bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genomewide signatures of selection in Epichloë reveal candidate genes for host specialization
Authors: Schirrmann Melanie K. , Zoller Stefan , Croll Daniel , Stukenbrock Eva H. , Leuchtmann Adrian , Fior Simone 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHost specialization is a key process in ecological divergence and speciation of plant‐associated fungi. The underlying determinants of host specialization are generally poorly understood, especially in endophytes, which constitute one of the most abundant components of the plant microbiome. We addressed the genetic basis of host specialization in two sympatric subspecies of grass‐endophytic fungi from the Epichloë typhina complex: subsp. typhina and clarkii. The life cycle of these fungi entails unrestricted dispersal of gametes and sexual reproduction before infection of a new host, implying that the host imposes a selective barrier on viability of the progeny. We aimed to detect genes under divergent selection between subspecies, experiencing restricted gene flow due to adaptation to different hosts. Using pooled whole‐genome sequencing data, we combined FST and DXY population statistics in genome scans and detected 57 outlier genes showing strong differentiation between the two subspecies. Genomewide analyses of nucleotide diversity (π), Tajima's D and dN/dS ratios indicated that these genes have evolved under positive selection. Genes encoding secreted proteins were enriched among the genes showing evidence of positive selection, suggesting that molecular plant–fungus interactions are strong drivers of endophyte divergence. We focused on five genes encoding secreted proteins, which were further sequenced in 28 additional isolates collected across Europe to assess genetic variation in a larger sample size. Signature of positive selection in these isolates and putative identification of pathogenic function supports our findings that these genes represent strong candidates for host specialization determinants in Epichloë endophytes. Our results highlight the role of secreted proteins as key determinants of host specialization.
For Cryptococcus neoformans, responding to the copper status in a colonization niche is not just about copper
Authors: Kosman Daniel J. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryMost fungi express two transcription factors that regulate the expression of genes associated with copper uptake for nutritional needs, and with copper resistance when copper approaches a cytotoxic level. These factors are characterized by cysteine‐rich motifs which are associated with copper‐sensing, DNA‐binding and release, and/or cytoplasmic retention. Cryptococcus neoformans differs from most in that it expresses a single such copper‐sensing trans‐factor, Cuf1, a protein that up‐regulates copper uptake when copper is scarce, and up‐regulates copper sequestration when cells become super‐replete. For C. neoformans this is an essential task in as much as copper is relatively bioavailable in lung airways while the brain interstitium can be copper‐limiting for growth. While fungal dependence on and sensitivity to copper have long been considered targets for anti‐fungal chemistry, fungi have proven adept at finding ‘work arounds’ by using a chelated form of copper as nutrient or adapting to a copper‐surfaced hospital bed by increased resistance. However, the cohort of Cuf1 targets identified in this report represent far more than just the uptake and sequestration machinery, but include additional loci that, perhaps, are less easily ‘defended’ by the fungus. Garcia‐Santamarina et al. provide that list and thus lay the ground‐work for developing novel anti‐fungal reagents.
Mutation of a Nicotiana tabacum L. eukaryotic translation‐initiation factor gene reduces susceptibility to a resistance‐breaking strain of Potato virus Y
Authors: Takakura Yoshimitsu , Udagawa Hisashi , Shinjo Akira , Koga Kazuharu 
Published: April 2018

