bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The response of mechanical and electronic properties of graphane to the elastic strain
Authors: Topsakal M. , Cahangirov S. , Ciraci S.
Published: March 2010

Based on first-principles calculations, we resent a method to reveal the elastic properties of recently synthesized monolayer hydrocarbon, graphane. The in-plane stiffness and Poisson’s ratio values are found to be smaller than those of graphene, and its yielding strain decreases in the presence of various vacancy defects and also at high ambient temperature. We also found that the band gap can be strongly modified by applied strain in the elastic range.
Human Spontaneous Gaze Patterns in Viewing of Faces of Different Species
Authors: Guo Kun , Tunnicliffe David , Roebuck Hettie
Published: March 2010

Clear differences in perceptual and neural processing of faces of different species have been reported, implying the contribution of visual experience to face perception. Can these differences be revealed by our eye scanning patterns while we extract salient facial information? Here, we systematically compared non-pet-owners' gaze patterns while exploring human, monkey, dog, and cat faces in a passive viewing task. Our analysis revealed that the faces of different species induced similar patterns of fixation distribution between left and right hemiface, and among key local facial features, with the eyes attracting the highest proportion of fixations and viewing times, followed by the nose, and then the mouth. Only the proportion of fixations directed at the mouth region was species-dependent and could be differentiated at the earliest stage of face viewing. Our spontaneous eye-scanning patterns associated with face exploration appear to have been mainly constrained by general facial configurations; the species affiliation of the inspected faces had limited impact on gaze allocation, at least under free-viewing conditions.
Instances of predation on fur seals by white sharks in South Australia.
Authors: Shaughnessy P. D.
Published: March 2010

A white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was observed chasing and catching a New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) at Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
The rotational motion of n-(9-Anthroyloxy) fatty acids in phospholipid bilayer vesicles
Authors: Blatt E , Sawyer WH , Ghiggino KP
Published: March 2010

The rotational motions of a
set of n-(9-anthroyloxy) fatty acids (n = 2, 6, 9, 12) in dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine
vesicles above and below the phase transition are investigated. Above the phase
transition, single site occupancy and isotropic rotation of the fluorophores allows extraction and comparison of microviscosities from steady-state and time-resolved
polarization measurements. Below the phase transition double exponential
fluorescence and anisotropy decays are analysed in terms of microheterogeneity
of sites. Comparison with previous reports indicates the caution needed when
interpreting single photon counting data in terms of hindered rotational
motions and order parameters.
Metal template reactions. XV. The scope of macrocyclic metal complex formation from malonamido dicarbonyl precursors
Authors: Black DSC , Blatt H , Bos Vanderzlam CH , Liepa AJ
Published: March 2010

The malonamido dicarbonyl
compounds (4)-(6), (8), (13), (15) and (16) have been prepared as potential
precursors of macrocyclic nickel(11) complexes. Such complexes could only be
formed successfully from the dimethylmalonyl derivative (4). The benzylidene-substituted
benzophenone derivatives (15) and (16) underwent a metal-promoted pinacol
reaction to yield compounds (17) and (18) containing an 11-membered ring.
Studies in the cycloproparene series: Approaches to octahydrocyclopropa-[l]phenanthrenes
Authors: Halton B , Officer DL
Published: March 2010

Cycloaddition between
1,1'-bicyclohexenyl(3) and the perhalocyclopropenes (4) affords the
la,1b,2,-3,4,5,6,7,8,9,9a,9b-dodecahydrocyclopropa[/]phenanthrenes (5). Whilst
halides (5a,b) are resistant to dehydrohalogenation, the difluoro derivatives
(5c,d) yield 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydrophenanthrene-9-carbaldehyde (12) with
base. Under debromination conditions compound (5d) is converted into
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,8a,10a-decahydrophenanthrene-9-carboxylic acid (14) probably by
way of the ring strained cyclopropene (9).
A Myosin IK-Abp1-PakB Circuit Acts as a Switch to Regulate Phagocytosis Efficiency
Authors: Dieckmann Régis , von Heyden Yosuke , Kistler Claudia , Gopaldass Navin , Hausherr Stéphanie , Crawley Scott William , Schwarz Eva C. , Diensthuber Ralph P. , Côté Graham P. , Tsiavaliaris Georgios , Soldati Thierry
Published: March 2010

Actin dynamics and myosin (Myo) contractile forces are necessary for formation and closure of the phagocytic cup. In Dictyostelium, the actin-binding protein Abp1 and myosin IK are enriched in the closing cup and especially at an actin-dense constriction furrow formed around the neck of engulfed budded yeasts. This phagocytic furrow consists of concentric overlapping rings of MyoK, Abp1, Arp3, coronin, and myosin II, following an order strikingly reminiscent of the overall organization of the lamellipodium of migrating cells. Mutation analyses of MyoK revealed that both a C-terminal farnesylation membrane anchor and a Gly-Pro-Arg domain that interacts with profilin and Abp1 were necessary for proper localization in the furrow and efficient phagocytosis. Consequently, we measured the binding affinities of these interactions and unraveled further interactions with profilins, dynamin A, and PakB. Due to the redundancy of the interaction network, we hypothesize that MyoK and Abp1 are restricted to regulatory roles and might affect the dynamic of cup progression. Indeed, phagocytic uptake was regulated antagonistically by MyoK and Abp1. MyoK is phosphorylated by PakB and positively regulates phagocytosis, whereas binding of Abp1 negatively regulates PakB and MyoK. We conclude that a MyoK-Abp1-PakB circuit acts as a switch regulating phagocytosis efficiency of large particles.
PaperMaker: validation of biomedical scientific publications
Authors: Rebholz-Schuhmann D. , Kavaliauskas S. , Pezik P.
Published: March 2010

Motivation: The automatic analysis of scientific literature can support authors in writing their manuscripts.

