bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age‐dependent expression of duodenal cytochrome b divalent metal transporter 1, ferroportin 1, and hephaestin in the duodenum of rats
Authors: Kong Wei‐Na , Wu Qiong , Shen Di , Zhao Shu‐E , Guo Pei , Duan Xiang‐Lin , Chang Yan‐Zhong
Published: October 2014

Background and Aim

The body's requirement for iron is different at different developmental stages. However, the molecular mechanisms of age‐dependent iron metabolism are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the expression of iron transport proteins in the duodenum of Sprague–Dawley rats at five different age stages.

Methods

Male Sprague–Dawley rats at postnatal week (PNW) 1, 3, 12, 44, and 88 were employed in the study. Serum iron status and tissue non‐heme iron concentrations in the spleen, liver, bone marrow, heart, kidney, duodenal epithelium, and gastrocnemius were examined at each age stage. The expression of duodenal cytochrome b (DcytB), divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), ferroportin 1 (FPN1), hephaestin, and hepcidin were measured by real‐time polymerase chain reaction or Western blot.

Results

The levels of serum iron and transferrin saturation were higher in the rats at PNW1 and 3 than in those at PNW12, 44, and 88. Non‐heme iron contents decreased from PNW1 to PNW3 and then increased thereafter. Duodenal DcytB, DMT1, and FPN1 increased to the highest level at PNW3 and then decreased from PNW12 to 88. The hepatic hepcidin mRNA level decreased to the lowest level at PNW3 and then increased with age.

Conclusion

Our findings showed that age had a significant effect on body iron status. The increased duodenal DcytB, DMT1, and FPN1 expression can enhance intestinal iron absorption to meet the high iron requirements in infants. Hepcidin or enterocyte iron levels may be involved in the regulation of age‐dependent FPN1, DMT1, and DcytB expression in the duodenum.
A haplotype block associated with thousand‐kernel weight on chromosome 5DS in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Wang Yuquan , Hao Chenyang , Zheng Jun , Ge Hongmei , Zhou Yang , Ma Zhengqiang , Zhang Xueyong
Published: October 2014

Spike number per unit area, number of grains per spike, and thousand‐kernel weight (TKW) are important yield components for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). TKW has the highest heritability among the three components. We validated 27 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci associated with TKW in an F2:5 breeding population grown in four environments. A cfd78265bp marker on chromosome 5DS showed the strongest association with TKW and had a significantly positive effect on TKW compared to allele cfd78259bp, with mean increases of 5.17, 3.63, 4.11, and 5.16 g in the four environments. Markers cfd67 and cfd40 flanking cfd78 also showed significantly positive associations with TKW with increases of 5.11, 3.29, 4.31, and 4.50 g for cfd67205, and 4.98, 3.49, 4.06, and 4.84 g for cfd40187 compared with cfd67203 and cfd40190 in the four environments, respectively. A major quantitative trait locus for TKW spanning 2.94 cM on chromosome 5DS was detected by association mapping. Strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) (r2 > 0.2) was detected among the three linked markers, which formed three haplotype blocks in the F2:5 breeding population. Mean TKW differences between HapB‐I and HapB‐II were 5.80, 4.41, 4.02, and 5.06 g in the four environments, respectively. Moreover, significant LD was detected only between cfd78 and cfd67 and between cfd67 and cfd40 in a germplasm collection. This study provides a base for cloning genes related to TKW on chromosome 5DS.
The endoplasmic reticulum: A dynamic and well‐connected organelle
Authors: Hawes Chris , Kiviniemi Petra , Kriechbaumer Verena
Published: October 2014

The endoplasmic reticulum forms the first compartment in a series of organelles which comprise the secretory pathway. It takes the form of an extremely dynamic and pleomorphic membrane‐bounded network of tubules and cisternae which have numerous different cellular functions. In this review, we discuss the nature of endoplasmic reticulum structure and dynamics, its relationship with closely associated organelles, and its possible function as a highway for the distribution and delivery of a diverse range of structures from metabolic complexes to viral particles.

Chris Hawes
The number of cardiac myocytes in the hypertrophic and hypotrophic left ventricle of the obese and calorie‐restricted mouse heart
Authors: Schipke Julia , Banmann Ewgenija , Nikam Sandeep , Voswinckel Robert , Kohlstedt Karin , Loot Annemarieke E. , Fleming Ingrid , Mühlfeld Christian
Published: October 2014

