bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forecasting Late Blight in Potato Crops of Southern Idaho Using Logistic Regression Analysis
Authors: Henderson Donna , Williams Christopher J. , Miller Jeffrey S.
Published: July 2007

Previously published late blight forecasts which predict the threat of disease based on the presence or absence of favorable weather have not been effective in semi-arid potato-producing areas of the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington). Research was conducted to identify weather variables useful for forecasting late blight in southern Idaho. The objectives of this research were to (i) determine if regional weather variables could be related to the occurrence of late blight in southern Idaho, (ii) determine if disease severity (scale of 0 to 4) could be predicted using variables found to be correlated with the annual occurrence of late blight, and (iii) validate the efficacy of this model in predicting disease incidence in regions of the Columbia Basin. Weather data were collected from five locations over a 9-year period (1995 to 2003). A binary logistic regression model (0 = no disease and 1 = disease) indicated that the number of hours with favorable conditions (10°C ≤ temperature ≤ 27°C, relative humidity ≥ 80%) in April and May (HF80m) was a significant disease predictor. Logistic regression analysis using an ordinal disease scale (0 = no disease and 4 = severe disease) indicated amount of precipitation (APj) and favorable hours (HF80j) with extended periods from April to June as significant disease predictors. The binary model predicted disease occurrence more accurately, with 67.5% accuracy (27/40 years correctly predicted), 75% sensitivity (12/16 late-blight years predicted), and 62.5% specificity (15/24 non-late-blight years predicted) using a leave-1-year-out error estimate. The binary model was validated with data (1995 to 2003) from the semi-arid Columbia Basin regions, predicting disease with 80.8% accuracy (21/26 years predicted), 84% sensitivity (21/25 outbreak years predicted), and 0% specificity (0/1 non-outbreak years predicted).
First Report of Pythium intermedium Causing Root Rot on Rosa canina Rootstock in France
Authors: Metzger R. , Belbahri L. , Calmin G. , Badin N. , Lefort F.
Published: July 2007

Old cultivars of roses (Rosa spp.) established on Rosa canina as rootstock are grown in field collections in the repository at Gaillard in eastern France, close to the Swiss border. During June 2005 and July 2006, several rose plants in full vegetation were severely wilted, leading ultimately to plant death. Necrotic lesions were present on the roots, and marginal tissue was excised and incubated in the dark at 20°C on PARP V8 agar plates (1). Similar isolates were obtained in both years, which were inoculated within 4 days on V8 agar medium and incubated at 25°C. The pathogen colonies grew approximately 30 mm daily on V8 agar. Colonies on corn meal agar (CMA) (1) were submerged, with or without a vague radiate pattern on potato carrot agar. Main hyphae were as much as 7 μm wide. Sporangia and zoospores were not produced. Hyphal swellings as much as 25 μm in diameter were abundant, terminal, and sometimes intercalary, often forming regular, dense chains in basipetal succession at hyphal tips and readily liberated. The morphological characters matched those described for Pythium intermedium (2). DNA sequencing of the ITS rDNA (ITS1, ITS2, and 5.8S rDNA) was generated using primers ITS5 and ITS4 in primary PCR (35 cycles: 96°C for 1 min, 55°C for 1 min, and 72°C for 2 min) and sequencing reactions (1). All isolates yielded identical ITS sequences, which were identical to the ex-type strain of P. intermedium, CBS 266.38 (GenBank Accession No. AY598647). The ITS sequence was deposited as GenBank Accession No. EF078693 (National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI, Bethesda, MD). Pathogenicity testing was performed on 3-year-old Rosa canina rootstocks from clonal propagation in 25 cm in diameter and 40 cm deep pots of compost 297 (Ricoter, Aarberg, Switzerland). Five-day-old mycelial plugs of our isolates grown on CMA (1) were inoculated in two pots, and roots were mechanically wounded. Sterile plugs were used on two control plants set aside. All plants were kept for 2 weeks at 20°C in a glasshouse with sufficient watering. Extensive necrotic lesions developed on inoculated roots, and severe wilting and leaves drying out were also observed. The controls showed no symptoms. P. intermedium was reisolated from margins of root lesions, thus fulfilling the postulates of Koch. P. intermedium was originally isolated from dead plant material (2) but is known as a typical soil inhabitant. It also has been isolated from water and living material from numerous plant species, but never from the genus Rosa until now. To our knowledge, this is the first record of P. intermedium on Rosa spp. grafted on Rosa canina in France.

