bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paradoxical increase of positive answers to the Cut‐down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye‐opener (CAGE) questionnaire during a period of decreasing alcohol consumption: results from two population‐based surveys in Île‐de‐France, 1991 and 2005
Authors: Messiah Antoine , Encrenaz Gaëlle , Sapinho David , Gilbert Fabien , Carmona Elodie , Kovess‐Masféty Viviane
Published: February 2008

Aims  To describe trends of responses to the Cut‐down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye‐opener (CAGE) questionnaire during a period of declining alcohol consumption, in a country with no temperance history.

Design  Two random‐sample surveys, conducted in 1991 and 2005, respectively.

Setting  The adult population of Ile‐de‐France.

Participants  A total of 1183 subjects in 1991 and 5382 subjects in 2005.

Measurements  Responses to CAGE questions, obtained by face‐to‐face interviews in 1991 and by telephone in 2005. Results were standardized on the 2005 population structure.

Findings  The proportion of subjects giving at least two positive answers has increased by 4.2 times; the biggest increase was observed for the Guilt question (4.8 times) and the smallest for the Eye‐opener question (2.6 times). Several increases were higher for women than for men: 12.9 times versus 3.3 times for two or more positive answers, 9.8 times versus 3.8 times for the Guilt question. Increases did not vary consistently by age.

Conclusion  These paradoxical trends do not support the use of CAGE in general population surveys. They confirm previous reports suggesting that CAGE was sensitive to community temperance level. They might reflect the emergence of a temperance movement in France, with stronger impact among women. This movement might be responsible for the fall in alcohol consumption.
Bursaphelenchus xylophilus: opportunities in comparative genomics and molecular host–parasite interactions
Authors: JONES JOHN T. , MOENS MAURICE , MOTA MANUEL , LI HONGMEI , KIKUCHI TAISEI
Published: February 2008

MostBursaphelenchusspecies are fungal feeding nematodes that colonize dead or dying trees. However,Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the pine wood nematode, is also a pathogen of trees and is the causal agent of pine wilt disease.B. xylophilusis native to North America and here it causes little damage to trees. Where it is introduced to new regions it causes huge damage. The most severely affected areas are found in the Far East but more recentlyB. xylophilushas been introduced into Portugal and the potential for damage here is also high. As incidence and severity of pine wilt disease are linked to temperature we suggest that climate change is likely to exacerbate the problems caused byB. xylophilusand, in addition, will extend (northwards in Europe) the range in which pine wilt disease can occur. Here we review what is currently known about the interactions ofB. xylophiluswith its hosts, including recent developments in our understanding of the molecular biology of pathogenicity in the nematode. We also examine the potential developments that could be made by more widespread use of genomics tools to understand interactions betweenB. xylophilus, bacterial pathogens that have been implicated in disease and host trees.
Vertically persistent sedimentary facies boundaries along growth anticlines and climate‐controlled sedimentation in the thrust‐sheet‐top South Pyrenean Tremp‐Graus Foreland Basin
Authors: de Boer Poppe L. , Pragt Jos S. J. , Oost Albert P.
Published: February 2008

Compression of the thrust sheet underlying the central South Pyrenean Tremp‐Graus Foreland Basin led to weak folding of the overlying basin fill during deposition of Eocene sediments. From the distribution of sedimentary facies and the presence of these folds, it is interpreted that thrusting of deep‐seated competent units was accommodated by weak synsedimentary folding with a shorter wavelength at shallower levels. This led to differential subsidence at the surface but no unconformities are observed. The slower subsidence along the active anticlines locally influenced the distribution of sedimentary facies: lateral boundaries between different sedimentary facies are found to extend (sub)vertically up to more than 60 metres within narrow zones a few 100 m to 1.5 km wide. The growth folds thus led intermittently to the fixation of the position of facies boundaries, including a fixation of the coastline, over long periods (104 to 105 years). Sediment transport paths were also influenced by the slight folding of the surface.

The orientation of the weak ‘en echelon’ anticlines and of related facies boundaries agrees with the inferred compressional pattern during the Eocene.

Explanations for the regular occurrence of 50–60 m thick sedimentary cycles in terms of tectonic pulses or orbitally driven climatic changes and resulting pulses in sediment yield are discussed. For cycles of shorter length (10–15 m), with durations of the order of tens of thousands of years, it is inferred that these are due to regular climatic changes, probably related to orbital forcing, and resulting cyclic alternations of arid and wet periods. Such periodic changes of climate would have caused the intermittent waxing and waning of coarse‐grained sediment
Controls on Late Jurassic seismic sequences, Inner Moray Firth, UK North Sea: a critical test of a key segment of Exxon's original global cycle chart
Authors: Underhill John R.
Published: February 2008

A new interpretation of a comprehensive seismic‐ and well‐database has resulted in the subdivision of the Mesozoic into four, basin‐wide, seismo‐stratigraphic depositional megasequences in the Inner Moray Firth (IMF) basin. Regional mapping of the megasequences has led to the construction of a new model for Mesozoic‐Recent basin development in the IMF. It now appears that extensional tectonics was the main control on the basin's evolution during the Mesozoic. Structural geometries suggest that both the Triassic (Tr) and Rhaetian‐mid Oxfordian (Jl) megasequences were controlled by regional broad‐based subsidence associated with local extensional fault activity prior to the onset of renewed rifting in the IMF. In contrast, the late Oxfordian‐Ryazanian (Berriasian; J2) megasequence developed in response to active extension characterised by half‐graben development. Subsequent Early Cretaceous (Kl) deposition appears to have occurred during a further period of broad regional (thermal) subsidence. It is evident that strike‐slip movement on the Great Glen Fault played a negligible role in Mesozoic basin development and it appears only to have had a local control on structural styles during its reactivation in the Tertiary as it accommodated regional uplift and basin inversion.

