bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structures of complexes comprised of
Fischerella
transcription factor HetR with
Anabaena
DNA targets
Authors: Kim Youngchang , Ye Zi , Joachimiak Grazyna , Videau Patrick , Young Jasmine , Hurd Kathryn , Callahan Sean M. , Gornicki Piotr , Zhao Jindong , Haselkorn Robert , Joachimiak Andrzej
Published: April 2013

Significance

DNA palindromes were crystallized in complexes with HetR, a transcription factor required for heterocyst differentiation in the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium
Anabaena
. In three complexes, we observed hydrogen bonding of a single glutamate side chain with three successive cytosines in the DNA. The feature of three successive GC pairs in each arm of the palindrome is conserved in other filamentous cyanobacteria. These cyanobacteria contain HetR proteins, each of which contains glutamate in that critical position. This unique interaction between a protein factor and its DNA target is so important that it is invariant across cyanobacteria from environments around the world.
CHANGES IN THE MITOCHONDRIAL DOUBLE MEMBRANE IN TAPETAL AND SPOROGENIC CELLS IN CYTOPLASMIC MALE STERILE ANTHERS OF PETUNIA
Authors: Evenor Dalia , Franck Andrey , Tabib Yona , Zelcer Aaron , Izhar Shamay , Firon Nurit
Published: April 2013

Comparative histological and ultrastructural studies were made on the gametogenesis and microsporogenesis in isonuclear fertile and cytoplasmic male sterile petunia lines. Using electron microscopy, changes in the mitochondrial double membrane were observed in the tapetal and sporogenic cells of cytoplasmic male sterile anthers as the first cytological sign of breakdown of the process of microsporogenesis at early prophase I. These changes were manifested by a larger space between the outer and the inner membrane and fewer sites of close proximity (“contact sites”) in the sterile mitochondria, as compared to fertile mitochondria. The mitochondrial membrane of the parietal tissue in the cytoplasmic male sterile anthers was not affected in the same way. Even when total breakdown was already obvious in the tapetal and sporogenic cells, the mitochondria of the parietal layer remained intact.
EFFECT OF SEED ORIGIN ON GROWTH OF EUCALYPTUS MICROTHECA F. MUELL. IN ISRAEL
Authors: Schiller Gabriel
Published: April 2013

Provenance trials of Eucalyptus microtheca F. Muell. were established in the central Coastal Plain and the northern Negev in 1983, using the seed of 303 trees from 73 provenances in Australia bulked into 21 provenance groups by the CSIRO Division of Forest Research. Survival, height, and diameter development of E. microtheca in the central Coastal Plain were lower than those of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. In the northern Negev, several progenies of E. microtheca had better growth and survival rates than E. camaldulensis. Variations within provenance groups in growth and survival were very large. Relations between the measured traits and variables describing the seed source of E. microtheca indicate the existence of latitudinal and longitudinal clines. Provenance groups most suitable for use in the northern Negev are Springsure, Qld. (No.14), Rockhampton, Qld. (No. 15), and Walgett, N.S.W. (No. 20).
THE LICHENS OF CALCAREOUS ROCKS IN THE CENTRAL NEGEV, ISRAEL
Authors: Insarov Gregory , Insarova Irina
Published: April 2013

Twenty-seven lichen species are found on nine kinds of calcareous substrates in Makhtesh Ramon and Makhtesh Ha-Gadol, erosional cirques in the Negev Desert, Israel.Arthonia calcicolaNyl. is recorded in Israel for the first time. Lichen abundance is also determined. The lichen communities on limestones and dolomitic limestones from all areas studied are comparable. The lichen species compositions on these substrates in Makhtesh Ramon and Makhtesh Ha-Gadol are comparable. However, composition of dominant species varies between Makhtesh Ramon and Makhtesh Ha-Gadol.
POLLINATION ECOLOGY AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FLORAL COLOR CHANGE IN LUPINUS PILOSOS L. (FABACEAE)
Authors: Ne'eman Gidi , Nesher Rakefet
Published: April 2013

Floral color change was studied inLupinus pilosusL. to elucidate its ecological significance for both the plant and the pollinators. It was found that the change in the banner spot from white to purple was enhanced by artificial pollination. White phase flowers offered more pollen as reward to foraging pollinators than did purple phase flowers. The changes in color and reward were recognized by the pollinators and affected their foraging behavior. Pollinators preferred pre-change flowers and avoided post-change ones, thus increasing the chance that white phase flowers would be pollinated. It is suggested that the increase in outcrossing rate caused by pollinator activity could be the advantage and the driving force for the evolution of the color change mechanism inL. pilosus.
SEED DISPERSAL BALLISTICS IN BLEPHARIS CILIARIS
Authors: Witztum A. , Schulgasser K.
Published: April 2013

During drying of the bilocular capsular fruit of Blepharis ciliaris (L.) B.L. Burtt (Acanthaceae, subfamily Acanthoideae), elastic potential energy is stored in the septum that separates the two locules. When the tip of the capsule is wetted, a failure develops in the tissue seams joining the two valves of the capsule, which propagates rapidly from the apex of the capsule downwards. This converts the elastic potential energy to kinetic energy, part of which is used to launch the two seeds from the peculiar hook-like jaculators on which they sit. The ballistics of seed ejection in Blepharis ciliaris is described and related to the morphology of the plant.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING FLOWERING AND FRUIT DEVELOPMENT OF OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA CUTTINGS DURING THE THREE WEEKS BEFORE PLANTING
Authors: Gutterman Yitzchak
Published: April 2013

Opuntia ficus-indica(prickly pear) is a widespread desert perennial cactus shrub. The plants produce either lateral branches or flowers from the axillary meristems, depending on maternal and environmental influences.

