bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biogeography of butterflies in the Australian monsoon tropics
Authors: Braby Michael F.
Published: August 2008

The biogeography of butterflies within the monsoon tropical biome of northern Australia is reviewed in terms of patterns of species richness, endemism and area relationships. Available data indicate that the region supports a relatively rich fauna, comprising 265 species (~62% of the total Australian fauna), but endemism is low (6%). No genera are endemic to the monsoon tropics, but two (Neohesperilla, Nesolycaena) are characteristic components, embracing a total of seven species in the region, of which five are endemic. Three ecological specialists (Neohesperilla senta, Elodina walkeri, Candalides delospila), each associated with different vegetation types, appear to be characteristic elements of the monsoon tropics. Of 67 range-restricted species in the monsoon tropics, 15 (mostly associated with savanna) are endemic to the region, while 52 (mostly associated with rainforest) are non-endemic, occurring also in south-east Asia and/or mainland New Guinea. A pronounced attenuation in species richness from Cape York Peninsula across the Top End to the Kimberley is evident. Within the monsoon tropics, Cape York Peninsula stands out as an area of exceptional biodiversity, with 95% of the butterflies (251 species; 7 endemic species, 31 endemic subspecies/geographical forms) recorded from the entire region, compared with the Top End (123 species; 3 endemic species, 17 endemic subspecies/geographical forms). In contrast, the Kimberley has a comparatively depauperate fauna (85 species; 1 endemic species, 0 endemic subspecies) without strong Indonesian affinities, and contains only two range-restricted species. A sister-area relationship between Cape York Peninsula and the Top End–Kimberley is evident in one clade, Acrodipsas hirtipes (northern Cape York Peninsula) + A. decima (Top End), with a pairwise divergence of ~1% based on mtDNA, and is suspected in another, Nesolycaena medicea (southern Cape York Peninsula) and N. urumelia (Top End) + N. caesia (Kimberley); a further five species show similar sister-area relationships across the Carpentarian Gap but at the level of subspecies or geographical form. Three general and complementary hypotheses are proposed to explain patterns of geographical differentiation of butterflies in the monsoon tropics: (1) the Carpentarian Gap is a biogeographical filter, functioning as a barrier for some species but as a bridge for others; (2) divergence among taxa between Cape York Peninsula and the Top End–Kimberley has occurred fairly recently (Quaternary), probably through vicariance; and (3) the Bonaparte Gap, with the exception of Nesolycaena, is not a vicariant barrier for butterflies in the Top End and Kimberley.
Transactivation of EGF receptor and ErbB2 protects intestinal epithelial cells from TNF-induced apoptosis
Authors: Yamaoka Toshimitsu , Yan Fang , Cao Hanwei , Hobbs Stuart S. , Dise Rebecca S. , Tong Wei , Polk D. Brent
Published: August 2008

TNF is a pleiotropic cytokine that activates both anti- and proapoptotic signaling pathways, with cell fate determined by the balance between these two pathways. Activation of ErbB family members, including EGF receptor (EGFR/ErbB1), promotes cell survival and regulates several signals that overlap with those stimulated by TNF. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of TNF on EGFR and ErbB2 activation and intestinal epithelial cell survival. Mice, young adult mouse colon epithelial cells, and EGFR knockout mouse colon epithelial cells were treated with TNF. Activation of EGFR, ErbB2, Akt, Src, and apoptosis were determined
in vivo
and
in vitro
. TNF stimulated EGFR phosphorylation in young adult mouse colon epithelial cells, and loss of EGFR expression or inhibition of kinase activity increased TNF-induced apoptosis, which was prevented in WT but not by kinase-inactive EGFR expression. Similarly, TNF injection stimulated apoptosis in EGFR-kinase-defective mice (EGFR
wa2
) compared with WT mice. TNF also activated ErbB2, and loss of ErbB2 expression increased TNF-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, Src-kinase activity and the expression of both EGFR and ErbB2 were required for TNF-induced cell survival. Akt was shown to be a downstream target of TNF-activated EGFR and ErbB2. These findings demonstrate that EGFR and ErbB2 are critical mediators of TNF-regulated antiapoptotic signals in intestinal epithelial cells. Given evidence for TNF signaling in the development of colitis-associated carcinoma, this observation has significant implications for understanding the role of EGFR in maintaining intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis during cytokine-mediated inflammatory responses.
Double-strand breaks associated with repetitive DNA can reshape the genome
Authors: Argueso Juan Lucas , Westmoreland James , Mieczkowski Piotr A. , Gawel Malgorzata , Petes Thomas D. , Resnick Michael A.
Published: August 2008

Ionizing radiation is an established source of chromosome aberrations (CAs). Although double-strand breaks (DSBs) are implicated in radiation-induced and other CAs, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that, although the vast majority of randomly induced DSBs in G
2
diploid yeast cells are repaired efficiently through homologous recombination (HR) between sister chromatids or homologous chromosomes, ≈2% of all DSBs give rise to CAs. Complete molecular analysis of the genome revealed that nearly all of the CAs resulted from HR between nonallelic repetitive elements, primarily Ty retrotransposons. Nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) accounted for few, if any, of the CAs. We conclude that only those DSBs that fall at the 3–5% of the genome composed of repetitive DNA elements are efficient at generating rearrangements with dispersed small repeats across the genome, whereas DSBs in unique sequences are confined to recombinational repair between the large regions of homology contained in sister chromatids or homologous chromosomes. Because repeat-associated DSBs can efficiently lead to CAs and reshape the genome, they could be a rich source of evolutionary change.
Shoot-and-Trap: Use of specific x-ray damage to study structural protein dynamics by temperature-controlled cryo-crystallography
Authors: Colletier Jacques-Philippe , Bourgeois Dominique , Sanson Benoît , Fournier Didier , Sussman Joel L. , Silman Israel , Weik Martin
Published: August 2008