Changes in body mass due to varying amounts of calorie intake occur frequently with obesity and anorexia/cachexia being at opposite sides of the scale. Here, we tested whether a high‐fat diet or calorie restriction (CR) decreases the number of cardiac myocytes and affects their volume. Ten 6–8‐week‐old mice were randomly assigned to a normal (control group, n = 5) or high‐fat diet (obesity group, n = 5) for 28 weeks. Ten 8‐week‐old mice were randomly assigned to a normal (control group, n = 5) or CR diet (CR group, n = 5) for 7 days. The left ventricles of the hearts were prepared for light and electron microscopy, and analysed by design‐based stereology. In CR, neither the number of cardiac myocytes, the relationship between one‐ and multinucleate myocytes nor their mean volume were significantly different between the groups. In contrast, in the obese mice we observed a significant increase in cell size combined with a lower number of cardiomyocytes (P < 0.05 in the one‐sided U‐test) and an increase in the mean number of nuclei per myocyte. The mean volume of myofibrils and mitochondria per cardiac myocyte reflected the hypertrophic and hypotrophic remodelling in obesity and CR, respectively, but were only significant in the obese mice, indicating a more profound effect of the obesity protocol than in the CR experiments. Taken together, our data indicate that long‐lasting obesity is associated with a loss of cardiomyocytes of the left ventricle, but that short‐term CR does not alter the number of cardiomyocytes.
Possibilities and Constraints of Market‐Led Land Reforms in Southern Africa: An Analysis of Transfers of Commercial Farmland in Postcolonial Zimbabwe, 1980–2000
Authors: Pilossof Rory
Published: October 2014

This paper provides a systematic basis, hitherto missing in the current scholarship, to quantify land transfers in Zimbabwe after 1980. It uses title deed information to determine year of sale via a number of sources. The main finding of this research is that a great deal of land changed ownership during this period, which, if the government had been committed to land reform, it could have acted upon. Evidence suggests as much as 67 per cent of white‐owned land changed ownership after 1980. The second is that, while a large amount of land did change hands, it was not the 80 per cent that many white farmers and their supporters have claimed. The figure of 69 per cent is still very high, but it is apparent that much of this did not represent ‘true’ transfer of land. By further investigating the land that did change hands, this paper also raises questions about (a) the possibilities of market‐led land reform in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, and (b) the relationship between white capital and the new political elite in the postcolonial state.
The lived experience of men with advanced cancer in relation to their perceptions of masculinity: a qualitative phenomenological study
Authors: Stapleton Sarah , Pattison Natalie
Published: October 2014

Aims and objectives

The aim of this exploratory research was to understand how men experience their advanced cancer in relation to their perceptions of masculinity.

Background

There are differences in the way men and women experience illness and health care. There are inequalities in incidence and morbidities of many diseases as well as differences in rates of help‐seeking behaviours. Theories on masculinity offer some explanation towards this. Men's experiences of advanced cancer in relation to masculinity are under reported, published literature suggests that there are certain issues or men dealing with advanced disease that justify investigation.

Design

A Qualitative approach using a Husserlian Phenomenological design was conducted.

Sample

Eight men (aged 26–68) all with advanced cancer, defined as advanced or metastatic disease for which the patient had exhausted all standard therapeutic options.

Methods

In‐depth interviews were conducted to capture narratives of the experiences of men. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's seven stage framework.

Results

Themes included thwarted ambition, changing expectations, protection and provision, stoicism and coping, images of illness versus images of masculinity, importance of being a fighter and loss.

Conclusion

Findings showed that the experiences of these men were complex and should be handled sensitively. Ideas for gender‐specific interventions and further research were developed from the findings in relation to current literature.

Relevance to clinical practice

A better understanding and awareness of this in this context will help nurses to consider more subtle challenges that these patients may be dealing with that in turn could affect how they cope with the burden of cancer.
Introduction
Authors: Hart William David
Published: October 2014

The essays in this focus on race and ethics approach the topic from a variety of perspectives. Yet they all advance a basic claim: race—a euphemism for white supremacy—is an ethical issue too often evaded. The essays demonstrate that the ethics of race is integrally bound up with religion, colonialism, and secularism.
White Picket Fences, White Innocence
Authors: Hutchinson Sikivu
Published: October 2014

Focusing on the cultural implications of the relationship between white segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond and his biracial daughter Essie Mae Washington‐Williams, this essay explores national narratives of whiteness, femininity, morality, and the institutionalization of sexual violence against black women.
Tradition, Authority, and Immanent Critique in Comparative Ethics
Authors: Kellison Rosemary B.
Published: October 2014

Drawing on resources from pragmatist thought allows religious ethicists to take account of the central role traditions play in the formation and development of moral concepts without thereby espousing moral relativism or becoming traditionalists. After giving an account of this understanding of the concept of tradition, I examine the ways in which understandings of tradition play out in two contemporary examples of tradition‐based ethics: works in comparative ethics of war by James Turner Johnson and John Kelsay. I argue that a pragmatist approach to tradition‐based ethics allows for a nuanced and flexible understanding of moral traditions, and one that holds great promise for international consensus‐building around shared ethical norms for the use of armed force.
Creaturely Solidarity
Authors: Kao Grace Y.
Published: October 2014

This essay examines several recent contributions to the growing literature on animal ethics from Christian perspectives. I categorize the four books under review in one of three ways depending on the scholars' methodological points of departure: (1) a reconstruction of the place of other animals in Christian history through a selective retrieval of texts and practices; (2) an identification of a key Christian ethical principle; and (3) a reconsideration of foundational doctrines of systematic theology. On the premise that social ethicists are interested in not only understanding the world, but also changing it, I observe that these authors have offered different answers to the following three questions: (1) whether the theoretical basis for reform is ultimately grounded upon notions of human sameness or difference with other animals; (2) whether scholar‐activists should emphasize logic over passion or values over interests (or vice versa) in their calls for transformation; and (3) whether moral motivation for their targeted audiences is best served by reliance upon secular argumentation and interdisciplinary research or upon the distinctive claims of revelation and other tradition‐specific norms. I conclude by offering my own thoughts about which approaches might prove more effective than others.
Should Inherent Human Dignity Be Considered Intrinsically Heuristic?
Authors: Ranganathan Bharat
Published: October 2014