The flower buds develop from the axillary meristems mainly at the margin of the apical part of the terminal flat branch segments. Flower bud meristems start to be active and secrete mucus in January. The red-bracted flower buds start to appear in March/April, flowers open in May/June, and fruit matures in June/August.

This study focused on the appearance of flower buds, flowers, and fruits after induction ofO. ficus-indicaone-segment branch cuttings by environmental factors during the 3-week healing period after cutting and before planting. The influence of treatments such as temperature, light intensity, and day length on flower bud appearance and fruit development is described.
THE ROLE OF CYTOKININS AND ETHYLENE INHIBITORS ON LENTICEL HYPERTROPHY GENERATION AND ETHYLENE PRODUCTION IN IN VITRO CULTURES OF POPULUS EUPHRATICA OLIVIER
Authors: Lledó M.D. , Crespo M.B. , Amo-Marco J.B.
Published: April 2013

Populus euphraticaOlivier is native to the Irano—Turanian areas (Middle East). Elche (Alicante province, SE Spain) is known to be its only European location. Nodal segments from root shoots were established in vitro in a Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with several cytokinins. Ethylene inhibitors AgNO3and CoCl2were used in combination with kinetin. Hormone-free media supplemented with sucrose (20–60 mg 1−1) was also tested. Ethylene was measured by gas chromatography, and both the percentage of sprouting shoots and lenticel hypertrophy in cultures were recorded. Ethylene production was higher in cultures supplemented with cytokinins (especially with meta-topolin), with high sprouting percentages, and lenticel hypertrophy. In cultures supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine or 6-(γ,γ,-dimethylallylamino)-purine, ethylene production was lower and explants looked unhealthy. Ethylene formation was inhibited in cultures supplemented with AgNO3(1 mg 1−1), which also decreased percentage of sprouting buds and lenticel hypertrophy.
LIGHT AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE (SEM) OBSERVATIONS OF TRICHOMES IN PERSIMMON (DIOSPYROS KAKI L.) AND MANGO (MANGIFERA INDICA L.) LEAVES
Authors: Tomer E. , Cohen M. , Gottreich M.
Published: April 2013

Trichomes in persimmon and mango leaves are described. In all examined persimmon cultivars, trichomes were of the capitate type. Anatomical differences were noted between the cultivar “Triumph” (of uncertain origin) and four Japanese cultivars with regard to size, shape, and number of the stalk cells. The trichomes in three mango cultivars were of the peltate type and were anatomically alike. The density of the persimmon trichomes was more than twice that of the mango trichomes. The differences between the persimmon cultivars, as well as a special feature of the mango trichomes, are considered to be of taxonomical value.
THE VEGETATIONAL LANDSCAPE OF THE NEGEV DURING ANTIQUITY AS EVIDENT FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD REMAINS
Authors: Liphschitz Nili
Published: April 2013

Twenty years of dendroarchaeological investigations in the Negev permit the reconstruction of the vegetational landscape and the macroclimate of the area during antiquity. The research is based on timber identification up to the species level, based on the microscopical three-dimensional structure of the wood. About 5000 wood samples were analyzed. Samples were obtained from 35 archaeological sites located in the northern Negev, central Negev, Arava Valley, and Dead Sea regions, and dated to different periods of time along the archaeological profile. Results show that the same natural arboreal vegetation which today characterizes the different regions of the Negev characterized them also during antiquity, from the PPNA until the Early Arab period. Microclimatic variations, evident from dendrochronological studies available for the region, were too small to cause changes in the arboreal vegetational landscape during the Holocene.
LICHENS AND LICHENICOLOUS FUNGI NEW FOR ISRAEL AND OTHER COUNTRIES
Authors: Navrotskaya I.L. , Kondratyuk S.Y. , Wasser S.P. , Nevo E. , Zelenko S.D.
Published: April 2013

Thirteen lichen species (Arthopyrenia punctiformis, Bactrospora patellarioides, Caloplaca saxicola, C. ulcerosa, Lempholemma chalazanellum, Lichenothelia scopularia, Maronea constans, Micarea nitschkeana, Opegrapha rufescens, O. vulgata var. subsiderella, Physcia caesia, Schismatomma pericleum, and Thelenella modesta), one nonlichenized ascomycetes (Peridiothelia fuliguncta), and 5 species of lichenicolous fungi (Arthonia molendoi, Endococcus parietinarius, Guignardia Olivieri, Opegrapha physciaria, and Zwackhiomyces coepulonus) are recorded as new for Israel. Lichenochora wasseri S.Kondr. sp. nov. from Caloplaca species from Israel and Sweden is described. Lichenochora xanthoriae is reported for the first time from Austria for Europe as well as from Auckland Islands, New Zealand, for the Southern Hemisphere. Seven taxa mentioned (Caloplaca ulcerosa, Endococcus parietinarius, Guignardia olivieri, Micarea nitschkeana, Opegrapha physciaria, Peridiothelia fuliguncta, Zwackhiomyces coepulonus) are reported here for the first time for Asia as well. Guignardia Olivieri is first reported here from some European countries (Finland, Russia, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Ukraine), and Zwackhiomyces coepulonus from North America and Africa as well. Synonyms, references to a modern description, ecological peculiarities, locations and dates of collection in Israel, general distribution, as well as taxonomical remarks regarding the foregoing lichens and lichenicolous fungi species are given.
LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF THE EMBRYO AND ENDOSPERM DEVELOPMENT IN THE NATURAL TETRAPLOID TRIFOLIUM PRATENSE L.
Authors: Algan Goönül , Bakar H.Nurhan
Published: April 2013