Although x-ray crystallography is the most widely used method for macromolecular structure determination, it does not provide dynamical information, and either experimental tricks or complementary experiments must be used to overcome the inherently static nature of crystallographic structures. Here we used specific x-ray damage during temperature-controlled crystallographic experiments at a third-generation synchrotron source to trigger and monitor (Shoot-and-Trap) structural changes putatively involved in an enzymatic reaction. In particular, a nonhydrolyzable substrate analogue of acetylcholinesterase, the “off-switch” at cholinergic synapses, was radiocleaved within the buried enzymatic active site. Subsequent product clearance, observed at 150 K but not at 100 K, indicated exit from the active site possibly via a “backdoor.” The simple strategy described here is, in principle, applicable to any enzyme whose structure in complex with a substrate analogue is available and, therefore, could serve as a standard procedure in kinetic crystallography studies.
Ancient, recurrent phage attacks and recombination shaped dynamic sequence-variable mosaics at the root of phytoplasma genome evolution
Authors: Wei Wei , Davis Robert E. , Jomantiene Rasa , Zhao Yan
Published: August 2008

Mobile genetic elements have impacted biological evolution across all studied organisms, but evidence for a role in evolutionary emergence of an entire phylogenetic clade has not been forthcoming. We suggest that mobile element predation played a formative role in emergence of the phytoplasma clade. Phytoplasmas are cell wall-less bacteria that cause numerous diseases in plants. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that these transkingdom parasites descended from Gram-positive walled bacteria, but events giving rise to the first phytoplasma have remained unknown. Previously we discovered a unique feature of phytoplasmal genome architecture, genes clustered in sequence-variable mosaics (SVMs), and suggested that such structures formed through recurrent, targeted attacks by mobile elements. In the present study, we discovered that cryptic prophage remnants, originating from phages in the orderCaudovirales, formed SVMs and comprised exceptionally large percentages of the chromosomes of ‘CandidatusPhytoplasma asteris’-related strains OYM and AYWB, occupying nearly all major nonsyntenic sections, and accounting for most of the size difference between the two genomes. The clustered phage remnants formed genomic islands exhibiting distinct DNA physical signatures, such as dinucleotide relative abundance and codon position GC values. Phytoplasma strain-specific genes identified as phage morons were located in hypervariable regions within individual SVMs, indicating that prophage remnants played important roles in generating phytoplasma genetic diversity. Because no SVM-like structures could be identified in genomes of ancestral relatives includingAcholeplasmaspp., we hypothesize that ancient phage attacks leading to SVM formation occurred after divergence of phytoplasmas from acholeplasmas, triggering evolution of the phytoplasma clade.
Heparin therapy for complications of placental dysfunction: A systematic review of the literature
Authors: DODD JODIE M. , SAHI KIRAN , MCLEOD ANNE , WINDRIM RORY C. , KINGDOM JOHN P.C.
Published: August 2008

Objective. To assess the benefits and harms of antenatal antithrombotic therapy for women at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with placental dysfunction. Search strategy. PUBMED and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL) were searched. Reference lists of retrieved studies were searched by hand. No date or language restrictions were placed. Date of last search February 2008. Selection criteria. Randomized controlled trials comparing antenatal antithrombotic therapy (alone or combined with other agents) with placebo or no treatment were considered. Cohort studies with an appropriate control group were also considered. Studies were evaluated independently for appropriateness for inclusion and methodological quality without consideration of their results. Our search strategy identified five case series, two cohort studies with a control group, and one randomized controlled trial. All of the case series and one of the cohort studies were excluded. Data collection and analysis. The methodological quality of the included studies was poor. There was considerable variation in methodology and the interventions. It was not appropriate to combine results in meta‐analysis. Main results. From the randomized trial, heparin was not associated with a reduction in preterm birth less than 37 weeks gestation (Heparin 5/68 versus Control 7/39; relative risk (RR) 0.41; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.14–1.20), or birth weight below 10th centile (Heparin 4/68 versus Control 6/39; RR 0.38; 95% CI 0.11–1.27). Conclusion. There is insufficient information to recommend the use of heparin during pregnancy for women at risk of complications due to placental dysfunction. Further information from randomized trials is required.
Alloimmunization in pregnancy during the years 1992–2005 in the central west region of Sweden
Authors: GOTTVALL TOMAS , FILBEY DEREK
Published: August 2008