What are “human rights” supposed to protect? According to most human rights doctrines, including most notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), human rights aim to protect “human dignity.” But what this concept amounts to and what its source is remain unclear. According to Glenn Hughes (2011), human rights theorists ought to consider human dignity as an “intrinsically heuristic concept,” whose content is partially understood but is not fully determined. In this comment, I criticize Hughes's account. On my view, understanding inherent human dignity as an intrinsically heuristic concept tethers it to an “indeterminateness of sense,” which leaves it open to exploitation from theorists unsympathetic to the moral salience of rights and what rights are supposed to protect.
Zonate Leaf Spot of Prunus mandshurica Caused by Hinomyces pruni in Korea
Authors: Cho Sung‐Eun , Park Ji‐Hyun , Lee Sang‐Hyun , Lee Chong‐Kyu , Shin Hyeon‐Dong
Published: October 2014

Zonate leaf spots and severe defoliation were observed on Manchurian apricot (Prunus mandshurica) growing in a humid location in Korea from 2011 through 2013. The main symptoms included greyish green to brownish grey and zonate leaf spots without border lines, which mostly led to premature defoliation. The morphological characteristics of the causal agent were consistent with Hinomyces pruni. Identification was supported by analysing the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA from an isolate. The pathogenicity of the isolate was confirmed by artificial inoculation. This is the first report of zonate leaf spot caused by H. pruni on Manchurian apricot globally as well as in Korea.
Toward an inordinate fondness for stars, beetles and Lobophora? Species diversity of the genus Lobophora (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) in New Caledonia
Authors: Vieira Christophe , D'hondt Sofie , De Clerck Olivier , Payri Claude E
Published: October 2014

Until the recent use of molecular markers, species diversity of Lobophora, an ecologically important brown algal genus with a worldwide distribution in temperate and tropical seas, has been critically underestimated. Using a DNA‐based taxonomic approach, we re‐examined diversity of the genus from New Caledonia in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. First, species were delineated using general mixed Yule coalescent‐based and barcoding gap approaches applied to a mitochondrial cox3 data set. Results were subsequently confirmed using chloroplast psbA and rbcL data sets. Species delimitation analyses agreed well across markers and delimitation algorithms, with the barcoding gap approach being slightly more conservative. Analyses of the cox3 data set resulted in 31–39 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), four of which are previously described species (L. asiatica, L. crassa, L. nigrescens s.l., L. pachyventera). Of the remaining MOTUs for which we obtained a representative number of sequences and results are corroborated across analyses and genes, we described 10 species de novo: L. abaculusa, L. abscondita, L. densa, L. dimorpha, L. gibbera, L. hederacea, L. monticola, L. petila, L. rosacea, and L. undulata. Our study presents an excellent case of how a traditional morphology‐based taxonomy fails to provide accurate estimates of algal diversity. Furthermore, the level of Lobophora diversity unveiled from a single locality in the Pacific Ocean raises important questions with respect to the global diversity of the genus, the distributions and range sizes of the individual species, as well as the mechanisms facilitating coexistence.
Do newcomers stick to the rules of the residents? Designing trait‐based community assembly tests
Authors: Breitschwerdt Eva , Jandt Ute , Bruelheide Helge
Published: October 2014

Questions

How similar or dissimilar must a species be to the resident plant community in order to successfully colonize grassland communities that vary in land‐use intensity? Is land‐use intensity an environmental filter that affects the survival rate of newcomers? Do species that are more likely to co‐occur with the resident species show higher survival rates than those that are more similar/dissimilar to the resident community or randomly chosen species?

Location

Schwäbische Alb, Hainich and Schorfheide, Germany.

Methods

We planted different species from the regional grassland species pool into extant grassland communities exposed to different levels of land‐use intensity. Species composition was recorded across 54 sites comprising meadows, mown meadows and grazed grasslands located within the ‘Biodiversity Exploratories’ project areas in three different regions of Germany. New species were selected for enrichment planting in the plots according to four different scenarios: species with highly similar or dissimilar traits, species with the highest degree of co‐occurrence (derived from vegetation records held in the German vegetation reference database) and randomly chosen species. The changes in community mean trait distances brought about by enrichment planting and the transplant survival were related to land‐use intensity.