References: (1) L. Belbahri et al. FEMS Microbiol Lett 255:209, 2006. (2) A. J. van der Plaats-Niterink. Stud. Mycol. 21:1, 1981.
First Report of Blossom Blight and Green Fruit Rot of Sweet Cherry Caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Oregon
Authors: Serdani M. , Spotts R. A.
Published: July 2007

During May and June of 2006, ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry (Prunus avium) trees were observed with white fungal growth on blossoms and young fruit in two commercial orchards in central Oregon (Wasco County). Entire blossom clusters and 30% of fruit clusters were affected. Rot on the fruit was firm, light brown, and covered the entire fruit, extending halfway down the pedicel. Affected blossoms were light brown and stuck to adjacent fruit and blossoms. Six disease samples from fruit, four samples from pedicels, and four samples from blossoms were surface sterilized and plated on potato dextrose agar acidified with lactic acid ([APDA] 1.5%). A white fungus producing sclerotia measuring 4 to 8 mm in diameter was recovered from all the samples after 10 days on APDA at 25°C. Koch's postulates were satisfied by inoculating green, pea-sized ‘Lapins’ cherry fruit with mycelial plugs colonized by the white fungus. Symptoms and signs similar to those seen in the orchard were produced. The same sclerotium-producing fungus was recovered from all inoculated fruit. The pathogen was identified as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary on the basis of the size of sclerotia and nested PCR using fungal universal primer pair ITS4/ITS5 and S. sclerotiorum-specific primer pair SSFWD/SSREV (2). A negative control, devoid of DNA templates in the reaction mix, was included in the PCR assay. S. sclerotiorum is endemic on wheat in Wasco County. The affected orchards were surrounded by wheat fields in which snow mold disease that is caused by S. sclerotiorum was particularly serious in the spring of 2006 compared with previous years. Rot on cherries was first observed and very severe in May of 2005, with symptoms and signs mainly on leaves of all trees across 45 ha. New symptoms continued to appear on cherry until mid-June. During 2006, most symptoms and signs were on fruit with some leaf spotting. Both years had unusually wet springs with 12.2 cm of rainfall received from April to June 2005 and 12.4 cm from April to June 2006, which is well above the 6.81 cm average for the previous 5 years. S. sclerotiorum causes green fruit rot of stone fruits, including almond, apricot (3), nectarine, and peach (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of S. sclerotiorum causing blossom blight and green fruit rot on sweet cherry in Oregon.

References: (1) K. M. Flint. Green fruit rot. Page 15 in: Compendium of Stone Fruit Diseases. The American Phytopathological Society. St. Paul, MN, 1995. (2) J. Freeman et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 108:877, 2002. (3) R. E. Smith. Phytopathology 31:407, 1931.
Occurrence of Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus Causing Onion Soft Rot in the Columbia Basin of Washington State
Authors: Schroeder B. K. , Rogers J. D. , Johnson D. A. , Pelter G.
Published: July 2007

Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus, a causal agent of onion (Allium cepa L.) soft rot, was originally isolated from Walla Walla sweet onion bulbs grown in Oregon and subsequently isolated from onion throughout the southeast Washington onion-growing area, but was not found to be infecting dry bulb storage onions grown in central Washington (1). During September of 2001, a yeast was isolated from dry storage onion bulbs (cv. Teton) grown under sprinkler irrigation in central Washington, exhibiting soft rot symptoms and identified to be K. marxianus var. marxianus (2). Koch's postulate was completed using cv. Teton bulbs surface disinfested with 0.5% NaOCl for 2 min. This isolate and four isolates of Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus (1) were cultured on potato dextrose agar and resuspended to an OD600 = 0.3 (approximately 105 CFU/ml). One-half of a milliliter of each isolate was inoculated to onion using the cut bulb method with three replicates and incubated in a moist chamber at 25°C for 7 days. Onion slices inoculated with the new isolate exhibited soft rot symptoms similar to those caused by the known isolates while no symptoms were observed for the water control. The yeast reisolated from symptomatic tissue was confirmed to be K. marxianus var. marxianus (2). The identification of K. marxianus var. marxianus infecting dry bulb storage onions grown in the Columbia Basin is of interest because the disease can be confused with bacterial soft rot and could become a serious problem in this important storage onion-growing region.

References: (1) D. A. Johnson et al. Plant Dis. 72:359, 1988. (2) N. J. W. Kreger-van Rig, ed. The Yeasts: A Taxonomic Study. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1984.
Effects of climatic change and eutrophication on the glacial relict, Mysis relicta, in Lough Neagh
Authors: GRIFFITHS DAVID
Published: July 2007

1. The glacial relict, Mysis relicta, which occurs mainly in unproductive cold water habitats, shows increased mortality rates in temperatures above 16–18 °C. Using a 12‐year data set the growth, mortality and fat stores of Mysis in Lough Neagh, an increasingly hypertrophic lake which lacks a thermal refuge and which is subject to warming, were investigated.

2. Mysis showed a significant reduction in fat stores on reaching sexual maturity, contrary to studies elsewhere.

3. The contributions of temperature and eutrophication (total phosphorus, chlorophyll‐a concentrations) to growth, mortality and the timing and duration of developmental events were investigated by regression.

4. Water temperatures rose between 1994 and 2005 and the time when temperatures exceeded 16 °C doubled over this period. Juvenile and adult growth rates declined and the duration of the juvenile stage increased in warmer years. Eutrophication also affected these variables but, in general, to a lesser extent than temperature.

5. Year class strength (YCS) declined by a factor of 10 over the study period. YCS was independent of temperature up to 2000 °C degree days (>4 °C) but declined steeply above that point. Temperature was more important than eutrophication in predicting mortality and YCS. YCS was positively correlated with the length of time water temperature was below 7 °C, the upper temperature for Mysis breeding.