Objectives. To study the incidence of red cell immunization and to evaluate the use of low‐risk invasive procedures in the management of alloimmunized during pregnancy. Design. A 14‐year retrospective study of all immunized mothers and their newborns. Population. All reported alloimmunizations between the years 1992 and 2005 in our catchment area were examined. Methods. Background factors, maternal antibody classification, antibody titers, anti‐D quantitation, procedures and maternal treatments instituted during pregnancy, fetal outcome and treatment of the newborn were evaluated. Results. There were 78,145 deliveries in the region. Alloimmunization during pregnancy was detected in 0.4% of all pregnancies, excluding ABO immunizations. A significant alloimmunization (titer level ≥8) was detected in 0.16%. Anti‐D immunizations were responsible for 60% of significant immunizations followed by anti‐Fya in 10%, anti‐c in 7% and anti‐K in 4%. Maternal plasma exchange and high‐dose intravenous immunoglobulin were used as low‐risk invasive treatments in 12 cases. Delivery was in ≥38 weeks in 93% of cases. Twenty‐nine newborns were treated with exchange transfusions (ETs) after delivery, whereof 21/29 were due to anti‐D, seven due to anti‐c and anti‐E and in one case anti‐Fya. No deaths occurred due to severe alloimmunization. Conclusion. Anti‐D still accounts for the most severe immunizations and for most of the cases where ET was necessary. Low‐risk invasive techniques to evaluate and treat pregnancies complicated by alloimmunization seem possible and accurate, avoiding invasive procedures that may exacerbate the immunization during pregnancy.
The Relation Between Essentialist Beliefs and Evolutionary Reasoning
Authors: Shtulman Andrew , Schulz Laura
Published: August 2008

Historians of science have pointed to essentialist beliefs about species as major impediments to the discovery of natural selection. The present study investigated whether such beliefs are impediments to learning this concept as well. Participants (43 children aged 4–9 and 34 adults) were asked to judge the variability of various behavioral and anatomical properties across different members of the same species. Adults who accepted within‐species variation—both actual and potential—were significantly more likely to demonstrate a selection‐based understanding of evolution than adults who denied within‐species variation. The latter demonstrated an alternative, incorrect understanding of evolution and produced response patterns that were both quantitatively and qualitatively similar to those produced by preschool‐aged children. Overall, it is argued that psychological essentialism, although a useful bias for drawing species‐wide inductions, leads individuals to devalue within‐species variation and, consequently, to fail to understand natural selection.
Audience‐Contingent Variation in Action Demonstrations for Humans and Computers
Authors: Herberg Jonathan S. , Saylor Megan M. , Ratanaswasd Palis , Levin Daniel T. , Wilkes D. Mitchell
Published: August 2008

People may exhibit two kinds of modifications when demonstrating action for others: modifications to facilitate bottom‐up, or sensory‐based processing; and modifications to facilitate top‐down, or knowledge‐based processing. The current study examined actors' production of such modifications in action demonstrations for audiences that differed in their capacity for intentional reasoning. Actors' demonstrations of complex actions for a non‐anthropomorphic computer system and for people (adult and toddler) were compared. Evidence was found for greater highlighting of top‐down modifications in the demonstrations for the human audiences versus the computer audience. Conversely, participants highlighted simple perceptual modifications for the computer audience, producing more punctuated and wider ranging motions. This study suggests that people consider differences in their audiences when demonstrating action.
The Relative Success of Recognition‐Based Inference in Multichoice Decisions
Authors: McCloy Rachel , Beaman C. Philip , Smith Philip T.
Published: August 2008

The utility of an “ecologically rational” recognition‐based decision rule in multichoice decision problems is analyzed, varying the type of judgment required (greater or lesser). The maximum size and range of a counterintuitive advantage associated with recognition‐based judgment (the “less‐is‐more effect”) is identified for a range of cue validity values. Greater ranges of the less‐is‐more effect occur when participants are asked which is the greatest of m choices (m > 2) than which is the least. Less‐is‐more effects also have greater range for larger values of m. This implies that the classic two‐alternative forced choice task, as studied by , may not be the most appropriate test case for less‐is‐more effects.
Rethinking Michael Polanyi's Realism: From Personal Knowledge to Intersubjectively Viable Communication
Authors: Ray Tim
Published: August 2008

Fifty years after the publication of Michael Polanyi's magnum opus, Personal Knowledge, the fashion for Knowledge Management (KM) has helped to institutionalise a redefinition of his distinction between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. But KM's redefinition of Polanyi's argument misrepresents his insights into the process of personal tacit ‘knowing’ and overlooks the implications of his faith in metaphysical ‘being’. This paper explores the significance of Polanyi's original concept of tacit knowledge, together with the consequences of assuming a ‘vertical’ connection between personal knowledge and faith in an unknowable absolute truth. By using faith to protect personal knowledge from the charge of subjectivism, Polanyi precluded the possibility that different people, who interact in different contexts and believe in different things, could develop viable modes of knowing and learning. However, rethinking Polanyi's philosophy with regard to Ernst von Glasersfeld's radical constructivism, which is derived from intersubjectively viable ‘horizontal’ communication, allows the virtues of tacit knowledge to be separated from the complications of metaphysical realism.
DISTINCTION IN BRITAIN, 2001–2004?
Authors: Tampubolon Gindo
Published: August 2008