Results and Conclusion

Land use was found to be an important environmental filter, as mean trait distance consistently declined with increasing land‐use intensity across all scenarios. The planted species with the highest probability of co‐occurrence with the resident species did not change the mean pair‐wise trait distances across all plots, which indicates that they reflected the same degree of environmental filtering as the resident species. Accordingly, the species that commonly co‐occur with the resident species survived best. These findings open a new avenue for using vegetation databases to assess the relative importance of environmental filtering.
How Literacy Acquisition Affects the Illiterate Mind – A Critical Examination of Theories and Evidence
Authors: Huettig Falk , Mishra Ramesh K.
Published: October 2014

At present, more than one‐fifth of humanity is unable to read and write. We critically examine experimental evidence and theories of how (il)literacy affects the human mind. In our discussion, we show that literacy has significant cognitive consequences that go beyond the processing of written words and sentences. Thus, cultural inventions such as reading shape general cognitive processing in non‐trivial ways. We suggest that this has important implications for educational policy and guidance and research into cognitive processing and brain functioning.
Expanding our Reach and Theirs: When Linguists go to High School
Authors: Lidz Jeffrey , Kronrod Yakov
Published: October 2014

In 2007, we began an outreach program in Linguistics with psychology students in a local majority–minority high school. In the years since, the initial collaboration has grown to include other schools and nurtured a culture of community engagement in the language sciences at the University of Maryland. The program has led to a number of benefits for both the public school students and the University researchers involved. Over the years, our efforts have developed into a multi‐faceted outreach program targeting primary and secondary school as well as the public more broadly. Through our outreach, we attempt to take a modest step toward increasing public awareness and appreciation of the importance of language science, toward the integration of research into the school curriculum, and giving potential first‐generation college students a taste of what they are capable of. In this article, we describe in detail our motivations and goals, the details of the activities, and where we can go from here.
Ernst Julius Öpik's (1916) note on the theory of explosion cratering on the Moon's surface—The complex case of a long‐overlooked benchmark paper
Authors: Racki Grzegorz , Koeberl Christian , Viik Tõnu , Jagt‐Yazykova Elena A. , Jagt John W. M.
Published: October 2014

High‐velocity impact as a common phenomenon in planetary evolution was ignored until well into the twentieth century, mostly because of inadequate understanding of cratering processes. An eight‐page note, published in Russian by the young Ernst Julius Öpik, a great Estonian astronomer, was among the key selenological papers, but due to the language barrier, it was barely known and mostly incorrectly cited. This particular paper is here intended to serve as an explanatory supplement to an English translation of Öpik's article, but also to document an early stage in our understanding of cratering. First, we outline the historical–biographical background of this benchmark paper, and second, a comprehensive discussion of its merits is presented, from past and present perspectives alike. In his theoretical research, Öpik analyzed the explosive formation of craters numerically, albeit in a very simple way. For the first time, he approximated relationships among minimal meteorite size, impact energy, and crater diameter; this scaling focused solely on the gravitational energy of excavating the crater (a “useful” working approach). This initial physical model, with a rational mechanical basis, was developed in a series of papers up to 1961. Öpik should certainly be viewed as the founder of the numerical simulation approach in planetary sciences. In addition, the present note also briefly describes Nikolai A. Morozov as a remarkable man, a forgotten Russian scientist and, surprisingly, the true initiator of Öpik's explosive impact theory. In fact, already between 1909 and 1911, Morozov probably was the first to consider conclusively that explosion craters would be circular, bowl‐shaped depressions even when formed under different impact angles.
Ash Shutbah: A possible impact structure in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Gnos Edwin , Hofmann Beda A. , Schmieder Martin , Al‐Wagdani Khalid , Mahjoub Ayman , Al‐Solami Abdulaziz A. , Habibullah Siddiq N. , Matter Albert , Alwmark Carl
Published: October 2014

We have investigated the Ash Shutbah circular structure in central Saudi Arabia (21°37′N 45°39′E) using satellite imagery, field mapping, thin‐section petrography, and X‐ray diffraction of collected samples. The approximately 2.1 km sized structure located in flat‐lying Jurassic Tuwaiq Mountain Limestone has been nearly peneplained by erosional processes. Satellite and structural data show a central area consisting of Dhruma Formation sandstones with steep bedding and tight folds plunging radially outward. Open folding occurs in displaced, younger Tuwaiq Mountain Limestone Formation blocks surrounding the central area, but is absent outside the circular structure. An approximately 60 cm thick, unique folded and disrupted orthoquartzitic sandstone marker bed occurring in the central area of the structure is found 140 m deeper in undisturbed escarpment outcrops located a few hundred meters west of the structure. With exception of a possible concave shatter cone found in the orthoquartzite of the central area, other diagnostic shock features are lacking. Some quartz‐rich sandstones from the central area show pervasive fracturing of quartz grains with common concussion fractures. This deformation was followed by an event of quartz dissolution and calcite precipitation consistent with local sea‐ or groundwater heating. The combination of central stratigraphic uplift of 140 m, concussion features in discolored sandstone, outward‐dipping concentric folds in the central area, deformation restricted to the rocks of the ring structure, a complex circular structure of 2.1 km diameter that appears broadly consistent with what one would expect from an impact structure in sedimentary targets, and a possible shatter cone all point to an impact origin of the Ash Shutbah structure. In fact, the Ash Shutbah structure appears to be a textbook example of an eroded, complex impact crater located in flat‐lying sedimentary rocks, where the undisturbed stratigraphic section can be studied in escarpment outcrops in the vicinity of the structure.
Single‐molecule tracking in live Vibrio cholerae reveals that ToxR recruits the membrane‐bound virulence regulator TcpP to the toxT promoter
Authors: Haas Beth L. , Matson Jyl S. , DiRita Victor J. , Biteen Julie S.
Published: October 2014

