bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Successful Treatment of Disseminated Nocardiosis Caused by Nocardia veterana in a Dog
Authors: Yaemsiri S. , Sykes J.E. 
Published: November 2017

A 5‐year‐old male castrated Lhasa Apso cross was evaluated for a 1‐month history of inappetence, lethargy, gagging, and progressive right thoracic limb lameness. Synovial fluid analysis revealed nonseptic suppurative inflammation, and a diagnosis of immune‐mediated polyarthritis (IMPA) was made. After 3 months of treatment with prednisone and later cyclosporine, the dog developed multiple firm cutaneous and subcutaneous masses and a focal mass within the jejunum. Cultures of blood, urine, skin lesions, and the jejunal mass identified Nocardia veterana by matrix‐absorption laser desorption ionization‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) and allowed for earlier identification of the organism compared to more traditional secA1 gene sequencing. Immunosuppressive drug treatment was discontinued, and the dog was treated for 3 months by administration of trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole (TMS). No recurrence of clinical signs was reported 1 year later. This case report highlights the clinical utility of MALDI‐TOF MS, particularly for the rapid identification of slow‐growing, fastidious organisms.
Questionnaire‐based Analysis of Owner‐reported Scratching and Pain Signs in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Screened for Chiari‐like Malformation and Syringomyelia
Authors: Sparks C.R. , Cerda‐Gonzalez S. , Griffith E.H. , Lascelles B.D.X. , Olby N.J. 
Published: November 2017

BackgroundChiari‐like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) cause a pain syndrome in Cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCS). Clinical signs are not consistently apparent on neurologic examination, and owner reporting of signs provides vital clinical history. However, owner questionnaires for this disease are not well developed.ObjectivesTo develop a tool to capture owner‐reported clinical signs for use in clinical trials and to compare owner‐reported signs with the presence of pain on neurologic examination and SM on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).AnimalsFifty client‐owned CKCS.MethodsOwners completed a questionnaire and pain/scratch map. Each dog underwent a neurologic examination and craniocervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Questionnaire responses were developed into scores, area of shading for pain/scratch maps was measured, and consistency of responses between these tools was assessed. Owner‐reported findings were compared with neurologic examination findings and presence and severity of SM on MRI.ResultsThirty‐three dogs were symptomatic and 17 asymptomatic; 30 had SM. The most common sign of pain was crying out when lifted (n = 11). Extent of shaded areas on maps positively correlated with questionnaire scores for pain (r2 = 0.213, P = 0.006) and scratch (r2 = 0.104, P = 0.089). Owner‐reported findings were not significantly associated with presence or severity of SM or neurologic examination findings. Owner‐reported lateralization of signs was significantly associated with SM lateralization (P < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe questionnaire and maps may be useful for clinical trials. Lack of association of owner‐reported signs with SM highlights our lack of understanding of the pathophysiology of pain in this disease.
Fight Dispersion Through Education: The Results of the First Cycle of the NoOut Project
Authors: Batini Federico , Bartolucci Marco , De Carlo Ermelinda 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTDropping out of school can involve several internal and external factors. Regarding internal factors, learning difficulties and the experience of failure could trigger the withdrawal of commitment, rejection of and resistance to school, as well as a general perception of inadequacy. Here, we show the results of a series of interventions implemented in four schools. Participants were subjected to a total of 70 hr of interventions in class over a 6‐month period during which active and nontraditional teaching was promoted. Before and after the interventions, the Das‐Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) was administered to participants in order to assess whether there was any enhancement of the cognitive functions that underlie learning processes. The results show a significant improvement in almost every experimental group, compared with control groups, suggesting that this kind of approach could lead to a systematic improvement in the cognitive resources of students, thereby diminishing the risk of failure and dropping out.
Introgression between divergent corn borer species in a region of sympatry: Implications on the evolution and adaptation of pest arthropods
Authors: Wang Yangzhou , Kim Kyung Seok , Guo Wenchao , Li Qiyun , Zhang Yunyue , Wang Zhenying , Coates Brad S. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis, and European corn borer, O. nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), cause damage to cultivated maize in spatially distinct geographies and have evolved divergent hydrocarbons as the basis of sexual communication. The Yili area of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China represents the only known region where O. furnacalis has invaded a native O. nubilalis range, and these two corn borer species have made secondary contact. Genetic differentiation was estimated between Ostrinia larvae collected from maize plants at 11 locations in Xinjiang and genotyped using high‐throughput SNP and microsatellite markers. Maternal lineages were assessed by direct sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and II haplotypes, and a high degree of genotypic diversity was demonstrated between lineages based on SNP genotypes. Furthermore, historical introgression was predicted among SNP genotypes only at sympatric locations in the Yili area, whereas in Xinjiang populations only O. furnacalis haplotypes were detected and no analogous introgressed genotypes were predicted. Our detection of putative hybrids and historical evidence of introgression defines Yili area as a hybrid zone between the species in normal ecological interactions and furthermore, might indicate that adaptive traits could spread even between seemingly divergent species through horizontal transmission. Results of this study indicate there may be a continuum in the degree of reproductive isolation between Ostrinia species and that the elegance of distinct and complete speciation based on modifications to the pheromone communication might need to be reconsidered.
A new mechanism for reduced sensitivity to demethylation‐inhibitor fungicides in the fungal banana black Sigatoka pathogen Pseudocercospora fijiensis
Authors: Diaz‐Trujillo Caucasella , Chong Pablo , Stergiopoulos Ioannis , Cordovez Viviane , Guzman Mauricio , De Wit Pierre J. G. M. , Meijer Harold J. G. , Scalliet Gabriel , Sierotzki Helge , Lilia Peralta Esther , Arango Isaza Rafael E. , Kema Gerrit H. J. 
Published: November 2017