This study delineates a scheme for examining Bourdieu's theory which relates social structure and cultural consumption (the homology thesis). Interpreting homology as the exclusive mapping between the space of cultural consumptions and social structure e.g., ‘high’ art as the exclusive domain of the upper class, is inadequate. Bourdieu's theory allows a more refined scheme which incorporates habitus. I elaborate this scheme and derive some propositions regarding the pattern of music consumptions and social structure. A Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause model is used to examine the homology thesis directly; where in the measurement part, a latent class model is used to derive types of consumers (or space of cultural consumption), and simultaneously, in the structural part, a logistic model is used to estimate stratification effects of being in one of the types. Using survey data sponsored by Arts Council England, it is shown that the space of music consumptions is inhabited by two types of music consumers: the popular and the dominant class. Furthermore, this space is shown to be structured by social class thereby lending some support to the homology thesis.
Income advantages of communist party members before and During the transformation process
Authors: Verhoeven Willem-Jan , Flap Henk , Dessens Jos , Jansen Wim
Published: August 2008

In this study contradictory hypotheses are tested about the changing income advantages of Communist Party (CP) members derived from the Elite Circulation Thesis and the Elite Reproduction Thesis, using cross-sectional datasets from before and during the transformation process. CP members are matched with non-CP members on several important income determinants such as human capital, occupational class, market capital, age, gender, and marital status. Independent-samples t-tests, on differences in mean personal (ln)income reveal that CP members earn more than non-CP members do before and during the transformation process. An ANOVA shows that the income advantages of CP members are most persistent in the Czech Republic and Russia while they get smaller in Slovakia and Hungary. Comparing the four countries suggests that the remaining income advantages of CP members may partly be explained by transformation specific differences between countries.
LABOUR SEGMENTATION AND EMPLOYMENT DIVERSITY IN THE ICT SERVICE SECTOR IN PORTUGAL
Authors: Kovács Ilona , Falcão Casaca Sara
Published: August 2008

This paper provides an overview of the main ongoing employment changes taking place in Portugal and particular emphasis is given to the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector. However, due to its heterogeneous composition, both intensive and low-knowledge services are addressed in this sector, ranging from ICT companies in general to call centres in particular. Starting with a brief revision of both optimistic and critical approaches to the new service-based economy, the paper seeks to contribute to this theoretical debate through the analysis of a very singular context, the Portuguese one, based on the results of a research project. The main argument points out that employment changes in the ICT sector are associated with labour segmentation and growing differences in work and employment conditions, including gender inequalities.
The influence of formal and informal support systems on the labour supply of divorced mothers
Authors: Raeymaeckers Peter , Dewilde Caroline , Snoeckx Laurent , Mortelmans Dimitri
Published: August 2008

In this article, we evaluate the effect of both formal and informal childcare support systems on the post-divorce labour supply of divorced mothers. To this end, we model the change in working hours before and after divorce by using a multilevel approach, estimating the impact of both micro- and macro-level determinants. Although we find empirical evidence for the hypothesis that a country's institutional environment plays an important role in facilitating employment as a strategy for mothers to cope with their financial losses following partnership dissolution, our conclusion is that the change in labour supply is more responsive to the whole of a country's family policies rather than to so-called ‘domain-specific’ indicators of formal and informal childcare provision. Furthermore, our empirical evidence suggests that at the micro-level, formal and informal childcare strategies are connected. The complementary role of informal support systems, facilitating the use of formal childcare, is an important finding from a policy point of view. However, further research will have to make clear which conditions have to be fulfilled in order to help divorced mothers to combine work and care, thus enabling them to mitigate the economic consequences of partnership dissolution.
THE CHANGING SHAPE OF CLASS VOTING
Authors: Oesch Daniel
Published: August 2008

In the 1990s, sociologists engaged in a heated controversy about class voting. Although empirical evidence accumulated, positions remained surprisingly divided. This paper argues that this disagreement is due to two factors. Firstly, it reflects diverging understandings as to the concept of class voting. Secondly, it is explained by the use of class models that do not satisfactorily represent today's social stratification in Western Europe. In consequence, this paper uses a detailed multi-class schema and examines two cleavages running through the social structure: (i) the economic divide separating holders of organizational power from the workingclass, (ii) the cultural divide opposing high-skilled classes engaged in interpersonal work settings (who hold a liberation view of community) from low-skilled classes occupied in object-related tasks (who hold an authoritarian view of community). Based on individual level data, our analyses show that classes continue to systematically differ in their party support. There is strong electoral evidence for the traditional economic cleavage in Britain's and Germany's class structure, while in Switzerland the cultural cleavage seems more salient. Hence, class voting continues but appears to involve more (and different) class-party alliances than just leftvoting by the woking class. Among others, we find salaried professionals in the social and cultural services to rally the libertarian left, while managers support parties on the right. Moreover, where a right-wing populist party alternative exists, it attracts disproportionate support from production workers and small business owners.
Development of a Prediction Rule for Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusand Vancomycin-ResistantEnterococcusCarriage in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center Population
Authors: Riedel Stefan , Stein Diana Von , Richardson Kelly , Page Joann , Miller Sara , Winokur Patricia , Diekema Daniel
Published: August 2008

A history of hospital admission in the prior year was the most sensitive predictor of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusor vancomycin-resistantEnterococcuscolonization at admission to a Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) but missed more than one-third of carriers and required screening more than one-half of admitted patients.
Comparison of 3 Alcohol Gels and 70% Ethyl Alcohol for Hand Hygiene
Authors: Zarpellon Mirian Nicéa , Soares Vanessa Sarto , Albrecht Natal Rodrigo , Bergamasco Douglas Ricardo da Silva , Garcia Lourdes Botelho , Cardoso Celso Luiz
Published: August 2008