6. An established bioenergetic model predicted that water temperature and the timing of embryo release would have appreciable effects on Mysis viability. It also indicated that Mysis would lose mass at summer temperatures, consistent with the observed fat decline.
Ectoparasites of Chevrier’s field mouse, Apodemus chevrieri, in a focus of plague in southwest China
Authors: XING‐YUAN M , XIAN‐GUO G , WEN‐GE D , AI‐QIN N , TI‐JUN Q , DIAN W
Published: July 2007

Abstract Chevrier’s field mouse, Apodemus chevrieri Milne−Edwards (Rodentia: Muridae), has been identified as the main wild reservoir of plague in the sylvatic plague focus of Yunnan Province, southwest China. Here, the ectoparasite communities of A. chevrieri and the potential medical and veterinary importance of these ectoparasites are described. A high proportion (66%) of 321 mice were found to be infested with ectoparasites. A total of 81 species of ectoparasite, including 48 species of chigger mite, 25 species of mesostigmatid (gamasid) mite, six species of flea and two species of sucking louse were collected. Most species of ectoparasite were relatively uncommon, but a few were abundant. Within this ectoparasite complex, 16 species have previously been reported to be vectors of human disease agents. Apodemus chevrieri would appear therefore to be a natural reservoir for plague bacilli and epidemic haemorrhagic fever (Korean haemorrhagic fever) viruses.
Evaluation of the biliary tract: The value of performing magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in conjunction with a 3‐D spoiled gradient‐echo gadolinium enhanced dynamic sequence
Authors: Kim SJ , Kim S , Kim CW , Lee TH , Lee JW , Lee SH , Choo KS , Kim GH
Published: July 2007

The 3‐D gradient‐echo (GRE) sequence allows thinner sections and better resolution of biliary obstruction. When the presence of biliary obstruction is identified using magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, the addition of the 3‐D GRE sequence may be helpful for diagnosing biliary obstruction. By showing the changes in the bile duct wall, within the duct lumen and around the bile duct, this technique can be helpful for distinguishing benign from malignant stricture as well as a stone from an enhancing intraluminal mass.
Developmentally Regulated Activation of a SINE B2 Repeat as a Domain Boundary in Organogenesis
Authors: Lunyak Victoria V. , Prefontaine Gratien G. , Núñez Esperanza , Cramer Thorsten , Ju Bong-Gun , Ohgi Kenneth A. , Hutt Kasey , Roy Rosa , García-Díaz Angel , Zhu Xiaoyan , Yung Yun , Montoliu Lluís , Glass Christopher K. , Rosenfeld Michael G.
Published: July 2007

The temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression in mammalian development is linked to the establishment of functional chromatin domains. Here, we report that tissue-specific transcription of a retrotransposon repeat in the murine growth hormone locus is required for gene activation. This repeat serves as a boundary to block the influence of repressive chromatin modifications. The repeat element is able to generate short, overlapping Pol II–and Pol III–driven transcripts, both of which are necessary and sufficient to enable a restructuring of the regulated locus into nuclear compartments. These data suggest that transcription of interspersed repetitive sequences may represent a developmental strategy for the establishment of functionally distinct domains within the mammalian genome to control gene activation.
Can Evidence Inform the Debate?
Authors: Linn Marcia C.
Published: July 2007

Why Aren't More Women in Science?
. Top Researchers Debate the Evidence.
Stephen J. Ceci and Wendy M. Williams, Eds.
. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2007. 274 pp. $59.95. ISBN 9781591474852.

The contributors present evidence for a variety of explanations for the relative dearth of women in science.
Outbreak of
Mycobacterium massiliense
Infection Associated with Intramuscular Injections
Authors: Kim Hee-Youn , Yun Yeo-Jun , Park Chan Geun , Lee Dong Han , Cho Yong Kyun , Park Byung Joo , Joo Sae-Ick , Kim Eui-Chong , Hur Young Joo , Kim Bum-Joon , Kook Yoon-Hoh
Published: July 2007

Twelve strains of a rapidly growing
Mycobacterium
species were isolated from an outbreak associated with intramuscular injections of an antimicrobial agent and were identified by comparative sequence analysis of
rpoB
and
hsp65
. These isolates were identified as
Mycobacterium massiliense
(100% similarity).
A look at the use of an equivalent homogeneous medium
Authors: Stolle Dieter , Guo Peijun
Published: July 2007

The technique of homogenization is important in modeling. It allows the scope of the numerical problem to be reduced, thus making the analysis computationally more efficient and allowing the engineer to focus on important larger scale features that influence overall behaviour rather than getting caught up in details that can also lead to numerical difficulties. This paper begins by demonstrating using photoelasticity the importance of taking into account layering details. The inability to capture stress variations due to homogenization is also demonstrated by comparing finite element solutions that take into account details with those which do not. The paper then investigates the consequences of homogenizing a layered system to express its stress–strain response in terms of an equivalent homogeneous anisotropic medium. This is accomplished by analyzing via the finite element method an idealized layered system and comparing the averaged constitutive relation from the numerical solution with that corresponding to an equivalent homogeneous transverse isotropic medium. Thereafter, stress and failure patterns corresponding to a structured medium are examined, as are the consequences of free surfaces and interfaces between layers on the nonhomogeneity of failure.Key words: homogenization, layered soils, photoelasticity, finite element analysis.
Physiological plasticity in water relations and leaf structure of understory versus open-grown Cerciscanadensis in northeastern Kansas
Authors: Abram Marc D.
Published: July 2007