SummaryThe Dothideomycete Pseudocercospora fijiensis, previously Mycosphaerella fijiensis, is the causal agent of black Sigatoka, one of the most destructive diseases of bananas and plantains. Disease management depends on fungicide applications, with a major contribution from sterol demethylation‐inhibitors (DMIs). The continued use of DMIs places considerable selection pressure on natural P. fijiensis populations, enabling the selection of novel genotypes with reduced sensitivity. The hitherto explanatory mechanism for this reduced sensitivity was the presence of non‐synonymous point mutations in the target gene Pfcyp51, encoding the sterol 14α‐demethylase enzyme. Here, we demonstrate a second mechanism involved in DMI sensitivity of P. fijiensis. We identified a 19‐bp element in the wild‐type (wt) Pfcyp51 promoter that concatenates in strains with reduced DMI sensitivity. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay identified up to six Pfcyp51 promoter repeats in four field populations of P. fijiensis in Costa Rica. We used transformation experiments to swap the wt promoter of a sensitive field isolate with a promoter from a strain with reduced DMI sensitivity that comprised multiple insertions. Comparative in vivo phenotyping showed a functional and proportional up‐regulation of Pfcyp51, which consequently decreased DMI sensitivity. Our data demonstrate that point mutations in the Pfcyp51 coding domain, as well as promoter inserts, contribute to the reduced DMI sensitivity of P. fijiensis. These results provide new insights into the importance of the appropriate use of DMIs and the need for the discovery of new molecules for black Sigatoka management.
Ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 governed by plant–soil interactions and the cost of nitrogen acquisition
Authors: Terrer César , Vicca Sara , Stocker Benjamin D. , Hungate Bruce A. , Phillips Richard P. , Reich Peter B. , Finzi Adrien C. , Prentice I. Colin 
Published: November 2017