In a laboratory study, we demonstrated that 3 alcohol-based hand gels, commercially available in Brazil, were as effective as the traditional 70% ethyl alcohol (by weight) in removing clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, and Candida albicans from heavily contaminated hands of human volunteers.
Squaring rectangles for dumbbells
Authors: Cannon J. , Floyd W. , Parry W.
Published: August 2008

The theorem on squaring a rectangle (see Schramm [Israel J. Math. 84 (1993)] and Cannon-Floyd-Parry [Contemp. Math. 169, AMS, 1994]) gives a combinatorial version of the Riemann mapping theorem. We elucidate by example (the dumbbell) some of the limitations of rectangle-squaring as an approximation to the classical Riemann mapping.
Calnexin Is Involved in Apoptosis Induced by Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the Fission Yeast
Authors: Guérin Renée , Arseneault Geneviève , Dumont Stéphane , Rokeach Luis A.
Published: August 2008

Stress conditions affecting the functions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cause the accumulation of unfolded proteins. ER stress is counteracted by the unfolded-protein response (UPR). However, under prolonged stress the UPR initiates a proapoptotic response. Mounting evidence indicate that the ER chaperone calnexin is involved in apoptosis caused by ER stress. Here, we report that overexpression of calnexin in Schizosaccharomyces pombe induces cell death with apoptosis markers. Cell death was partially dependent on the Ire1p ER-stress transducer. Apoptotic death caused by calnexin overexpression required its transmembrane domain (TM), and involved sequences on either side of the ER membrane. Apoptotic death caused by tunicamycin was dramatically reduced in a strain expressing endogenous levels of calnexin lacking its TM and cytosolic tail. This demonstrates the involvement of calnexin in apoptosis triggered by ER stress. A genetic screen identified the S. pombe homologue of the human antiapoptotic protein HMGB1 as a suppressor of apoptotic death due to calnexin overexpression. Remarkably, overexpression of human calnexin in S. pombe also provoked apoptotic death. Our results argue for the conservation of the role of calnexin in apoptosis triggered by ER stress, and validate S. pombe as a model to elucidate the mechanisms of calnexin-mediated cell death.
Maternal Argonaute 2 Is Essential for Early Mouse Development at the Maternal-Zygotic Transition
Authors: Lykke-Andersen Karin , Gilchrist Michael J. , Grabarek Joanna B. , Das Partha , Miska Eric , Zernicka-Goetz Magdalena
Published: August 2008

Activation of zygotic gene expression in the two-cell mouse embryo is associated with destruction of maternally inherited transcripts, an important process for embryogenesis about which little is understood. We asked whether the Argonaute (Ago)/RNA-induced silencing complex, providing the mRNA “slicer” activity in gene silencing, might contribute to this process. Here we show that Ago2, 3, and 4 transcripts are contributed to the embryo maternally. By systematic knockdown of maternal Ago2, 3, and 4, individually and in combination, we find that only Ago2 is required for development beyond the two-cell stage. Knockdown of Ago2 stabilizes one set of maternal mRNAs and reduces zygotic transcripts of another set of genes. Ago2 is localized in mRNA-degradation P-bodies analogous to those that function in RNAi-like mechanisms in other systems. Profiling the expression of microRNAs throughout preimplantation development identified several candidates that could potentially work with Ago2 to mediate degradation of specific mRNAs. However, their low abundance raises the possibility that other endogenous siRNAs may also participate. Together, our results demonstrate that maternal expression of Ago2 is essential for the earliest stages of mouse embryogenesis and are compatible with the notion that degradation of a proportion of maternal messages involves the RNAi-machinery.
Survival and behaviour of migrating Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) kelts in river, estuarine, and coastal habitat
Authors: Hubley P. Bradford , Amiro Peter G. , Gibson A. Jamie F. , Lacroix Gilles L. , Redden Anna M.
Published: August 2008

Hubley, P. B., Amiro, P. G., Gibson, A. J. F., Lacroix, G. L., and Redden, A. M. 2008. Survival and behaviour of migrating Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) kelts in river, estuarine, and coastal habitat. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1626–1634. The downstream migration of 30 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) kelts tagged with acoustic transmitters was monitored using 26 underwater receivers at eight locations from April to October 2006 in the LaHave River and Estuary. In all, 27 tags were detected as they left the coastal environment by the middle of May, 5 weeks after release, indicating a possible 90% kelt survival to coastal departure. Two missing tags and one dropped tag were assumed to be attributable to natural mortality in the estuary. Migration time from release to the outermost coastal receivers 24 km below the tide limit took an average of 14 d, but varied from 3 to 32 d. Some 40% of the kelts lingered and were active in the lower estuary. Five kelts monitored with depth transmitters migrated mostly at the surface in all habitats, with occasional brief descent to the bottom. A consecutive spawning salmon returned after 79 d outside the outermost array. The low rate of returns is consistent with the historical repeat spawning schedule for this river, and more precisely documents the temporal and spatial habitat use of migrating kelts.
Response of New Field-Resistant Peanut Cultivars to Twin-Row Pattern or In-Furrow Applications of Phorate for Management of Spotted Wilt
Authors: Culbreath A. K. , Tillman B. L. , Gorbet D. W. , Holbrook C. C. , Nischwitz C.
Published: August 2008