The ultrastructure of the embryo cells in ovules, from fertilization to the embryo maturity stage in the natural tetraploid Trifolium pratense L. that has a very low rate of seed formation, was examined. Following fertilization the vacuolar organization in the zygote changes. The zygote was a polarized cell and contained a central nucleus, mitochondria, plastids, ribosomes. and lipid bodies. Ribosomal concentration increases significantly after fertilization. The first division of the zygote was transverse or oblique and unequal. The primary endosperm nucleus divides before the zygote nucleus, forming a coenocytic nuclear endosperm; however, part of it later becomes cellular. At the earliest stage of embryo development, the cells were vacuolate, and plastids and mitochondria were simple in structure. During all stages of embryogenesis the suspensor cells were less electron dense than the adjoining embryo cells. Endosperm cellularization begins when the embryo has developed the globular embryo proper. Cellularization starts at the micropylar end of the embryo sac and progresses toward the chalazal end. Dictyosome activity, ribosomal aggregation, and the amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum were highest during the late globular embryo stage. In addition, the vacuolar volume in the cells was reduced. Lipid bodies were present up to the early globular stage, then disappeared. The inner cell walls of the embryo were thin, with many plasmodesmata. These walls begin to thicken at the late globular stage. The results show a corresponding increase in the amount and activity of the metabolic machinery as the development of the embryo progresses.
WILD EMMER WHEAT IN JORDAN: I. ECOTYPES AND PHENOTYPIC VARIATION
Authors: Jaradat A.A.
Published: April 2013

Univariate and multivariate analyses and numerical taxonomy procedures were utilized on the standardized mean values of 17 quantitative traits in the base collection of wild emmer wheat,Triticum dicoccoidesKorn., from Jordan, in an effort to identify ecotypes by trait measurements. Five ecotypes were identified on the basis of morphological, developmental, and productive traits. The five ecotypes exhibited different adaptive trait complexes as revealed by principal component and pairwise correlation analyses. It is postulated that particular environmental conditions across the distributional ranges of the species in Jordan resulted in the evolution of adaptive gene complexes which are conserved by genetic linkage or natural selection. The five ecotypes represented the marginal, peripheral, and central distributional range of the species in the country. Two extreme and three intermediate ecotypes were recognized. The extreme ecotypes represent the “grassy” and “robust” types recognized earlier. The three intermediate ecotypes differed markedly from the former two and from each other. They exhibited different patterns of trait associations. A gradual increase in Euclidean distances among these ecotypes was observed as their collection sites moved from marginal to peripheral, and then to central regions of the species' distributional range in Jordan.
FLOWERS THROUGH INSECT EYES
Authors: Vorobyev Misha , Gumbert Andreas , Kunze Jan , Giurfa Martin , Menzel Randolf
Published: April 2013

A new method of reconstructing the images of flowers as insects may see them is described. The method is based on the analysis of video recordings of flowers made through specially selected filters and a UV-sensitive camera. The recordings can be made under natural illumination conditions in the field. To select an appropriate set of filters we analyzed more than 1000 reflectance spectra of flowers. To reconstruct the images we used the results of optical studies of the honeybee eye and receptor spectral sensitivities of this insect. As an example of the application of the method, we show how the eye of the honeybee resolves color patterns and the corolla shape of a single flower ofOrchis caspiaTrautv.
INDUCED MODIFICATIONS IN REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF SALT-TREATED PLANTS OF SORGHUM BICOLOR
Authors: Amzallag G.Nissim
Published: April 2013

Plants of Sorghum bicolor were grown hydroponically in a solution containing 150 mM NaCl, and the reproductive characters were analyzed at the end of the life cycle. A subpopulation was exposed to salinity on day 8 following germination (early-exposed plants), and another subpopulation was first exposed to salinity on day 21 following germination (late-exposed plants). Fertility and stem height, as determined per g shoot dry weight (DW), were similar for control and late-exposed plants. However, these parameters were largely modified in early-exposed plants.

The population of late-exposed plants displayed an increase in phenotypic variability. However, the monomodal structure of the population remained similar to that of the population of control plants. In contrast, a large increase in diversity was observed in the population of early-exposed plants, and the frequency distribution of the reproductive characters appeared as plurimodal for this population.