Vibrio cholerae causes the human disease cholera by producing a potent toxin. The V. cholerae virulence pathway involves an unusual transcription step: the bitopic inner‐membrane proteins TcpP and ToxR activate toxT transcription. As ToxT is the primary direct transcription activator in V. cholerae pathogenicity, its regulation by membrane‐localized activators is key in the disease process. However, the molecular mechanisms by which membrane‐localized activators engage the transcription process have yet to be uncovered in live cells. Here we report the use of super‐resolution microscopy, single‐molecule tracking, and gene knockouts to examine the dynamics of individual TcpP proteins in live V. cholerae cells with < 40 nm spatial resolution on a 50 ms timescale. Single‐molecule trajectory analysis reveals that TcpP diffusion is heterogeneous and can be described by three populations of TcpP motion: one fast, one slow, and one immobile. By comparing TcpP diffusion in wild‐type V. cholerae to that in mutant strains lacking either toxR or the toxT promoter, we determine that TcpP mobility is greater in the presence of its interaction partners than in their absence. Our findings support a mechanism in which ToxR recruits TcpP to the toxT promoter for transcription activation.
Threshold foraging by gray whales in response to fine scale variations in mysid density
Authors: Feyrer Laura J. , Duffus David A.
Published: October 2014

The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is a coastal species whose nearshore summer foraging grounds off the coast of British Columbia offer an opportunity to study the fine scale foraging response of baleen whales. We explore the relationship between prey density and gray whale foraging starting with regional scale (10 km) assessments of whale density (per square kilometer) and foraging effort as a response to regional mysid density (per cubic meter), between 2006 and 2007. In addition we measure prey density at a local scale (100 m), while following foraging whales during focal surveys. We found regional mysid density had a significant positive relationship with both gray whale density and foraging effort. We identify a threshold response to regional mysid density for both whale density and foraging effort. In 2008 the lowest average local prey density measured beside a foraging whale was 2,300 mysids/m3. This level was maintained even when regional prey density was found to be substantially lower. Similar to other baleen whales, the foraging behavior of gray whales suggests a threshold response to prey density and a complex appreciation of prey availability across fine scales.
Entomophthoromycosis: a challenging emerging disease
Authors: El‐Shabrawi Mortada H. F. , Arnaout Heba , Madkour Lamiaa , Kamal Naglaa Mohamed
Published: October 2014

Entomophthoromycosis is a rare fungal infection that may affect immunocompetent hosts; predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions. Recently, the importance of this emerging mycosis has increased and the scope of its manifestations has been expanded. These manifestations; however, may masquerade as other clinical entities. Prompt diagnosis of this infection requires a high index of suspicion. Although histopathological examination and cultures are the gold standard diagnostic tools; molecular diagnosis is now available and started to play an important role. The cornerstone treatment is prolonged anti‐fungal therapy along with surgical debridement. More awareness of this mycosis is warranted for definitive diagnosis and implementation of early proper therapeutic strategies.
Rhus coriaria var. zebaria (Anacaridaceae), a new variety from Iraq
Authors: Shahbaz Saleem Esmael , Saleem Jihad Ibrahim , Abdulrahman Shamiran Salih
Published: October 2014

Rhus coriaria var. zebaria from Duhok/Aqrae, Kurdistan, Iraq is described as a variety new to science. Field expeditions started in spring 2011, continued during 2012 and 2013 with the aim of collecting sumac specimens from different physiographic regions of Kurdistan, Iraq. A total of ten plants for each variety were sampled. An equal number of tagged herbarium specimens were prepared. The holotype was designated and deposited together with other herbarium specimens in the herbarium of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Univ. of Duhok. Morphological characters of the leaf, inflorescence, flowers, infructescence, and fruit were studied. The pH value of the pericarp in addition to the hilum length was measured. Results were compared with Rhus coriaria L. var. coriaria. The most distinctive feature of the new variety is the dull whitish brown color of the drupe pericarp of var. zebaria as compared to the reddish brown color of the drupe pericarp of var. coriaria. The whitish color of the drupes of var. zebaria, in combination with their larger size, represents diagnostic characters for distinguishing this variety. In contrast, most leaf characters are of little or no taxonomic value in this species. Only shape, apex and marginal teeths of the leaflets show minor differences for separating the two varieties. Female and male inflorescences and flowers characters show no significant differences. Both hilum length and pH value characters may be useful for taxonomic application if mean values are taken in consideration.
Quality of Life in Cardiac Resynchronization Recipients: Association with Response and Impact on Outcome
Authors: LENARCZYK RADOSŁAW , JĘDRZEJCZYK‐PATEJ EWA , MAZUREK MICHAŁ , SZULIK MARIOLA , KOWALSKI OSKAR , PRUSZKOWSKA PATRYCJA , SOKAL ADAM , ŚREDNIAWA BEATA , BOIDOL JOANNA , KOWALCZYK JACEK , PODOLECKI TOMASZ , MENCEL GRZEGORZ , KALARUS ZBIGNIEW
Published: October 2014

Background

The prognostic impact of improvement in health‐related quality of life (QoL) and its relation to response in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) recipients remains unknown.