Further subdivision of the J2 megasequence was possible using biostratigraphically‐controlled seismic reflector terminations and led to the definition of five regional seismo‐stratigraphic sequences (J2.1–2.5). Their geometric, thickness and sedimentary facies variations imply that the onlap‐defined sequence boundaries within the late Oxfordian‐Ryazanian (Berriasian; J2) megasequence were caused by syn‐sedimentary extensional tectonism in a fully marine domain, rather than by fluctuations in global sea‐level in a basin that was relatively quiescent tectonically. The new interpretation has particular significance in view of the fact that the Late Jurassic of the IMF was used by Exxon workers to construct part of their chart demonstrating relative changes of coastal onlap and global eustatic sea levels. As they considered that data from the area showed ‘no evidence that tectonics caused the unconformities’, the new interpretation casts doubt on the global applicability of the Late Jurassic section of Exxon's original sea‐level chart. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that reflector terminations within both tectonically active and/or fully marine sequences should be treated with extreme caution and not be used to define either periods of apparent low‐stand or coastal onlap. Indeed, their appearance may sometimes only represent relatively local, auto‐ and allo‐cyclic sedimentary processes such as submarine fan avulsion or channel switching, unrelated to changes in sea‐level. Finally, the work shows that care must be taken in the selection of seismic lines used to establish and illustrate the nature of depositional sequences and their geometries if pitfalls are to be avoided.
Early Tertiary palaeoenvironments and sedimentation in the NE Main Porcupine Basin (well 35/13–1), offshore western Ireland?evidence for global change in the Tertiary
Authors: Dobson M. R. , Haynes J. R. , Bannister A. D. , Levene D. G. , Petrie H. S. , Woodbridge R. A.
Published: February 2008

Shell‐Agip 35/13–1 well drilled 2445 m of Tertiary sediments in the Main Porcupine Basin situated offshore west of Ireland. Early Tertiary sediments and microfossils indicate a major cycle from deep‐sea to marginal marine and terrestrial palaeoenvironments returning to deep water. By means of seismic and lithostratigraphy and petrophysical logs, three deltaic cycles can be distinguished within this major cycle. The microfaunal zonation indicates that these cycles are of late Palaeocene, early Eocene and mid/late Eocene age and, therefore, correlate broadly with the Thanet Cycle, London Clay Cycle and the Bracklesham Cycles of the Anglo‐French type sections, although they are up to an order of magnitude thicker due to rapid basin subsidence.

Three major unconformities can be distinguished together with a disconformity that becomes an unconformity in the North Porcupine Basin. These surfaces are associated with both local and regional tectonic and igneous events. Detailed microfossil and lithological analyses across the major unconformities allows a reasonable matching with the global sea‐level curve and recognition of the major and medium sequence boundaries. Discrepancies during the late Eocene may relate to local faulting.

The pattern of sedimentation reflects the restriction of North Atlantic circulation and the tendency to euxinic bottom conditions during the early Palaeogene. In the middle Thanetian these conditions invaded the shelf, an event recorded elsewhere in NW Europe. Discontinuous seismic reflectors indicate ‘chaotic’ sedimentation connected with more vigorous circulation and erosion in the early Oligocene. This was followed by a change to parallel bedded contourites and drifts after the cutting of the early Miocene unconformity. The study reveals the complex interplay of eustatic and oceanographic change with local and regional tectonics in the development of the basin.
Immunogenetic characteristics of immunoglobulin E in allergic disease
Authors: Davies J. M. , O'Hehir R. E.
Published: February 2008

Patients with allergic diseases produce an excess of allergen‐specific IgE, the specific effector molecule that triggers allergic reactions. The provocation for this excess IgE production is still uncertain. Current ideas include oligoclonal expansion of allergen‐specific B cells emanating from germinal centres, activation by superantigen of a subset of B cells, or polyclonal B cells class switching to IgE due to an IL‐4 predominance. Additionally, genetic elements contribute to a propensity for increased allergen‐specific IgE production. The procedure of RT‐PCR allows for amplification of infrequent IgE mRNA transcripts from B cells of atopic individuals, and so facilitates examination of expressed Ig cDNA sequences. Better knowledge of the molecular characteristics of IgE produced by patients with allergic diseases would elucidate the immunogenetic basis for elevated allergen‐specific IgE levels. The ‘immunogenetic footprint’ of IgE transcripts may elucidate the origin and activation of IgE‐producing B cells in allergic disease. Here we review studies of the immunogenetic features of IgE in allergic diseases, highlighting the major advances and the experimental limitations.
Retinoic acid treatment of human leiomyoma cells transformed the cell phenotype to one strongly resembling myometrial cells
Authors: Malik Minnie , Webb Joy , Catherino William H.
Published: February 2008

Background  Uterine leiomyomas are clinically significant tumours that may develop due to an altered differentiation pathway. We have previously identified a dysregulated retinoic acid (RA) pathway that reduced retinoic exposure in human leiomyoma surgical specimens, and have shown that the leiomyoma phenotype was characterized by excessive and disorganized extracellular matrix (ECM).