Implementation: PaperMaker is a novel IT solution that receives a scientific manuscript via a Web interface, automatically analyses the publication, evaluates consistency parameters and interactively delivers feedback to the author. It analyses the proper use of acronyms and their definitions, and the use of specialized terminology. It provides Gene Ontology (GO) and Medline Subject Headings (MeSH) categorization of text passages, the retrieval of relevant publications from public scientific literature repositories, and the identification of missing or unused references.

Result: The author receives a summary of findings, the manuscript in its corrected form and a digital abstract containing the GO and MeSH annotations in the NLM/PubMed format.

Availability:  http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Rebholz-srv/PaperMaker

Contact:  rebholz@ebi.ac.uk
Serotonin Receptor 2A/C Is Involved in Electroacupuncture Inhibition of Pain in an Osteoarthritis Rat Model
Authors: Li Aihui , Zhang Yu , Lao Lixing , Xin Jiajia , Ren Ke , Berman Brian M. , Zhang Rui-Xin
Published: March 2010

Osteoarthritis currently has no cure. Acupuncture can benefit patients with knee osteoarthritis by providing pain relief, improving joint function and serving as an effective complement to standard care. However, the underlying mechanisms of its effects are still not completely understood. The present study, an investigation of the effectiveness and mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) in attenuating osteoarthritis pain in a rat model, is focused on the involvement of 5‐hydroxytryptamine 2A/C (5‐HT2A/C) receptors, which play an important role in pain modulation at the spinal level. Osteoarthritis was induced under isoflurane anesthesia by a single intraarticular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (3 mg/50 μL/rat) into one hind leg of each rat. EA was given at acupoints GB 30 and ST 36 on days 1–4 after the injection. Vehicle or ketanserin, a 5‐HT2A/C receptor antagonist, was given intraperitoneally (1 mg kg−1) or intrathecally (5 μg or 10 μg/10 μL), 30 min before each EA treatment. Assessment of weight‐bearing difference between injected and uninjected hind legs was done on days 0, 1–4 and 7. Fos /serotonin and serotonin/Fluorogold double labeling were performed to determine EA activation of serotonergic neurons in the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) that project to spinal cord. The results showed that EA significantly decreases weight‐bearing difference compared to sham EA. Ketanserin pretreatment blocked the analgesic effect of EA but did not influence weight bearing in sham EA control rats. EA also activated serotonergic NRM neurons that project to the spinal cord. These data show that EA inhibits osteoarthritis‐induced pain by enhancing spinal 5‐HT2A/2C receptor activity.
In Planta Quantification of Plasmodiophora brassicae Using Signature Fatty Acids and Real-Time PCR
Authors: Sundelin Thomas , Christensen Camilla Beck , Larsen John , Møller Kaare , Lübeck Mette , Bødker Lars , Jensen Birgit
Published: March 2010

Until now, molecular and biochemical methods have only been used to show whether or not Plasmodiophora brassicae is present in plant or soil samples but not to what extent. Here, in planta quantification of P. brassicae by whole-cell fatty acid (WCFA) measurements and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was evaluated. Arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4) was the most abundant fatty acid in resting spores and was only found in infected roots, which indicates a potential of ARA as a biomarker for P. brassicae. A real-time PCR assay was developed using primers designed from the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA. Using these primers, it was possible to detect P. brassicae in infected roots 10 days after germination of plants sown in infested soil. A bioassay showed that the amounts of ARA found by WCFA analysis and the DNA found by real-time PCR in infected plants were well correlated. These measurements also correlated with the soil spore content and the assessed disease incidence and disease severity scores. Therefore, we conclude that WCFA analysis and real-time PCR are good tools for P. brassicae quantification that can be applied to basic studies of the pathogen and in resistance screens.
Resistance to Grain Mold and Downy Mildew in a Mini-Core Collection of Sorghum Germplasm
Authors: Sharma Rajan , Rao V. P. , Upadhyaya H. D. , Reddy V. Gopal , Thakur R. P.
Published: March 2010

Grain mold and downy mildew are important biotic constraints to grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) production worldwide and are best managed through host plant resistance. A sorghum mini-core collection composed of 242 germplasm accessions developed from a core collection of 2,246 landrace accessions from 58 countries was evaluated to identify sources of grain mold and downy mildew resistance. Of the 242 accessions, 140 that flowered during the rainy season (the other 102 accessions were photoperiod sensitive) were screened for grain mold resistance in a grain mold nursery under field epiphytotic conditions during 2007 and 2008. All 242 accessions were screened for downy mildew in the greenhouse using a sandwich inoculation technique. Fifty accessions were resistant to grain mold (≤10% mean severity). These resistant accessions represented four basic and six intermediate races of sorghum that originated from 21 countries and exhibited considerable diversity for agronomic and morphological traits. Downy mildew resistance (mean incidence ≤10%) was observed only in six (IS 28747, IS 31714, IS 23992, IS 27697, IS 28449, and IS 30400) of the 242 accessions. One accession, IS 23992, exhibited resistance to both the diseases. The morphologically and agronomically diverse accessions that are resistant to grain mold or downy mildew should be useful to sorghum disease resistance breeding programs.
Insect Transmission of Xylella fastidiosa to Pecan
Authors: Sanderlin R. S. , Melanson R. A.
Published: March 2010

