bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plasmid Profiles of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Associated with Biofilms from Ground Water Sources in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Authors: F. T Akinruli , V. O Oluwasusi , S. O Fabunmi 
Published: September 2024

Introduction: The presence of microbial biofilms in our drinking water sources poses a significant health risks to human because biofilm serves as an environmental reservoir of pathogenic microorganisms; the bacteria in biofilms are usually antibiotic resistant and therefore their multiple resistance genes may be harbored on the resistant plasmid.
Aim: The study investigated the plasmid profiles of antibiotic resistant bacteria associated with biofilms from ground water sources in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State Nigeria.
Methodology: One hundred samples of water were collected randomly from wells and boreholes, isolation and identification of bacteria from the biofilms of the water samples were carried out by using standard microbiological procedures, antibiotic sensitivity of the isolates was carried out and multiple antibiotic resistant indexes of the bacterial isolates were calculated. The plasmid profiles of the bacterial isolates was also determined.
Results: Results showed that a total of 209 bacteria were isolated from the biofilms of the two ground water sources; these include Streptococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhi and Shigella dysenteriae. S. faecalis from borehole and well water samples had the highest occurrence of (37.5%) and (49.5%) respectively. Shigella dysenteriae had the lowest occurrence of (1.8%) from borehole water while Staphylococcus aureus from well occurred least (2.1%). Both Gram positive and the Gram negative bacterial isolates showed considerable resistance to the different antibiotics. The percentage occurrence of the multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) bacterial isolates was 106 (52.5%) with the highest percentage (63.4%) from the biofilms of borehole water samples. The MAR indexes of the majority of the bacterial isolates were above 0.2, this revealed a high prevalence of MAR indexes which indicates high risk source of contamination in the study area. Of the 10 MAR isolates selected and examined for plasmid analysis, it was discovered that only six isolates harbored plasmids with molecular size range of 300-950 bp. Plasmid curing and antibiotic sensitivity test after curing showed that curing of plasmids was effective in four isolates (P. vulgaris B11, E. coli W21, Enterobacter aerogenes W25 and Strept. faecalis B25) and partially effective in two isolates (Salmonella typhi B4 and E. coli B37).
Conclusion: Well and borehole water must be treated at the point of use, water storage vessels must be washed regularly and there should be public enlightenment on indiscriminate use of antibiotics in order to eradicate the incidence of antibiotic resistance.
Root Characters of High Oleic and Normal Groundnut Varieties as Influenced by Nutrient Management under Well Water and Water Stress Environments
Authors: Vamshi Oddula , Reddy M. Malla , Sawargaonkar G. L. , Sarada Ch. , Sudini Hari Kishan 
Published: September 2024

Aims: To find out the influence of moisture stress and nutrient management on root parameters of high oleic and normal groundnut varieties.
Background: A field experiment was conducted at ICRISAT, Patancheru, Hyderabad, during rabi 2022-23 and 2023-24 to evaluate the performance of high oleic and normal Groundnut varieties with nutrient management practices under well watered and water stress conditions.
Methodology: During the years 2022-23 and 2023-24 an experiment was performed in a split plot design over the environments. Under well watered conditions irrigation is given at 1.0 cumulative Epan, whereas in water stress irrigation is scheduled at 0.5 cumulative Epan. Girnar 4 (ICGV 15083) and Girnar 5 (ICGV 15090) are the high oleic varieties and Kadiri Lepakshi (K1812) is the normal oleic variety, which were used in the study.
Results: The root parameters of oleic and normal groundnut varieties differed significantly between well watered and water stress conditions. The root dry weight and root volume was significantly higher in well watered condition (E I) over water stress (E II). There was no significant variation in nutrient management treatments with respect to all the root parameters studied. Among varieties V2- Girnar 5 (ICGV 15090) registered the higher values for the root parameters and those were at par with V1-Girnar 4 (ICGV 15083). Whereas, Kadiri Lepakshi variety (V3) has recorded the lower values for the root parameters studied.
Ionomers
Authors: Ko Kwang‐Hwan , Kim Joon‐Seop 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Ionomers are polymers that contain a relatively small amount of ionic groups along the polymer chain of a low dielectric constant, which show unique physical properties, eg, two glass transition temperatures, small‐angle X‐ray scattering peak, transport, and high melt viscosity. The interactions between ionic groups are important in that they allow modification of the polymer properties by introducing the ionic groups into nonionic polymers. Ionomers have received considerable attention from both industrial and academic arenas.
This article starts with a brief discussion on the ionomers, multiplets, and clusters and their glass transitions. The physical properties of various ionomers are described next, followed by a discussion on ionomer blends and on plasticization using polar, nonpolar, and amphiphilic plasticizers. Finally, selected applications of ionomers are introduced.
