bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing dynamic sensory properties of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners with temporal check‐all‐that‐apply
Authors: Reyes M. Michelle , Castura John C. , Hayes John E.
Published: June 2017

Temporal check‐all‐that‐apply (TCATA) is a rapid method where attributes are actively checked and unchecked to track sensations over time, so that the checked words fully describe the sample in any given moment. Here, we characterize the temporal profiles of sweeteners using TCATA. In two experiments, sweeteners were tested in water at concentrations known to elicit weak to moderate sweetness. Before evaluating the sweeteners, participants (n = ∼125 per experiment) were familiarized with the TCATA method with a guided example using imaginary samples of Kool‐Aid. Participants then received 10 ml of each sweetener solution and were instructed to click “start” after he or she finished swallowing the sample. Incidence of six attributes obtained from prior literature—sweet, bitter, metallic, licorice, cooling, and drying—was obtained for 60 s. We observed similarities across temporal profiles of various sweeteners: sweet and bitter occurred first (∼10 s), then metallic and cooling (∼10–25 s), followed by drying much later (30–50 s depending on the stimulus). The presence of side tastes influenced how often “sweet” was endorsed: stimuli with fewer endorsements of side tastes showed more prominent sweetness. Finally, unfamiliar side tastes may lead to a smearing bias where participants check every attribute in an attempt to characterize those unfamiliar sensations.

Practical applications

Traditional continuous time intensity methods only allow one or two attributes to be assessed at a time, while discrete multi‐attribute time intensity methods may miss important changes in sensation, depending on the interval between ratings. The inclusion of multiple attributes in temporal check‐all‐that‐apply allows continuous tracking of side tastes that are not the most intense/dominant sensation; this may be especially important for stimuli where a secondary attribute is still a strong driver of acceptability in spite of not being the most intense sensation, as with nonnutritive sweeteners.
Functions of Career Resilience Against Reality Shock, Focusing on Full‐time Employees During Their First Year of Work
Authors: Kodama Makiko
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of career resilience in coping with reality shock. Career resilience was defined as psychological traits that help individuals to cope with career risks and promote their own career development. It consisted of five factors: (a) ability to cope with problems and changes; (b) social skills; (c) interest in novelty; (d) optimism about the future; and (e) willingness to help others. Full‐time employees in their first year of employment (N = 233) participated in an online survey to measure career resilience, reality shock, and the degree of career development. The study found that coping with changes and being optimistic about the future could prevent the experience of reality shock. The result also suggested that good social skills prevented experience of reality shock from inhibiting career development.
Voluntary recording scheme reveals ongoing decline in the United Kingdom hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius population
Authors: Goodwin Cecily E. D. , Hodgson David J. , Al‐Fulaij Nida , Bailey Sallie , Langton Steve , Mcdonald Robbie A.
Published: June 2017

In order to conserve threatened species, knowledge of the status, trends and trajectories of populations is required. Co‐ordinating collection of these data is challenging, especially for inconspicuous species such as the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius.

The UK National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) is comprised of nest box recording schemes organised by volunteers. The number, size, and coverage of these schemes has varied over time. Such changes risk conflation of genuine population trends with covarying artefacts, including survey effort and expansion into sites of variable quality.

We provide a robust analysis of count data from 400 NDMP sites from 1993 to 2014 and demonstrate that changes in counts are not an artefact of survey characteristics. In relation to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria, we conclude that dormouse counts in nest boxes are an index of abundance appropriate to the taxon and allow the inference of population reduction of 72% (95% confidence intervals 62–79%) over the 22 years from 1993 to 2014, equivalent to a mean annual rate of decline of 5.8% (4.5–7.1%). This decline is ongoing.

We highlight difficulties in assigning an IUCN Red List conservation category to a population, given variation in apparent trends over consecutive time‐periods. In eight out of 13 sliding window intervals of 10 years from 1993 to 2014, the 95% confidence intervals overlap a decline of 50%. While average population decline over 10‐year periods suggests that the hazel dormouse should be classified as Vulnerable, a precautionary approach would not rule out the category of Endangered in the United Kingdom, given the lower bounds of population change estimates, the mean annual rate of decline and ongoing decline.

Ongoing decline in the hazel dormouse population is despite a high level of species protection and widespread conservation measures. The hazel dormouse is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species and a European Protected Species, and the causes of population reduction are not well understood and may not have ceased. An urgent appraisal of dormouse conservation is required to ensure the species’ favourable conservation status.
Weight gain in the first week of life predicts overweight at 2 years: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Feldman‐Winter Lori , Burnham Laura , Grossman Xena , Matlak Stephanie , Chen Ning , Merewood Anne
Published: June 2017