Pecan bacterial leaf scorch (PBLS), caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, can cause economically significant crop loss to some pecan (Carya illinoinensis) cultivars in the southeastern United States. X. fastidiosa is typically vectored by spittlebugs (Cercopidae) and leafhoppers (Cicadellidae). Because no vector species had been reported for pecan, an attempt was made to identify potential vectors that are capable of acquiring the bacterium from infected pecan trees and transmitting to pecan. Several spittlebug and leafhopper species collected from various sources, including sorghum and pecan, were tested as potential vectors of the pathogen from pecan to pecan. When tested in groups, the pecan spittlebug, Clastoptera achatina; the Johnson-grass sharpshooter, Homalodisca insolita; and the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca vitripennis, had transmission rates to pecan of 11.4, 19.3, and 4%, respectively, following a pathogen acquisition period on infected pecan terminals. The pecan spittlebug is common in pecan orchards in the southeastern United States, and the GWSS was observed on young vigorous pecan shoots. Limited testing with the diamond-backed spittlebug, Lepyronia quadrangularis, and the lateral-lined sharpshooter, Cuerna costalis, suggested that these could be occasional vectors of X. fastidiosa to pecan. There is a need for studies on the identification and population dynamics of Cicadellidae that inhabit pecan orchards to determine if management of vectors is needed in commercial pecan production to reduce the spread of PBLS.
First Report of Soybean Rust Caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi on Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) in Illinois
Authors: Bradley C. A. , Hines R. A. , Pataky N. R. , Haudenshield J. S. , Hartman G. L.
Published: March 2010

Soybean rust, caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi Syd., first was observed in the continental United States during 2004 on soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in Louisiana (4), and on kudzu (Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr. var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & Almeida) in Florida (2). Kudzu is a leguminous weed that is prevalent in the southern United States with its range extending northward into other states including Illinois. In October 2009, a kudzu patch located in Pulaski County in southern Illinois was investigated for the presence of soybean rust. Twenty-five leaflets were collected, and the abaxial sides of leaflets were evaluated visually for the presence of uredinia with a dissecting microscope. Uredinia and urediniospores were found on two leaflets. When viewed with a compound microscope, urediniospores were hyaline, echinulate, and measured 20 × 25 μm. On the basis of uredinia and urediniospores, the disease tentatively was identified as soybean rust caused by P. pachyrhizi. To confirm the identification, one leaflet with pustules was assayed with a Soybean Rust QuickStix Diagnostic Kit (Envirologix, Portland, ME). For the other leaflet, the area of the pustule was excised (approximately 28 mm2) and an area of the leaflet at the margin on the opposite half of the leaflet with no visible pustule (approximately 54 mm2) was excised. DNA was extracted from the excised areas of the leaflet for confirmation by quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) using primers and probe specific to P. pachyrhizi and P. meibomiae (Arthur) Arthur (1). Both the QuickStix Diagnostic Kit and the Q-PCR confirmed the diagnosis as soybean rust caused by P. pachyrhizi. Q-PCR also suggested the presence of a nonsporulating latent rust infection on the same kudzu leaflet at the margin on the opposite side of the midrib. Soybean rust first was confirmed on soybean in Illinois in 2006 (3), but to our knowledge, this is the first observation of the disease on kudzu in the state. This report confirms that at least some kudzu plants in Illinois are susceptible to soybean rust and that latent kudzu infection may exist without outward signs of the fungus. Currently, this is the most northern observation of soybean rust on kudzu in North America. It is unknown what role, if any, Illinois kudzu will play in the epidemiology of soybean rust in the state. Since kudzu tops die after the first frost, there is no expectation of P. pachyrhizi to overwinter in Illinois on kudzu as it does in some states adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico.

References: (1) R. D. Frederick et al. Phytopathology 92:217, 2002. (2) P. F. Harmon et al. Online publication. doi:10.1094/PHP-2005-0613-01-RS. Plant Health Progress, 2005. (3) G. L. Hartman et al. Plant Dis. 91:466, 2007. (4) R. W. Schneider et al. Plant Dis. 89:774, 2005.
First Report of Nasturtium as a Natural Host of Cherry leaf roll virus on Amsterdam Island
Authors: Marais A. , Faure C. , Candresse T. , Hullé M.
Published: March 2010

Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV) is a well-known virus belonging to the genus Nepovirus, but unlike most members of this genus, it is not known to be transmitted by nematodes but only through seeds and pollen. Since its first description in 1955 on Prunus avium L. in England (1), CLRV has been shown to have a worldwide distribution and a wide natural host range. During a survey of plant viruses in the French sub-Antarctic islands, samples from nasturtium plants (Tropaeolum majus), an introduced plant species, showing symptoms of leaf mosaic, deformation, and veinal necrosis were collected on Amsterdam Island. Upon mechanical transmission with sap extracts, necrotic ringspot and oak-leaf symptoms typical of Nepovirus infection were observed on the leaves of inoculated Nicotiana clevelandii and N. tabacum plants. Inoculation of healthy nasturtium plants resulted in mosaic and pin-point necrosis symptoms. Electron microscopy on negatively stained sap extracts revealed the presence of icosahedral virions, 28 to 30 nm in diameter, in the symptomatic Nicotiana leaves. Amplification by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR with a polyvalent test, which identifies viruses belonging to the family Comoviridae (2), yielded the expected 248-bp fragment. Sequencing of the cloned amplicon showed 80% nucleotide and 90% amino acid identity with a part of the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of CLRV (CAE83562). To confirm the presence of CLRV, an approximate 4.6-kbp cDNA fragment was PCR amplified from double-stranded RNAs purifed from infected Nicotiana plants using the sense primer 5′-GTGGGACTGCCATGCACCTACTC-3′ and an oligo-T25 as antisense primer. This PCR product (GenBank Accession No. GU167974) spans the region between the VPg gene and the polyA tail at the 3′ end of the genome and thus provides approximately 2.8 kb of new internal sequence information on RNA1 of CLRV. The presence of CLRV in the initial nasturtium samples was confirmed with a CLRV-specific RT-PCR assay that amplifies the 3′ non-coding region of the CLRV genome (3). Sequence of the amplified fragment showed it to be identical to the corresponding part of the 3′ non-coding region of 4.6-kbp clone obtained from the CLRV isolate mechanically transmitted to the N. tabacum and N. clevelandii plants. Experimental infection of nasturtium by CLRV has been reported (4), but to the best of our knowledge these results represent the first report of natural infection of T. majus by CLRV. Given its seed transmissible character in many hosts, CLRV likely was introduced in infected seeds of T. majus imported to the remote sub-Antarctic Amsterdam Island.

References: (1) R. Cropley. Ann. Appl. Biol. 49:524, 1961. (2) V. Maliogka et al. J. Phytopathol. 152:404, 2004. (3) K. Rebenstorf et al. J. Virol. 80:2453, 2006. (4) K. Schmelzer. Phytopathol. Z. 55:317, 1966.
First Report of Impatiens necrotic spot virus on Spiderlily in China
Authors: Liu Y. T. , Zheng Y. X. , Li Y. Z. , Li Z. Y.
Published: March 2010

Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) (genus Tospovirus; family Bunyaviridae) is a devastating disease in the production of ornamental flowers (1). From 2007 to 2009, a survey of 10 major parks and recreation areas in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, China, indicated that approximately 60 to 70% of Spiderlily (Hymenocallis littoralis Salisb.) plants from eight parks had symptoms of concentric ring spots and necrotic spots. Symptomatic plants were tested for INSV and Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) with an immunostrip (Agdia Inc. Elkhart, IN). Results indicated that only the samples designated HDL were positive for INSV and all other samples were negative for both INSV and TSWV. Mechanically inoculated Emilia sonchifolia, Nicotiana glutinosa, Impatiens balsamina, and N. rustica showed chlorotic lesions, concentric rings, and severe necrosis, symptoms typical for INSV in these hosts. Electron microscope inspection found tospovirus-like spheroidal, enveloped particles that were 90 nm in diameter. Primer 5 software (Premier, Canada) was used to design 14 primers from GenBank Accession No. NC_003625 to amplify the L RNA, nine from NC_003616 to amplify the M RNA, and six from NC_003624 to amplify the S RNA. With total RNA extracted from infected plant tissue as templates in reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, these primers generated 29 target fragments of 250 to 900 bp. These fragments were cloned with the vector pMD19 simple-T vector (Takara Bio Inc., Dalian, China) and sequenced. The sequences of the clones were aligned with the software DNAman (version 2.5; Lynnon Biosoft, Quebec, Canada), showing that RNAs L, M, and S are 8,776 bp (GenBank Accession No. GU112505), 4,948 bp (GenBank Accession No. GU112503), and 2,875 bp (GenBank Accession No. GU112504), respectively. BLAST analysis of these Spiderlily INSV sequences against the NCBI sequence database indicated that the RdRp protein (L RNA) was 99.6% identical with the RdRp protein from an Italian isolate (No. DQ425094), the Nsm protein (M RNA) has 99.0% identity with the Nsm protein from an isolate from Italy (No. DQ425095) and one from the United States (No. NC_003616), the G1G2 polyprotein (M RNA) has 99.9% identity with the analogous protein from an Italian isolate (No. DQ425095), the N protein (S RNA) has 99.6% identity with the N protein from an Italian isolate (No. DQ425096), and the NSs protein (S RNA) has 98.7% identity with the NSs protein from an isolate from Japan (No. AB109100). To our knowledge, this is the first report of INSV on Spiderlily in China.

Reference: (1) A. E. Whitfield et al. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 43:459, 2005.
First Report of Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus on Melon in China
Authors: Liu L. Z. , Chen Y. Y. , Zhu W. M.
Published: March 2010

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) plants in commercial fields in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang exhibited stunting, deformation, interveinal chlorosis, and leaf mottling in the spring of 2008. In addition, adult and immature whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci biotype B) were present in these melon fields. Thirty-two symptomatic leaf samples were collected from these fields for further analysis (9 from Nanhui County in Shanghai, 11 from Fengxian County in Shanghai, 6 from Kunshan County of Jiangsu, and 6 from Jiashan County of Zhejiang). Total RNA was extracted from these samples along with asymptomatic control plants and screened for the presence of Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) by using primers specific to genes encoding coat protein (2) and HSP70h (1) of CYSDV through reverse transcription (RT)-PCR methods. RNA was successfully extracted from 31 of 32 symptomatic samples. All 31 symptomatic leaf samples tested with coat protein primers were positive for CYSDV and yielded the expected fragment length of 394 bp. The RT-PCR products of the coat protein gene from all 31 isolates were cloned and found to be identical in sequence. Thus, only one was deposited in GenBank (No. GU189240). The submitted sequence of the amplified part of the coat protein gene was 99% identical to the sequence of coat protein gene of CYSDV from Jordan, France, and Florida (GenBank Accession Nos. DQ903107, AY204220, and EU596528, respectively) and 98% identical to that of an isolate from Spain (GenBank Accession No. AJ243000). Similarly, all 31 samples were also positive for CYSDV with the primers specific to HSP70h and yielded the expected fragment length of 175 bp. The RT-PCR products of the HSP70h gene from these isolates were also cloned and found to be identical in sequence. The sequence of the amplified portion of the HSP70h gene was found to be identical to the sequence of HSP70h of CYSDV deposited in GenBank (No. AJ439690.2). CYSDV was noticed in all three surveyed regions and the percentage of disease incidence was approximately 68% in all these regions. The occurrence of CYSDV has been previously reported in Europe (Spain and France), southern Asia (Iran and Jordan), North America (United States and Mexico), and other countries (1). To our knowledge, this is first report of CYSDV in China.