Objective  The goal of this study was to determine the impact of RA exposure on the disrupted ECM phenotype of leiomyomas.

Design and methods  Study of immortalized and molecularly confirmed cells generated from surgical specimens of spontaneous uterine leiomyoma and matched myometrium.

Results  Immortalized leiomyoma and myometrial cells retained the molecular characteristics of their progenitor tissue. Proliferation of leiomyoma cells was inhibited by all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Furthermore, there was a dose‐dependent decrease in soluble extracellular collagen protein in ATRA‐treated leiomyoma cells. Exposure of leiomyoma cells to ATRA resulted in a dose‐dependent inhibition of templates for specific ECM protein production including collagen 1, collagen 4, fibronectin and versican. Notably, expression levels in treated leiomyoma cells approached those found in myometrial cells. These mRNA alterations translated into altered protein. Down‐regulation was also observed among the RA pathway genes such as CYP26A1 with exposure to ATRA. Finally, ATRA down‐regulated TGF‐β3 mRNA expression and the TGF‐β regulated genes in leiomyoma cells.

Conclusion  Exposure of leiomyomas to ATRA down‐regulated cell proliferation, ECM formation, RA metabolism and TGF‐β regulation, suggesting that RA exposure can alter the leiomyoma phenotype to one that more closely approximates normal myometrium.
Left ventricular dysfunction in Klinefelter syndrome is associated to insulin resistance, abdominal adiposity and hypogonadism
Authors: Andersen N. H. , Bojesen A. , Kristensen K. , Birkebaek N. H. , Fedder J. , Bennett P. , Christiansen J. S. , Gravholt C. H.
Published: February 2008

Objective  Epidemiological data suggest there is an increased risk of dying from heart disease among patients with Klinefelter syndrome (KS). Due to high prevalence of hypogonadism and metabolic syndrome, we speculated that patients with KS may have subclinical changes in the left ventricular function. Therefore, the aim was to assess left ventricular long axis function by tissue Doppler echocardiography in patients with KS and relate these findings to the metabolic status and testosterone levels.

Design  Cross‐sectional study. Out‐patient clinic.

Patients  We investigated 25 unselected patients with KS, recruited from endocrine and fertility clinics. Twenty‐five age‐matched males served as controls.

Measurements  Left ventricular systolic long axis function (velocities and strain rate) assessed by tissue Doppler echocardiography related to free testosterone, fasting values of plasma glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)‐index, cholesterol and triglycerides in addition to dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan derived assessment of truncal body fat.

Results  The long axis function was significantly reduced in patients with KS (peak systolic velocities 4·4 ± 1·3 vs. 5·3 ± 1·0 cm/s, P < 0·01 and strain rate –1·3 ± 0·3 vs.–1·6 ± 0·3 s−1, P < 0·01). However, the ventricular dysfunction was mainly attributed KS patients with metabolic syndrome. The peak systolic velocities were significantly correlated to truncal body fat (r = –0·72, P < 0·01) and free testosterone (r = 0·63, P < 0·01), but uncorrelated to plasma glucose, insulin and HOMA‐index.

Conclusion   Systolic long axis function is decreased in patients with KS and metabolic syndrome. The decrease in myocardial systolic function was significantly related to truncal body fat and hypogonadism, but not correlated to insulin sensitivity.
Designing sampling schemes for effect monitoring of nutrient leaching from agricultural soils
Authors: Brus D. J. , Noij I. G. A. M.
Published: February 2008

A general methodology for designing sampling schemes for monitoring is illustrated with a case study aimed at estimating the temporal change of the spatial mean P concentration in the topsoil of an agricultural field after implementation of the remediation measure. A before‐after control‐impact (BACI) sample‐pattern is proposed, with stratified random sampling as a spatial sampling design. The strata are formed as compact blocks of equal area, so that the sample locations cover the field very well. Composite sampling, where the aliquots of a composite come from different strata, is proposed in order to save laboratory costs. The numbers of composites and aliquots per composite are optimized for testing the hypothesis that the mean P concentration didn’t change or has increased. Initially, this is done for a known variogram, temporal correlation, variance of laboratory measurement error, initial mean P concentration, and time needed for fieldwork. The optimal sample size to achieve a power of 0.90 at a 10% decrease of the mean P concentration is six composites of six aliquots each. Next, the effect of uncertainty about these model parameters on the optimal sample size and on the power of the test for a fixed sample size is analyzed. This analysis showed that, to obtain a probability of 95% that the power ≥ 0.90, the sample size must be increased to 7 composites of 10 aliquots each.
Characterization of a Mediterranean litter by13C CPMAS NMR: relationships between litter depth, enzyme activities and temperature
Authors: Alarcón‐Gutiérrez E. , Floch C. , Ziarelli F. , Albrecht R. , Le Petit J. , Augur C. , Criquet S.
Published: February 2008