SummaryEukaryotic translation‐initiation factors eIF4E and eIF(iso)4E in plants play key roles in infection by potyviruses and other plant RNA viruses. Mutations in the genes encoding these factors reduce susceptibility to the viruses, and are the basis of several recessive virus resistance genes widely used in plant breeding. Because virus variants occasionally break such resistance, the molecular basis for this process must be elucidated. Although deletion mutants of eIF4E1‐S of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) resist Potato virus Y (PVY; the type member of the genus Potyvirus), resistance‐breaking strains of PVY threaten tobacco production worldwide. Here, we used RNA interference technology to knock down tobacco eIF4E2‐S and eIF4E2‐T genes or eIF(iso)4E‐S and eIF(iso)4E‐T genes. Transgenic plants with reduced transcript levels of both eIF(iso)4E‐S and eIF(iso)4E‐T showed reduced susceptibility to a resistance‐breaking PVY strain with a K105E mutation in the viral genome‐associated protein (VPg). By screening a population of chemically induced mutants of eIF(iso)4E‐S and eIF(iso)4E‐T, we showed that plants with a nonsense mutation in eIF(iso)4E‐T, but not eIF(iso)4E‐S, showed reduced susceptibility to the resistance‐breaking PVY strain. In a yeast two‐hybrid assay, VPg of the resistance‐breaking strain, but not wild‐type PVY, physically interacted with the eIF(iso)4E‐T protein. Thus, eIF4E1‐S is required for infection by PVY, but eIF(iso)4E‐T is required for infection by the resistance‐breaking strain. Our study provides the first evidence for the involvement of a host eukaryotic translation‐initiation factor in the infection cycle of a resistance‐breaking virus strain. The eIF(iso)4E‐T mutants will be useful in tobacco breeding to introduce resistance against resistance‐breaking PVY strains.
Efficient and flexible uptake system for mineral elements in plants
Authors: Che Jing , Yamaji Naoki , Ma Jian Feng 
Published: April 2018

Contents

Summary
513

I.
Introduction
513

II.
Efficient uptake system formed by influx and efflux transporters of mineral elements
514

III.
Polarity of transporters for mineral elements
515

IV.
Regulation of transporters in response to environmental change
515

V.
Sensing and signaling pathways regulating the uptake of mineral elements
515

VI.
Conclusions and perspectives
516

Acknowledgements
516

References
516

SummaryMineral elements required for plant growth and development must first be taken up by the roots from soil. Plants have developed an efficient uptake system for the radial transport of mineral elements from soil to central stele through the allocation of various transporters at different root cells. These transporters are regulated at transcriptional, translational and/or post‐translational level to cope with the fluctuation of mineral elements in soil. In this insight, we describe an efficient uptake system for mineral elements formed by influx and efflux transporters, regulatory mechanisms and polarity of these transporters, and sensing and signal pathways, in response to spatial and temporal changes of mineral elements in soil. An understanding of the mineral element uptake system in different plant species, and its regulatory network, will contribute to high and safe crop production under varying environments.
Working memory consolidation: insights from studies on attention and working memory
Authors: Ricker Timothy J. , Nieuwenstein Mark R. , Bayliss Donna M. , Barrouillet Pierre 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWorking memory, the system that maintains a limited set of representations for immediate use in cognition, is a central part of human cognition. Three processes have recently been proposed to govern information storage in working memory: consolidation, refreshing, and removal. Here, we discuss in detail the theoretical construct of working memory consolidation, a process critical to the creation of a stable working memory representation. We present a brief overview of the research that indicated the need for a construct such as working memory consolidation and the subsequent research that has helped to define the parameters of the construct. We then move on to explicitly state the points of agreement as to what processes are involved in working memory consolidation.
Pretia Victoriaeor Just an Occasional Bonus? Analysis of Iron Age Lead Artefacts from the Somerset Lake Villages
Authors: Ponting Matthew 
Published: April 2018

SummaryThis paper looks at the evidence for the extraction of silver from lead ores in Iron Age and Roman Britain. Analysis shows that many of the lead objects from the Somerset Lake Villages were made from Mendip lead, but their chemical composition suggests that they were not produced from lead that had been de‐silvered, but from smelted galena with variable silver content. Furthermore, analysis of a Roman lead pig, made from Charterhouse lead ores, shows that it was made of chemically identical lead. Does this mean that silver was not extracted from British lead in the Iron Age and Roman periods? The evidence discussed and the results of the analyses suggest that silver was not always extracted from lead even when it was economical to do so. This was a cultural choice and not a technological limitation, one also found in other times and places around the world.
Successful merging of data from the United Network for Organ Sharing and the Pediatric Health Information System databases
Authors: Getz Kelly D. , He Christy , Li Yimei , Huang Yuan‐Shung V. , Burstein Danielle S. , Rossano Joseph , Aplenc Richard 
Published: April 2018