Contents

Summary
507

I.
Introduction
507

II.
The return on investment approach
508

III.
CO2 response spectrum
510

IV.
Discussion
516

Acknowledgements
518

References
518

SummaryLand ecosystems sequester on average about a quarter of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. It has been proposed that nitrogen (N) availability will exert an increasingly limiting effect on plants’ ability to store additional carbon (C) under rising CO2, but these mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we review findings from elevated CO2 experiments using a plant economics framework, highlighting how ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 may depend on the costs and benefits of plant interactions with mycorrhizal fungi and symbiotic N‐fixing microbes. We found that N‐acquisition efficiency is positively correlated with leaf‐level photosynthetic capacity and plant growth, and negatively with soil C storage. Plants that associate with ectomycorrhizal fungi and N‐fixers may acquire N at a lower cost than plants associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. However, the additional growth in ectomycorrhizal plants is partly offset by decreases in soil C pools via priming. Collectively, our results indicate that predictive models aimed at quantifying C cycle feedbacks to global change may be improved by treating N as a resource that can be acquired by plants in exchange for energy, with different costs depending on plant interactions with microbial symbionts.
Desiccation tolerance in Physcomitrella patens: Rate of dehydration and the involvement of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA)
Authors: Xiao Lihong , Yobi Abou , Koster Karen L. , He Yikun , Oliver Melvin J. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe moss Physcomitrella patens, a model system for basal land plants, tolerates several abiotic stresses, including dehydration. We previously reported that Physcomitrella patens survives equilibrium dehydration to −13 MPa in a closed system at 91% RH. Tolerance of desiccation to water potentials below −100 MPa was only achieved by pretreatment with exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). We report here that gametophores, but not protonemata, can survive desiccation below −100 MPa after a gradual drying regime in an open system, without exogenous ABA. In contrast, faster equilibrium drying at 90% RH for 3–5 days did not induce desiccation tolerance in either tissue. Endogenous ABA accumulated in protonemata and gametophores under both drying regimes, so did not correlate directly with desiccation tolerance. Gametophores of a Ppabi3a/b/c triple knock out transgenic line also survived the gradual dehydration regime, despite impaired ABA signaling. Our results suggest that the initial drying rate, and not the amount of endogenous ABA, may be critical in the acquisition of desiccation tolerance. Results from this work will provide insight into ongoing studies to uncover the role of ABA in the dehydration response and the underlying mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in this bryophyte.
Ultraviolet A Eye Irradiation Ameliorates Atopic Dermatitis via p53 and Clock Gene Proteins in NC/Nga Mice
Authors: Hiramoto Keiichi , Yamate Yurika , Yokoyama Satoshi 
Published: November 2017

AbstractAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a widespread chronic skin condition that severely affects quality of life and can lead to more serious complications. Although ultraviolet (UV)A eye irradiation can exert various effects on the skin, it is unknown whether UVA can affect AD. To investigate potential associations, we used an NC/Nga mouse model of AD to study the effects of UVA eye irradiation. The eyes of mice were irradiated with a UVA dose of 100 kJ m−2 using a FL20SBLB‐A lamp. Our histological data demonstrated that AD symptoms could be ameliorated by UVA eye irradiation. We also observed an increase in the levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), p53 and retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) in mice with UVA‐irradiated eyes. In contrast, the levels of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), period 2 (PER2) and differentiated embryo chondrocytes 1 (DEC1) protein were decreased in mice treated with UVA irradiation. Furthermore, UVA eye‐irradiated mice exhibited reduced DEC1 and RXRα colocalization compared with nonirradiated mice. These results suggested that p53 and various clock gene proteins played important roles in the amelioration of AD symptoms observed after UVA eye irradiation; this technique may have therapeutic applications in AD.
Temperatures during flower bud development affect pollen germination, self‐incompatibility reaction and early fruit development of clementine (Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.)
Authors: Distefano G. , Gentile A. , Hedhly A. , La Malfa S. 
Published: November 2017

Abstract

One of the key environmental factors affecting plant reproductive systems is temperature. Characterising such effects is especially relevant for some commercially important genera such as Citrus. In this genus, failure of fertilisation results in parthenocarpic fruit development and seedlessness, which is a much‐prized character. Here, we characterise the effects of temperature on flower and ovary development, and on pollen–pistil interactions in ‘Comune’ clementine (Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.).