Organic matter mineralization of forest litter is catalysed by the action of different extracellular enzymes produced by microorganisms. Coupling enzyme activities with data on the general macromolecular structure of organic matter, provided by cross‐polarization magic angle spinning13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C CPMAS NMR), allows researchers new insights into organic matter degradation processes. In this paper, the effect of the temperature of incubation on the degradation processes was evaluated in three distinct layers (OhLn, OhLv and OhLf) of an evergreen oak litter (Quercus ilexL.), located in the Mediterranean area of south‐eastern France. We studied degradation phenomena by a combination of13C CPMAS NMR and microbiological analysis. In order to determine the microbial activity of litter layers, three enzyme activities (laccase, cellulase and butyrate esterase) were measured in a 6‐month mesocosm study. Results showed an increase in the alkyl C toO‐alkyl‐C ratio and an increase of the phenolic C and carboxyl C regions, indicating a preferential degradation of polysaccharides. The aromaticity also increased with litter depth and degradation, and humification processes were more elevated at 30°C.anovashowed significant effects (P< 0.001) of increased temperature, depth and time of degradation on microbiological variables. Further information is needed about the variations in temperature and temperature‐litter response and soil functions to link fundamental understanding of carbon stabilization, climate change and global C cycling.
NMR and mass spectrometry of phosphorus in wetlands
Authors: El‐Rifai H. , Heerboth M. , Gedris T. E. , Newman S. , Orem W. , Cooper W. T.
Published: February 2008

There is at present little information on the long‐term stability of phosphorus sequestered in wetlands. Phosphorus sequestered during high loading periods may be relatively unstable and easily remobilized following changes in nutrient status or hydrological regime, but the chemical forms of sequestered phosphorus that do remobilize are largely unknown at this time. A lack of suitable analytical techniques has contributed to this dearth of knowledge regarding the stability of soil organic phosphorus. We analysed phosphorus in soils from the ‘head’ of Rescue Strand tree island and an adjacent marsh in the Florida Everglades by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high‐resolution mass spectrometry. Tree islands are important areas of biodiversity within the Everglades and offer a unique opportunity to study phosphorus sequestration because they are exposed to large phosphorus loads and appear to be natural nutrient sinks. The 31P NMR profiling of extracts from surface and sediment samples in the tree island indicates that phosphorus input to Rescue Strand tree island soils is mostly in the form of inorganic ortho‐phosphate and is either refractory when deposited or rapidly recycled by the native vegetation into a stable phosphorus pool largely resistant to re‐utilization by plants or microbes. Mass spectrometry revealed the presence of inositol hexakisphosphate, a common organic monophosphate ester not previously observed in Everglades’ soils.
Spring phenology in boreal Eurasia over a nearly century time scale
Authors: DELBART NICOLAS , PICARD GHISLAIN , LE TOAN THUY , KERGOAT LAURENT , QUEGAN SHAUN , WOODWARD IAN , DYE DENNIS , FEDOTOVA VIOLETTA
Published: February 2008

It has been widely reported that tree leaves have tended to appear earlier in many regions of the northern hemisphere in the last few decades, reflecting climate warming. Satellite observations revealed an 8‐day advance in leaf appearance date between 1982 and 1991 in northern latitudes. In situ observations show that leaf appearance dates in Europe have advanced by an average of 6.3 days from 1959 to 1996. Modelling of leaf appearance on the basis of temperature also shows a marked advance in temperate and boreal regions from 1955 to 2002. However, before 1955, reported studies of phenological variations are restricted to local scale. Modelling, ground observations and satellite observations are here combined to analyse phenological variations in Eurasian taiga over nearly a century. The trend observed by remote sensing consists mainly in a shift at the end of the 1980s, reflecting a shift in winter and spring temperature. In western boreal Eurasia, a trend to earlier leaf appearance is evident since the mid‐1930s, although it is discontinuous. In contrast, the strong advance in leaf appearance detected over Central Siberia using satellite data in 1982–1991 is strengthened by late springs in 1983–1984; moreover, in this region the green‐up timing has displayed successive trends with opposite signs since 1920. Thus, such strong trend is not unusual if considered locally. However, the recent advance is unique in simultaneously affecting most of the Eurasian taiga, the leaf appearance dates after 1990 being the earliest in nearly a century in most of the area.
Escaping the heat: range shifts of reef coral taxa in coastal Western Australia
Authors: GREENSTEIN BENJAMIN J. , PANDOLFI JOHN M.
Published: February 2008