In formula‐fed infants, rapid weight gain during the first week of life is associated with later obesity. To examine the association between weight gain during the first week and overweight at age 2 among infants with various feeding practices and the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding in early infancy and overweight, we enrolled a prospective cohort of healthy mother–infant dyads and followed them for 2 years. We enrolled 450 mother/infant pairs and obtained information on 306 infants at year 2. Weight change during the first week of life and detailed feeding information were collected during the first month of life. Anthropometric measures were collected at 2 years. Overweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile for age. At 2 years, 81% had normal weights and 19% were overweight. Maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI; infant birth weight; maternal education; and Women, Infants, and Children status were associated with the risk of overweight at age 2. Children who gained more than 100 g during the first week were 2.3 times as likely after adjustment (p = .02) to be overweight at age 2 compared to infants who lost weight. There was no association between feeding type and BMI, but feeding type was significantly associated with change in weight at week 1 and anthropometric measurements at age 2. Infant weight gain in the first week of life is related to overweight at age 2, and exclusively breastfed infants are least likely to gain ≥100 g.
Is Psychoanalysis Universal? Politics, Desire, and Law in Colonial Contexts
Authors: Rogers Juliet B.
Published: June 2017

Psychoanalysis has long been used as a tool to analyze the symptomology of individuals and nation states. But can it universally be applied to all? This article argues that psychoanalysis was born in the wake of the French Revolution as the subject of rights came to understand that it could make choices, but that these choices would not always be the right ones. In Douzinas’ () terms “every desire is a potential right” (p. 8), and this idea links desire to rights in a way that psychoanalytic theory and practice must contend. But it also offers the possibility that it is rights‐bearing subjects who are specifically desiring in the manner that psychoanalysis proposes. In this article, I examine the symptoms of rights‐bearing subjects as they have emerged in a particular politico‐legal history. I argue that the symptoms of subjects must be understood in the context of their politico‐legal history, including its formation, and I examine how the neglect of this account of history—particularly in the context of Australia—can miss the colonial violences that are inherent in law (as a symptom) but also in psychoanalysis as itself a symptom of a particular historical scene.
The Symptoms of the Political Unconscious: Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Rogers Juliet B. , Zevnik Andreja
Published: June 2017

The political unconscious “speaks”; it displays itself in the symptoms of the political world, in the speech of policy, of decisions, of laws, of images, icons, and gestures, and in protest, resistance, and ordinary violences, and, insofar as it speaks, psychoanalysis can say something about it. In this article, we consider how psychoanalysis can speak to some of the symptoms of the political world as they emerge as a form of the political unconscious. We employ Lacanian psychoanalytic theory to elaborate the unconscious and discuss how some of the symptoms of this unconscious has emerged in the form of Brexit, Trump, and the rise of the right in Europe and the Antipodes. We then elaborate on the contributions to this special issue as well as mentioning how these contributions speak to these latest events.
State, trait, and dental anxiety in caregivers of individuals with disabilities
Authors: Pinho Roberto Carlos Mourão , da Silva Barbosa André Cavalcante , Caldas‐Júnior Arnaldo de França , Vasconcelos Márcia Maria Vendiciano Barbosa , Cimões Renata , Santos Maria Teresa Botti Rodrigues dos
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare state anxiety, trait anxiety, and dental anxiety in caregivers of patients with special needs and caregivers of pediatric patients without special needs at dental clinics.

Materials and Methods

A quantitative, cross‐sectional study was conducted. Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire. All respondents were older than 18 years of age. Individuals with cognitive impairment and those taking anxiolytics, antidepressants, or sleep‐inducing medication were excluded from the study. The sample consisted of 55 caregivers of patients with special needs and 55 caregivers of pediatric dental patients. A questionnaire was administered to determine the sociodemographic profile of the patients based on the 2015 Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria. Anxiety regarding dental treatment was measured using the dental anxiety scale. The state‐trait anxiety inventory was used to identify state and trait anxiety levels.

Results

Caregivers of individuals with disabilities had a similar level of anxiety as caregivers of pediatric dental patients. Most caregivers of individuals with disabilities were mothers with an older age and a greater frequency of trait anxiety, especially when these mothers had health problems. State anxiety was associated with a lower education level.

Conclusions

Higher dental anxiety levels were found among caregivers with a higher level of trait anxiety, independently of the type of patient to which care was given.
MODELLING TUMOR GROWTH WITH IMMUNE RESPONSE AND DRUG USING ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Authors: Admon Mohd Rashid , Maan Normah
Published: June 2017

This is a mathematical study about tumor growth from a different perspective, with the aim of predicting and/or controlling the disease. The focus is on the effect and interaction of tumor cell with immune and drug. This paper presents a mathematical model of immune response and a cycle phase specific drug using a system of ordinary differential equations.  Stability analysis is used to produce stability regions for various values of certain parameters during mitosis. The stability region of the graph shows that the curve splits the tumor decay and growth regions in the absence of immune response. However, when immune response is present, the tumor growth region is decreased. When drugs are considered in the system, the stability region remains unchanged as the system with the presence of immune response but the population of tumor cells at interphase and metaphase is reduced with percentage differences of 1.27 and 1.53 respectively. The combination of immunity and drug to fight cancer provides a better method to reduce tumor population compared to immunity alone.
Tahap Pengetahuan, Kemahiran dan Kebolehupayaan Pelatih Pendawaian Elektrik dalam Pembentukan Usahawan Teknikal Di Giatmara Negeri Johor
Authors: Amiruddin Mohd Hasril , Jafaar Siti Norain , Abd Samad Noorazman
Published: June 2017