Early exposure to NaCl has been previously shown to induce an increase in salinity tolerance of the plant (termed salt adaptation). This effect was not observed for late-exposed plants. The significance of the induced modifications in reproductive characters is discussed in the light of the salt adaptation response in Sorghum.
FLOWERING INTENSITY OF PHRYGANA PLANTS AFTER FENCING
Authors: Bergmeier Erwin
Published: April 2013

Flowering intensities of species in grazed and non-grazed plots were compared during a three-year period of fencing (1993–1995). The plots were located in a south-facing limestone phrygana (180 m a.s.l.) in SW Crete, Greece. Non-grazing had relatively little effect on species density and composition but some of the fluctuation in flowering intensity of annuals was related to the treatment. Flowering intensity of medium-sized and tall grasses and legumes increased subsequent to fencing, while some low-canopy annuals decreased. Few individuals of taxa of cliff habitats sensitive to browsing invaded the exclosure in the third year, but there was no evidence so far of succession towards maquis or woodland. Several annual species in the non-grazed plots flowered earlier than in the grazed plots. This phenological shift suggests advanced soil desiccation caused by the increase of water required by non-grazed herbs. Late-spring rain supported reflowering of annuals.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS REGULATE FLOWERING
Authors: Ohana Osnat , Weiss David
Published: April 2013

Eryngium planumwas introduced as a cut flower in Israel 20 years ago. So far, all efforts to hasten and synchronize flowering time have failed. In the present work we study the factors affecting eryngium flowering. We found that variation in flowering time is not caused by genetic variation but probably by physiological factors. Exposure of root cuttings to low temperature (2 °C for 2 months) enhanced the percentage of flowering plants but did not shorten time to flowering. High temperature during growth inhibited flowering in vernalized plants, probably via devernalization. Gibberellic acid (GA3) had little, if any, effect on either flowering time or quantity. The size of the initiated bud on the root cuttings was related to flowering time and quantity. Plants from vernalized roots with large buds bloomed faster and at a higher percentage than those from roots with smaller buds. It is suggested that the ability to respond to inductive low temperatures is related to the size of the apical meristem, which is correlated to bud size.
THE ARBOREAL VEGETATIONAL LANDSCAPE OF SINAI DURING ANTIQUITY AS EVIDENT FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD REMAINS
Authors: Liphschitz Nili
Published: April 2013

Dendroarchaeological investigations carried out in Sinai permit reconstruction of the vegetational landscape and the macroclimate of the peninsula during the last 10,000 years. Timber was identified up to the species level, based on the microscopic three-dimensional structure of the wood. About 730 wood samples, from 27 archaeological sites and one monastery, dated to different periods along the archaeological profile, were identified. Results show that the same arboreal elements that exist today in Sinai were present in this area in antiquity, from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A period until recent times. Microclimatic variations, evident from den-drochronological studies available for Sinai, were too small to cause changes in the arboreal vegetational landscape during the Holocene.
MACROALGAE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS ON MEDITERRANEAN SUBSURFACE PLATFORMS OF PIGEON ISLAND, ISRAEL
Authors: Einav Rachel , Olsvig-Whittaker Linda , Sharon Yair
Published: April 2013

Pigeon Island, a small nature reserve on the East Mediterranean coast of Israel, is surrounded by abrasion platforms covered with seaweed. The subject of this paper is the community ecology of these macroalgae populations as a function of environmental factors.

Redundancy analysis (RDA) enabled us to rank the measured environmental variables in order of their correlation with vegetation gradients, and to estimate the statistical significance of the correlation by means of Monte Carlo testing. Ordination results showed that most samples line up along a complex gradient corresponding to the transect running from sea front (“front”) to island edge (“inside”). The effect of this gradient was exaggerated by an additional north-south gradient. Hence the most extreme samples were front-north (exposed) and inside-south (sheltered). The first, most exposed, meter of the transect was favored by most of the algal species. Species richness of the front samples was significantly higher than of inside samples. The two most important physical factors were impact of wave activity and distance from seawater. Waves are the source of dissolved CO2, hence the site with the higher wave energy was the most favorable, and showed the strongest competition among plants.
A NEW SPECIES OF HEDYSARUM L. SECT. SUBACAULIA (BOISS.) B. FEDTSCH FOR THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN ZONE (SOUTHERN SPAIN)
Authors: Ríos Segundo , Alcaraz Francisco , Bernal Jóse López , Rivera Diego
Published: April 2013

This paper provides the first description of a Hedysarum species (Hedysarum costaetalentii sp. nov.) of the section Subacaulia (Boiss.) B. Fedtsch discovered in the Western Mediterranean mountains. This section is considered endemic to the northeastern Mediterranean zone. The discovery of this new species significantly enlarges its area of distribution. H. costaetalentii sp. nov. is a rare plant endemic in the upper part (1900–2100 m) of the Sierra de la Grillimona (Granada, Spain). It grows among the cushion-shaped scrubs (dominated by Velia spinosa Boiss.) and dwarf grasses, such as Festuca hystrix Boiss. And F. hackelii K. Rieht. H. costaetalentii is closely related to H. erythroleucon Boiss. The first species is endemic to S. Spain, the second, to S. and SE. Anatolia. This is a southeastern vicariance recalling other pairs of taxa such as Viola delphinanta-V. cazorlensis, Crataegus orientalis-C. presliana, Lonicera nummulariifolia-L. arborea, etc., and suggesting the ancient origin of this new species.
ADDENDA TO THE LIGNICOLOUS APHYLLOPHORALES, CERATOBASIDIALES, AND AURICULARIALES FUNGI FROM ISRAEL VIII
Authors: Binyamini Nissim
Published: April 2013

Twelve species are reported as new to Israel as a result of fieldwork in north and central Israel (Upper Galilee, Mt. Carmel, and the Sharon Plain). Brief descriptions are given, based on the Israeli materials.
NEW SYNTAXA FROM CAPPADOCIA (KIRŞEHIR, TÜRKIYE)
Authors: Aydoğdu Mustafa , Ketenoğlu Osman , Hamzaoğlu Ergin
Published: April 2013