Aim

To assess the correspondence between response to CRT and improvements in QoL and to verify if a change in QoL after pacing influences outcome in CRT patients.

Methods

Ninety‐seven participants of the Triple‐Site Versus Standard Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Trial (TRUST CRT) randomized trial, in New York Heart Association class III‐IV, QRS width ≥ 120 ms, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35%, and significant mechanical dyssynchrony were included. Subjects filled out the Minnesota‐QoL questionnaire prior to and 6 months after CRT with defibrillator (CRT‐D) implantation. Data on major adverse cardiac events (MACEs: death, heart failure hospitalization, heart transplant) collected within the next 2.5 years and adjudicated blindly constituted the censoring variables.

Results

Within the first 6 months of resynchronization QoL improved in 81%, while worsening in 19% of patients. Clinical response, but not the echocardiographic one, was associated with improved QoL. During subsequent 2.5 years MACEs occurred in 37% of patients (23% died). Subjects without QoL improvement were significantly (both P < 0.05) more prone to experience MACE (61% vs 32%) and die (44% vs 18%) within the follow‐up. Unimproved QoL increased the probability of future MACE by 2.7 times (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.26–5.83; P = 0.01) and death by 3.2 times (95% CI: 1.23–8.32; P = 0.02) independently from clinical and echocardiographic response.

Conclusions

Clinical response, but not the echocardiographic one, was associated with improved QoL in CRT recipients. These preliminary data suggest that lack of improvement in QoL after CRT was associated with a strongly unfavorable prognosis, regardless of functional or echocardiographic response. Our results merit further studies with a larger number of patients.
A novel BH3 mimetic efficiently induces apoptosis in melanoma cells through direct binding to anti‐apoptotic Bcl‐2 family proteins, including phosphorylated Mcl‐1
Authors: Liu Yubo , Xie Mingzhou , Song Ting , Sheng Hongkun , Yu Xiaoyan , Zhang Zhichao
Published: October 2014

The Bcl‐2 family modulates sensitivity to chemotherapy in many cancers, including melanoma, in which the RAS/BRAF/MEK/ERK pathway is constitutively activated. Mcl‐1, a major anti‐apoptotic protein in the Bcl‐2 family, is extensively expressed in melanoma and contributes to melanoma's well‐documented chemoresistance. Here, we provide the first evidence that Mcl‐1 phosphorylation at T163 by ERK1/2 and JNK is associated with the resistance of melanoma cell lines to the existing BH3 mimetics gossypol, S1 and ABT‐737, and a novel anti‐apoptotic mechanism of phosphorylated Mcl‐1 (pMcl‐1) is revealed. pMcl‐1 antagonized the known BH3 mimetics by sequestering pro‐apoptotic proteins that were released from Bcl‐2/Mcl‐1. Furthermore, an anthraquinone BH3 mimetic, compound 6, was identified to be the first small molecule to that induces endogenous apoptosis in melanoma cells by directly binding Bcl‐2, Mcl‐1, and pMcl‐1 and disrupting the heterodimers of these proteins. Although compound 6 induced upregulation of the pro‐apoptotic protein Noxa, its apoptotic induction was independent of Noxa. These data reveal the promising therapeutic potential of targeting pMcl‐1 to treat melanoma. Compound 6 is therefore a potent drug that targets pMcl‐1 in melanoma.
Co‐existence of Echinococcus granulosus infection and cancer metastasis in the liver correlates with reduced Th1 immune responses
Authors: Turhan N. , Esendagli G. , Ozkayar O. , Tunali G. , Sokmensuer C. , Abbasoglu O.
Published: October 2014

A possible relationship between cancer and Echinococcus granulosus infection has been postulated. As T cells are critical players in immune responses against both infections and malignancies, in an experimental model of secondary echinococcosis and breast cancer, this study aims to observe the progression of cancer and to determine the characters of T‐cell responses. 4T1 breast tumour cells were subcutaneously injected into mammary region, whereas protoscoleces were intraperitoneally inoculated into the mice. Hydatid cysts, tumours and metastases were determined with macroscopic and histopathological evaluation. T cells found in spleen, liver and tumour were characterised by flow cytometric analysis of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CCR5, CCR3, IL‐4 and IFN‐γ. In the mice inoculated both with protoscoleces and with breast tumour cells, increased frequency of cancer metastasis was observed in the liver. The amount of CD4+ T cells was increased in the liver and in the spleen of mice infected with E. granulosus. However, co‐existence of echinococcosis and metastatic lesions in the liver was associated with significant reduction in the IFN‐γ+ and CCR5+ Th1 cells and increase in the CD25+ T cells. Our results may indicate an immunological link between cystic echinococcosis and cancer that allows tumour metastasis to flourish in the liver.
A yellows disease system with differing principal host plants for the obligatory pathogen and its vector
Authors: Sharon R. , Harari A. R. , Zahavi T. , Raz R. , Dafny‐Yelin M. , Tomer M. , Sofer‐Arad C. , Weintraub P. G. , Naor V.
Published: October 2014