References: (1) Y.-W. Kuo et al. Plant Dis. 91:330, 2007. (2) J. E. Polston et al. Plant Dis. 92:1251, 2008.
First Report of Tomato torrado virus on Tomato from Australia
Authors: Gambley C. F. , Thomas J. E. , Persley D. M. , Hall B. H.
Published: March 2010

Since 2005, a disease of greenhouse tomatoes has been observed in the North Adelaide Plains of South Australia. Symptoms include chlorosis and necrotic lesions on the leaves, stunted plants, and leaves that are frequently distorted. Necrotic lesions typically had a light green or yellow margin and affected areas often fell out, leaving small holes. The onset of disease was generally associated with an increase in population of the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum). Isometric virions (25 to 30 nm) were observed by electron microscopy in partially purified extracts, but no other virion types were observed. In 2008, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR products were obtained using primers specific for RNA-1 (TR1F/TR1R) and RNA-2 (TR2F/TR2R) of Tomato torrado virus (ToTV) (1) using a fresh diseased sample (isolate 2136) and a 2005 archived, lyophilized sample (isolate 1883). Cucumber mosaic virus was not detected in these samples by RT-PCR (data not shown). The RT-PCR products were cloned and sequenced. The partial 892-bp RNA-1 consensus nucleotide (nt) sequences of isolates 1883 (GenBank Accession No. GQ844869) and 2136 (GenBank No. GQ844871) were 100% identical. The partial 573-bp RNA-2 consensus nt sequences of isolates 1883 (GenBank No. GQ844870) and 2143 (GenBank No. GQ844872) were 99.8% identical. The partial RNA-1 and -2 nt sequences of isolate 1883 were 99.1% and 98.5% identical to the published ToTV sequences (RNA-1, GenBank No. DQ388879; RNA-2, GenBank No. DQ88880), respectively (2). For isolate 2136, the identities were 98.1 and 98.7%, respectively. The putative amino acid sequences were all 100% identical to the published sequences. The virus was graft transmitted to tomato cv. Grosse Lisse and Datura stramonium, in which typical disease symptoms and leaf chlorosis, respectively, were induced, and by mechanical inoculation to Nicotiana benthamiana, which displayed leaf chlorosis. All inoculated plant species indexed positive by RT-PCR for ToTV. Seeds were collected from known ToTV-infected plants and the seedlings were grown in isolation in an insect-proof glasshouse. None of the seedlings exhibited symptoms of virus infection, and ToTV was not detected in 97 seedlings from cv. Beatrice, 368 seedlings from cv. Ediez, or from 286 seedlings from cv. Loretto with the virus-specific RT-PCR assays. The pathway for entry of ToTV into Australia is unknown, and although seed transmission was suspected, no evidence for this could be found. To our knowledge, this represents the first report of ToTV from Australia.

References: (1) H. Pospieszny et al. Plant Dis. 91:1364, 2007. (2) M. Verbeek et al. Arch. Virol. 152:881, 2007.
First Report of Crown Rot and Stem Rot Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 on Marmalade Bush in Italy
Authors: Polizzi G. , Aiello D. , Castello I. , Guarnaccia V. , Vitale A.
Published: March 2010

Marmalade bush (Streptosolen jamesonii (Benth.) Miers), also known as fire bush, is an evergreen, perennial shrub in the family Solanaceae, which is native to South America (Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru). In Italy, this species is cultivated as an ornamental creeper or bush. During September 2009, a new disease was observed in a stock of ~10,000 pot-grown, 2-month-old plants of marmalade bush in a nursery in eastern Sicily, Italy. More than 50% of the plants exhibited symptoms of disease. Disease symptoms consisted of extensive water-soaked, dark brown lesions at the crown level that girdled entire stems and an internal brown discoloration of cortical tissue. Infected plants died within a few days. Diseased tissue was disinfested for 10 s in 1% NaOCl, rinsed with sterile water, and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with streptomycin sulfate at 100 mg/liter. Fungal colonies were initially white, turned brown after 2 to 3 days, and produced irregularly shaped, brown sclerotia. Microscopic examination showed mycelium consistent with Rhizoctonia solani Kühn that branched at right angles, constricted at the base of the branch originating from primary hyphae, and septate near the constriction. The number of nuclei per hyphal cell was determined on cultures grown at 25°C on 2% water agar in petri plates by staining with 1% safranin O and 3% KOH solution (1) and examined at ×400. The hyphal cells were all multinucleate. Anastomosis group was determined by pairing isolates on 2% water agar in petri plates (2). Pairings were made with tester strains AG-1 IA, AG-2-2-1, AG-2-2IIIB, AG-2-2IV, AG-3, AG-4, AG-5, AG-6, and AG-11. Anastomosis was observed only with tester isolates of AG-4. Pathogenicity tests were performed by placing 1-cm2 plugs of PDA from 5-day-old mycelial cultures near the base of the stem on 25 potted, healthy, 2-month-old rooted cuttings of marmalade bush. The same number of plants treated with 1-cm2 PDA plugs served as controls. Following inoculation, all plants were maintained for 20 days at 25°C and 95% relative humidity under a 12-h fluorescent light/dark regimen. Crown and stem symptoms, identical to those observed in the nursery, developed 5 days after inoculation on all inoculated plants. Control plants remained symptomless. R. solani was consistently reisolated from symptomatic tissues and identified as previously described. To our knowledge, this is the first report of R. solani causing disease on marmalade bush.