One of the most critical challenges facing ecologists today is to understand the changing geographic distribution of species in response to current and predicted global warming. Coastal Western Australia is a natural laboratory in which to assess the effect of climate change on reef coral communities over a temporal scale unavailable to studies conducted solely on modern communities. Reef corals composing Late Pleistocene reef assemblages exposed at five distinct localities along the west Australian coast were censused and the results compared with coral occurrence data published for the modern reefs offshore of each locality. The resulting comparative data set comprises modern and Late Pleistocene reef coral communities occurring over approximately 12° of latitude. For the modern reefs this gradient includes the zone of overlap between the Dampierian and Flindersian Provinces. Modern reef coral communities show a pronounced gradient in coral composition over the latitudinal range encompassed by the study, while the gradient in community composition is not as strong for Pleistocene communities. Tropical‐adapted taxa contracted their ranges north since Late Pleistocene time, emplacing two biogeographic provinces in a region in which a single province had existed previously. Beta diversity values for adjacent communities also reflect this change. Modern reefs show a distinct peak in beta diversity in the middle of the region; the peak is not matched by Pleistocene reefs. Beta diversity is correlated with distance only for comparisons between modern reefs in the north and the fossil assemblages, further supporting change in distribution of the biogeographic provinces in the study area. Coral taxa present in modern communities clearly expanded and contracted their geographic ranges in response to climate change. Those taxa that distinguish Pleistocene from modern reefs are predicted to migrate south in response to future climate change, and potentially persist in ‘temperature refugia’ as tropical reef communities farther north decline.
Summer heatwaves promote blooms of harmful cyanobacteria
Authors: JÖHNK KLAUS D. , HUISMAN JEF , SHARPLES JONATHAN , SOMMEIJER BEN , VISSER PETRA M. , STROOM JASPER M.
Published: February 2008

Dense surface blooms of toxic cyanobacteria in eutrophic lakes may lead to mass mortalities of fish and birds, and provide a serious health threat for cattle, pets, and humans. It has been argued that global warming may increase the incidence of harmful algal blooms. Here, we report on a lake experiment where intermittent artificial mixing failed to control blooms of the harmful cyanobacterium Microcystis during the summer of 2003, one of the hottest summers ever recorded in Europe. To understand this failure, we develop a coupled biological–physical model investigating how competition for light between buoyant cyanobacteria, diatoms, and green algae in eutrophic lakes is affected by the meteorological conditions of this extreme summer heatwave. The model consists of a phytoplankton competition model coupled to a one‐dimensional hydrodynamic model, driven by meteorological data. The model predicts that high temperatures favour cyanobacteria directly, through increased growth rates. Moreover, high temperatures also increase the stability of the water column, thereby reducing vertical turbulent mixing, which shifts the competitive balance in favour of buoyant cyanobacteria. Through these direct and indirect temperature effects, in combination with reduced wind speed and reduced cloudiness, summer heatwaves boost the development of harmful cyanobacterial blooms. These findings warn that climate change is likely to yield an increased threat of harmful cyanobacteria in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems.
Effects of elevated CO2 on the protein concentration of food crops: a meta‐analysis
Authors: TAUB DANIEL R. , MILLER BRIAN , ALLEN HOLLY
Published: February 2008

Meta‐analysis techniques were used to examine the effect of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide [CO2] on the protein concentrations of major food crops, incorporating 228 experimental observations on barley, rice, wheat, soybean and potato. Each crop had lower protein concentrations when grown at elevated (540–958  μmol mol−1) compared with ambient (315–400  μmol mol−1) CO2. For wheat, barley and rice, the reduction in grain protein concentration was ∼10–15% of the value at ambient CO2. For potato, the reduction in tuber protein concentration was 14%. For soybean, there was a much smaller, although statistically significant reduction of protein concentration of 1.4%. The magnitude of the CO2 effect on wheat grains was smaller under high soil N conditions than under low soil N. Protein concentrations in potato tubers were reduced more for plants grown at high than at low concentrations of ozone. For soybean, the ozone effect was the reverse, as elevated CO2 increased the protein concentration of soybean grown at high ozone concentrations. The magnitude of the CO2 effect also varied depending on experimental methodology. For both wheat and soybean, studies performed in open‐top chambers produced a larger CO2 effect than those performed using other types of experimental facilities. There was also indication of a possible pot artifact as, for both wheat and soybean, studies performed in open‐top chambers showed a significantly greater CO2 effect when plants were rooted in pots rather than in the ground. Studies on wheat also showed a greater CO2 effect when protein concentration was measured in whole grains rather than flour. While the magnitude of the effect of elevated CO2 varied depending on the experimental procedures, a reduction in protein concentration was consistently found for most crops. These findings suggest that the increasing CO2 concentrations of the 21st century are likely to decrease the protein concentration of many human plant foods.
Elevated growth temperatures reduce the carbon gain of black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.]
Authors: WAY DANIELLE A. , SAGE ROWAN F.
Published: February 2008