A stolbur‐type phytoplasma is the putative pathogen of grapevine yellows disease that causes economic damage to vineyards in most growing areas around the world. The pathogen is known to be transmitted to vines by two planthoppers, Hyalesthes obsoletus and Reptalus panzer; the latter is found in Europe but has not yet been observed in Israel. The establishment of a vector–pathogen–plant relationship requires that the pathogen and the vector meet on a shared host plant. This does not happen in the ecosystem examined here, where two different principal host plants for the obligate pathogen and its vector exist: the pathogen is established on vines, while its vector, H. obsoletus, develops on Vitex agnus‐castus. The present study verified that: (i) the vector cannot complete its life cycle on vines; (ii) V. agnus‐castus does not grow in the immediate vicinity of vines, and does not harbour the pathogen; and (iii) the pathogen is not vertically transmitted from mother to offspring. Moreover, in a thorough search of plants in vine growing areas, no other plants were found that host both the vector and the pathogen. However, it was found that the planthopper can acquire the phytoplasma from infected vines. Nonetheless, this does not prove the ability of the planthopper to further transmit the pathogen to vines and does not explain the presence of the vector on the non‐preferred vines. Thus, the enigma of the pathogen–vector–host triangle in this system remains unresolved.
White mould of sweet basil: conditions influencing its development in greenhouses and cultural measures for disease management
Authors: Elad Y. , Fogel M. , Silverman D. , Biton S. , Yitzhak S. , Harari D. , Adler U.
Published: October 2014

During the winter season, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infects the stem bases of greenhouse‐grown sweet basil plants and, in severe epidemics, it may also infect the shoots. Sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum, and the ascospores that are released from the apothecia that form on them, serve as the inoculum for white mould epidemics. This research aimed to identify cropping parameters associated with lower incidence of white mould in a survey of the main basil‐growing region in Israel, and study cultural methods that might suppress the disease. The survey revealed that this mould, in the main growing area in Israel, has one cycle of infection. Factors associated with increased moisture in the greenhouse were found to be associated with increased levels of the disease. The use of a lower planting density reduced the incidence of white mould in semi‐commercial experimental plots, as well as the severity of the disease on shoots infected by S. sclerotiorum after harvest, in comparison to the commonly used higher planting density, with no negative effect on yield. Mulching the beds with polyethylene effectively reduced disease, and a combination of polyethylene mulch and increased plant spacing reduced disease severity on cut shoots in a synergistic manner. In conclusion, cultural control methods reduced disease incidence under field conditions and severity of the disease on cut shoots.
Non‐parametric Bayesian Hazard Regression for Chronic Disease Risk Assessment
Authors: Saarela Olli , Arjas Elja
Published: October 2014

Assessing the absolute risk for a future disease event in presently healthy individuals has an important role in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and other chronic conditions. In this paper, we study the use of non‐parametric Bayesian hazard regression techniques and posterior predictive inferences in the risk assessment task. We generalize our previously published Bayesian multivariate monotonic regression procedure to a survival analysis setting, combined with a computationally efficient estimation procedure utilizing case–base sampling. To achieve parsimony in the model fit, we allow for multidimensional relationships within specified subsets of risk factors, determined either on a priori basis or as a part of the estimation procedure. We apply the proposed methods for 10‐year CVD risk assessment in a Finnish population. © 2014 Board of the Foundation of the Scandinavian Journal of Statistics
Mandibles with two joints evolved much earlier in the history of insects: dicondyly is a synapomorphy of bristletails, silverfish and winged insects
Authors: BLANKE ALEXANDER , MACHIDA RYUICHIRO , SZUCSICH NIKOLAUS URBAN , WILDE FABIAN , MISOF BERNHARD
Published: October 2014

The evolution of two‐jointed mandibles is considered to be a major step during the evolution of early insects enabling the exploration of new types of food. Two‐jointed – or dicondylic – mandibles are believed to be a groundplan characteristic for winged insects and silverfish. Jumping bristletails are thought to possess mandibles with one joint and are the sistergroup of winged insects + silverfish. However, our knowledge of the cephalic morphology of bristletails is limited to data from a few species and thus fragmentary. We investigated the cephalic morphology of both families of bristletails, Meinertellidae and Machilidae. We focused on skeletal elements and the musculature and compared them with the corresponding structures found in silverfish and winged insects. Bristletails show a previously unknown coupling structure between the maxillary palps and the mandibles and an additional anterior articulation of the mandibles in the region of the anterior tentorial pits. The articulation can be homologised with the anterior articulation in silverfish and winged insects. Together with a description of the functional morphology of the mandible system of bristletails and a discussion of the homology of mandibular articulations and related characters, we provide conclusive evidence that bristletails are, in fact, dicondylic insects.
The 60S associated ribosome biogenesis factor LSG1‐2 is required for 40S maturation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Weis Benjamin L. , Missbach Sandra , Marzi Julian , Bohnsack Markus T. , Schleiff Enrico
Published: October 2014