References: (1) R. J. Bandoni. Mycologia 71:873, 1979. (2) C. C. Tu and J. W. Kimbrough. Mycologia 65:941, 1973.
First Report of Sida golden mosaic virus Infecting Snap Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Florida
Authors: Durham T. C. , Baker C. , Jones L. , Snyder L. Unruh
Published: March 2010

In October 2006, snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Titan’) plants in an Alachua County field exhibited symptoms of foliar mottling, puckering, and curl. Symptomatic plants were distributed along field margins infested with whiteflies (100% incidence). Six collected leaf specimens all tested positive for nuclear inclusion bodies typical of begomoviruses with the methodology outlined by Christie et al. (1). To confirm the putative begomovirus association, total DNA was extracted with Qiagen's DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). The degenerate Begomovirus primers 5′-GCCCACATYGTCTTYCCNGT-3′ and 5′-GGCTTYCTRTACATRGG-3′ were used to amplify a 1.1-kb fragment of DNA-A (2). Primers SiGMVf 5′-CCTAAGCGCGATTTGCCAT-3′ and SiGMVr 5′-TACAGGGAGCTAAATCCAGCT-3′ were designed to amplify the remaining 1.5 kb of the DNA-A component. The sequence of both PCR products was compiled to generate a complete sequence of an A component (2,633 nt). BLAST analysis of this sequence (GenBank Accession No. GQ357649) isolated from snap bean indicated 95% nucleotide identity to Sida golden mosaic virus (SiGMV) (GenBank Accession No. AF049336) isolated from Sida santaremensis from Florida. To our knowledge, this is the first report of SiGMV in Florida snap beans. Further study is warranted to examine the etiological and economic implications of this finding.

References: (1) R. G. Christie et al. Phytopathology 76:124, 1986. (2) M. R. Rojas et al. Plant Dis. 77:340, 1993.
First Report of Fruit Basal Rot by Ceratocystis paradoxa on Coconut in Taiwan
Authors: Tzeng S. J. , Sun E. J. , Hsiao W. W.
Published: March 2010

Since 2005, coconut fruits (Cocos nucifera L.) harvested from trees in southern Taiwan have shown symptoms of a fruit rot disease. The disease occurs only on harvested coconut fruits and is more serious during warmer seasons. Principal symptoms are blackening of the exocarps, mesocarps, and then the endocarps of coconut fruits from pedicel end or wounds on fruits. A fungus was consistently recovered from diseased fruits. Colonies on potato dextrose agar (PDA) were white, becoming black 1 to 2 days later, with a strong fruity aroma. The fungus produced two asexual spores, including phialospore-type conidia, which were hyaline to mid brown, cylindrical to somewhat oval and thick walled when mature, 8.5 to 16.0 × 4.7 to 6.7 μm, released from phialides measuring 80.0 to 155.0 × 5.0 to 7.8 μm, and chlamydospores, which were oval, black, 13.4 to 25.0 × 8.9 to 12.5 μm, and formed in short chains from specialized hyphal tips. Perithecia were produced after 2 months by mating isolates on coconut exocarp placed on PDA. Perithecia were brown, globose, 280 μm in diameter, with a 1,100-μm long neck. Ascospores generally were ellipsoid, but some were unequally bent, 12 × 3 μm. The temperature for hyphal growth of this fungus was 25 to 30°C, with a growth rate of 3.3 cm per day. It did not grow at temperatures lower than 10°C or higher than 35°C. On the basis of these characteristics, this fungus was identified as Ceratocystis paradoxa (Dade) C. Moreau (anamorph Thielaviopsis paradoxa (de Seynes) Höhn) (1). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of mycelial DNA of two isolates was amplified with ITS5 and ITS4 primers and the PCR products were sequenced (GenBank Accession Nos. GU358207 and GU358206). BLAST analysis of both sequences showed 99% sequence similarity with C. paradoxa strain WIN(M) 925 (Accession No. DQ318203). Two of the isolates (BCRC 34425 and BCRC 34426) were deposited in the Bioresource Collection and Research Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan. Twenty-four detached healthy coconut fruits were inoculated by placing spore suspensions (1 × 105 spores/ml) of eight wild type isolates onto wounds created by removing the calyx. Symptoms similar to those observed in the field developed on inoculated fruits after incubating at room temperature for 10 days, but did not develop on six fruits that were wounded but not inoculated. The same pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated fruits but not the control fruits. C. paradoxa has been reported as causing disease of coconut fruits in Brazil (2), but to our knowledge, this is the first report of the disease in Taiwan.