AbstractData routinely collected through United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) lack the detailed information on medical resource utilization and treatment costs required to accomplish for center‐level comparisons of quality of care and cost for pediatric heart transplantation. We aimed to overcome this limitation by merging UNOS with the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database, an administrative database containing inpatient, emergency department, ambulatory surgery, and observation unit information from over 40 not‐for‐profit, tertiary care pediatric hospitals. Utilizing a probabilistic match based on center, date of birth, recipient gender, and transplant date within ±2 days, more than 90% of eligible UNOS patients (N = 2264) were successfully merged to their corresponding PHIS records. Thirty‐day and 1‐year mortality rates observed for the merged cohort (3.2% and 9.0%, respectively) were compared with those previously reported for pediatric heart transplants, as were the significant predictors of increased mortality. These results demonstrate that the established UNOS‐PHIS cohort will provide a valid platform for subsequent research aimed at identifying center‐level differences that could be exploited to optimize quality of care while minimizing cost across institutions.
Research progress on the immune mechanism of the silkworm Bombyx mori
Authors: Yang Yanhua , Tang Hanhan , Zhang Yuanyuan , Zhu Feifei , Lü Peng , Yao Qin , Chen Keping 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe silkworm Bombyx mori L., representing an important economic insect and one of the best models for studying insect immunity, possesses an efficient and sophisticated innate immune system against invasive microorganisms. The innate immune system basically includes humoural immunity and cellular immunity. The humoural immunity, which functions via molecules including humoural factors, lysozymes, phenoloxidase, hemolin, lectins and, in particular, antimicrobial peptides, plays a central role in eliminating the invading pathogens. The cellular immunity is primarily carried out and mediated by plasmatocytes and granular cells of haemocytes in the haemolymph, usually followed by melanization. Additionally, apoptosis, a primary viral defence for insects lacking adaptive immunity, comprises an important part of the silkworm immune system. Currently, there is still the lack of a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the molecular mechanisms of silkworm immunity. We review the latest research progress on silkworm immune mechanisms, including phenoloxidase‐dependent melanization and apoptosis, which is conducive to improving our understanding of the silkworm immune mechanism, clarifying the relationship of various immune mechanisms, and also providing a theoretical basis and reference for the future research of insect immunity.
Proliferation of prostate epithelia induced by IL‐6 from stroma reacted with Trichomonas vaginalis
Authors: Kim J.‐H. , Han I.‐H. , Kim Y.‐S. , Noh C.‐S. , Ryu J.‐S. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryBenign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterized by the proliferation of stromal and epithelial cell types in the prostate, and interactions between the two types of cells. We demonstrated previously that proliferation of prostate stromal cells was induced by BPH epithelial cells in response to Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) infection via crosstalk with mast cells. In this study, we investigated whether IL‐6 released by the proliferating stromal cells in turn induce the BPH epithelial cells to multiply. When culture supernatants of the proliferating prostate stromal cells were added to BPH epithelial cells, the latter multiplied, and expression of cyclin D1, FGF2 and Bcl‐2 increased. Blocking the IL‐6 signalling pathway with anti‐IL‐6R antibody or JAK1/2 inhibitor inhibited the proliferation of the BPH epithelial cells and reduced the expression of IL‐6, IL‐6R and STAT3. Also, epithelial‐mesenchymal transition was detected in the proliferating BPH epithelial cells. In conclusion, IL‐6 released from proliferating prostate stromal cells induced by BPH epithelial cells infected with Tv in turn induces multiplication of the BPH epithelial cells. This result provides first evidence that the inflammatory microenvironment of prostate stromal cells resulting from Tv infection induces the proliferation of prostate epithelial cells by stromal‐epithelial interaction.
The pattern of 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate oxidase induction in the tomato leaf petiole abscission zone is independent of expression of the ribonuclease‐LX‐encoding LeLX gene
Authors: Chersicola M. , Kladnik A. , Tušek Žnidarič M. , Lers A. , Dermastia M. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