We examine flower bud development, in vitro pollen germination and pollen–pistil interaction at different temperatures (15, 20, 25 or 30 °C). These temperatures span the range from ‘cold’ to ‘hot’ weather during the flowering season in many citrus‐growing regions.

Temperature had a strong effect on flower and ovary development, pollen germination, and pollen tube growth kinetics. In particular, parthenocarpic fruit development (indicated by juice vesicle growth) was initiated early if flowers were exposed to warmer temperatures during anthesis.

Exposure to different temperatures during flower bud development also alters expression of the self‐incompatibility reaction. This affects the point in the pistil at which pollen tube growth is arrested and confirms the role of sub‐ and supra‐optimal temperatures in determining the numbers of pollen tubes reaching the ovary.
Changes in floral biology and inbreeding depression in native and invaded regions of Datura stramonium
Authors: Jiménez‐Lobato V. , Martínez‐Borda E. , Núñez‐Farfán J. , Valverde P. L. , Cruz L. L. , López‐Velázquez A. , Santos‐Gally R. , Arroyo J. 
Published: November 2017

Abstract

Plant populations invading new environments might compromise their fitness contribution to the next generation, because of the lack of native specialist pollinators and/or potential mates. Thus, changes in plant mating system and traits linked to it are expected in populations colonising new environments where selection would favour selfing and floral traits that maximise reproductive output. To test this, we studied native (Mexico) and non‐native (Spain) populations of the obligate sexual reproducing annual weed Datura stramonium.

Flower size, herkogamy, total number of seeds per plant, number of visits by and type of pollinators, and inbreeding depression were assessed in native and non‐native populations. Finally, we measured phenotypic selection on corolla size and herkogamy in each population.

Flower size and herkogamy showed wide and similar variation in both ranges. However, the largest average flower size was found in one non‐native population whereas the highest average positive herkogamy was detected in one native population. On average, flowers in the native range received more visits by pollinators. Hawkmoths were the main visitors in the native populations while only bees were observed visiting flowers in Spain's populations. Only in the native range was inbreeding depression detected. Selection to reduce herkogamy was found only in one native population.

Absence of both inbreeding depression and selection on floral traits suggest a change in mating system of D. stramonium in a new range where generalist pollinators may be promoting high reproductive success. Selection against deleterious alleles might explain the reduction of inbreeding depression, promoting the evolution of selfing.
Physiological and ultrastructural characterisation of a desiccation‐tolerant filmy fern, Hymenophyllum caudiculatum: Influence of translational regulation and ABA on recovery
Authors: Garcés M. , Ulloa M. , Miranda A. , Bravo L. A. 
Published: November 2017

Abstract

The filmy fern Hymenophyllum caudiculatum can lose 60% of its relative water content, remain dry for some time and recover 88% of photochemical efficiency after 30 min of rehydration. Little is known about the protective strategies and regulation of the cellular rehydration process in this filmy fern species. The aim of this study was to characterise the filmy fern ultrastructure during a desiccation–rehydration cycle, and measure the physiological effects of transcription/translation inhibitors and ABA during desiccation recovery.

Confocal and transmission electron microscopy were used to compare changes in structure during fast or slow desiccation. Transcription (actinomycin D) and translation (cycloheximide) inhibitors and ABA were used to compare photochemical efficiency during desiccation recovery.

Cell structure was conserved during slow desiccation and rehydration, constitutive properties of the cell wall, allowing invagination and folding of the membranes and an important change in chloroplast size. The use of a translational inhibitor impeded recovery of photochemical efficiency during the first 80 min of rehydration, but the transcriptional inhibitor had no effect. Exogenous ABA delayed photochemical inactivation, and endogenous ABA levels decreased during desiccation and rehydration.