Field experiments were conducted at Marianna, FL in 2006 and Tifton, GA in 2006 and 2007 to compare new peanut (Arachis hypogaea) cultivars to the moderately resistant cv. Georgia Green and the highly resistant cv. AP-3 for field resistance to Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), genus Tospovirus, and to determine the effects of in-furrow application of phorate insecticide and use of twin-row versus single-row patterns on incidence of spotted wilt in these cultivars. Cvs. Georgia Green, AP-3, Georgia-03L, Georgia-01R, Florida-07, McCloud, and York were evaluated in all five experiments, and Tifguard was added in experiments at Tifton. All cultivars except McCloud had lower incidence of spotted wilt than Georgia Green in all experiments. McCloud was intermediate in resistance to TSWV and had lower incidence of spotted wilt than Georgia Green in four of five experiments. Use of the twin-row pattern also reduced incidence of spotted wilt in McCloud in both years. On Georgia Green, phorate reduced incidence of spotted wilt in 2007 and twin-row pattern reduced incidence in both years. Phorate had no effect on spotted wilt in AP-3, Georgia-03L, McCloud, Georgia-01R, or Tifguard in either year. Twin-row pattern reduced either final incidence or area under the disease progress curve in all cultivars in at least 1 year of the study. All of these new cultivars should reduce the risk of losses to spotted wilt compared with Georgia Green. In highly resistant cultivars, especially AP-3, York, and Tifguard, use of phorate insecticide or twin-row pattern may not be necessary, and may not provide noticeable benefit in reduction of spotted wilt or increased yield.
Molecular Genetic Characterization of Sweet potato virus G (SPVG) Isolates from Areas of the Pacific Ocean and Southern Africa
Authors: Rännäli M. , Czekaj V. , Jones R. A. C. , Fletcher J. D. , Davis R. I. , Mu L. , Dwyer G. I. , Coutts B. A. , Valkonen J. P. T.
Published: August 2008

Sweet potato virus G (SPVG, genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) was detected in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) storage roots sold in the local markets and storage roots or cuttings sampled directly from farmers' fields. Using serological and molecular methods, the virus was detected for the first time in Java, New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti, Tubuai, Easter Island, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, and also in an imported storage root under post-entry quarantine conditions in Western Australia. In some specimens, SPVG was detected in mixed infection with Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (genus Potyvirus). The coat protein (CP) encoding sequences of SPVG were analyzed for 11 plants from each of the aforementioned locations and compared with the CP sequences of 12 previously characterized isolates from China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Spain, Peru, and the continental United States. The nucleotide sequence identities of all SPVG isolates ranged from 79 to 100%, and amino acid identities ranged from 89 to 100%. Isolates of the same strain of SPVG had nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities from 97 to 100% and 96 to 100%, respectively, and were found in sweetpotatoes from all countries sampled except Peru. Furthermore, a plant from Zimbabwe was co-infected with two clearly different SPVG isolates of this strain. In contrast, three previously characterized isolates from China and Peru were phylogenetically distinct and exhibited <90% nucleotide identity with any other isolate. So far, the highest genetic diversity of SPVG seems to occur among isolates in China. Distribution of SPVG within many sweetpotato growing areas of the world emphasizes the need to determine the economic importance of SPVG.
Pathogenicity and Host–Parasite Relationships of Meloidogyne arenaria in Sweet Basil
Authors: Vovlas N. , Troccoli A. , Minuto A. , Bruzzone C. , Sasanelli N. , Castillo P.
Published: August 2008

Stunted growth of sweet basil (cv. Genovese) associated with large patches and severe soil infestations by the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne arenaria race 2 were observed in open fields at the end of the crop-growing season in Albenga, province of Savona, Northern Italy by early September 2007. Observed morphological traits of nematode life stages and results of analysis of isozyme electrophoretic patterns and differential host tests were used for nematode species and race identification. Nematode-induced mature galls (either in naturally infected plants or in artificially inoculated root tissues) were spherical or ellipsoidal and confluent along the root axis, containing usually several females, males, and egg-masses with eggs. Feeding sites were characterized by the development of giant cells that contained several hypertrophied nuclei and nucleoli. Giant cell cytoplasm was aggregated along the thickened cell walls. Vascular elements within galls appeared disorganized and disrupted. Due to the heavy damage observed, the relationships between the initial population density and growth of basil plants was also tested in a greenhouse experiment in which inoculum levels varied from 0 to 512 eggs and juveniles/cm3 of soil. Height and top fresh weight data of the inoculated and control plants was fitted to Seinhorst's model. Tolerance limits with respect to plant height and fresh top weight of basil cv. Genovese plants to M. arenaria race 2 were estimated as 0.15 eggs and juveniles/cm3 of soil. The minimum relative values (m) for plant height and top fresh weight were 0.39 and 0.19 at initial nematode population density (Pi) ≥16 eggs and juveniles/cm3 of soil, respectively. The maximum nematode reproduction rate (Pf/Pi) was 448.7 times at an initial population density of 4 eggs and second-stage juveniles/cm3 of soil.
Agronomic and Economic Responses of Spring Wheat to Management of Fusarium Head Blight
Authors: Hollingsworth C. R. , Motteberg C. D. , Wiersma J. V. , Atkinson L. M.
Published: August 2008