Technical Entrepreneur involves individuals who have a combination of knowledge, skills and capabilities in technical and entrepreneurship to engage in business. This study aims to identify the knowledge, skills and capabilities possessed by the trainee electrical wiring in GIATMARA Johor state in the formation of technical entrepreneurs. The respondents consisted of 124 students from seven branches GIATMARA Johor which have of course electrical wiring. This study is a descriptive study and data collection methods are conducted using questionnaires instrument set. Data were collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 with regard to the mean and standard deviation. The results showed that the level of knowledge the coach is moderately high with a mean score of 3.86, the level of skills of trainees is moderately high with a mean score of 3.93 and also medium-level coach high reliability with a mean score of 3.96. Overall, the level of knowledge, skills and capabilities to be an entrepreneur coach Technical is moderately high and has a significant relationship. However, the level of knowledge, skills and capabilities can be enhanced to coach a higher level by increasing the entrepreneurial program and initial implementation of the coach electrical wiring in GIATMARA.
Implementasi Pendidikan Berasaskan Hasil (PBH) melalui Pembelajaran Berasaskan Projek (PBPj) untuk Menilai Pencapaian Domain Kognitif Berdasarkan Topik Ekosistem Terancam
Authors: Machmudi Isa Nitce Isa Medina , Abdullah Mai Shihah
Published: June 2017

The education system in Malaysia is in the process creating a paradigm shift from implementing an external evaluation to School Based Assessment (SBA). The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) or the MEB (HE) (Ministry of Higher Education, 2015) is formulated based on the vision and aspiration of Malaysia Education Development Plan (2013-2015) and National Higher Education Strategic Plan (Pelan Strategik Pengajian Tinggi Negara (PSPTN)) in educating students who are knowledgeable, skilled and talented to face the challenges of the 21st century. Shift 1 of the blueprint aims to foster graduates who are holistic, balanced and entrepreneurial in line with the National Education Philosophy. This footstep is closely applied by the Ministry of Education to develop the holistic student profile in the schools. A new evaluation combines the three domains of cognitive, affective and psychomotor instead of focusing on the cognitive domain (DC) those are taken into account in determining student's achievement. This study was conducted to identify the impact on assessment using Outcome Based Education (OBE) through the application of project-based learning (PjBL) by comparing it with the current academic achievement ranking using DC only. All domains involved were represented by academic (cognitive domain), social skills (affective domain) and manipulative skills (psychomotor domain). This study also take into account to determine the impact of students’ assessment in the cognitive domain using Outcome-based Education (OBE) through the application of Project-based Learning (PjBL) compared to Traditional Learning (TL) in the topic of ‘Threatened Ecosystem.’ This study is a quantitative research using quasi-experimental design. A total of 30 Form 4 science stream students were selected using purposive sampling. This study demonstrated that there is no significant difference between the traditional learning (TL) and project-based learning (PJBL) to evaluate students’ cognitive domain. Assessment outlined in the Outcome-based Education is a good evaluation method to be applied to the secondary Based on these findings it is proposed evaluation in OBE through PjBL method is of a better assessment tool to be applied to secondary school, preferably the science stream students. This enables them to be evaluated in a more holistic manner which is in line with the full implementation of PBS in the near future. Subsequently, students’ achievement in affective and psychomotor domains should be carried out to oversee the effect onto the holistic evaluation as outlined in OBE.
Two new genera of eriophyoid mites (Eriophyoidea) from Hyphaene coriacea linking eriophyoid faunas of South American, Indian and African palms: an insight from paleobiography of Arecaceae
Authors: Chetverikov Philipp , Craemer Charnie
Published: June 2017

Two new monotypic genera and one new species, Afrodialox dimorphopalpalis n. gen. & n. sp. (Diptilomiopidae: Diptilomiopinae) and Borassia borassis (Mohanasundaram, 1981) n. gen. & n. comb. (Phytoptidae: Phytoptinae), are described from Hyphaene coriacea (Arecaceae) from South Africa. A. dimorphopalpalis n. sp. is sexually dimorphic with respect to palptarsal appendages, whereas Novophytoptus (Phytoptidae: Novophytoptinae) is sexually dimorphic with respect to empodial shape. These are rare examples of pronounced sexual dimorphism in Eriophyoidea. Three monotypic diptilomiopine genera living on palms (Dialox, Neodialox and Afrodialox n. gen.) form a putatively monophyletic group, “Dialox-like diptilomiopines” (DD). Hypotheses on the origin of this group are discussed in the context of paleobiography of palms and their phylogenetic relationships with eriophyoids from herbaceous monocots. The preferred hypothesis implies the following sequence of events: (a) South American origin of DD on attaleine palms (Areceae: Cocoseae) in the Paleocene; (b) migration to Indian Ocean, a host shift to borassoid palms (Coryphoideae: Borasseae), and divergence in India and Africa during the Eocene; and (c) human mediated introduction from Malesia to Latin America with coconut during the Pleistocene. Well-resolved deep phylogenies of Arecaceae published by botanists in recent years provide an excellent background for future co-phylogenetic studies of the system Eriophyoidea-Arecaceae, inviting researchers (especially those from tropical countries with rich palm diversity) to use palm inhabitingeriophyoids as a model group for tracing steps of the evolution of Eriophyoidea on plants.
High-resolution imaging of Li-ion migration at the interface of LixTi5O12 and solid electrolyte in an all-solid-Li-ion battery
Authors: Osaka Ryuma , Matsushita Yuki , Kita Kenta , Takata Keiji
Published: June 2017