A new allianceAlysso lepidoto-stellati-Astragalion condensatiof steppe communities spreading on the calcareous soils in the Kargasekmez, Kervansaray, and Naldöken mountains in the southeastern part of Central Anatolia, has been investigated and described.
LIGHT-STIMULATED LEAF GROWTH ON INTACT AND EXCISED BEAN PLANTS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.). II. EFFECT OF LIGHT DURATION AND TIMING OF APPLICATION
Authors: Lavee Shimon , Van Volkenburgh Elizabeth , Cleland Robert E.
Published: April 2013

The dependence of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Contender) leaf unfolding and expansion on light has been explored in intact and excised plants by varying the duration and timing of exposure to white light. Plants were grown for 10 days in dim red light (RL), and then some were excised. Both the intact and the excised plants were then exposed to varying white light (WL) treatments. In continuous WL, leaf unfolding began after 8 h, and was maximal after 36 h. For plants exposed to short WL treatments, as little as 2 h WL elicited partial unfolding when leaves were returned to RL and measured after 60 h. The relative rate of leaf elongation was most rapid during the first 2 h of WL and it rapidly decreased during the following 6–8 h. An 8 h exposure to WL followed by 52 h RL produced only a slightly lower leaf expansion than continuous WL for 32 h. Leaf elongation after 24 h constant WL irradiance was no longer light-dependent. The response of leaves on excised plants to WL was progressively less if treatment was delayed for 24 h after excision. In contrast, leaves on intact plants did not lose their ability to respond to light even after 48 h in the dark. The ability of leaves on intact or excised plants to elongate in RL decayed rapidly after day 10. These results indicate that light-stimulated leaf expansion in beans is mediated by some factors whose transport to the leaves is influenced by the presence of roots.
RESTRICTION FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM IN WILD AND CULTIVATED TETRAPLOID WHEAT
Authors: Huang Li , Millet Eitan , Rong Junkang , Wendel Jonathan F. , Anikster Yehoshua , Feldman Moshe
Published: April 2013

RFLP diversity in the nuclear genome was estimated within and among Israeli populations of wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidumvar.dicoccoides) from a long-term study site at Ammiad (NE Israel), and from several other geographical locations. Using 55 enzyme-probe combinations, high levels of genetic diversity were revealed in wild emmer in general and within the Ammiad site. In spite of high diversity, observed heterozygosity was low and populations consisted of a patchwork of alternate multilocus homozygotes, consistent with the reproductive biology of a predominant self-fertilizing species. Retention of genetic diversity in wild emmer may be promoted by large population sizes, microhabitat diversity, and occasional gene flow through both pollen and seed. Population genetic structure in wild emmer appears to have been influenced by historical founder events as well as selective factors. Multivariate analyses indicated that individuals tend to cluster together according to their population of origin, and that there is little geographical differentiation among populations. Sampling of 12 domesticated land-races and both primitive and modern cultivars ofT. turgidumrevealed high levels of diversity and a large number of alleles that were not detected in the wild emmer populations. This may reflect a long-term domestication process in which wild, semi-domesticated, and domesticated types grew sympatrically, continuing introgression from wild populations, and perhaps also gene flow from trans-specific sources.
FRUIT MORPHOLOGY OF SECTIONS OF THE GENUS ONOBRYCHIS MILLER (FABACEAE) AND ITS PHYLOGENETIC IMPLICATIONS
Authors: Yildiz Bayram , Çiplak Battal , Aktoklu Ekrem
Published: April 2013

In this study, fruit morphology of sections of the genus Onobrychis were examined. Fruit morphology origin, taxonomic position, and phylogeny of the genus are discussed. The hypothesis obtained from a phylogenetic analysis based on fruit morphology suggests the polyphyly of the genus excluding section Dendrobrychis. However, the result supports monophyly of four generic sections, Hymenobrychis + (Heliobrychis + (Lophobrychis + Onobrychis)).
Trichosporon asahii among Intensive Care Unit Patients at a Medical Center in Jamaica
Authors: Fanfair Robyn Neblett , Heslop Orville , Etienne Kizee , Rainford Lois , Roy Monika , Gade Lalitha , Peterson Joyce , O'Connell Heather , Noble-Wang Judith , Balajee S. Arunmozhi , Brandt Mary E. , Lindo John F. , Park Benjamin J.
Published: April 2013

We investigated an increase in Trichosporon asahii isolates among inpatients. We identified 63 cases; 4 involved disseminated disease. Trichosporon species was recovered from equipment cleaning rooms, washbasins, and fomites, which suggests transmission through washbasins. Patient washbasins should be single-patient use only; adherence to appropriate hospital disinfection guidelines was recommended.
Empirical Modeling of R&D Demand in a Dynamic Framework
Authors: Roberts Mark J. , Vuong Van Anh
Published: April 2013

Empirical analysis of firm‐level investment in research and development (R&D) and its effect on innovation patterns and productivity has advanced as a result of innovation surveys in many countries. The weak link in the analysis of these surveys is the empirical model of firm R&D choice. In this paper we summarize how a dynamic, structural model of firm investment can be used to estimate firm demand for R&D with the data collected in innovation surveys. The estimates provide a natural measure of the expected benefit to the firm of investing in R&D. They also allow the researcher to simulate how the firm's R&D investment will respond to factors that shift cost or demand such as a policy change designed to subsidize R&D expenditures or provide financial support to firms with less favorable access to capital markets.
A multi-layer inference approach to reconstruct condition-specific genes and their regulation
Authors: Wu Ming , Liu Li , Hijazi Hussein , Chan Christina
Published: April 2013