Interpretation of Mixtures; Graphical
Authors: Jamieson Allan 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
As forensic DNA profiling encounters more types of crime stains in terms of complex mixtures and sources, it becomes almost impossible to present all of the circumstances that an analyst may have to interpret.
Increasing the number of sources increases the complexity of the interpretation and reasonable inferences that can be drawn from a profile. The aim of this article is to illustrate the type of profiles that can be found and some of the problems in interpreting them. None of the examples are comprehensive or definitive because of the range of profiles found in casework and the continuing uncertainty as to assessing the actual number of contributors and how dubious peaks should be interpreted.
Statistical Evidence in Court
Authors: Koehler Jonathan J. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe words that a forensic science witness uses at trial to characterize a reported “match” between forensic evidence and a reference sample are important. Laboratory research indicates that even very subtle variations in the forensic scientist's words can be the difference between a guilty verdict and an acquittal in a close criminal case. This article examines the ways in which forensic scientists characterize a match, and explains how and why jurors often struggle to interpret the match statistics that they hear. The article concludes with recommendations for how a forensic scientist should communicate match statistics.
Accreditation: Laboratory
Authors: Jamieson Allan 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Laboratory accreditation enhances quality assurance programs in forensic science laboratories, promoting good forensic science practices, reliable techniques, and trustworthy expert opinion. Accreditation is now widely accepted in the United States as well as internationally. In some states, accreditation is a precondition to the judicial admissibility of expert opinion. This article reviews the history of accreditation in the United States and the accreditation programs offered by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), including both the Legacy and the International programs. The framework for the accreditation programs is described, along with the processes and criteria necessary for achieving accreditation. Recognized as a safeguard for the public, accreditation plays an important role in the criminal justice system.
Integration of Central and Peripheral Respiratory Chemoreflexes
Authors: Wilson Richard J.A. , Teppema Luc J. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTA debate has raged since the discovery of central and peripheral respiratory chemoreceptors as to whether the reflexes they mediate combine in an additive (i.e., no interaction), hypoadditive or hyperadditive manner. Here we critically review pertinent literature related to O2and CO2sensing from the perspective of system integration and summarize many of the studies on which these seemingly opposing views are based. Despite the intensity and quality of this debate, we have yet to reach consensus, either within or between species. In reviewing this literature, we are struck by the merits of the approaches and preparations that have been brought to bear on this question. This suggests that either the nature of combination is not important to system responses, contrary to what has long been supposed, or that the nature of the combination is more malleable than previously assumed, changing depending on physiological state and/or respiratory requirement. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:1005‐1041, 2016.
Lung Circulation
Authors: Suresh Karthik , Shimoda Larissa A. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTThe circulation of the lung is unique both in volume and function. For example, it is the only organ with two circulations: the pulmonary circulation, the main function of which is gas exchange, and the bronchial circulation, a systemic vascular supply that provides oxygenated blood to the walls of the conducting airways, pulmonary arteries and veins. The pulmonary circulation accommodates the entire cardiac output, maintaining high blood flow at low intravascular arterial pressure. As compared with the systemic circulation, pulmonary arteries have thinner walls with much less vascular smooth muscle and a relative lack of basal tone. Factors controlling pulmonary blood flow include vascular structure, gravity, mechanical effects of breathing, and the influence of neural and humoral factors. Pulmonary vascular tone is also altered by hypoxia, which causes pulmonary vasoconstriction. If the hypoxic stimulus persists for a prolonged period, contraction is accompanied by remodeling of the vasculature, resulting in pulmonary hypertension. In addition, genetic and environmental factors can also confer susceptibility to development of pulmonary hypertension. Under normal conditions, the endothelium forms a tight barrier, actively regulating interstitial fluid homeostasis. Infection and inflammation compromise normal barrier homeostasis, resulting in increased permeability and edema formation. This article focuses on reviewing the basics of the lung circulation (pulmonary and bronchial), normal development and transition at birth and vasoregulation. Mechanisms contributing to pathological conditions in the pulmonary circulation, in particular when barrier function is disrupted and during development of pulmonary hypertension, will also be discussed. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:897‐943, 2016.
Neuroendocrine Regulation of Growth Hormone Secretion
Authors: Steyn Frederik J. , Tolle Virginie , Chen Chen , Epelbaum Jacques 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTThis article reviews the main findings that emerged in the intervening years since the previous volume on hormonal control of growth in the section on the endocrine system of the Handbook of Physiology concerning the intra‐ and extrahypothalamic neuronal networks connecting growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and somatostatin hypophysiotropic neurons and the integration between regulators of food intake/metabolism and GH release. Among these findings, the discovery of ghrelin still raises many unanswered questions. One important event was the application of deconvolution analysis to the pulsatile patterns of GH secretion in different mammalian species, including Man, according to gender, hormonal environment and ageing. Concerning this last phenomenon, a great body of evidence now supports the role of an attenuation of the GHRH/GH/Insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) axis in the control of mammalian aging. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:687‐735, 2016.