We explored the effect of high‐growth temperatures on a dominant North American boreal tree, black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.]. In 2004 and 2005, we grew black spruce at either 22 °C/16 °C day/night temperatures [low temperature (LT)] or 30°/24 °C [high temperature (HT)] and determined how temperature affected growth, leaf morphology, photosynthesis, respiration and thermotolerance. HT spruce were 20% shorter, 58% lighter, and had a 58% lower root : shoot ratio than LT trees. Mortality was negligible in the LT treatment, but up to 14% of HT seedlings died by the end of the growing season. HT seedlings had a higher photosynthetic temperature optimum, but net photosynthesis at growth temperatures was 19–35% lower in HT than LT trees. HT seedlings had both a lower apparent maximum ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) and a lower apparent maximum electron transport rate (Jmax) than LT trees, indicating reduced allocation to photosynthetic components. Consistently, HT needles had 26% lower leaf nitrogen content than LT needles. At each measurement temperature, HT seedlings had 20–25% lower respiration rates than LT trees; however, this did not compensate for reduced photosynthetic rates at growth temperature, leading to a greater ratio of dark respiration to net carbon dioxide assimilation rate in HT trees. HT needles had 16% lower concentrations of soluble sugars than LT needles, but similar starch content. Growth at high temperatures increased the thermotolerance of black spruce. HT trees showed less PSII inhibition than LT seedlings and no increase in electrolyte leakage when briefly exposed to 40–57 °C. While trees that develop at high temperatures have enhanced tolerance for brief, extreme heat events, the reduction in root allocation indicates that seedlings will be more susceptible to episodic soil drying and less competitive for belowground resources in future climates of the boreal region.
Response of wild C4 crop progenitors to subambient CO2 highlights a possible role in the origin of agriculture
Authors: CUNNIFF JENNIFER , OSBORNE COLIN P. , RIPLEY BRAD S. , CHARLES MICHAEL , JONES GLYNIS
Published: February 2008

The synchronous origin of agriculture in at least four independent climatic regions at the end of the last glacial period (c10 kyr bp) points to a global limitation for crop domestication. One hypothesis proposes that a rapid carbon dioxide (CO2) increase from 18 Pa to ∼27 Pa during deglaciation caused significant increases in the growth rates of wild crop progenitors, thereby removing a productivity barrier to their successful domestication. However, early C4 crops present a challenge to this hypothesis, because they were among the first domesticates, but have a carbon‐concentrating mechanism that offsets the limitation of photosynthesis by CO2. We investigated the CO2‐limitation hypothesis using the wild progenitors of five C4 founder crops from four independent centres of domestication. Plants were grown in controlled environment chambers at glacial (18 Pa), postglacial (28 Pa) and current ambient (38 Pa) CO2 levels, and photosynthesis, transpiration and biomass were measured. An increase in CO2 from glacial to postglacial levels caused a significant gain in vegetative biomass of up to 40%, but the equivalent rise in CO2 from postglacial to modern levels generally had no effect on biomass. Investigation into the underlying mechanisms showed C4 photosynthesis to be limited more by glacial than postglacial CO2 levels, matching theoretical expectations. Moreover, the increase in CO2 from glacial to postglacial levels caused a reduction in the transpiration rate via decreases in stomatal conductance of ∼35%. In combination, these physiological changes conferred a large improvement in water‐use efficiency at the postglacial CO2 partial pressure compared with the glacial level. Our data, therefore, provide experimental support for the CO2‐limitation hypothesis, suggesting that these key physiological changes could have greatly enhanced the productivity of wild crop progenitors after deglaciation.
Soil type links microbial colonization of rice roots to methane emission
Authors: CONRAD RALF , KLOSE MELANIE , NOLL MATTHIAS , KEMNITZ DANA , BODELIER PAUL L. E.
Published: February 2008

Most of the methane (CH4) emission from rice fields is derived from plant photosynthates, which are converted to CH4. Rice cluster I (RC‐1) archaea colonizing the rhizosphere were found to be the methanogens responsible for this process. Hence, RC‐1 methanogens seem to play a crucial role in emission of the greenhouse gas CH4. We determined the community composition and activity of methanogens colonizing the roots of eight different rice cultivars after growth on both Italian rice soil and river bank soil, which contained different communities of methanogenic archaea. The community composition was analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and cloning/sequencing of the archaeal 16S rRNA gene and the mcrA gene coding for a subunit of the methyl coenzyme M reductase. When grown on rice field soil, the methanogenic community of the different rice cultivars was always dominated by RC‐1 methanogens. In contrast, roots were colonized by Methanomicrobiales when grown on river bank soil, in which RC‐1 methanogens were initially not detectable. Roots colonized with Methanomicrobiales compared with RC‐1 exhibited lower CH4 production and CH4 emission rates. The results show that the type of methanogens colonizing rice roots has a potentially important impact on the global CH4 cycle.
Simulated climate change provokes rapid genetic change in the Mediterranean shrub Fumana thymifolia
Authors: JUMP ALISTAIR S. , PEÑUELAS JOSEP , RICO LAURA , RAMALLO ELISENDA , ESTIARTE MARC , MARTÍNEZ‐IZQUIERDO JOSÉ A. , LLORET FRANCISCO
Published: February 2008

Rapid climate change will impose strong directional selection pressures on natural plant populations. Climate‐linked genetic variation in natural populations indicates that an evolutionary response is possible. We investigated such a response by comparing individuals subjected to elevated drought and warming treatments with individuals establishing in an unmanipulated climate within the same population. We report that reduction in seedling establishment in response to climate manipulations is nonrandom and results from the selection pressure imposed by artificially warmed and droughted conditions. When compared against control samples, high single‐locus genetic divergence occurred in drought and warming treatment samples, with genetic differentiation up to 37 times higher than background (mean neutral locus) genetic differentiation. These loci violate assumptions of selective neutrality, indicating the signature of natural selection by drought. Our results demonstrate that rapid evolution in response to climate change may be widespread in natural populations, based on genetic variation already present within the population.
Fine root dynamics in a loblolly pine forest are influenced by free‐air‐CO2‐enrichment: a six‐year‐minirhizotron study
Authors: PRITCHARD SETH G. , STRAND ALLAN E. , McCORMACK M. LUKE , DAVIS MICHEAL A. , FINZI ADRIEN C. , JACKSON ROBERT B. , MATAMALA ROSER , ROGERS HUGO H. , OREN RAM
Published: February 2008