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) crop losses in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota caused by Fusarium head blight (FHB) epidemics incited by Fusarium graminearum are common. Fungicide application is often recommended when environments promote disease development but benefits have not been fully evaluated when environment, cultivar resistance, and economic outcome are considered. Agronomic and economic characters were determined for cultivars with various resistance levels when treated with no fungicide; propiconazole at 63 g active ingredient (a.i.)/ha applied at Feekes growth stage (FGS) 2, tebuconazole at 126 g a.i./ha applied at FGS 10.51, or propiconazole at 63 g a.i./ha applied at FGS 2 followed by tebuconazole at 126 g a.i./ha applied at FGS 10.51. Revenue returned from FHB moderately susceptible (MS) cultivars was 8% greater than moderately resistant (MR) cultivars in low-disease environs but differences were not significant when disease was moderate. Deoxynivalenol accumulation in grain of MS and MR cultivars was unchanged by fungicide treatment. MS cultivars were economically more adventitious to grow than MR cultivars in both disease environments.
First Report of Botrytis Gray Mold on Red Bayberry in China
Authors: Zhang Z. F. , Li H. Y. , Shi Z. H.
Published: August 2008

Red bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc) is a special fruit produced in southeastern China. Heavy losses due to postharvest rot and short shelf-life have negatively affected farmers' incomes. In June 2007, a survey was conducted to determine the causal agents of red bayberry (cv. Dongkui) rot in Linhai City, Zhejiang Province. Only a few soft rot fruits with typical gray mold of Botrytis cinerea were found on trees, but 74% (266 of 360) of the fruits that appeared disease free during harvest showed a mass of gray mold after 5 days in storage at 22°C. Brown conidiophores bore botryose heads of hyaline, ellipsoid, unicellular conidia, measuring 9.1 to 16.1 × 8.6 to 11.0 μm. Mycelia were initially whitish and turned gray with age. Black, irregular sclerotia were formed in potato dextrose agar medium. Such features suggested B. cinerea infection (1). Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculation of 20 healthy red bayberries with a conidial suspension (106/ml); 100% were infected and masses of gray mold were formed 4 days after inoculation. No mock-inoculated fruits were infected. To confirm involvement of B. cinerea, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified with primers ITS4/ITS6 (2). The sequence (Accession No. AM884742) matched 100% to B. cinerea sequences deposited in Genbank (Accession Nos. EF207415, EF207414, and EF207413). To our knowledge, this is the first report of red bayberry rot caused by B. cinerea in China.

References: (1) J. Y. Lu. Phytopathogenic Fungi. Chinese Agricultural Publishing, Beijing, 1995. (2) D. E. L. Cooke and J. M. Duncan. Mycol. Res. 101:667, 1997.
First Report of Boll Rot of Cotton Caused by Pantoea agglomerans in China
Authors: Ren Y. Z. , Liu Y. Q. , Ding S. L. , Li G. Y. , Zhang H.
Published: August 2008

Since the summer of 2006, bacterial boll rot of cotton has been observed on fruits of ‘Xinluzao 31’ (Xinluzao 6 × Acala) in Xinjiang Province. It resulted in as much as 20% yield loss in several fields. Symptoms do not appear on the outer carpel. In the infected cotton bolls, fibers do not mature completely and seed tissue exhibits brown necrotic coloration. Lint and seeds from 24 surface-disinfested cotton bolls were triturated and plated onto King's medium B (KB). Plates were incubated at 28°C for 48 h. Forty eight strains with yellow pigmentation on KB were characterized. All were nonfluorescent on KB, gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, unable to produce indole from tryptophan, able to reduce nitrate to nitrite, and produce acid from glucose, cellobiose, lactose, melibiose, and melonate. In addition, 16S rDNA in seven strains was amplified with universal primers (1). The PCR products were cloned into pGEM-T easy vector and sequenced. A BLAST search of the seven sequences against the GenBank nucleotide library indicated 100% identity with the 16S rDNA sequence of Enterobacter agglomerans strain A80. Then an additional primer pair, pagF and pagR (3), was used for more specific amplification of Pantoea agglomerans 16S rDNA, which resulted in single highly specific fragments of approximately 1 kb. On the basis of morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, we identified the bacterium to be P. agglomerans. To confirm pathogenicity, cell suspensions (1 × 108 CFU/ml) of eight representative strains were used to inoculate cotton at peak bolling stage in the field. Cell suspensions, or water as the control, were applied to stigma scars, wall sutures, and scratch wounds on bracts, calyxes, and bolls. Alternatively, a needle was used to puncture through a drop of suspension placed on the boll wall suture and bracts. At least 20 bolls or flowers were inoculated with each bacterial strain per inoculation method. Infection occurred only when bacterial injections breached the endocarp of the boll either through the carpel wall or a suture between carpel sections. Disease symptoms developed 1 week postinoculation. The inoculated organism was reisolated from the diseased tissues. P. agglomerans is generally regarded to be a soil saprophyte or leaf epiphyte, but strains can opportunistically infect plants triggering gall formations or human wounds causing septic arthritis. The disease symptoms and pathogen characteristics observed in this study are identical to those reported in the United States (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. agglomerans causing boll rot of cotton in China.