Field and laboratory studies were used to evaluate physiological plasticity in water relations and leaf structural characteristics of CerciscanadensisL. (redbud) saplings growing in a gallery forest understory and an adjacent prairie in eastern Kansas. Two study periods were defined based on high (greater than −0.2 MPa in May) and low (−1.5 MPa in July) predawn soil water potential (ψsoil). Leaf conductance to water vapor diffusion (gwv) was greater for prairie than understory redbud saplings during both sampling periods (maximum gwv = 7.5–8.7 mm s−1). Moreover, gwv for prairie redbud remained high at both high and low ψsoil, but was significantly lower for understory redbud during midday at low ψsoil. Transpiration flux was also higher in the prairie than in the understory site and reached a maximum for prairie redbud (318 mg m−2 s−1) in July, in conjunction with high leaf to air vapor pressure deficits (maximum, 5.3 kPa). Leaf water potential declined significantly at both sites with decreased ψsoil and the minimum values (−3.0 MPa) were recorded in understory redbud. Leaves of prairie redbud were significantly smaller, thicker, and had higher specific leaf mass and stomatal density than leaves of understory redbud, which are consistent with differences between xeric and mesic species, respectively. These differences in water relations and leaf morphology between understory and prairie redbud suggest a high degree of physiological plasticity for this species in eastern Kansas.
Potential prediction bias in regression and discriminant analysis
Authors: Verbyla David
Published: July 2007

Prediction bias is the difference between a model's apparent and actual prediction errors. Prediction bias is likely to occur when a model contains many independent variables relative to sample size or when many different sets of independent variables are tested by a stepwise procedure. Examples of potential prediction bias are illustrated by comparing published models with models developed using random numbers. Model prediction bias can be estimated by using a resampling procedure called the bootstrap. The bootstrap procedure is illustrated with a simple example.
Compatible taper equation for loblolly pine
Authors: McClure J. P. , Czaplewski R. L.
Published: July 2007

Cao's compatible, segmented polynomial taper equation (Q. V. Cao, H. E. Burkhart, and T. A. Max. For. Sci. 26: 71–80. 1980) is fitted to a large loblolly pine data set from the southeastern United States. Equations are presented that predict diameter at a given height, height to a given top diameter, and volume below a given position on the main stem. All estimates are inside bark. A condition is given that forces the Cao model to be exactly compatible with any total main stem volume equation. An exact volume estimation formula is derived. Twelve benchmarks, which represent realistic utilization criteria, are used to describe expected errors in actually applying the taper equation rather than the more common fit statistics that describe errors encountered when estimating model parameters. Errors in using the fitted model are very similar to errors using Cao's estimates.
Flame characteristics of wind-driven surface fires
Authors: Nelson Jr. Ralph M. , Adkins Carl W.
Published: July 2007

Twenty-two fires in a laboratory wind tunnel and 8 field fires were studied with video techniques to determine relationships between their flame characteristics and fire behavior. The laboratory fires were in pine needle fuel beds with and without an overlying stratum of live vegetation. These fuels simulated 2-year roughs in southeastern fuel types. The field bums were in 1- and 2-year roughs in similar fuels. Byram's fire intensity ranged from 98 to 590 kW/m in the laboratory, and from 355 to 2755 kW/m in the field. Flame lengths were proportional to the square root of fire intensity when fuel consumption exceeded 0.5 kg/m2, in agreement with predictions from buoyant flame theory. However, for burns in the needle layer (consumption approximately 0.5 kg/m2), flame lengths were constant at about 0.5 m, regardless of intensity. Similar values were observed on two of the field fires. It is speculated that flame length is limited by a boundary layer pattern for the overall flow, even though the flames themselves did not exhibit boundary layer characteristics. Also, laboratory correlations of flame tilt angle and fire intensity with other fire and weather variables depart from buoyant flame theory. Further study under field conditions is needed before relationships involving flame tilt angle, fire intensity, and wind speed should be used in practical applications.
Silvicultural control of mechanical stresses in trees
Authors: Kubler Hans
Published: July 2007

Mechanical stress generated by growing wood cells causes heart checks in the ends of timber, while lumber end-splits and warps. It is not possible to prevent these growth stresses but they can be minimized. Trees generate relatively high stress in order to bend stems and branches into positions more favorable for the tree, as is known from reaction wood, whose growth stresses are extremely high. One controls the stresses by giving trees no reason to reorient themselves, that is, by providing stable growth conditions. To this end, trees should have sufficient, uniform light, and where light is scarce, as in understories, one-sided light changes have to be avoided. In particular, the spatial distribution of trees in the stand should be uniform; multistoried forests are preferable to single-storied, even-aged plantations. The stands should be thinned slightly, frequently, and uniformly, rather than haphazardly and severely after long periods. In areas with strong prevailing wind, close spacing may minimize the stresses, whereas on steep slopes wide spacing appears to be preferable.
The growth and water use of three species of conifer seedlings planted on a high-elevation south-facing clearcut
Authors: Livingston N. J. , Black T. A.
Published: July 2007