The authors investigated Li-ion migration at an interface between a LixTi5O12 (LTO) anode and solid electrolyte in an all-solid Li-ion battery using optical and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). LTO changes from an insulator to a conductor with increasing Li content, which decreases LTO transparency. Therefore, observation of changes in the transparency enables us to image Li-ion migration. LTO was sputtered on an indium tin oxide with a glass substrate in order to observe the transparency using an optical microscope. Variations in Li content by charge/discharge of the battery using the LTO as an anode could be observed during operation. Li-ion migration was confirmed in specific locations at the contact areas between the LTO and solid electrolyte. When electron–hole pairs are generated in a semiconductor by photon injection, electric strains are generated. SPM can detect and image the photo-induced strains with high resolution. Discharged LTO is a semiconductor having a band gap but charged LTO is metallic. Accordingly, the authors can distinguish charged/discharged LTO by imaging the photo-induced strains via SPM. The authors imaged Li-ion migration regions in the LTO contacting the solid electrolyte with high spatial resolution.
Detection of ammonia at low concentrations (0.1–2 ppm) with ZnO nanorod-functionalized AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors
Authors: Jung Sunwoo , Baik Kwang Hyeon , Ren Fan , Pearton Stephen J. , Jang Soohwan
Published: June 2017

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with ZnO nanorod functionalized gates were used for detecting NH3 in the concentration range of 0.1–2 ppm balanced with air at ambient temperatures from 25 to 300 °C. A decrease in the high electron mobility transistor drain current was observed for exposure to the NH3-containing ambients, indicating an increase in negative charge at the heterointerface. The detection sensitivity increased monotonically with ammonia concentration at all temperatures, from 0.28% (25 °C) and 3.17% (300 °C) for 0.1 ppm to 1.32% (25 °C) and 13.73% (300 °C) for 2 ppm for a drain–source voltage of 1 V. The latter condition is attractive for low power consumption. The sensitivity was also a function of applied voltage and was generally higher in the linear region of the current–voltage characteristic of the transistor. The activation energy of the sensitivity was 0.09 eV, and the sensors showed no response to O2 (100%), CO2 (10%), CO (0.1%), CH4 (4%), and NO2 (0.05%) under the same detection conditions as used for the NH3. The response was less than 1 s, and recovery times were of order ∼53 s at 25 °C.
The
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PSL Polysaccharide Is a Social but Noncheatable Trait in Biofilms
Authors: Irie Yasuhiko , Roberts Aled E. L. , Kragh Kasper N. , Gordon Vernita D. , Hutchison Jaime , Allen Rosalind J. , Melaugh Gavin , Bjarnsholt Thomas , West Stuart A. , Diggle Stephen P.
Published: June 2017

Extracellular polysaccharides are compounds secreted by microorganisms into the surrounding environment, and they are important for surface attachment and maintaining structural integrity within biofilms. The social nature of many extracellular polysaccharides remains unclear, and it has been suggested that they could function as either cooperative public goods or as traits that provide a competitive advantage. Here, we empirically tested the cooperative nature of the PSL polysaccharide, which is crucial for the formation of biofilms in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. We show that (i) PSL is not metabolically costly to produce; (ii) PSL provides population-level benefits in biofilms, for both growth and antibiotic tolerance; (iii) the benefits of PSL production are social and are shared with other cells; (iv) the benefits of PSL production appear to be preferentially directed toward cells which produce PSL; (v) cells which do not produce PSL are unable to successfully exploit cells which produce PSL. Taken together, this suggests that PSL is a social but relatively nonexploitable trait and that growth within biofilms selects for PSL-producing strains, even when multiple strains are on a patch (low relatedness at the patch level).

IMPORTANCE
Many studies have shown that bacterial traits, such as siderophores and quorum sensing, are social in nature. This has led to an impression that secreted traits act as public goods, which are costly to produce but benefit both the producing cell and its surrounding neighbors. Theories and subsequent experiments have shown that such traits are exploitable by asocial cheats, but we show here that this does not always hold true. We demonstrate that the
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
exopolysaccharide PSL provides social benefits to populations but that it is nonexploitable, because most of the fitness benefits accrue to PSL-producing cells. Our work builds on an increasing body of work showing that secreted traits can have both private and public benefits to cells.
Type II Secretion Substrates ofLegionella pneumophilaTranslocate Out of the Pathogen-Occupied Vacuole via a Semipermeable Membrane
Authors: Truchan Hilary K. , Christman Harry D. , White Richard C. , Rutledge Nakisha S. , Cianciotto Nicholas P.
Published: June 2017