References: (1) S. Manulisi and I. Barash. Mol. Plant Pathol. 4:307, 2003. (2) E. G. Medrano et al. J. Appl. Microbiol. 103:436, 2007. (3) S. Vorwerk et al. Agric. For. Entomol. 9:57, 2007.
First Report of Seven Species of Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck Fungi on Asimina triloba in Iowa
Authors: Hemnani K. , O'Malley P. J. , Tanović B. , Batzer J. C. , Gleason M. L.
Published: August 2008

Fungi in the sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) complex cause major economic losses on cultivated pome fruits in humid regions worldwide and also colonize many species of reservoir host plants. In 2007, 10 mature fruit of pawpaw (Asimina triloba), a native tree in eastern North America exhibiting SBFS colonies on the epicuticular wax layer, were collected from wild trees in eastern Iowa. Colonies of SBFS fungi on the fruit were described according to mycelial type (1). Isolates of representative colonies on acidified water agar were subcultured on potato dextrose agar and the morphological characters were observed. After DNA was extracted from cultures and amplified by PCR using primer set ITS-1F/ITS4, 470-bp sequences were compared with those of previously identified SBFS species using NCBI BLAST. The BLAST analysis showed 100% homology of the sequences with six species that had been previously confirmed to cause SBFS on apple fruit by fulfilling Koch's postulates (1): Colletogloeum sp. FG2, Dissoconium aciculare, Peltaster sp. P2.1, P. fructicola, Stomiopeltis versicola, and Stomiopeltis sp. RS1 (GenBank Accession Nos. AY598907, AY598874, AY5988888, AY598887, AY5160165, and AY598882, respectively). Using the NCBI bl2seq application, Dothideomycete sp. CS2, an additional previously confirmed SBFS species, was revealed by sequence homology. Morphology of some SBFS species on pawpaw differed from that on apple. For example, Colletogloeum sp. FG2, which produces the fuliginous mycelial type (1) on apple fruit, developed the ridged honeycomb mycelial type on pawpaw fruit. D. aciculare and Stomiopeltis sp. RS1 produced the compact speck mycelial type on pawpaw, but are known to develop discrete speck and ramose mycelial types, respectively, on apple. These differences may result from host species differences in the epicuticular wax layer of the fruit. To our knowledge, this is the first report of SBFS fungi on A. triloba in North America, although the SBFS species Zygophiala jamaicensis was reported on the same host in Japan (2). Identifying SBFS fungi on reservoir host plants is an important step toward improving disease management strategies.

References: (1) J. Batzer et al. Mycologia 97:1268, 2005. (2) H. Nasu and H. Kunoh Plant Dis. 71:361, 1987.
First Report of Verticillium Wilt Caused by Verticillium dahliae on Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower) in Italy
Authors: Garibaldi A. , Bertetti D. , Gullino M. L.
Published: August 2008

Rudbeckia fulgida (common name orange coneflower) is an herbaceous perennial (Asteraceae) grown in full sun in perennial borders in gardens. At the end of the summer of 2007, in a public garden located in Turin (northern Italy), symptoms of vascular wilt and stunting were observed on approximately 80% of the plants grown in a mixed border. Initial symptoms were yellowing of external leaves and brown or black streaks in the vascular tissue of roots, crown, and leaves. A fungus was consistently and readily isolated on potato dextrose agar from symptomatic vascular tissue previously disinfested in 1% sodium hypochloride. Ovoid, dark microsclerotia, 41 to 108 μm, developed in hyaline hyphae after 10 days of growth at 23°C (12 h of light and 12 h of dark). Hyaline, elliptical, single-celled conidia, 3.2 to 7.3 × 2.1 to 3.7 (average 4.7 × 2.8) μm, developed on verticillate conidiophores. On the basis of these morphological characteristics, the fungus was identified as Verticillium dahliae (4). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was amplified using primers ITS4/ITS6 and sequenced. BLASTn analysis (1) of the 530 bp showed a 100% homology with the sequence of V. dahliae. The nucleotide sequence has been assigned GenBank Accession No. EU 627007. Healthy, 30-day-old R. fulgida plants were grown in a steam-disinfested mix of sphagnum peat:pomix:pine bark:clay (50:20:20:10) infested with a conidial suspension (1.5 × 106/ml) of three isolates of V. dahliae isolated from infected plants. Noninoculated plants served as controls. Plants (16 per treatment) were grown in pots (3 liter vol) and maintained in a glasshouse at temperatures between 22 and 25°C and relative humidity between 50 and 70%. First wilt symptoms and vascular discoloration in the roots, crown, and veins developed 17 days after inoculation. Noninoculated plants remained healthy. The pathogenicity tests were carried out twice. To our knowledge, this is the first report in Italy of Verticillium wilt on R. fulgida. Wilts caused by V. dahliae on R. laciniata in Poland (3) and V. albo-atrum on R. hirta in the United States (2) were previously reported. The importance and economic impact of this disease is currently limited but may increase because of the popularity of Rudbeckia spp. in private and public parks.

References: (1) S. F. Altschul et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3389, 1997. (2) D. F. Farr et al. Fungi on Plants and Their Products in the United States. The American Phytopathological Society, St Paul, MN, 1989. (3) B. Leski. Rocz. Nauk Roln. 253, 1974. (4) G. F. Pegg and B. L. Brady. Verticillium Wilts. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, 2002.