References: (1) G. Morgan-Jones. No. 143 in: CMI Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Surrey, England, 1967. (2) V. Rossetti. “Crostas Pretas” das folhas e “Podridão Basal” dos frutos de coqueiro. O Biológico 21:54, 1955.
First Report in Argentina of Apple stem pitting virus Causing Pear Vein Yellows Disease in Pear
Authors: Rossini M. N. , Giayetto A. L. , Vera D. L. , Frayssinet S.
Published: March 2010

Apple stem pitting virus (ASPV) is an important latent virus of apple trees transmitted by grafting. In pear trees, ASPV is associated with pear vein yellows and pear necrotic spot diseases. Symptoms consist of chlorotic leaf banding and red mottling and flecking along the veins and necrotic spotting in some cultivars may also occur (4). During the spring of 2007, chlorotic leaf banding was observed in Bartlett pear (Pyrus communis L.) trees from one orchard in Bahía Blanca (Buenos Aires Province) and in Anjou, Packham, Abate Fetel, and Bartlett pears in another orchard in General Roca (Río Negro Province). The percentage of symptomatic plants was 10% in both cases. Pooled samples consisting of eight leaves per tree, 25 samples from Bahía Blanca and 25 samples from General Roca, were tested by double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA with a polyclonal antiserum from BIOREBA AG (Reinach, Switzerland). Five samples from Bahía Blanca and ten from General Roca were positive by DAS-ELISA. Only four positive samples by DAS-ELISA were also positive by immunocapture-reverse transcription (RT)-PCR using virions trapped in a microcentrifuge tube (3). A fragment of 370 bp was amplified with specific primers from each of these four samples. Amplicons were cloned and the nucleotide sequences were determined for one clone of each sample (GenBank Accession Nos. GQ356781, GQ356782, GQ356783, and GQ356784). All sequences had the highest identities with coat protein genes of ASPV. One of them was 94% identical with the coat protein gene of isolate PA66 isolate from Germany (GenBank Accession No. D21829.1) (1). Losses in pear by ASPV have not been demonstrated yet in Argentina. However, when the virus is present with other virus or virus-like diseases, a synergistic effect may occur and growth reduction may exceed 50% (2). Because of the mild symptoms in pear plants, nurserymen or growers must take care when they select material for propagation, in part because laws requiring virus-free propagation material do not exist in Argentina. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ASPV in pears in Argentina.

References: (1) W. Jelkmann. J. Gen. Virol. 75:1535, 1994. (2) A. L. Jones and H. S. Aldwinckle. Compendium of Apple and Pear Diseases. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1990. (3) W. Menzel et al. J. Virol. Methods 99:81, 2002. (4) M. Németh. Virus, Mycoplasma and Rickettsia Disease of Fruit Trees. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 1986.
First Report of Sour Rot Caused by Geotrichum citri-aurantii on Key Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) in Colima State, Mexico
Authors: Hernández-Montiel L. G. , Holguín-Peña R. J. , Latisnere-Barragan H.
Published: March 2010

Sour rot caused by Geotrichum citri-aurantii (Ferraris) R. Cif. & F. Cif. (synonym G. candidum Link) is a disease that causes postharvest losses of lemon (Citrus limon Burm, f.), mandarin (C. reticulata Blanco), and orange (C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck) (2–4) worldwide, but it has not been described on key lime (C. aurantifolia (Chistm.) Swingle) from the State of Colima, Mexico. During the agricultural cycle from 2005 to 2007, 300 fruits of key lime were analyzed. Symptoms observed on approximately 40% of the fruits were wounds with a sour, fermented smell with 30% of the softened area covered with white mycelium. A Geotrichum sp. was isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA). On the basis of morphological criteria (1) and sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8s-ITS2) region of rDNA (GenBank Accession No. EU131181), the fungus was identified as G. citri-aurantii. A sample of the fungus was deposited in the Biology Collection of Yeast and Fungi (Reg. No. CLT20) of Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, Mexico. Key limes were inoculated with G. citri-aurantii by placing three drops (20 μl each) of a sterile water suspension of 106 arthroconidia/ml in three punctured wounds of 3-mm diameter produced with a sterile scalpel on the fruit surface. Ten plastic boxes with five fruit each were stored for 2 weeks at 20°C and 85% relative humidity. Sour rot symptoms on key lime inoculated with G. citri-aurantii were identical to fruit in the field. The control fruit inoculated with sterile water did not develop symptoms. The fungus was reisolated, confirming Koch's postulates. The test was repeated three times to confirm our diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of G. citri-aurantii causing sour rot on key lime in Colima, Mexico.

References: (1) S. Gente et al. J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 33:1019, 2006. (2) P. Plaza et al. J. Hortic. Sci. Biotechnol. 79:935, 2004. (3) J. L. Smilanick et al. Post. Biol. Tech. 47:226, 2008. (4) V. H. Tournas and E. Katsoudas, J. Food. Microbiol. 105:11, 2005.
Omni-directional Rayleigh, Stoneley and Schölte waves with general time dependence
Authors: Kiselev A. P. , Parker D. F.
Published: March 2010