Legionella pneumophilareplicates in macrophages in a host-derived phagosome, termed theLegionella-containing vacuole (LCV). While the translocation of type IV secretion (T4S) effectors into the macrophage cytosol is well established, the location of type II secretion (T2S) substrates in the infected host cell is unknown. Here, we show that the T2S substrate ProA, a metalloprotease, translocates into the cytosol of human macrophages, where it associates with the LCV membrane (LCVM). Translocation is detected as early as 10 h postinoculation (p.i.), which is approximately the midpoint of the intracellular life cycle. However, it is detected as early as 6 h p.i. if ProA is hyperexpressed, indicating that translocation depends on the timing of ProA expression and that any other factors necessary for translocation are in place by that time point. Translocation occurs with allL. pneumophilastrains tested and in amoebae, natural hosts forL. pneumophila. It was absent in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages and murine macrophage cell lines. The ChiA chitinase also associated with the cytoplasmic face of the LCVM at 6 h p.i. and in a T2S-dependent manner. Galectin-3 and galectin-8, eukaryotic proteins whose localization is influenced by damage to host membranes, appeared within the LCV of infected human but not murine macrophages beginning at 6 h p.i. Thus, we hypothesize that ProA and ChiA are first secreted into the vacuolar lumen by the activity of the T2S and subsequently traffic into the macrophage cytosol via a novel mechanism that involves a semipermeable LCVM.

IMPORTANCEInfection of macrophages and amoebae plays a central role in the pathogenesis ofL. pneumophila, the agent of Legionnaires’ disease. We have previously demonstrated that the T2S system ofL. pneumophilagreatly contributes to intracellular infection. However, the location of T2S substrates within the infected host cell is unknown. This report presents the first evidence of aL. pneumophilaT2S substrate in the host cell cytosol and, therefore, the first evidence of a non-T4S effector trafficking out of the LCV. We also provide the first indication that the LCV is not completely intact but is instead semipermeable and that this occurs in human but not murine macrophages. Given this permeability, we hypothesize that other T2S substrates and LCV lumenal contents can escape into the host cell cytosol. Thus, these substrates may represent a battery of previously unidentified effectors that can interact with host factors and contribute to intracellular infection byL. pneumophila.
Effectiveness of an online SUpport PRogramme (SUPR) for older hearing aid users: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors: Meijerink Janine FJ , Pronk Marieke , Paulissen Bernadette , Witte Birgit I , Wouden Bregje van der , Jansen Vera , Kramer Sophia E
Published: June 2017

Background

An educational SUpport PRogramme called SUPR has been developed for hearing aid users (HAUs) and their communication partners (CPs) offering care beyond hearing aid fitting. SUPR teaches its users communication strategies, hearing aid handling skills and personal adjustment to hearing impairment.

Methods/design

Using a cluster randomised controlled trial design, 70 Dutch hearing aid dispenser practices were randomised into hearing aid fitting (care as usual, 34 practices) and hearing aid fitting including SUPR (36 practices). The aim was to recruit a total of 569 older (aged 50+ years) first-time (n=258) and experienced (n=311) HAUs and their CPs. SUPR consists of a Practical Support Booklet and online material offered via email over a period of 6–7 months. The booklet provides practical information on hearing aids, advice on communication strategies and home exercises. The online material consists of educational videos on hearing aid functionality and usage, communication strategies and peer testimonials. Finally, noncommittal email contact with the dispenser is offered. Every HAU is asked to assign a CP who is advised to be involved intensively. Effect measurements for HAUs and their CPs will occur at baseline and at 6, 12 and 18 months follow-up via online questionnaires. The primary outcomes for HAUs will be the use of communication strategies as measured by the subscales of the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired. A process evaluation will be performed.

Ethics and dissemination

The study was approved by the Dutch Institutional Review Board of the VU Medical University Center Amsterdam. This intervention could contribute to lowering the hearing impairment burden in our ageing society. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and scientific conferences.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN77340339; Pre-results.
Attenuation of hepatic steatosis by purple sweet potato colour is associated with blocking Src/ERK/C/EBPβ signalling in high-fat-diet–treated mice
Authors: Wang Xin , Zhang Zi-Feng , Zheng Gui-Hong , Wang Ai-Min , Sun Chun-Hui , Qin Su-Ping , Zhuang Juan , Lu Jun , Ma Dai-Fu , Zheng Yuan-Lin
Published: June 2017

Our previous work showed that purple sweet potato colour (PSPC), a class of naturally occurring anthocyanins, effectively improved hepatic glucose metabolic dysfunction in high-fat-diet (HFD)–treated mice. This study investigated the effects of PSPC on HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and the signalling events associated with these effects. Mice were divided into 4 groups: control group, HFD group, HFD+PSPC group, and PSPC group. PSPC was administered daily for 20 weeks at oral doses of 700 mg/(kg·day)−1). Our results showed that PSPC significantly improved obesity and related metabolic parameters, as well as liver injury in HFD-treated mice. Moreover, PSPC dramatically attenuated hepatic steatosis in HFD-treated mice. PSPC markedly prevented oxidative stress-mediated Src activation in HFD-treated mouse livers. Furthermore, PSPC feeding remarkably suppressed mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (MEK/ERK) signalling and consequent CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ) activation and restored AMPK activation in HFD-treated mouse livers, which was confirmed by U0126 treatment. Ultimately, PSPC feeding dramatically reduced protein expression of FAS and CD36 and the activation of ACC, and increased the protein expression of CPT1A in the livers of HFD-treated mice, indicating decreased lipogenesis and fatty acid uptake and enhanced fatty acid oxidation. In conclusion, PSPC exhibited beneficial effects on hepatic steatosis, which were associated with blocking Src and C/EBPβ activation.
Physiological and biochemical studies in plant metabolism. IV. Effect of illumination and darkness on the physiological heterogeneity in the first leaf of wheat
Authors: Roberts D.W.A.
Published: June 2017