Frond curling and chloroplast movements are possible strategies to avoid photodamage. Constitutive membrane plasticity and rapid cellular repair can be adaptations evolved to tolerate a rapid recovery during rehydration. Further research is required to explore the importance of existing mRNAs during the first minutes of recovery, and ABA function during desiccation of H. caudiculatum.
Effect of bovine seminal plasma on bovine endometrial epithelial cells in culture
Authors: Nongbua T , Guo Y , Edman A , Humblot P , Morrell JM 
Published: November 2017

ContentsThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of seminal plasma (SP) from bulls of known fertility on bovine endometrial epithelial cells (bEEC) in culture. The bEEC from passage 5, approximately 5.0–13 × 105 cells per flask, were challenged with SP from bulls of high or low fertility (n = 3 and 2, respectively) or PBS (control), at 1% (75 μl) or 4% (300 μl) and were incubated for 72 hr (n = 13 per challenge). Total cell number and viability of bEEC after challenge with 1% SP from either high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (75H or 75L, respectively) did not differ from controls. In contrast, challenge with 4% of SP from high‐ or low‐fertility bulls (300H or 300L) negatively affected bEEC cell number and viability. Challenge with 300 L had a greater adverse effect than 300H. These results suggest that the negative effect of bovine SP on bEEC is both dose‐dependent and fertility‐dependent.
Morphometric study of the porcine placental vascularization
Authors: Cristofolini A , Fiorimanti M , Campos M , Sanchis E , Diaz T , Moschetti E , Merkis C 
Published: November 2017

ContentsThe early development in mammals is characterized by the contribution of nutrients from the maternal tissues through the placenta, which is in apposition with foetal membranes and the endometrium, allowing the physiological interchange between the embryos/foetuses and the mother. The aim of this work was to study the number of placental blood vessels and their vascular area through morphometric analyses and the haemotrophic diffusion distance in porcine placental tissues from early gestations, intermediates gestations, advanced gestations and term gestations. For those purposes, morphometric measurements, blood vessel quantification, high‐resolution light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were performed. The implementation of the high‐resolution light microscopy allowed studying the placental vascular and tissue histoarchitecture with higher definition and resolution than using a conventional light microscopy. We highlight the close location of the subepithelial capillaries to the maternal/foetal interface as pregnancy progresses. We found statistically significant evidence to state that the area of blood vessels is dependent on the gestation period. In advanced gestations, the presence of numerous small blood vessels and its near location to foetal/maternal interface agree with the great remodelling reported in our previous studies. In conclusion, in gilts, given the type of non‐invasive epithelial placentation, the new blood vessels generation and of haemotrophic diffusion distance reduction, determined in this report, assure the maternal/foetal haemotrophic exchange efficiency during gestation.
Bayesian Joint Modelling of Longitudinal Data on Abstinence, Frequency and Intensity of Drinking in Alcoholism Trials
Authors: Buta Eugenia , O’Malley Stephanie S. , Gueorguieva Ralitza 
Published: November 2017

SummaryIn alcoholism research, several complementary outcomes are of interest: abstinence from drinking during a specific time frame, and, when the individual is drinking, frequency of drinking (the proportion of days on which drinking occurs) and intensity of drinking (the average number of drinks per drinking day). The outcomes are often measured repeatedly over time on the same subject and, although they are closely related, they are rarely modelled together. We propose a joint model that allows us to fit these longitudinal outcomes simultaneously, using correlated random effects to model the association between the outcomes and between repeated measurements on the same subject. The model has three parts: a logistic part for sustained abstinence over the period of interest, a truncated binomial part for frequency of drinking and a log-normal model for drinking intensity when drinking occurs. Because of the computational impracticality of fitting models with many random effects by using standard frequentist approaches, we use a Bayesian approach to fit the joint model. We also conduct a simulation study to investigate the gains in parameter estimate bias and mean-squared error associated with joint versus separate modelling. We illustrate the approach on data from an alcoholism clinical trial.