The abscission of tomato leaves occurs in the petiole abscission zone, and its late stage includes two spatially divided processes: cell separation and programmed cell death (PCD). Both of these processes are regulated by ethylene. The last step in ethylene biosynthesis is conversion of 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid to ethylene, which is catalysed by the enzyme 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate oxidase (ACO); however, the location of ACO in the leaf petiole abscission zone is not known. The tomato gene LeLX encodes ribonuclease LX, which is a marker for PCD and is induced by ethylene during abscission, but its association with ACO has not been explored.

In a tomato transgenic line 1‐7 with inhibited expression of LeLX showing delayed leaf abscission, the morphology and ultrastructure of the leaf petiole abscission zone was examined. In this zone of the cv.’VF36’ and of a transgenic line 1‐7, spatiotemporal differences in expression of LeACO1 and LeACO4 were analysed and ACO protein was detected immunohistochemically.

In comparison to wild‐type plants, there were no obvious morphological and ultrastructural features in the abscission zone of plants of a transgenic line 1‐7 before and after abscission induction. LeACO1 expression was low before abscission induction, and increased 24 h after induction, although with no apparent spatial pattern. In contrast, LeACO4 was expressed before abscission induction, and its transcript level declined 24 h after induction on the distal side of the abscission zone fracture. In the LeLX‐inhibited transgenic line, there were no significant differences in LeACO1 and LeACO4 expression in the petiole abscission zone, in comparison to wild‐type plants. In addition, the ACO protein was immunolocalised to the vascular tissues that traverse the petiole abscission zone in plants of wild type and of a transgenic line 1‐7; and additionally in the plane of future abscission zone fracture of transgenic‐line plants.

The results suggest temporal differential expression of the LeACO genes in tomato leaf petioles and vascular localisation of ACO1 protein. Additionally, the results indicate that expression of LeACO genes is not affected by suppression of the LeLX expression.
Heartbeat counting is unrelated to heartbeat detection: A comparison of methods to quantify interoception
Authors: Ring Christopher , Brener Jasper 
Published: April 2018

AbstractRecent research has identified individual differences in interoceptive sensitivity as a key source of variation in action, cognition, and emotion. This research has relied heavily on a single method for assessing interoceptive sensitivity: the accuracy of counting heartbeats while at rest. The validity of this method was assessed here by comparing the heartbeat counting (HBC) performance of 48 individuals with their heartbeat detection (HBD) performance. The HBC task required participants to report the numbers of heartbeats counted during brief signaled periods and indexed cardioceptive accuracy by the difference between the numbers of reported and actual heartbeats. In the HBD task, participants indicated the temporal location of heartbeat sensations relative to the onset of ventricular contraction. On each trial, they judged whether heartbeat sensations were or were not simultaneous with brief tones presented at one of six fixed delays following R waves of the ECG. In this method, cardioceptive accuracy or precision was indexed by variability in the temporal locations, relative to the R wave, of tones judged to be simultaneous with heartbeat sensations. Although intratask correlations indicated that each method yielded reliable scores, intertask correlations showed that HBC scores were unrelated to HBD scores. These results, which indicate that heartbeat detection and heartbeat counting are distinct processes, raise important questions about the assessment of interoceptive sensitivity and the involvement of this attribute in the psychological processes that have been associated with it on the basis of their correlations with HBC performance.
On the Front Lines of Implementing Environmental Regulation: The Perspective of the Regulated Community in Montana
Authors: Rinfret Sara , Pautz Michelle C. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractAlthough discussions about environmental policy often focus on the federal level of decision making and action in the United States, implementation occurs predominately at the state level. The individuals largely responsible for implementation are the state regulators and members of the regulated community as they constitute the front lines in environmental regulation. Much of the existing research on regulatory interactions investigates the regulatory enforcement styles of regulators and the compliance motivations of firms. It is equally important to consider the perceptions and actual experiences of regulated community members. To examine this perspective, this exploratory study utilizes a mail survey to investigate the perceptions and experiences of members of the regulated community in Montana. The survey respondents report positive and cooperative interactions with environmental regulators. This survey provides much‐needed insight into the perspectives of some members of the regulated community, challenging traditional viewpoints that the regulated community is hostile toward regulation, and promotes adversarial relationships with regulators. Accordingly, this research encourages debate about the fundamental assumptions surrounding the interactions of regulators and the regulated community in U.S. environmental policy.
Insights into the physicochemical properties of the Malaysian oil palm leaves as an alternative source of industrial materials and bioenergy
Authors: Onoja Emmanuel , Attan Nursyafreena , Chandren Sheela , Abdul Razak Fazira Ilyana , Abdul Keyon Aemi Syazwani , Mahat Naji Arafat , Wahab Roswanira Abdul 
Published: April 2018