Just as uni-directional Rayleigh waves at the traction-free surface of a transversely isotropic elastic half-space and Stoneley waves at the interface between two such media may have arbitrary waveform and may be represented in terms of a single function harmonic in a half-plane, it is shown that surface-guided waves travelling simultaneously in all directions parallel to the surface may be represented, at each instant, in terms of a single function satisfying Laplace’s equation in a three-dimensional half-space. That harmonic function is determined so that its normal derivative at the surface equals the normal displacement of the surface (or interface). It is shown, moreover, that the time evolution of that normal displacement may be
any
solution to the membrane equation with wave speed being equal to that of classical, uni-directional, time-harmonic Rayleigh or Stoneley waves. A similar representation is also shown to exist for Schölte waves at a fluid–solid interface, in the non-evanescent case. Thus, every surface- or interface-guided disturbance in media having rotational symmetry about the surface normal is governed by the membrane equation with appropriate wave speed, provided that the combination of materials allows uni-directional, time-harmonic waves that are non-evanescent. Conversely, each solution to the membrane equation may be used to construct a representation of either a Rayleigh wave, a Stoneley wave or a (non-evanescent) Schölte wave. In each case, the disturbance at all depths may be represented at each instant in terms of a single function harmonic in a half-space.
DNA topoisomerases in apicomplexan parasites: promising targets for drug discovery
Authors: García-Estrada Carlos , Prada Christopher Fernández , Fernández-Rubio Celia , Rojo-Vázquez Francisco , Balaña-Fouce Rafael
Published: March 2010

The phylum Apicomplexa includes a large group of protozoan parasites responsible for a wide range of animal and human diseases. Destructive pathogens, such as
Plasmodium falciparum
and
Plasmodium vivax
, causative agents of human malaria,
Cryptosporidium parvum
, responsible of childhood diarrhoea, and
Toxoplasma gondii
, responsible for miscarriages and abortions in humans, are frequently associated with HIV immunosuppression in AIDS patients. The lack of effective vaccines, along with years of increasing pressure to eradicate outbreaks with the use of drugs, has favoured the formation of multi-drug resistant strains in endemic areas. Almost all apicomplexan of medical interest contain two endosymbiotic organelles that contain their own mitochondrial and apicoplast DNA. Apicoplast is an attractive target for drug testing because in addition to harbouring singular metabolic pathways absent in the host, it also has its own transcription and translation machinery of bacterial origin. Accordingly, apicomplexan protozoa contain an interesting mixture of enzymes to unwind DNA from eukaryotic and prokaryotic origins. On the one hand, the main mechanism of DNA unwinding includes the scission of one—type I—or both DNA strands—type II eukaryotic topoisomerases, establishing transient covalent bonds with the scissile end. These enzymes are targeted by camptothecin and etoposide, respectively, two natural drugs whose semisynthetic derivatives are currently used in cancer chemotherapy. On the other hand, DNA gyrase is a bacterial-borne type II DNA topoisomerase that operates within the apicoplast and is effectively targeted by bacterial antibiotics like fluoroquinolones and aminocoumarins. The present review is an update on the new findings concerning topoisomerases in apicomplexan parasites and the role of these enzymes as targets for therapeutic agents.
Dynamics and ecological consequences of avian influenza virus infection in greater white-fronted geese in their winter staging areas
Authors: Kleijn D. , Munster V. J. , Ebbinge B. S. , Jonkers D. A. , Müskens G. J. D. M. , Van Randen Y. , Fouchier R. A. M.
Published: March 2010

Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry have raised interest in the interplay between avian influenza (AI) viruses and their wild hosts. Studies linking virus ecology to host ecology are still scarce, particularly for non-duck species. Here, we link capture–resighting data of greater white-fronted geeseAnser albifrons albifronswith the AI virus infection data collected during capture in The Netherlands in four consecutive winters. We ask what factors are related to AI virus prevalence and whether there are ecological consequences associated with AI virus infection in staging white-fronted geese. Mean seasonal (low pathogenic) AI virus prevalence ranged between 2.5 and 10.7 per cent, among the highest reported values for non-duck species, and occurred in distinct peaks with near-zero prevalence before and after. Throat samples had a 2.4 times higher detection frequency than cloacal samples. AI virus infection was significantly related to age and body mass in some but not other winters. AI virus infection was not related to resighting probability, nor to maximum distance travelled, which was at least 191 km during the short infectious lifespan of an AI virus. Our results suggest that transmission via the respiratory route could be an important transmission route of AI virus in this species. Near-zero prevalence upon arrival on their wintering grounds, in combination with the epidemic nature of AI virus infections in white-fronted geese, suggests that white-fronted geese are not likely to disperse Asian AI viruses from their Siberian breeding grounds to their European wintering areas.
Ergatoid queen development in the ant
Myrmecina nipponica
: modular and heterochronic regulation of caste differentiation
Authors: Miyazaki Satoshi , Murakami Takahiro , Kubo Takuya , Azuma Noriko , Higashi Seigo , Miura Toru
Published: March 2010

Caste polyphenism in social insects provides us with excellent opportunities to examine the plasticity and robustness underlying developmental pathways. Several ant species have evolved unusual castes showing intermediate morphologies between alate queens and wingless workers. In some low-temperature habitats, the ant
Myrmecina nipponica
produces such intermediate reproductives (i.e. ergatoids), which can mate and store sperm but cannot fly. To gain insight into the developmental and evolutionary aspects associated with ergatoid production, we conducted morphological and histological examinations of the post-embryonic development of compound eyes, gonads and wings during the process of caste differentiation. In compound eyes, both the queen-worker and ergatoid-worker differences were already recognized at the third larval instar. In gonads, queen-worker differentiation began at the larval stage, and ergatoid-worker differentiation began between the prepupal and pupal stages. Wing development in ergatoids was generally similar to that in workers throughout post-embryonic development. Our results showed that the developmental rate and timing of differentiation in body parts differed among castes and among body parts. These differences suggest that the rearrangement of modular body parts by heterochronic developmental regulation is responsible for the origination of novel castes, which are considered to be adaptations to specific ecological niches.