An important topic in systems biology is the reverse engineering of regulatory mechanisms through reconstruction of context-dependent gene networks. A major challenge is to identify the genes and the regulations specific to a condition or phenotype, given that regulatory processes are highly connected such that a specific response is typically accompanied by numerous collateral effects. In this study, we design a multi-layer approach that is able to reconstruct condition-specific genes and their regulation through an integrative analysis of large-scale information of gene expression, protein interaction and transcriptional regulation (transcription factor-target gene relationships). We establish the accuracy of our methodology against synthetic datasets, as well as a yeast dataset. We then extend the framework to the application of higher eukaryotic systems, including human breast cancer and Arabidopsis thaliana cold acclimation. Our study identified TACSTD2 (TROP2) as a target gene for human breast cancer and discovered its regulation by transcription factors CREB, as well as NFkB. We also predict KIF2C is a target gene for ER−/HER2− breast cancer and is positively regulated by E2F1. The predictions were further confirmed through experimental studies.

Availability: The implementation and detailed protocol of the layer approach is available at http://www.egr.msu.edu/changroup/Protocols/Three-layer%20approach%20to%20reconstruct%20condition.html.

Contact:  krischan@egr.msu.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Deleuze on Painting
Authors: Crowley Martin
Published: April 2013

In keeping with the position maintained throughout his work, Deleuze's writings on painting reject an aesthetics of mimesis in favour of a celebration of effectivity. Mobilizing a dynamic of combative extraction, Deleuze shows in these writings how works of art can engage with local instances of suffering and constraint in such a way as to open these on to other, livelier possibilities. Examining Deleuze's most extended analyses of the work of particular painters (namely,
Francis Bacon: logique de la sensation
(1981), and ‘Le Froid et le chaud’ (1973), on Gérard Fromanger), this article looks in detail at the workings of this mechanism in each case. Arguing that the version deployed in Deleuze's discussion of Bacon is limited in its ability to negotiate some kinds of contingent negativity, it maintains that this might, accordingly, be supplemented usefully by the differently inflected version at work in his piece on Fromanger. The article concludes by suggesting how these two versions of combative painterly extraction might most productively be imagined as working in tandem.
Revenant(s) de guerre
? Spectres of Decolonization in the French Second World War Combat Film
Authors: Langford Rachael
Published: April 2013

This article examines the reticence of French film to engage with the Second World War combat film as a genre, and links this to the reticence and silence in French cultural memory over France's wars of decolonization. The theoretical frames of the argument are informed by the work of Rothberg, Silverman, Ricœur, and Rousso on cultural memory and the ideologization of memory and forgetting. The article explores three films produced at crucial points in the history of France's relations with its colonial others: Denys de La Patellière's
Un taxi pour Tobrouk
(1961) and Henri Verneuil's
Week-end à Zuydcoote
(1964) and
Les Morfalous
(1984). It considers how these films inflect the generic tropes of self and other, insider and outsider, home and away against the hegemonic representation of France, in the Anglo-American combat film genre, as fracture or dissolution, and of French people as passivity or absence. By examining these films' inflection of the Second World War combat film, the article concludes that each is haunted by anxieties over war, identity, and decolonization that relate not to the films' diegetic histories of the Second World War, but to other uneasy histories of France's wars of decolonization, histories that are simultaneously raised and repressed in hegemonic French culture.
C2–C3 Anterior Cervical Fusion
Authors: Finn Michael A. , MacDonald Joel D.
Published: April 2013

Study Design:

Retrospective review of patients at a university hospital.

Objective:

To describe the anterior approach for cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) at C2–C3 level and evaluate its suitability for treatment of instability and degenerative disease in this region.

Summary of Background Data:

The anterior approach is commonly used for ACDF in the lower cervical spine but is used less often in the high cervical spine.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed a database of consecutive cervical spine surgeries performed at our institution to identify patients who underwent ACDF at the C2–C3 level during a 10-year period. Demographic data, clinical indications, surgical technique, complications, and immediate results were evaluated.

Results:

Of the 11 patients (7 female, 4 male; mean age 46 y) identified, 7 were treated for traumatic fractures and 4 for degenerative disk disease. Three patients treated for myelopathy showed improvement in mean Nurick grade from 3.6 to 1.3. Pain was significantly improved in all patients who had preoperative pain. Solid bony fusion was achieved in 5 of 7 patients at 3-month follow-up. Complications included dysphagia in 4 patients (which resolved in 3), aspiration pneumonia, mild persistent dysphonia, and construct failure at C2 requiring posterior fusion. One patient died of a pulmonary embolism 2 weeks postoperatively.

Conclusions:

ACDF at the C2–C3 level is an option for the treatment of high cervical disease or trauma but is associated with a higher rate of approach-related morbidity. Familiarity with local anatomy may help to reduce complications. ACDF at C2–C3 appears to have a fusion rate similar to ACDF performed at other levels.
PARACENTRAL CONE DYSTROPHY WITH TAPETAL-LIKE SHEEN AND MIZUO PHENOMENON EXAMINED WITH DIFFERENT IMAGING TECHNIQUES
Authors: Salcedo-Villanueva Guillermo , Jimenez-Sierra Juan M.
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

To present a case report of a patient diagnosed with cone dystrophy, with an uncommon presentation of paracentral involvement, tapetallike sheen, and Mizuo phenomenon.