The respiratory rate, soluble nitrogen content, protein nitrogen content, water content, reducing substance content, and sucrose content of each of the four quarters of the first leaf of Khapli wheat have been determined after different exposures to light under standardized conditions. The respiratory rate of the different quarters of the leaf as a whole is not determined by the distribution of any of the above mentioned constituents. Protein, water, and sucrose distribution appear to be correlated with the anatomy of the leaf. Leaf anatomy is apparently an important consideration in the physiological heterogeneity of the first leaf of wheat.
The development of the glandular trichomes of Adenocaulon bicolor
Authors: Karrfalt Earic E. , Kreitner Gerald L.
Published: June 2017

The development of the stalked, capitate, glandular trichomes found on the inflorescence axes of Adenocaulon bicolor was studied by light and scanning electron microscopy. The trichomes are not initiated until the stems have essentially ceased to grow in diameter. In early development the trichomes are biseriate, but later become several cells wide partly as the result of contributions from other epidermal cells rather than exclusively from longitudinal divisions in the developing trichome. Cell divisions occur throughout the trichome primordia and are not restricted to an acropetal or basipetal sequence. The mature trichomes are relatively large, 200–250 μm high, but are entirely of epidermal origin.
The genus Strobilurus (Agaricales) in Canada with notes on extralimital species
Authors: Redhead Scott A.
Published: June 2017

Strobilurus albipilatus, S. occidentalis, and S. trullisatus are described and illustrated from Canadian material. Strobilurus lignitilis, Marasmius uliginosus, and Prunulus myceliosus are considered to be synonyms of S. albipilatus. Strobilurus kemptonae is considered to be a synonym of S. trullisatus. Geographic and host ranges are expanded for all three species. Notes on extralimital species and a key to all recognized Strobilurus species are presented.
Dormancy studies in seed of Avena fatua. 11. Heritability for seed dormancy
Authors: Jana S. , Naylor J. M.
Published: June 2017

The heritability of the dormancy of primary seeds in four populations of wild oats was estimated by the parent–progeny regression method and found to be approximately 50% under field conditions.
Fungitoxicity of methoxychlor and fenitrothion and the environmental impact of their metabolites
Authors: Baarschers W. H. , Bharath A. I. , Hazenberg M. , Todd J. E.
Published: June 2017

The soil fungi Mortierella pusilla, M. isabellina, and Trichoderma viride, and the aquatic fungus Saprolegnia parasitica were chosen as test organisms to study the fungitoxicity of the pesticides methoxychlor and fenitrothion and some of their known metabolites and derivatives. The inhibition of mycelial growth on agar plates was used as a criterion for toxicity and it was established that the inhibiting effect was fungistatic rather than fungicidal. The results, which indicate that some metabolites are more toxic than the parent pesticides, are reported in the form of dosage response relationships and a novel method of reporting such relationships is proposed.
Fungal parasites of rotifers: a new genus of Hyphomycetes endoparasitic on Adineta
Authors: Barron G. L.
Published: June 2017

Pseudomeria is described as a new genus of Hyphomycetes recovered from soil. The type species, Pseudomeria mucosa, is parasitic on a bdelloid rotifer belonging to the genus Adineta. Conidia of this species are enveloped in mucus and initiate infection by lodging in or near the mastax of the host. Twenty-four hours after infection short, unbranched conidiophores radiate from the cuticle of the host. Conidiophores consist of up to eight cells and cease growth after about 48 h. On submerged conidiophores conidia are not produced. When conidiophores become exposed to air, in shallow water or as a result of drying, each cell of the conidiophore produces a narrow conidiogenous apex forming an acropetal succession of globose conidia.
Medicago lesinsii, a new Mediterranean species
Authors: Small Ernest , Brookes Brenda S.
Published: June 2017

The two intersterile chromosomally differentiated groups hitherto included in Medicago murex were found to exhibit overlapping variation for 18 morphological characteristics. However, discriminant analysis showed that three of these characters in combination could be used to readily separate them. The name M. murex Willd. was found to be applicable to the 2n = 14 species. The 2n = 16 form is recognized in this paper as a new species, M. lesinsii E. Small.
Colonization of Sphagnum cells by Lyophyllum palustre
Authors: Untiedt E. , Müller K.
Published: June 2017

Lyophyllum palustre (Peck) Singer, a basidiomycete (Tricholomataceae) parasitizing Sphagnum, was examined for points of contact between hyphae and Sphagnum cells with the help of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Results indicate that the fungus attacks Sphagnum cells by penetrating cell walls and altering host cell protosplasm. In addition, the formation of additional partitioning cell walls in attacked living Sphagnum cells was observed.
Search for latitudinal trends in the effective half-life of fallout 137Cs in vegetation of the Canadian Arctic
Authors: Taylor H. W. , Hutchison-Benson E. , Svoboda J.
Published: June 2017

