not have similar PFGE banding patterns and thus were not genetically similar. Enterobacteriaceae are a concern in our hospital, especially K. pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae. Our results confirm that the CTX-M-15 ESBL type has spread rapidly in the hospital, and thus requires careful monitoring.
Selection and application of peptide mimotopes of MPT64 protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Yang Hua , Liu Zhong-Hua , Zhang Li-Ting , Wang Jie , Yang Huan-Seng , Qin Lian-Hua , Jin Rui-Liang , Feng Yong-Hong , Cui Zhen-Ling , Zheng Rui-Juan , Hu Zhong-Yi
Published: October 2010

Antibody responses can be useful markers of tuberculosis (TB) infection, especially in the screening of extra-pulmonary TB. MPT64 is an important antigen inMycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB) infection and is used in serological diagnosis. However, large variability in the diagnostic accuracy of MPT64 as a serological tool has limited its application. Phage-displayed random peptide libraries have emerged as a powerful technique to select peptides (epitopes) or mimotopes that may serve as surrogate diagnostic markers in serological tests. In the present study, this method was employed to identify mimotopes of the MPT64 protein of MTB by screening a linear heptapeptide library with rabbit antibodies raised against MPT64 protein. Two antigenic mimotopes (M2 and M6) resembling B-cell epitopes of MPT64 were identified that bound the affinity purified anti-MPT64 polyclonal antibodies and competed with MPT64 for antibody binding. From the results of sequence alignment and a structure modelling figure of MPT64, the sequence of the 2nd to 5th amino acids (DSML) of M2 was totally consistent with the sequence of the 224th to 227th amino acids of MPT64 and the peptide is located on the surface of the space structure of MPT64, suggesting that it might be a linear epitope of MPT64. The recognition of both phage-displayed and synthetic peptides of M2 by the anti-MPT64 polyclonal antibodies also supported this. Although no recurring sequence and no analogue to MPT64 of M6 were found for sequence alignment, the recognition of both phage-displayed and synthetic peptides of M6 by the anti-MPT64 polyclonal antibodies indicated that it might be a mimotope of a conformational epitope of MPT64. According to the results of the reactivity of human sera with synthetic M2 and M6 peptides and MPT64, M2 showed a significantly higher AUC and sensitivity than M6 and MPT64, especially for the sera from sputum-negative TB patients, suggesting that the M2 mimotope may be useful in serological diagnostic testing for TB.
Evidence for a non-replicative intracellular stage of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae in epithelial cells
Authors: Morey Pau , Cano Victoria , Martí-Lliteras Pau , López-Gómez Antonio , Regueiro Verónica , Saus Carles , Bengoechea José Antonio , Garmendia Junkal
Published: October 2010

Nontypable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a Gram-negative, non-capsulated human bacterial pathogen, a major cause of a repertoire of respiratory infections, and intimately associated with persistent lung bacterial colonization in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Despite its medical relevance, relatively little is known about its mechanisms of pathogenicity. In this study, we found that NTHi invades the airway epithelium by a distinct mechanism, requiring microtubule assembly, lipid rafts integrity, and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signalling. We found that the majority of intracellular bacteria are located inside an acidic subcellular compartment, in a metabolically active and non-proliferative state. This NTHi-containing vacuole (NTHi-CV) is endowed with late endosome features, co-localizing with LysoTracker, lamp-1, lamp-2, CD63 and Rab7. The NTHi-CV does not acquire Golgi- or autophagy-related markers. These observations were extended to immortalized and primary human airway epithelial cells. By using NTHi clinical isolates expressing different amounts of phosphocholine (PCho), a major modification of NTHi lipooligosaccharide, on their surfaces, and an isogenic lic1BC mutant strain lacking PCho, we showed that PCho is not responsible for NTHi intracellular location. In sum, this study indicates that NTHi can survive inside airway epithelial cells.
SMG6 interacts with the exon junction complex via two conserved EJC-binding motifs (EBMs) required for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay
Authors: Kashima Isao , Jonas Stefanie , Jayachandran Uma , Buchwald Gretel , Conti Elena , Lupas Andrei N. , Izaurralde Elisa
Published: October 2010