Container-grown 1-0 seedlings of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco), western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), and Pacific silver fir (Abiesamabilis (Dougl.) Forbes) were spring planted on a south-facing high-elevation clearcut located on Mount Arrowsmith, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and their growth and development was measured over three successive growing seasons. Treatments designed to modify seedling microclimate, including provision of shade cards, irrigation, and irrigation and shade cards combined, had a marked effect on the extent and type of growth in all species. Irrigated seedlings had the largest shoot dry masses and the highest shoot to root dry mass ratios. Shaded seedlings had larger shoots than untreated seedlings, which had the lowest shoot to root dry mass ratios. All seedlings showed a pronounced decline in seasonal growth 1 year after planting. Douglas-fir seedlings exhibited a high degree of drought tolerance; in the driest year there was only a 20% difference in total dry matter production between irrigated and nonirrigated seedlings. Western hemlock and Pacific silver fir seedlings, despite not being drought tolerant, expended water to achieve growth and thereby exposed themselves to desiccation. Measurements of growing-season seedling dry matter production were better related to estimates of growing-season transpiration, obtained by summing the products of seedling leaf area, hourly D/(RvT′), where D is vapour pressure deficit, Rv is the gas constant for water vapour, and T′ is the absolute air temperature, and stomatal conductance derived from a boundary-line analysis model, than to estimates of growing-season average total seedling canopy conductance, i.e., the average of the products of seedling leaf area and stomatal conductance.
Micro-isoelectric focusing of proteins from single stigmas of Populus
Authors: Villar M. , Gaget M. , Dumas C.
Published: July 2007

Isoelectric focusing of soluble proteins from single stigmas in Populus has been developed using ultrathin polyacrylamide gels. After silver nitrate staining, 50–60 protein bands are shown, thus establishing stigmatic protein fingerprints. The application of this technique to the biochemical identification of poplar clones is described in this paper, and the limits of the technique are discussed.
Chloroplast DNA variation within individual trees of a Pinusbanksiana–Pinusconforta sympatric region
Authors: Govindaraju Diddahally R. , Wagner David B. , Smith Graydon P. , Dancik Bruce P.
Published: July 2007

We have studied chloroplast DNA variation within six individual trees of a Pinusbanksiana–P. contorta sympatric region. In each of four trees, chloroplast DNA variation occurred in needle samples obtained from different parts of the crown. It is unclear whether this within-individual variation is due to somatic mutation or to occasional biparental chloroplast DNA inheritance. However, the data provide evidence that variation within individuals may be an important source of genetic variability in sympatric regions of forest trees.
Copper deficiency in young Eucalyptusmaculata plantations
Authors: Dell B. , Bywaters T.
Published: July 2007

Copper deficiency has been identified as the cause of distorted growth symptoms in 2- to 3-year-old stands of Eucalyptusmaculata Hook, established on a disturbed laterite-pallid zone profile in southwestern Australia. The main symptoms of Cu deficiency were undulate leaf margins, shoot dieback, enlarged nodes giving rise to numerous short-lived axillary shoots, and reduced lignification of wood. Visible symptoms were associated with depressed foliar Cu concentrations (mean 1.1 μg•g−1 compared with mean 1.9 μg•g−1 for healthy trees). Normal shoot growth in affected trees was restored by the addition of CuSO4 to the soil or as a foliar spray.
Allozyme variation in black locust (Robiniapseudoacacia)
Authors: Surles Scott E. , Hamrick J. L. , Bongarten B. C.
Published: July 2007

Seedlings from 23 seed sources representing the natural range of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) were electrophoretically analyzed at 40 structural loci representing 18 enzyme systems. Genetic diversity was high for an insect-pollinated, early-successional species. On average, 71% of the loci were polymorphic (99% criterion). Average and effective numbers of alleles per locus were 2.61 and 1.58, respectively. Mean expected heterozygosity was 0.291, ranging among the seed sources from 0.250 to 0.322. Most of the genetic diversity (88%) resided within seed sources. Few geographic patterns were evident. The most differentiated sources were located in disjunct sites in Georgia and the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri, and in Pennsylvania. The widespread planting of native and European black locust seed sources may have contributed to the lack of geographic patterns. Based on this and other studies, it was concluded that initial selections in black locust breeding programs should concentrate on intrapopulational variation.
Subsoiling in a loblolly pine seed orchard: effects on seed quality
Authors: Struve D. K. , Jett J. B. , McKeand S. E. , Cannon G. P.
Published: July 2007

An 8-year-old loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.) seed orchard was subsoiled by making one (single-rip treatment) or three (multiple-rip treatment) parallel rips on opposite sides of the trees. A nonsubsoil (control) treatment was also included. Seeds were extracted and sized into small, medium, and large. Subsoiling treatments had no effect on number or percentage of small, medium, and large seeds. The multiple-rip treatment produced significantly more seeds per cone than the control treatment, but no more than the single-rip treatment. Seed size did not affect seed germination, but strong clonal effects in seed quality and vigor occurred. There was no effect of any of the subsoiling treatments on seed germination. Any subsoiling treatments used to enhance tree vigor or to alleviate soil compaction in a seed orchard should have minimal influence on seed quality.
Natural selection for ozone tolerance in Populustremuloides: field verification
Authors: Berrang P. , Karnosky D. F. , Bennett J. P.
Published: July 2007