Regulation of the Hypothalamic‐Pituitary‐Adrenocortical Stress Response
Authors: Herman James P. , McKlveen Jessica M. , Ghosal Sriparna , Kopp Brittany , Wulsin Aynara , Makinson Ryan , Scheimann Jessie , Myers Brent 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTThe hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenocortical (HPA) axis is required for stress adaptation. Activation of the HPA axis causes secretion of glucocorticoids, which act on multiple organ systems to redirect energy resources to meet real or anticipated demand. The HPA stress response is driven primarily by neural mechanisms, invoking corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) release from hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurons. Pathways activating CRH release are stressor dependent: reactive responses to homeostatic disruption frequently involve direct noradrenergic or peptidergic drive of PVN neurons by sensory relays, whereas anticipatory responses use oligosynaptic pathways originating in upstream limbic structures. Anticipatory responses are driven largely by disinhibition, mediated by trans‐synaptic silencing of tonic PVN inhibition via GABAergic neurons in the amygdala. Stress responses are inhibited by negative feedback mechanisms, whereby glucocorticoids act to diminish drive (brainstem) and promote transsynaptic inhibition by limbic structures (e.g., hippocampus). Glucocorticoids also act at the PVN to rapidly inhibit CRH neuronal activity via membrane glucocorticoid receptors. Chronic stress‐induced activation of the HPA axis takes many forms (chronic basal hypersecretion, sensitized stress responses, and even adrenal exhaustion), with manifestation dependent upon factors such as stressor chronicity, intensity, frequency, and modality. Neural mechanisms driving chronic stress responses can be distinct from those controlling acute reactions, including recruitment of novel limbic, hypothalamic, and brainstem circuits. Importantly, an individual's response to acute or chronic stress is determined by numerous factors, including genetics, early life experience, environmental conditions, sex, and age. The context in which stressors occur will determine whether an individual's acute or chronic stress responses are adaptive or maladaptive (pathological). © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:603‐621, 2016.
Euthyroid Sick Syndrome
Authors: Lee Sun , Farwell Alan P. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTIn this review, we discuss the characteristics, pathophysiology, and therapeutic implications of the euthyroid sick syndrome. Multiple mechanisms have been identified to contribute to the development of euthyroid sick syndrome, including alterations in the iodothyronine deiodinases, thyroid‐stimulating hormone secretion, thyroid hormone binding to plasma protein, transport of thyroid hormone in peripheral tissues, and thyroid hormone receptor activity. The euthyroid sick syndrome appears to be a complex mix of physiologic adaptation and pathologic response to acute illness. The underlying cause for these alterations has not yet been elucidated. Treatment of the euthyroid sick syndrome with thyroid hormone to restore normal serum thyroid hormone levels in an effort to improve disease prognosis and outcomes continues to be a focus of many clinical studies, although currently available data do not provide evidence of a clear benefit of treatment. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:1071‐1080, 2016.
Adhesion Molecules: Master Controllers of the Circulatory System
Authors: Schmidt Eric P. , Kuebler Wolfgang M. , Lee Warren L. , Downey Gregory P. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTThis manuscript will review our current understanding of cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) relevant to the circulatory system, their physiological role in control of vascular homeostasis, innate and adaptive immune responses, and their importance in pathophysiological (disease) processes such as acute lung injury, atherosclerosis, and pulmonary hypertension. This is a complex and rapidly changing area of research that is incompletely understood. By design, we will begin with a brief overview of the structure and classification of the major groups of adhesion molecules and their physiological functions including cellular adhesion and signaling. The role of specific CAMs in the process of platelet aggregation and hemostasis and leukocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration will be reviewed as examples of the complex and cooperative interplay between CAMs during physiological and pathophysiological processes. The role of the endothelial glycocalyx and the glycobiology of this complex system related to inflammatory states such as sepsis will be reviewed. We will then focus on the role of adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis of specific disease processes involving the lungs and cardiovascular system. The potential of targeting adhesion molecules in the treatment of immune and inflammatory diseases will be highlighted in the relevant sections throughout the manuscript. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:945‐973, 2016.