Methods:

The patient underwent complete ophthalmic examination, repeated electroretinograms, fluorescein angiography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, autofluorescence, and different techniques for fundus photographs (color, infrared, red free).

Patient:

Twenty-year-old male patient who manifested slight photofobia but was otherwise asymptomatic.

Results:

The patient had 20/20 vision in both eyes. Upon indirect ophthalmoscopy, the retina presented a metalliclike sheen. Sequential electroretinograms and multifocal electroretinogram demonstrated a decreasing photopic response, with paracentral involvement. Autofluorescence and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography allowed a better visualization of the atrophic parafoveal cones. Red-free photographs help document the tapetallike sheen and Mizuo phenomenon after 3-hour dark adaptation.

Conclusion:

The final diagnosis of cone dystrophy, paracentral, with tapetallike sheen was established. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and red-free photographs will help better understand the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of this uncommon disease.
SECONDARY ORBITAL AND INTRAOCULAR LYMPHOMA TREATED WITH IMMUNOCHEMOTHERAPY
Authors: Savino Gustavo , Petroni Sergio , Balia Laura , Caputo Carmela G. , Battendieri Remo , d’Alò Francesco , Balestrazzi Emilio
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

To assess ocular and orbital structure by ocular echography and magnetic resonance imaging, fluoroangiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography before and after therapy with rituximab (Mabthera) and chlorambucil in a patient with concurrent intraorbital and intraocular lymphoma and diplopia.

Methods:

A 69-year-old man referred blurred vision and proptosis in his left eye associated with diplopia. Best-corrected visual acuity was 0.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution in the left eye and 0.02 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution in the right eye. Ocular echography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed the presence of concurrent orbital and intraocular tumor, and a B-cell lymphocytic lymphoma was diagnosed by incisional biopsy. The patient was treated with the oral alkylating agent chlorambucil and with intravenous infusions of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Mabthera) and evaluated with visual acuity, echography, fluoroangiography, indocyanine green angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Results:

After combined immunochemotherapy with rituximab/chlorambucil, the patient showed in the left eye a significant improvement of visual acuity (0.1 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) and a disappearance of diplopia at the end of follow-up.

Conclusion:

In this case report, combined systemic therapy with chlorambucil and rituximab was effective to reduce and control orbital and intraocular lymphoma.
Real-time
in vivo
imaging of size-dependent transport and toxicity of gold nanoparticles in zebrafish embryos using single nanoparticle plasmonic spectroscopy
Authors: Browning Lauren M. , Huang Tao , Xu Xiao-Hong Nancy
Published: April 2013

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) show distinctive plasmonic optical properties and superior photostability, enabling them to serve as photostable multi-coloured optical molecular probes and sensors for real-time
in vivo
imaging. To effectively study biological functions
in vivo
, it is essential that the NP probes are biocompatible and can be delivered into living organisms non-invasively. In this study, we have synthesized, purified and characterized stable (non-aggregated) gold (Au) NPs (86.2 ± 10.8 nm). We have developed dark-field single NP plasmonic microscopy and spectroscopy to study their transport into early developing zebrafish embryos (cleavage stage) and their effects on embryonic development in real-time at single NP resolution. We found that single Au NPs (75–97 nm) passively diffused into the embryos via their chorionic pore canals, and stayed inside the embryos throughout their entire development (120 h). The majority of embryos (96 ± 3%) that were chronically incubated with the Au NPs (0–20 pM) for 120 h developed to normal zebrafish, while an insignificant percentage of embryos developed to deformed zebrafish (1 ± 1)% or dead (3 ± 3)%. Interestingly, we did not observe dose-dependent effects of the Au NPs (0–20 pM) on embryonic development. By comparing with our previous studies of smaller Au NPs (11.6 ± 0.9 nm) and similar-sized Ag NPs (95.4 ± 16.0 nm), we found that the larger Au NPs are more biocompatible than the smaller Au NPs, while the similar-sized Ag NPs are much more toxic than Au NPs. This study offers
in vivo
assays and single NP microscopy and spectroscopy to characterize the biocompatibility and toxicity of single NPs, and new insights into the rational design of more biocompatible plasmonic NP imaging probes.
Detecting adenosine triphosphate in the pericellular space
Authors: Falzoni Simonetta , Donvito Giovanna , Di Virgilio Francesco
Published: April 2013

Release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into the extracellular space occurs in response to a multiplicity of physiological and pathological stimuli in virtually all cells and tissues. A role for extracellular ATP has been identified in processes as different as neurotransmission, endocrine and exocrine secretion, smooth muscle contraction, bone metabolism, cell proliferation, immunity and inflammation. However, ATP measurement in the extracellular space has proved a daunting task until recently. To tackle this challenge, some years ago, we designed and engineered a novel luciferase probe targeted to and expressed on the outer aspect of the plasma membrane. This novel probe was constructed by appending to firefly luciferase the N-terminal leader sequence and the C-terminal glycophosphatidylinositol anchor of the folate receptor. This chimeric protein, named plasma membrane luciferase, is targeted and localized to the outer side of the plasma membrane. With this probe, we have generated stably transfected HEK293 cell clones that act as an
in vitro
and
in vivo
sensor of the extracellular ATP concentration in several disease conditions, such as experimentally induced tumours and inflammation.
New generation of magnetic and luminescent nanoparticles for
in vivo
real-time imaging
Authors: Lacroix Lise-Marie , Delpech Fabien , Nayral Céline , Lachaize Sébastien , Chaudret Bruno
Published: April 2013