Using published data on the integrated deposition of fallout 90Sr (137Cs) until 1975 and current measurements of the,137Cs activity in plant communities along the latitudinal gradient north of 50° N, an estimate has been made of the 137Cs effective half-life, Teff, in the composite vegetation of the Canadian Arctic. The lichens Alectoria nigricans, Alectoria ochroleuca, Cladonia rangiferina, Cornicularia divergens, and Umbilicaria muhlenbergii were studied, as well as a moss, Polytrichum juniperinum, and the vascular cushion plants Dryas integrifolia, Saxifraga oppositifolia, and Silene acaulis. In all cases, the effective half-life increased with increasing latitude, the longest Teff (10–12 years) being exhibited by dry-habitat lichens at 80° N.
Ultrastructure de l'oosphère et du zygote du Marsilea vestita après un faible abaissement de température
Authors: Ferrand Michèle , Chenou Eliane , Kuligowski Janine
Published: June 2017

Young archegonia of Marsilea vestita were subjected to a weak cooling from 24 °C (optimum temperature) to 16 or 12 °C. The female gamete rapidly reacts to this treatment by ultrastructural modifications of various organelles. The enlarged plastids lose their starch and a great number of plastoglobuli are always observed in the stroma; they contain a poorly defined lamellar system with very few grana structures. Some mitochondria break down and assume a vacuolar appearance; the endo-membranous system is very abundant: numerous endoplasmic reticulum profils as well as a great number of dictyosomes appear. Ribosomes become indistinct and it is impossible to distinguish polysomes in the hyaloplasm. The fertilization cone, which is used by the spermatozoid during its moving towards the female nucleus, is normally funnel shaped. After the treatment it is changed into a basal area spreading along the cell sides and separated from the remaining part of the gamete by a more or less continuous envelope of neoformed endoplasmic reticulum. Finally, it is possible by this treatment to remove the usual barrier to polyspermy and to observe several spermatozoids in the female cytoplasm.
Are charged lipid-linked intermediates involved in the biosynthesis of β-glucans?
Authors: Camirand Anne , Torossian Krikor , Hayashi Takahisa , Maclachlan Gordon
Published: June 2017

Synthesis from UDP-[14C]glucose of charged lipid-linked glucosyl compounds by pea membranes was short-lived and of very limited magnitude compared with the synthesis of 1,4- and 1,3-linked β-glucans. Chromatographic and chemical behaviour of lipid-linked monophosphoryl glucose (Lip-P-glc), the only charged lipid formed at initial stages (30 s), was similar to that of authentic dolichol monophosphoryl glucose (Dol-P-glc). Lip-P-glc exhibited no turnover during pulse-chase experiments. Lipid-linked pyrophosphoryl glucose or pyrophosphoryl oligosaccharides were not detected. Coumarin (10 mM) caused a severe inhibition of the synthesis of sodium dodecyl sulfate soluble products and alkali-soluble and alkali-insoluble glucans, without affecting the rate of synthesis of Lip-P-glc. Transfer of the label from endogenous Lip-P-[14C]glc or from authentic Dol-P-[3H]glc into nonlipid products was minimal. It is concluded that the lipid-linked phosphoryl saccharide formed from UDP-glucose is not an obligate intermediate in the formation of β-glucans in pea membrane preparations.
Serotiny and life history of Pinus contorta var. latifolia
Authors: Muir Patricia S. , Lotan James E.
Published: June 2017

Mature serotinous and nonserotinous trees of Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm. in the Bitterroot Watershed of western Montana do not differ in most life-history characteristics (reproductive or vegetative). No differences between trees of the two cone types were found in height, basal area, basal area growth rates over the lives of the trees, or crown ratio. Cone number, weights of individual cones and seeds, and estimates of reproductive effort were similar in serotinous and non-serotinous trees. Reproductive characteristics were either independent of tree age, or related similarly in trees of the two cone types. Nonserotinous trees may, however, have more seeds per cone than serotinous trees. This difference in seed numbers may be adaptive if serotinous trees invest relatively heavily in cone materials to protect seeds (which are retained in cones for many years), while nonserotinous trees (which shed seeds each year) invest relatively heavily in seeds. Trees of the two cone types differ mainly in the particular types of disturbance favoring their regeneration, but they often grow in the same stands where there are similar selective pressures on most aspects of their biology. Gene flow between them probably homogenizes all but those differences maintained by strong selective pressures.
Suppression of host cell wall synthesis at penetration sites in a compatible interaction with a mycoparasite
Authors: Manocha M. S. , McCullough C. M.
Published: June 2017

Differences in cell wall reactions at the penetration sites on a resistant host, Phascolomyces articulosus Boedijn ex Benny and Benjamin, and on a susceptible host, Choanephora cucurbitarum (Berk. & Rav.) Thaxter, were studied by autoradiography at 18 h after inoculation with a mycoparasite, Piptocephalis virginiana Leadbeater and Mercer. Localized incorporation of a radioactive chitin precursor, N-[3H]acetylglucosamine ([3H]GlcNAc), was observed at the penetration sites on the resistant but not the susceptible host. Autoradiography of mechanically wounded hyphae of the susceptible and resistant hosts showed similar patterns of localized incorporation of [3H]GlcNAc within 5 min after sonication. Label incorporation at the penetration as well as at the wounding sites was inhibited by polyoxin D. Cycloheximide treatment greatly increased the label in subapical regions and reduced that at the hyphal tips in both the hosts, whereas this treatment did not prevent localized incorporation at the wounding or the penetration sites on the resistant host. Suppression of localized incorporation of [3H]GlcNAc at penetration sites in C. cucurbitarum was not due to the lack of mobility of chitin synthase to the penetration site or its activating factor.
A new species of Parapyricularia from India
Authors: Rai B. , Kamal
Published: June 2017