Ribosome biogenesis involves a large ensemble of trans‐acting factors, which catalyse rRNA processing, ribosomal protein association and ribosomal subunit assembly. The circularly permuted GTPase Lsg1 is such a ribosome biogenesis factor, which is involved in maturation of the pre‐60S ribosomal subunit in yeast. We identified two orthologues of Lsg1 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Both proteins differ in their C‐terminus, which is highly charged in atLSG1‐2 but missing in atLSG1‐1. This C‐terminus of atLSG1‐2 contains a functional nuclear localization signal in a part of the protein that also targets atLSG1‐2 to the nucleolus. Furthermore, only atLSG1‐2 is physically associated with ribosomes suggesting its function in ribosome biogenesis. Homozygous T‐DNA insertion lines are viable for both LSG1 orthologues. In plants lacking atLSG1‐2 18S rRNA precursors accumulate and a 20S pre‐rRNA is detected, while the amount of pre‐rRNAs that lead to the 25S and 5.8S rRNA is not changed. Thus, our results suggest that pre‐60S subunit maturation is important for the final steps of pre‐40S maturation in plants. In addition, the lsg1‐2 mutants show severe developmental defects, including triple cotyledons and upward curled leaves, which link ribosome biogenesis to early plant and leaf development.
Tear production, intraocular pressure, and conjunctival bacterial flora in a group of captive black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus)
Authors: Meekins Jessica M. , Eshar David , Rankin Amy J.
Published: October 2014

Objective

To report ocular diagnostic test parameters and normal conjunctival bacterial flora in captive black‐tailed prairie dogs.

Animals studied

Seventeen black‐tailed prairie dogs, ranging in age from approximately 4–6 months to 4.5 years. Eleven males came from a zoo collection and 6 females from a wildlife rehabilitation center.

Procedures

Complete ocular examination was performed under isoflurane anesthesia. Tear and intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements were performed on both (n = 34) eyes of 17 prairie dogs. Phenol red thread test (PRTT) was performed first, and a modified Schirmer tear test I (mSTTI) was performed 10 min later. Indirect rebound tonometry was performed using the TonoVet®. Attempts to obtain intraocular pressure measurements using an applanation tonometry instrument were unsuccessful. Conjunctival swab samples (n = 17) were taken from both eyes of each prairie dog and pooled.

Results

The most common ocular abnormality was acquired eyelid margin defects, present in seven eyes of six prairie dogs (35.3%). Mean ± SD tear production was 13.6 ± 7.8 mm/15 s (range, 3–30) for PRTT and 1.2 ± 0.9 mm/min (range, 0–4) for mSTTI. Mean ± SD IOP was 7.7 ± 2.2 mmHg (range, 3–11.4). A Staphylococcus xylosus (7/17; 41.2%) organism and a hemolytic Staphylococcus species (5/17; 29.4%) were most commonly isolated from the prairie dog conjunctival sac.

Conclusions

There was a moderate prevalence of acquired peri‐ocular lesions in this group of captive black‐tailed prairie dogs. While widely variable, results of tear test and intraocular pressure measurements are reported. Staphylococcus was the most commonly isolated bacterial genus.
Descriptor-based Fitting of LPA3 Inhibitors into a Single Predictive Mathematical Model
Authors: Omotuyi Olaposi Idowu , Ueda Hiroshi
Published: October 2014

Sixty six diverse compounds previously reported as Lysophosphatidic Acid Receptor (LPA3) inhibitors have been used to derive a mathematical model based on partial least square (PLS) clustering of 41 molecular descriptors and pIC50 values. The pre- and post- cross-validated correlation coefficient (R2) is 0.94462 (RMSE=0:21390) and 0.74745 (RMSE=0.49055) respectively. Bivariate contingency analysis tools implemented in MOE was used to prune the descriptors and refit the equations at a descriptor-pIC50 correlation coefficient of 0.8 cutoff. A new equation was derived with R2 and RMSE values estimated at 0.88074 and 0.31388 respectively. Both equations correctly predicted the 95% of the pIC50 values of the test dataset. Principal component analysis (PCA) was also used to reduce the dimension and linearly transform the raw data; 8 principal components sufficiently account for more than 98% of the variance of the dataset. The numerical model derived here may be adapted for screening chemical database for LPA3 antagonism.
Effects of 3,5,3′-Triiodothyroacetic Acid, Nanoencapsulated or Not, on Intact and Atrophic Skin in Rats
Authors: Trevizan Pera Daniele , Freitas Planello Jéssica , Cancino Juliana , Polikarpov Igor , Zucolotto Valtencir , Retto da Silva de Avó Lucimar , Maria Ramos Germano Carla , Gusmão Melo Débora
Published: October 2014

We aimed to investigate 3,5,3′-triiodothyroacetic acid (TRIAC) effects on intact and atrophic skin induced by glucocorticoids (GCs) in rats and the effects induced by nanoencapsulation. The effects of TRIAC and nanoencapsulated TRIAC were evaluated on intact and atrophic skin in TRIAC experiment and nanoencapsulated TRIAC experiment, respectively. Both experiments had two phases: phase I, cutaneous atrophy was induced; phase II, TRIAC or nanoencapsulated TRIAC was administrated. Our results showed that topical use of TRIAC with or without nanoencapsulation was able to reverse cutaneous atrophy. Nanoencapsulated TRIAC showed less systemic changes than TRIAC; therefore, it is possibly a safer drug for topical administration.