Field plantings of Populustremuloides Michx. cuttings in two areas with elevated levels of ambient ozone (New York and Michigan) were evaluated for differences in relative ozone sensitivity among five natural populations from areas that differed in air quality. At least fivefold differences in leaf injury were measured among population means in each planting, and the means were negatively correlated with ozone concentrations for each area. The relative sensitivity rankings among populations and among clones within populations agreed closely with rankings derived from laboratory fumigations of the same plant material. The hypothesis that ozone-sensitive clones of this species are less common in relatively polluted parts than they are in pristine parts of the eastern United States is therefore further supported by field verification of laboratory results. Data from a 10-year-old aspen planting in New York showing impaired growth of ozone-sensitive clones suggest that sensitive individuals can be eliminated from populations by the mechanism of competition.
Graphical analysis of stem taper in model building
Authors: Czaplewski R. L.
Published: July 2007

When a stem-profile model is being built, a scatterplot of the empirical rate of change in diameter with respect to height provides useful information. It can indicate changes in stem taper, which provide tentative estimates for join points in segmented profile models. It can also help identify the desired form for profile models.
THE MODELLING OF WEIGHTED COMPLEX NETWORKS
Authors: WANG XUTAO , LU HONGTAO , CHEN GUANRONG
Published: July 2007

In order to further explore the mechanism responsible for weighted complex networks, we introduce a new model that incorporates the network topology and the weights' dynamical evolutions. Our model can capture the details of weight dynamics caused not only by the addition of a new node with new links and new links between old nodes, but also the deletion of old links. We calculate analytically the distributions of both degree and strength and found that all these distributions show scale-free behavior, as confirmed in many real networks. Thus our model characterizes the real weighted complex networks more precisely.
Role of Eye Movements in the Retinal Code for a Size Discrimination Task
Authors: Segev Ronen , Schneidman Elad , Goodhouse Joe , Berry Michael J.
Published: July 2007

The concerted action of saccades and fixational eye movements are crucial for seeing stationary objects in the visual world. We studied how these eye movements contribute to retinal coding of visual information using the archer fish as a model system. We quantified the animal's ability to distinguish among objects of different sizes and measured its eye movements. We recorded from populations of retinal ganglion cells with a multielectrode array, while presenting visual stimuli matched to the behavioral task. We found that the beginning of fixation, namely the time immediately after the saccade, provided the most visual information about object size, with fixational eye movements, which consist of tremor and drift in the archer fish, yielding only a minor contribution. A simple decoder that combined information from ≤15 ganglion cells could account for the behavior. Our results support the view that saccades impose not just difficulties for the visual system, but also an opportunity for the retina to encode high quality “snapshots” of the environment.
The Use of Artistic Analogies in Chemical Research and Education, Part 2
Authors: Hargittai Balazs , Hargittai Magdolna
Published: July 2007

This compilation presents examples of artistic artifacts that have served as successful visual analogies to aspects of chemistry. The authors have used them in various college-level chemistry classes, outreach programs and chemistry textbooks, as well as in journals and monographs. They include ancient Chinese, Turkish and Thai sculptures, modern sculptures and a medieval fresco. These examples illustrate the chemical concept of chirality, the periodic table of the elements and molecular systems such as buckminsterfullerene, nanotubes and quasicrystals.
Islamic Finance Law as an Emergent Legal System
Authors: Foster Nicholas
Published: July 2007

The recent growth in Islamic finance has drawn attention to the alleged "uncertainty" of the sharia, highlighted in 2004 by the Beximco case. On the institutional level, various organisations are addressing the issue; there are also "organic" tendencies towards standardisation. These phenomena are combining with others to form a new legal system, albeit one with particular characteristics.This system has matured sufficiently to merit categorisation as a separate field of study and practice: Islamic Finance Law.
Mapping the Emotional Terrain of Peace: Palestinians and Israelis Search for Common Ground
Authors: Kouttab Amal
Published: July 2007

This article describes healing the wounds of history, a six-stage model developed by psychotherapist and theater director Armand Volkas and its implementation during a workshop held during a peace conference in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in spring 2006. The foundation of this work is based on the notion that conflict is most effectively addressed through two primary processes: the mutual recognition of emotions arising from conflict and empathy building. Moving beyond traditional dialogue to mediate conflict, healing the wounds of history seeks to disarm defenses while constructing a common narrative between groups in conflict through the telling and mirroring of personal stories.
From Enemies To Friends: Personal Conflict Resolution At Imagine
Authors: Joubran Nashida , Schwartz Samuel
Published: July 2007