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a quality control mechanism that detects and degrades mRNAs containing premature stop codons (PTCs). In vertebrates, PTCs trigger efficient NMD when located upstream of an exon junction complex (EJC). Degradation of PTC-containing mRNAs requires the endonucleolytic activity of SMG6, a conserved NMD factor; nevertheless, the precise role for the EJC in NMD and how the SMG6 endonuclease is recruited to NMD targets have been unclear. Here we show that SMG6 interacts directly with the EJC via two conserved EJC-binding motifs (EBMs). We further show that the SMG6–EJC interaction is required for NMD. Our results reveal an unprecedented role for the EJC in recruiting the SMG6 endonuclease to NMD targets. More generally, our findings identify the EBM as a protein motif present in a handful of proteins, and suggest that EJCs establish multiple and mutually exclusive interactions with various protein partners, providing a plausible explanation for the myriad functions performed by this complex in post-transcriptional mRNA regulation.
Immunopathogenesis of lymphoma: Focus on CCR4
Authors: Ishida Takashi , Ueda Ryuzo
Published: October 2010

Evading immune surveillance is one of the common hallmarks of cancer. Herein we describe two major evasion mechanisms in lymphoma, focusing on regulatory T (Treg) cells and C‐C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) expressed on these cells. First, the tumor cells themselves function as Treg cells, characterized by expression of CCR4, contributing to tumor survival by downregulating host immunity. Second, CCR4 ligands are produced by tumor cells, which attract other CCR4+ Treg cells to the vicinity of the tumor. CCR4+ adult T‐cell leukemia//lymphoma is an example of the former phenomenon, and Hodgkin lymphoma of the latter, for which an almost identical immunopathogenesis has been reported in many types of cancer. Awareness of the importance of CCR4 allows the rational design of more effective cancer treatments. Accordingly, we have developed a defucosylated anti‐CCR4 mAb, the first therapeutic agent targeting CCR4 to be used clinically for cancer. The therapeutic anti‐CCR4 mAb represents a promising treatment method for patients with CCR4+ neoplasms by directly killing the cancer cells, but could also be used as a novel treatment strategy for many types of CCR4− cancers to overcome the suppressive effect of CCR4+ Treg cells. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 44–50)
Encapsulated follicular thyroid tumor with equivocal nuclear changes, so‐called well‐differentiated tumor of uncertain malignant potential: a morphological, immunohistochemical, and molecular appraisal
Authors: Liu Zhiyan , Zhou Gengyin , Nakamura Misa , Koike Eisuke , Li Yaqiong , Ozaki Takashi , Mori Ichiro , Taniguchi Emiko , Kakudo Kennichi
Published: October 2010

There is a continuous debate regarding the classification of thyroid follicular lesions and the term “well‐differentiated tumor of uncertain malignant potential (WDT‐UMP)” was recently introduced to cover this problematic spectrum of tumors. The objective of this study was to reappraise WDT‐UMP using morphological, immunochemical, and molecular analysis and to shed more light on encapsulated thyroid follicular‐patterned tumors. A total of 30 cases of WDT‐UMP with equivocal papillary thyroid carcinoma‐type nuclear changes (PTC‐N) or focal unequivocal PTC‐N were examined. As a control, follicular adenoma (n = 29), follicular carcinoma (n = 8), hyalinizing trabecular adenoma (n = 5), and PTC (n = 48) were included. HBME‐1, cytokeratin 19, and galectin‐3 were positive in 12 (40.0%), 10 (33.3%) and 11 (36.7%) cases of WDT‐UMP, respectively. According to the positivity of those markers, significant differences were obtained between WDT‐UMP and PTC encapsulated common type (P = 0.028, 0.010, and 0.004, respectively), infiltrative follicular variant (P = 0.020, 0.026, and 0.008, respectively), and infiltrative common type (P = 0.004, 0.001, and 0.005, respectively), but not between WDT‐UMP and follicular adenoma or follicular carcinoma. BRAFV600E mutation was absent but RET/PTC1 rearrangement was found in only two (6.7%) cases of WDT‐UMP. None of the 20 patients with WDT‐UMP developed recurrence, with an average follow‐up of 80 months. These findings indicate that WDT‐UMP has a favorable outcome and is distinct from PTC in morphological, immunohistochemical, and molecular characteristics. We propose that WDT‐UMP should be classified as “well‐differentiated tumor with uncertain behavior”. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 288–294)
Impact of Fli-1 transcription factor on autoantibody and lupus nephritis in NZM2410 mice
Authors: Mathenia J , Reyes-Cortes E , Williams S , Molano I , Ruiz P , Watson D K , Gilkeson G S , Zhang X K
Published: October 2010