A new generation of optimized contrast agents is emerging, based on metallic nanoparticles (NPs) and semiconductor nanocrystals for, respectively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent imaging techniques. Compared with established contrast agents, such as iron oxide NPs or organic dyes, these NPs benefit from several advantages: their magnetic and optical properties can be tuned through size, shape and composition engineering, their efficiency can exceed by several orders of magnitude that of contrast agents clinically used, their surface can be modified to incorporate specific targeting agents and antifolding polymers to increase blood circulation time and tumour recognition, and they can possibly be integrated in complex architecture to yield multi-modal imaging agents. In this review, we will report the materials of choice based on the understanding of the basic physics of NIR and MRI techniques and their corresponding syntheses as NPs. Surface engineering, water transfer and specific targeting will be highlighted prior to their first use for
in vivo
real-time imaging. Highly efficient NPs that are safer and target specific are likely to enter clinical application in a near future.
Land-use-driven stream warming in southeastern Amazonia
Authors: Macedo Marcia N. , Coe Michael T. , DeFries Ruth , Uriarte Maria , Brando Paulo M. , Neill Christopher , Walker Wayne S.
Published: April 2013

Large-scale cattle and crop production are the primary drivers of deforestation in the Amazon today. Such land-use changes can degrade stream ecosystems by reducing connectivity, changing light and nutrient inputs, and altering the quantity and quality of streamwater. This study integrates field data from 12 catchments with satellite-derived information for the 176 000 km2upper Xingu watershed (Mato Grosso, Brazil). We quantify recent land-use transitions and evaluate the influence of land management on streamwater temperature, an important determinant of habitat quality in small streams. By 2010, over 40 per cent of catchments outside protected areas were dominated (greater than 60% of area) by agriculture, with an estimated 10 000 impoundments in the upper Xingu. Streams in pasture and soya bean watersheds were significantly warmer than those in forested watersheds, with average daily maxima over 4°C higher in pasture and 3°C higher in soya bean. The upstream density of impoundments and riparian forest cover accounted for 43 per cent of the variation in temperature. Scaling up, our model suggests that management practices associated with recent agricultural expansion may have already increased headwater stream temperatures across the Xingu. Although increased temperatures could negatively impact stream biota, conserving or restoring riparian buffers could reduce predicted warming by as much as fivefold.
Responding to climate change and the global land crisis: REDD+, market transformation and low-emissions rural development
Authors: Nepstad Daniel C. , Boyd William , Stickler Claudia M. , Bezerra Tathiana , Azevedo Andrea A.
Published: April 2013

Climate change and rapidly escalating global demand for food, fuel, fibre and feed present seemingly contradictory challenges to humanity. Can greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land-use, more than one-fourth of the global total, decline as growth in land-based production accelerates? This review examines the status of two major international initiatives that are designed to address different aspects of this challenge. REDD+ is an emerging policy framework for providing incentives to tropical nations and states that reduce their GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Market transformation, best represented by agricultural commodity roundtables, seeks to exclude unsustainable farmers from commodity markets through international social and environmental standards for farmers and processors. These global initiatives could potentially become synergistically integrated through (i) a shared approach for measuring and favouring high environmental and social performance of land use across entire jurisdictions and (ii) stronger links with the domestic policies, finance and laws in the jurisdictions where agricultural expansion is moving into forests. To achieve scale, the principles of REDD+ and sustainable farming systems must be embedded in domestic low-emission rural development models capable of garnering support across multiple constituencies. We illustrate this potential with the case of Mato Grosso State in the Brazilian Amazon.
Cytochrome P450CYP78A9Is Involved in Arabidopsis Reproductive Development
Authors: Sotelo-Silveira Mariana , Cucinotta Mara , Chauvin Anne-Laure , Chávez Montes Ricardo A. , Colombo Lucia , Marsch-Martínez Nayelli , de Folter Stefan
Published: April 2013

Synchronized communication between gametophytic and sporophytic tissue is crucial for successful reproduction, and hormones seem to have a prominent role in it. Here, we studied the role of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) cytochrome P450 CYP78A9 enzyme during reproductive development. First, controlled pollination experiments indicate that CYP78A9 responds to fertilization. Second, while CYP78A9 overexpression can uncouple fruit development from fertilization, the cyp78a8 cyp78a9 loss-of-function mutant has reduced seed set due to outer ovule integument development arrest, leading to female sterility. Moreover, CYP78A9 has a specific expression pattern in inner integuments in early steps of ovule development as well as in the funiculus, embryo, and integuments of developing seeds. CYP78A9 overexpression did not change the response to the known hormones involved in flower development and fruit set, and it did not seem to have much effect on the major known hormonal pathways. Furthermore, according to previous predictions, perturbations in the flavonol biosynthesis pathway were detected in cyp78a9, cyp78a8 cyp78a9, and empty siliques (es1-D) mutants. However, it appeared that they do not cause the observed phenotypes. In summary, these results add new insights into the role of CYP78A9 in plant reproduction and present, to our knowledge, the first characterization of metabolite differences between mutants in this gene family.