This work was aimed at providing a comprehensive physicochemical characterization of the Malaysian oil palm leaves (OPL) that may be useful for industrial applications as well as providing new insights on minimizing the environmental impact of oil palm biomass wastes. The leaves of discarded oil palm fronds were collected, dried and ground. The leaves powder was subjected to acid and thermal treatments prior to physicochemical analyses. Physicochemical characterization included analyses of thermal gravimetry, ultimate analysis, Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen sorption. Ultimate analysis revealed that the untreated OPL contained carbon (46.98 %), hydrogen (6.500 %), nitrogen (1.810 %) and sulfur (0.150 %) with a moderately high calorific value of 19.21 MJ/kg. Thermal gravimetric and derivative thermal gravimetric analyses indicated that OPL is a lignocellulosic material with little moisture and ash contents. X-ray Florescence revealed Ca (39.20 %), K (22.10 %) and Si (19.20 %) as the three major elements in the ash of the untreated sample with Si (95.20%) being predominant for the treated ones. The ash of the acid treated sample was majorly amorphous silica which was slightly mesoporous with surface area of 160.59 m2g-1 as shown by X-ray diffraction and nitrogen sorption analyses respectively. These findings confirmed that the Malaysian OPL is a lignocellulosic biomass as well as a good source of amorphous silica, hence may prove useful as a potential renewable source of bioenergy and an alternative silica source for industrial applications.
Comparison of standard light-emitting diode (LED) and 385 nm ultraviolet A LED (UVA-LED) for disinfection of Escherichia coli
Authors: Malik Sameen Ahmed , Swee Tan Tian , Malek Nik Ahmad Nizam Nik , Abdul Kadir Mohammed Rafiq , Emoto Takahiro , Akutagawa Masatake , Meng Leong Kah , Hou Tan Jia , Tengku Alang Tengku Ahmad Iskandar 
Published: April 2018

UV light has become an integral part of human life especially in performing wide range of disinfection. Most of the research on UVLEDs is limited to UVC region because of comparison with mercury based UV lamps which work typically at 254 nm. Limited research is found on the use of UVA-LEDs for inactivation of microorganisms in healthcare. In this study a standard 3 mm LED has been compared with 385 nm UVA-LED for inactivation of Escherichia coli. E. coli strains were swabbed on control, LED and UVA-LED petri dishes using cotton bud. The LED and UVA-LED samples were exposed to standard LED light and UVA light respectively for 1 h. The analysis of bacteria by determining Colony forming units (CFU) and log inactivation were carried out to calculate the number of colonies present in each sample. Result showed negligible to none disinfection properties in standard LED light. LED samples had CFU/ml colonies compared to control which is CFU/ml. UVA-LED samples achieved maximum inactivation and only had CFU/ml. Log inactivation results showed that LED samples observed 0.1-log inactivation whereas the UVA-LED had significant inactivation of 3.8-log inactivation corresponding to approximately 99.99 % E. coli reduction. The results demonstrate that UVA-LED at 385 nm is capable of efficiently providing inactivation of bacteria E. coli.