The transcription factor Fli-1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of both murine and human lupus. Increased levels of Fli-1 mRNA were present in the peripheral blood lymphocytes from lupus patients; furthermore, transgenic overexpression of Fli-1 in normal mice resulted in the development of a lupus-like disease. Lupus nephritis is a major cause of death in both lupus patients as well as in animal models. In this study, we generated Fli-1 heterozygous knockout (Fli-1+/-) NZM2410 mice (of which the wild-type is a widely used lupus murine model) that expressed decreased levels of Fli-1 and investigated the impact of Fli-1 expression on lupus nephritis development and survival. Ninety-three per cent of the Fli-1+/− NZM2410 mice survived to the age of 52 weeks compared to only 35% of wild-type NZM2410 mice. Autoantibodies, including anti-dsDNA and anti-glomerular basement antigen, in Fli-1+/− NZM2410 mice were statistically significantly lower when compared to wild-type NZM2410 mice at the ages of 30 and 34 weeks. Total B cell and activated B cell populations in the spleens from Fli-1+/− NZM2410 mice were decreased significantly compared to wild-type NZM2410 mice. Fli-1+/− NZM2410 mice also had remarkably diminished proteinuria and decreased renal pathological scores when compared with wild-type NZM2410 mice. Expression of early growth response 1 (Egr-1) was decreased significantly in the kidneys from Fli-1+/− NZM2410 mice when compared to wild-type littermates. Our data indicate that expression of Fli-1 plays an important role in lupus disease development in NZM2410 mice.
Psychological distress associated with the diagnostic phase for suspected breast cancer: systematic review
Authors: Montgomery Mariann , McCrone Susan H.
Published: October 2010

montgomery m. & mccrone s.h. (2010) Psychological distress associated with the diagnostic phase for suspected breast cancer: systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(11), 2372–2390.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a review conducted to define the manifestations that characterize psychological distress during the diagnostic phase for suspected breast cancer, define the extent of psychological distress associated with the threat of potential cancer, and identify factors influencing psychological distress levels.

Background.  Raising the possibility that a malignancy might be present is threatening. The resulting distress is believed to influence treatment outcomes in those diagnosed with cancer and result in behavioural changes in those with benign disease.

Data sources.  Research papers published between January 1983 and May 2009 were identified in CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsycINFO. The search was performed using the following terms: breast cancer diagnosis, mammography, breast biopsy, breast diagnostic, anxiety, distress and uncertainty.

Review methods.  A systematic review was conducted of 30 studies meeting the inclusion criteria of a quantitative design with at least one standardized measure of distress and specifically addressing distress during the evaluation period.

Results.  It is well‐documented that distress, manifested as anxiety, exists. In a small cohort of women, distress levels are heightened to worrying levels that may have long‐term implications. There was strong evidence for relationships among medical history, education and trait anxiety with distress. There was no substantiation of the association between younger age and increased psychological distress that has been consistently reported with other cancers.

Conclusion.  It is necessary to understand the impact of factors on distress so that heightened levels can be predicted and targeted by interventions initiated at the first mention of the possibility of the presence of malignancy.
UV protectants for Candida oleophila (strain O), a biocontrol agent of postharvest fruit diseases
Authors: Lahlali R. , Raffaele B. , Jijakli M. H.
Published: October 2010

This study investigated the influence of UV‐B radiation (280–320 nm) on survival of Candida oleophila strain O, an antagonist yeast that prevents postharvest diseases caused by Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium expansum on apple and pear fruits. Lethal doses (LD50 and LD90) were, respectively, 0·89 and 1·45 Kj m−2 for in vitro exposure and 3·06 and 5·5 Kj m−2 for in vivo exposure. A screening test of UV‐B protectants for strain O was also evaluated under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The in vitro results showed that sodium ascorbate (0·1% and 0·01%), riboflavin (0·1%) and uric acid (0·1% and 0·01%) were the most effective and most suitable protectants. However, only riboflavin (0·1%) and uric acid (0·1%) were effective under in vivo conditions. The efficacy obtained with strain O against P. expansum, when subjected to UV‐B radiation, was 75·0% and 49·2% for pathogen concentrations of 105 and 106 spores mL−1, respectively. Adding riboflavin to strain O gave a similar efficacy (64·2%). Applying strain O together with uric acid (0·1%) was less active (47·7%). Nonetheless, its efficacy when applied with the antioxidants sodium ascorbate (71·1%) or ascorbic acid (82·5%) was the greatest. Riboflavin and uric acid were the most cost‐effective protectants, and could be included in the final formulation of strain O when applied preharvest.