Parapyricularia gymnematis sp. nov., a foliicolous hyphomycete, collected on Gymnema tingens W. & A., is described and illustrated in this paper.
Germinability of Leveillula taurica (powdery mildew) conidia obtained from water-stressed pepper plants
Authors: Caesar J. Cartey , Clerk G. C.
Published: June 2017

Both host plant water stress during sporulation and low relative humidity during germination caused decreased germination and germ tube elongation of Leveillula taurica (Lev.) Am. conidia on glass. This may explain the low incidence of powdery mildew disease of pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.) caused by L. taurica during the harmattan (dry) season in Ghana.
Import and unloading of 14C assimilate into nonphotosynthetic portions of variegated Coleus blumei leaves
Authors: Fisher David G. , Eschrich Walter
Published: June 2017

Variegated leaves of Coleus blumei Benth. were exposed for 4 h to 1.85 MBq 14CO2 to study the movement of 14C assimilate from green to albino portions of the lamina. Autoradiographs showed considerable 14C activity in both veins and mesophyll of the central albino regions, whether the lamina was left intact or various parts of it were severed or removed prior to 14CO2 exposure. However, when all of the photosynthetic tissue was removed, virtually no label appeared in the albino tissue. Autoradiographs of chromatographed extracts of albino regions from intact leaves showed that sucrose was the most abundant labeled compound and that imported assimilate was unloaded and metabolized into a number of other compounds. The albino region is therefore a genuine sink. No label was imported into any part of mature leaves when lower leaves were fed 14CO2, and young developing leaves ceased to import in the tip-to-base progression typical of dicotyledonous leaves.
Salinity tolerance in Spergularia marina
Authors: Cheeseman John M. , Bloebaum P. , Enkoji Carol , Wickens Linda K.
Published: June 2017

Attributes of the coastal halophyte Spergularia marina (L.) Griseb. that make it useful for studies of the physiological basis for salt tolerance in fully autotrophic higher plants are discussed. Growth, morphological, and ion-content characteristics are presented to serve as a background for subsequent studies of transport physiology. Plants were grown in solution culture on dilutions of artificial seawater or on the same solution without NaCl ("fresh water") from the time at which they could be conveniently transferred as seedlings (about 2 weeks old) to the onset of flowering about 5 weeks later. Eighteen days after transfer, plants growing on 0.2 × seawater were larger, being nearly twice the size of plants on fresh water. A Na+ specific effect was indicated, as the major part of the growth stimulation (54%) resulted from a 1 mM NaCl supplementation of "fresh water." Succulence was not a consideration in the growth response: root length was directly proportional to weight as was leaf surface area and neither was affected by salinity. Total Na+ plus K+ per gram root or shoot showed little variation with salinity from 1 to 180 mM Na+ levels. In roots, the relative Na+ and K+ contents were also little affected by salinity, but in the shoots, increasing salinity resulted in higher Na+ and lower K+ contents. Distribution within the shoots of 0.2 × plants showed no regions either free of or exceptionally high in Na+. The ion content and distribution patterns are compared with those in a number of other halophytes.
Marine tube-dwelling diatoms of the Pacific coast of North America. I. Berkeleya, Haslea, Nitzschia, and Navicula sect. Microstigmaticae
Authors: Lobban Christopher S.
Published: June 2017

Species of marine tube-dwelling diatoms have been identified from fresh collections made along the Pacific coast of the United States and from herbarium material originating from the Aleutian Islands to Baja California. The major species have three geographic ranges. Berkeleya rutilans is common throughout the region. Navicula pseudocomoides is common as far south as Point Conception (as are one or more species of Navicula sect. Lineolatae, not treated here). Less common in this region is Navicula delognei. Nitzschia fontifuga was found as a sporadic cohabitant of tube-forming species, especially B. rutilans. Berkeleya hyalina is a warm-water species, extending as far north as Los Angeles. Rarer tube-forming species include Haslea crucigera, Berkeleya fragilis, and B. micans.
The effects of fire on Phragmites australis in the Delta Marsh, Manitoba
Authors: Thompson D. J. , Shay J. M.
Published: June 2017

A dense stand of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steudel in the Delta Marsh was divided into a grid of 20 experimental plots. Three different burn treatments (August 1979, October 1979, and May 1980) were each applied to four plots, with the remaining plots as controls. Shoot biomass was greater after spring and fall burns in comparison with the controls but less on summer-burned plots. Total shoot density was higher after all burning treatments in comparison with the controls. Flowering shoot density was lower after summer and fall burns in comparison with the controls but higher following spring burns. All burn treatments resulted in lower mean shoot weight than on controls primarily as a result of greater densities of shorter, thinner vegetative shoots. Belowground standing crop was higher by mid-September of 1980 on spring- and fall-burned plots but not on those burned in the summer. The seasonal minimum total nonstructural carbohydrate contents of rhizomes were reduced after summer and spring burns in comparison with the controls.