Can individuals on opposing sides of an armed conflict become friends? Can such individual friendship serve as a basis for collective conflict resolution or moderation? This article begins by introducing the Aristotelian friendship types and evaluates how they might apply to a relationship between individuals hailing from opposing sides of an armed conflict. The article will then evaluate the genesis of the friendship between the article's authors, a Palestinian Muslim woman and an Israeli Jewish man, who met at the 2006 Imagine Conference and assess how their friendship compares to the models presented. The article concludes by attempting to reconcile individual friendship with a national—religious conflict that flares unabated. In this context, the authors consider the utility of building networks of friendships based on Aristotelian virtue. The hopeful hypothesis is that networks of such friendships can have a practical application in changing social and political structures in an effort to resolve the underlying conflict.
Empathy With the Shadow: Engaging and Transforming Difficulties Through Art
Authors: McNiff Shaun
Published: July 2007

A studio workshop exploring the theme of “empathy with the shadow” demonstrates how the arts and groups can be used to heal and transform personal afflictions. Vulnerabilities and rejected aspects of our personal lives are empathetically embraced as sources of creative energy that suggest approaches to the larger sociopolitical conflicts of the world.
An Arts Approach To Working With Conflict
Authors: Speiser Vivien Marcow , Speiser Phillip
Published: July 2007

This article describes the workshop that the authors cofacilitated at the Imagine Conference held in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2006. This workshop presented arts-based activities for working with conflict in intercultural groups. Participants were given the opportunity to creatively explore personal responses to conflict and to learn arts-based approaches to working within a group of individuals who come from different religious, ethnic, and political backgrounds. In this workshop, the authors presented their model of working with the intrapersonal, interpersonal, sociocultural, institutional, and spiritual dimensions of conflict.
The Use of Communication Technologies After Hours: The Role of Work Attitudes and Work-Life Conflict
Authors: Boswell Wendy R. , Olson-Buchanan Julie B.
Published: July 2007

Communication technologies have made it increasingly feasible for employees to stay connected to work when not in the office. Yet we have little understanding of the implications for important aspects of work and work life. This study investigates how the use of communication technologies beyond normal work hours relates to work-related attitudes and work-to-life conflict. Results found that employees with higher ambition and job involvement were more likely to use communication technologies after hours. Furthermore, use of communication technologies after hours was associated with the employee's work-to-life conflict as reported by the employee and a significant other of the employee.
The forced marriage debate and the British state
Authors: Wilson Amrit
Published: July 2007

In recent years, the British government has increasingly sought to intervene to prevent forced marriages and `honour killings'. But its new-found concern for the plight of South Asian women belies a deeper structure of racism, particularly against Muslims, and collusion with South Asian patriarchy. It is argued that initiatives such as the recent proposal for legislation on forced marriages are not empowering to women but are driven by the state's need to police South Asian communities, an approach that has colonial roots. The lack of support given to grassroots South Asian women's organisations and the continuing deportation of women at risk of violence reveal the partial nature of the state's commitment to supporting victims of domestic violence and other forms of oppression.
The Untold Story of “Foreign Devil” Adult Educators in Shanghai Silk Factories (1920 To 1949)
Authors: Boshier Roger , Huang Yan
Published: July 2007

From the 1920s until 1949, foreign adult educators (mostly women) in the Shanghai YWCA worked to foster labor unrest and build a better world. Many started out as liberal Christians but ended up supporting Chairman Mao. They used street theater, mass singing, games, pageants, structured exercises, and “bible classes,” where learners read Communist literature. Their extraordinary efforts are largely unrecognized because many self-identified as homosexual and Communist. This study involved interviews and a close reading of English- and Chinese-language materials. Its purpose was to document revolutionary adult education (mostly for young women) in the Shanghai silk filatures (1920 to 1949) and to create an understanding of the work of foreigners such as Rewi Alley and Maud Russell and visiting luminaries such as John Dewey and R. H. Tawney. In China, there is a tendency to ignore the past. Yet 21st century adult education could be improved by understanding adult education in 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s Shanghai.
The Research University and the Development of High-Technology Centers in the United States
Authors: Smilor Raymond , O'Donnell Niall , Stein Gregory , Welborn Robert S.
Published: July 2007

This article examines the drivers that have shaped a more proactive and entrepreneurial approach to the creation of high-technology centers through three detailed case studies of research universities: the University of California, San Diego; the University of Texas at Austin; and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Duke University in Research Triangle Park. The cases show the importance of committed leadership, the power of a mobilizing event, the influence of an organization that can effect change, the acceleration that can come from the arrival of key corporations, the value of compelling role models, the impact of financial resources, and the benefit of a tolerant mind-set. Above all, they highlight the critical importance of a research university that can serve as instigator; promoter; collaborator; and magnet for talent, technological innovation, and entrepreneurial activity.
Inner-City Neighborhoods and Metropolitan Development
Authors: Blair John P. , Carroll Michael C.
Published: July 2007

This article describes the types of economic isolation that are embedded in various theories of neighborhood poverty. The literature suggests that there are a variety of reasons why inner-city areas are economically isolated. However, inadequate guidance is provided regarding whether poor neighborhoods will benefit from regional prosperity. Census data were examined to determine whether there is an association between changes in metropolitan economic welfare and changes in family income in poor census tracts. No association between the welfare indicators was found, supporting the economic-isolation hypothesis. The analysis of policies designed to strengthen ties between poor neighborhoods and metropolitan areas leads to the suggestion that connections be strengthened by supplementing the creation of economic linkages with broad-based social integration.
The Impact of the Reputation of Bio-Life Science and Engineering Doctoral Programs on Regional Economic Development
Authors: Hill Edward W. (Ned) , Lendel Iryna
Published: July 2007