Development of the Neuroendocrine Hypothalamus
Authors: Burbridge Sarah , Stewart Iain , Placzek Marysia 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTThe neuroendocrine hypothalamus is composed of the tuberal and anterodorsal hypothalamus, together with the median eminence/neurohypophysis. It centrally governs wide‐ranging physiological processes, including homeostasis of energy balance, circadian rhythms and stress responses, as well as growth and reproductive behaviours. Homeostasis is maintained by integrating sensory inputs and effecting responses via autonomic, endocrine and behavioural outputs, over diverse time‐scales and throughout the lifecourse of an individual. Here, we summarize studies that begin to reveal how different territories and cell types within the neuroendocrine hypothalamus are assembled in an integrated manner to enable function, thus supporting the organism's ability to survive and thrive. We discuss how signaling pathways and transcription factors dictate the appearance and regionalization of the hypothalamic primordium, the maintenance of progenitor cells, and their specification and differentiation into neurons. We comment on recent studies that harness such programmes for the directed differentiation of human ES/iPS cells. We summarize how developmental plasticity is maintained even into adulthood and how integration between the hypothalamus and peripheral body is established in the median eminence and neurohypophysis. Analysis of model organisms, including mouse, chick and zebrafish, provides a picture of how complex, yet elegantly coordinated, developmental programmes build glial and neuronal cells around the third ventricle of the brain. Such conserved processes enable the hypothalamus to mediate its function as a central integrating and response‐control mediator for the homeostatic processes that are critical to life. Early indications suggest that deregulation of these events may underlie multifaceted pathological conditions and dysfunctional physiology in humans, such as obesity. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:623‐643, 2016.
Lung Structure and the Intrinsic Challenges of Gas Exchange
Authors: Hsia Connie C.W. , Hyde Dallas M. , Weibel Ewald R. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTStructural and functional complexities of the mammalian lung evolved to meet a unique set of challenges, namely, the provision of efficient delivery of inspired air to all lung units within a confined thoracic space, to build a large gas exchange surface associated with minimal barrier thickness and a microvascular network to accommodate the entire right ventricular cardiac output while withstanding cyclic mechanical stresses that increase several folds from rest to exercise. Intricate regulatory mechanisms at every level ensure that the dynamic capacities of ventilation, perfusion, diffusion, and chemical binding to hemoglobin are commensurate with usual metabolic demands and periodic extreme needs for activity and survival. This article reviews the structural design of mammalian and human lung, its functional challenges, limitations, and potential for adaptation. We discuss (i) the evolutionary origin of alveolar lungs and its advantages and compromises, (ii) structural determinants of alveolar gas exchange, including architecture of conducting bronchovascular trees that converge in gas exchange units, (iii) the challenges of matching ventilation, perfusion, and diffusion and tissue‐erythrocyte and thoracopulmonary interactions. The notion of erythrocytes as an integral component of the gas exchanger is emphasized. We further discuss the signals, sources, and limits of structural plasticity of the lung in alveolar hypoxia and following a loss of lung units, and the promise and caveats of interventions aimed at augmenting endogenous adaptive responses. Our objective is to understand how individual components are matched at multiple levels to optimize organ function in the face of physiological demands or pathological constraints. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:827‐895, 2016.
Thin Filament Structure and the Steric Blocking Model
Authors: Lehman William 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTBy interacting with the troponin‐tropomyosin complex on myofibrillar thin filaments, Ca2+and myosin govern the regulatory switching processes influencing contractile activity of mammalian cardiac and skeletal muscles. A possible explanation of the roles played by Ca2+and myosin emerged in the early 1970s when a compelling “steric model” began to gain traction as a likely mechanism accounting for muscle regulation. In its most simple form, the model holds that, under the control of Ca2+binding to troponin and myosin binding to actin, tropomyosin strands running along thin filaments either block myosin‐binding sites on actin when muscles are relaxed or move away from them when muscles are activated. Evidence for the steric model was initially based on interpretation of subtle changes observed in X‐ray fiber diffraction patterns of intact skeletal muscle preparations. Over the past 25 years, electron microscopy coupled with three‐dimensional reconstruction directly resolved thin filament organization under many experimental conditions and at increasingly higher resolution. At low‐Ca2+, tropomyosin was shown to occupy a “blocked‐state” position on the filament, and switched‐on in a two‐step process, involving first a movement of tropomyosin away from the majority of the myosin‐binding site as Ca2+binds to troponin and then a further movement to fully expose the site when small numbers of myosin heads bind to actin. In this contribution, basic information on Ca2+‐regulation of muscle contraction is provided. A description is then given relating the voyage of discovery taken to arrive at the present understanding of the steric regulatory model. © 2016 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol6:1043‐1069, 2016.
Addition of Nucleophiles to Fluorinated Michael Acceptors
Authors: Ramb Daniel C. , Lerchen Andreas , Kischkewitz Marvin , Beutel Bernd , Fustero Santos , Haufe Günter 
Published: March 2016

AbstractA series of nucleophiles, including primary and secondary amines, primary alcohols, and thiols, as well as diethyl malonate and nitromethane, were added to different fluorinated Michael acceptors including 2‐fluoroalk‐1‐en‐3‐ones and 2‐fluoro‐1‐phenylprop‐2‐en‐1‐one. The resulting β‐substituted α‐fluoro ketones were isolated in 34–92 % yield, depending on the substrate and the nucleophile. The best yields were obtained with secondary amines and with p‐methylthiophenol.