Efforts to characterize carbon (C) cycling among atmosphere, forest canopy, and soil C pools are hindered by poorly quantified fine root dynamics. We characterized the influence of free‐air‐CO2‐enrichment (ambient +200 ppm) on fine roots for a period of 6 years (Autumn 1998 through Autumn 2004) in an 18‐year‐old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation near Durham, NC, USA using minirhizotrons. Root production and mortality were synchronous processes that peaked most years during spring and early summer. Seasonality of fine root production and mortality was not influenced by atmospheric CO2availability. Averaged over all 6 years of the study, CO2enrichment increased average fine root standing crop (+23%), annual root length production (+25%), and annual root length mortality (+36%). Larger increase in mortality compared with production with CO2enrichment is explained by shorter average fine root lifespans in elevated plots (500 days) compared with controls (574 days). The effects of CO2‐enrichment on fine root proliferation tended to shift from shallow (0–15 cm) to deeper soil depths (15–30) with increasing duration of the study. Diameters of fine roots were initially increased by CO2‐enrichment but this effect diminished over time. Averaged over 6 years, annual fine root NPP was estimated to be 163 g dw m−2 yr−1in CO2‐enriched plots and 130 g dw m−2 yr−1in control plots (P= 0.13) corresponding to an average annual additional input of fine root biomass to soil of 33 g m−2 yr−1in CO2‐enriched plots. A lack of consistent CO2× year effects suggest that the positive effects of CO2enrichment on fine root growth persisted 6 years following minirhizotron tube installation (8 years following initiation of the CO2fumigation). Although CO2‐enrichment contributed to extra flow of C into soil in this experiment, the magnitude of the effect was small suggesting only modest potential for fine root processes to directly contribute to soil C storage in south‐eastern pine forests.
Increased night temperature reduces the stimulatory effect of elevated carbon dioxide concentration on methane emission from rice paddy soil
Authors: CHENG WEIGUO , SAKAI HIDEMITSU , HARTLEY ANNE , YAGI KAZUYUKI , HASEGAWA TOSHIHIRO
Published: February 2008

To determine how elevated night temperature interacts with carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) to affect methane (CH4) emission from rice paddy soil, we conducted a pot experiment using four controlled‐environment chambers and imposed a combination of two [CO2] levels (ambient: 380 ppm; elevated: 680 ppm) and two night temperatures (22 and 32 °C). The day temperature was maintained at 32 °C. Rice (cv. IR72) plants were grown outside until the early‐reproductive growth stage and then transferred to the chambers. After onset of the treatment, day and night CH4 fluxes were measured every week. The CH4 fluxes changed significantly with the growth stage, with the largest fluxes occurring around the heading stage in all treatments. The total CH4 emission during the treatment period was significantly increased by both elevated [CO2] (P=0.03) and elevated night temperature (P<0.01). Elevated [CO2] increased CH4 emission by 3.5% and 32.2% under high and low night temperature conditions, respectively. Elevated [CO2] increased the net dry weight of rice plants by 12.7% and 38.4% under high and low night temperature conditions, respectively. These results imply that increasing night temperature reduces the stimulatory effect of elevated [CO2] on both CH4 emission and rice growth. The CH4 emission during the day was larger than at night even under the high‐night‐temperature treatment (i.e. a constant temperature all day). This difference became larger after the heading stage. We observed significant correlations between the night respiration and daily CH4 flux (P<0.01). These results suggest that net plant photosynthesis contributes greatly to CH4 emission and that increasing night temperature reduces the stimulatory effect of elevated [CO2] on CH4 emission from rice paddy soil.
The co effect of prophylaxis and radiosynovectomy on bleeding episodes in haemophilic synovitis
Authors: BRECELJ J. , BOLE V. , BENEDIK‐DOLNIČAR M. , GRMEK M.
Published: February 2008