Retrospective data on the academic reputation of PhD programs in the biological and life sciences and engineering are used in regression models to measure the influence of academic quality on the growth in employment and in per capita income for metropolitan areas in the United States over the two parts of the recently completed business cycle (1994 to 2000 and 2001 to 2003). The quality of doctoral research programs in science and technology fields was positively associated with growth rates in employment and per capita income in metropolitan areas during the expansion phase of the business cycle. Regions with quality science and technology doctoral programs experienced declines in employment growth rates following the recession. There was an inverse relationship between academic quality and per capita income following the recession, indicating that regional earnings bubbles built up during the expansion. Strong path dependencies are exhibited in the models.
Patient choice promotes adherence in preventive treatment for latent tuberculosis
Authors: Rennie T. W. , Bothamley G. H. , Engova D. , Bates I. P.
Published: July 2007

The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of patient choice on completion rates and adverse drug reactions for patients treated for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) using 3-month rifampicin and isoniazid treatment (3RH) or 6-month isoniazid treatment (6H).

Data for all patients treated using 3RH or 6H for LTBI between 1998 and 2004 were analysed. In total, 675 patients attended for chemoprophylaxis. Of these, 314 received 3RH and 277 received 6H. From April 1, 2000, patients were offered a choice of regimen; 53.5% completed the regimen successfully, a further 10.3% potentially completed it successfully and 36.2% failed to complete treatment.

Logistic regression analysis suggested that successful completion was more likely in patients who were younger (an association that was lost after removing all patients aged <16 yrs), were offered a choice of regimen and attended all clinic visits before commencing treatment. Treatment was discontinued due to adverse reactions in 16 (5.1%) patients who were prescribed 3RH and 16 (5.8%) who were prescribed 6H. Treatment failure was most likely during the first 4 weeks of treatment for both regimens. At 13 weeks of treatment, more patients taking 6H had stopped compared with those completing the 3RH regimen. Drug costs were greater using 6H compared with 3RH.

In conclusion, offering a choice of regimen improves completion. Most patients chose the 3-month rifampicin and isoniazid treatment over the 6-month isoniazid treatment. Adverse drug reaction rates between the two regimens were similar.
Pulmonary hypertension in patients with pulmonary fibrosis awaiting lung transplant
Authors: Shorr A. F. , Wainright J. L. , Cors C. S. , Lettieri C. J. , Nathan S. D.
Published: July 2007

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) may complicate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) but the prevalence of PH in IPF remains undefined. The present authors sought to describe the prevalence of PH in IPF.

The lung transplant registry for the USA (January 1995 to June 2004) was analysed and IPF patients who had undergone right heart catheterisation (RHC) were identified. PH was defined as a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (P̄pa) ≥25 mmHg and severe PH as aP̄pa>40 mmHg. Independent factors associated with PH were determined.

Of the 3,457 persons listed, 2,525 (73.0%) had undergone RHC. PH affected 46.1% of subjects; ∼9% had severe PH. Variables independently associated with mild-to-moderate PH were as follows: need for oxygen, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (Ppcw) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Independent factors related to severe PH included the following: carbon dioxide tension, age, FEV1,Ppcw, need for oxygen and ethnicity. A sensitivity analysis in subjects withPpcw<15 mmHg did not appreciably alter the present findings.

Pulmonary hypertension is common in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients awaiting lung transplant, but the elevations in mean pulmonary arterial pressure are moderate. Lung volumes alone do not explain the pulmonary hypertension. Given the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension and its relationship with surrogate markers for quality of life (e.g.activities of daily living), future trials of therapies for this may be warranted.
Bilobalide in ginkgo biloba extract is a major substance inducing hepatic CYPs
Authors: Umegaki Keizo , Taki Yuko , Endoh Kaori , Taku Kyoko , Tanabe Hiroki , Shinozuka Kazumasa , Sugiyama Tomomi
Published: July 2007

In a search for substances related to the marked induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) by ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), mice were given either GBE (1000 mg kg−1) or fractions of GBE for 5 days. The content and activity of CYPs were induced markedly by a bilobalide-rich fraction, but not by flavonoid-rich fractions. The level of induction by the bilobalide-rich fraction was almost the same as that induced by the unfractionated GBE, suggesting that bilobalide is largely responsible for the CYPs induction. To confirm these findings, mice were given various doses of bilobalide (10.5, 21 and 42 mg kg−1), or GBE (1000 mg kg−1, containing bilobalide at 42 mg kg−1). Treatment with bilobalide induced CYPs markedly and in a dose-dependent manner, and the level of induction was quite similar between bilobalide (42 mg kg−1) and GBE. Treatment with GBE and with bilobalide greatly induced pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylase activity. These findings indicate that bilobalide is the major substance in GBE that induces hepatic CYPs.