Summary.  Prophylactic substitution treatment and radiosynoviorthosis have a leading role in preventing irreversible haemophilic arthropathy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of prophylaxis treatment and radiosynovectomy on the length of intervals between subsequent haemorrhages in haemophilic patients. Thirty‐three joints were treated with radiosynovectomy in 28 patients with bleeding disorders. 90Y colloid was used in knees and 186Re colloid for elbows, shoulders and ankles. Twenty patients were on prophylaxis. Joint X‐rays were evaluated on the Pettersson scale between 0 (normal) and 13 (severe joint destruction). During an observation period (range 6–44 months) bleeding episodes were recorded and data statistically analysed. Before radiosynovectomy, increasing intensity of the prophylaxis 10% lengthens intervals between two haemorrhages by 1% (P < 0.05). In patients with a Pettersson score higher than nine, intervals between bleedings are shorter by 73% (P < 0.05), in comparison with patients with lower Pettersson scores of 0–5. After radiosynovectomy, the length of the first non‐bleeding interval increased by 120% (to 60 days) in comparison with the intervals before the procedure (P < 0.001). But, in the following year and half, every subsequent non‐bleeding interval was 8% shorter (P < 0.1). In that period, prophylaxis shortened the non‐bleeding interval by 1.7% (P < 0.05) per 10% increase of its intensity. Radiosynovectomy is more efficient in patients with less affected joints and is less efficient in younger patients. Prophylaxis reduced time between the bleedings episodes after isotope application. Before radiosynovectomy, prophylaxis reduces the number of haemorrhages. Our findings support data previously published by Rodriguez‐Merchan et al. [J Thromb Haemost, 5 (2007) P‐W‐126].
Membrane loss and aberrant nuclear localization of E‐cadherin are consistent features of solid pseudopapillary tumour of the pancreas. An immunohistochemical study using two antibodies recognizing different domains of the E‐cadherin molecule
Authors: Chetty R , Serra S
Published: February 2008

Aim:  To examine the expression of E‐cadherin in solid pseudopapillary tumours (SPT) of the pancreas using two monoclonal antibodies recognizing two different domains of the E‐cadherin molecule.

Methods and results:  Twenty cases of SPT were collected and a tissue microarray (TMA) constructed. The TMA was stained with commercially available antibodies to E‐cadherin and β‐catenin. All 20 cases displayed nuclear β‐catenin as well as aberrant E‐cadherin expression. With the antibody that stains the cytoplasmic domain of E‐cadherin (clone 36, BD Transduction Laboratories), all 20 cases demonstrated nuclear E‐cadherin reactivity, whereas with use of the antibody that recognizes the extracellular domain (clone 36B5, Vector Laboratories), no reactivity was observed in any of the cases.

Conclusion:  This study shows that aberrant β‐catenin and E‐cadherin protein expression occurs in 100% of SPT, is probably linked mechanistically to β‐catenin nuclear localization, and two distinct patterns of E‐cadherin immunoreactivity are seen in SPT: nuclear (with the antibody against the cytoplasmic domain), or immunonegativity (complete loss) when stained with the antibody for the E‐cadherin extracellular fragment.
Natural history and clearance of HPV after treatment of precancerous cervical lesions
Authors: Aerssens A , Claeys P , Garcia A , Sturtewagen Y , Velasquez R , Vanden Broeck D , Vansteelandt S , Temmerman M , Cuvelier C A
Published: February 2008

Aim: To assess the clearance rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) after out‐patient treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).

Methods and results: A total of 122 Nicaraguan women with HPV DNA‐positive and histologically confirmed CIN lesions were included in the study. Fifty‐five patients with CIN1 and 67 with CIN2–3 were treated by cryotherapy and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), respectively. Follow‐up visits were scheduled at 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. Investigations included cytology, HPV DNA testing and colposcopy/biopsy if needed. The clearance rate of HPV was calculated by multivariate logistic regression. Immediately after treatment, a pronounced decrease in presence of HPV was observed in both groups, with a significantly higher clearance in the LEEP group than in the cryotherapy group (P = 0.019). Subsequently, clearance continued over time and was similar between the cryotherapy group and the LEEP group (P = 0.73). Approximately the same detection rates were obtained for persistence of all HPV types and for high‐risk types separately: 43.9, 37.6, 29.9 and 17.7% in the cryotherapy group and 24.9, 20.3, 15.3 and 8.4% in the LEEP group at 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, respectively.

Conclusions: Out‐patient treatment of precancerous lesions of the cervix usually results in clearance of HPV. Both LEEP and cryotherapy are highly effective methods of eradicating HPV. HPV DNA testing may have added value in the follow‐up of patients.
Distribution of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) in wild marine fish from Scottish waters with respect to clinically infected aquaculture sites producing Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.
Authors: Wallace I S , Gregory A , Murray A G , Munro E S , Raynard R S
Published: February 2008

This study represents the first large‐scale investigation of IPNV in Scottish wild marine fish. Kidney samples were taken from 30 627 fish comprising 37 species and 45 isolations were made from nine different species, illustrating these as reservoirs of IPNV in Scottish waters. The estimated prevalence of IPNV in the Scottish marine environment was low at 0.15% (90% confidence intervals, (CI) of 0.11–0.19%). This was significantly greater in fish caught less than 5.0 km from IPN‐positive fish farms in Shetland, at 0.58% (90% CI of 0.45–0.77%). This prevalence persisted and did not significantly decrease over the 16‐month period of study. The estimated prevalence of IPNV for each positive species was less than 1% with the statistically non‐significant exceptions of flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.), at 12.5% (90% CI of 0.64–47.06%) and saithe, Pollachius virens (L.), at 1.11% (90% CI of 0.49–2.19%). The 45 isolates were titrated and all but two were below the detection limit of the test (<55 PFU g−1). Titres of 3.8 × 102 PFU g−1 and 2.8 × 101 PFU g−1 were calculated from common dab, Limanda limanda (L.), and saithe, respectively. This study provides evidence that clinical outbreaks of IPN in farmed Atlantic salmon may cause a localized small increase in the prevalence of IPNV in wild marine fish.