bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen sulphide may be a novel downstream signal molecule in nitric oxide‐induced heat tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings
Authors: LI ZHONG‐GUANG , YANG SHI‐ZHONG , LONG WEI‐BIAO , YANG GUO‐XIAN , SHEN ZHEN‐ZHEN 
Published: March 2013

AbstractNitric oxide (NO) is a second messenger with multifunction that is involved in plant growth, development and the acquisition of stress tolerance. In recent years, hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been found to have similar functions, but crosstalk between NO and H2S in the acquisition of heat tolerance is not clear. In this study, pretreatment with the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) improved the survival percentage of maize seedlings and alleviated an increase in electrolyte leakage and a decrease in tissue vitality as well as accumulation of malondialdehyde, indicating that pretreatment with SNP improved the heat tolerance of maize seedlings. In addition, pretreatment with SNP enhanced the activity of L‐cystine desulfhydrase, which, in turn, induced accumulation of endogenous H2S, while application of H2S donors, NaHS and GYY4137, increased endogenous H2S content, followed by mitigating increase in electrolyte leakage and enhanced survival percentage of seedlings under heat stress. Interestingly, SNP‐induced heat tolerance was enhanced by application of NaHS and GYY4137, but was eliminated by inhibitors of H2S synthesis DL‐propargylglycine, aminooxyacetic acid, potassium pyruvate and hydroxylamine, and the H2S scavenger hypotaurine. All of the above‐mentioned results suggest that SNP pretreatment could improve heat tolerance, and H2S may be a downstream signal molecule in NO‐induced heat tolerance of maize seedlings.
Association mapping for chilling tolerance in elite flint and dent maize inbred lines evaluated in growth chamber and field experiments
Authors: STRIGENS ALEXANDER , FREITAG NICLAS M. , GILBERT XAVIER , GRIEDER CHRISTOPH , RIEDELSHEIMER CHRISTIAN , SCHRAG TOBIAS A. , MESSMER RAINER , MELCHINGER ALBRECHT E. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractChilling sensitivity of maize is a strong limitation for its cultivation in the cooler areas of the northern and southern hemisphere because reduced growth in early stages impairs on later biomass accumulation. Efficient breeding for chilling tolerance is hampered by both the complex physiological response of maize to chilling temperatures and the difficulty to accurately measure chilling tolerance in the field under fluctuating climatic conditions. For this research, we used genome‐wide association (GWA) mapping to identify genes underlying chilling tolerance under both controlled and field conditions in a broad germplasm collection of 375 maize inbred lines genotyped with 56 110 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). We identified 19 highly significant association signals explaining between 5.7 and 52.5% of the phenotypic variance observed for early growth and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. The allelic effect of severalSNPsidentified for early growth was associated with temperature and incident radiation. Candidate genes involved in ethylene signalling, brassinolide, and lignin biosynthesis were found in their vicinity. The frequent involvement of candidate genes into signalling or gene expression regulation underlines the complex response of photosynthetic performance and early growth to climatic conditions, and supports pleiotropism as a major cause of co‐locations of quantitative trait loci for these highly polygenic traits.
Promoting Community Practitioners' Use of Evidence‐Based Approaches to Increase Breast Cancer Screening
Authors: Leeman Jennifer , Moore Alexis , Teal Randall , Barrett Nadine , Leighton Ashely , Steckler Allan 
Published: March 2013

AbstractMany women do not get mammography screenings at the intervals recommended for early detection and treatment of breast cancer. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide) recommends a range of evidence‐based strategies to improve mammography rates. However, nurses and others working in community‐based settings make only limited use of these strategies. We report on a dissemination intervention that partnered the University of North Carolina with the Susan G. Komen Triangle Affiliate to disseminate Community Guide breast cancer screening strategies to community organizations. The intervention was guided by social marketing and diffusion of innovation theory and was designed to provide evidence and support via Komen's existing relationships with grantee organizations. The present study reports the findings from a formative evaluation of the intervention, which included a content analysis of 46 grant applications pre‐ and post intervention and focus groups with 20 grant recipients.
Religion and Sectarianism in Ulster: Interpreting the Northern Ireland Troubles
Authors: Elliott Laurence 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe following article considers the various arguments and counter‐arguments around the role of religion in causing and sustaining the conflict in Northern Ireland. It identifies the essential elements of the problem and assesses a number of the explanations given, emphasising the difficulty of providing a single answer to such a complex question. The correlation between religion and the divisions in Northern Ireland seems at first sight obvious, but, as a number of commentators have rightly observed, pinning down the relationship between someone’s religion and their attitudes is much more problematic. This essay therefore avoids the reductionism and ‘either/or’ formulations of so many scholars on both sides of the debate, instead emphasising that religion is ultimately one of a number of dimensions to Northern Irish identity, the politics of which sustains the social divisions and was the source of the political violence that ravaged the region.
Popular Palestinian Practices around Holy Places and Those Who Oppose Them: An Historical Introduction
Authors: Bowman Glenn 
Published: March 2013

AbstractA long history of intercommunal relations around local holy places in historic Palestine (a history which sadly seems to be coming to a close in the current day) draws attention to what precisely is the character of the attachment felt by local residents to sacred sites. Muslim‐Christian ‘sharing’ of holy places (maqam, plural maqamat) can be seen to express a dependency on powers perceived of as resident in a site, and the nominal affiliation of these powers to one religion or another is often not a matter of great concern to those frequenting the shrines. It is, however, a focal concern of the officiants of the respective religions who lay claim to the sites and who seek to expunge heterodox practices and traces of ambiguous affiliation (cf. Hayden 2002; Hayden et al. 2011). I here investigate records of local usages of religious sites, largely rural, in Palestine up through the Mandate Period in order to argue that shared shrines, as opposed to those which appear to be communally homogeneous, foreground issues of agency obscured in those sites under the control of religious authorities.
A pilot randomized study comparing two methods of non‐invasive ventilation withdrawal after acute respiratory failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Lun Chung‐Tat , Chan Veronica L. , Leung Wah‐Shing , Cheung Alice P.S. , Cheng Suet‐Lai , Tsui Miranda S.N. , Chu Chung‐Ming 
Published: March 2013

AbstractBackground and objectivePatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHcRF) benefit from non‐invasive ventilation (NIV). The best way to withdraw NIV is not known, and we conducted a pilot study comparing stepwise versus immediate withdrawal of NIV in these patients.MethodsThis was a prospective, single‐centre, open‐labelled randomized study comparing stepwise versus immediate withdrawal of NIV in patients with COPD exacerbation recovering from AHcRF. The primary end‐point was the success rate of NIV withdrawal, defined as no restarting of NIV from randomization to 48 h after complete withdrawal of NIV.ResultsSixty patients were randomized, 35 patients to stepwise withdrawal and 25 patients to immediate withdrawal. The two study arms were clinically comparable. There was no statistically significant difference in the success rate, with NIV successfully stopped in 74.3% and 56% in the stepwise and immediate withdrawal groups, respectively (P = 0.139).ConclusionsWe could not show any benefits for either strategy to withdraw NIV. The study may have been underpowered to detect differences, and larger prospective studies are required.
Stress and Disease: A Structural and Functional Analysis
Authors: Smyth Joshua , Zawadzki Matthew , Gerin William 
Published: March 2013

AbstractChronic stress, a validated health risk factor, remains an ambiguous construct in spite of years of research. We propose that chronic stress is best understood as a series of acute stress responses, and that these responses become maladaptive when they occur frequently or are of long duration. We focus on the factors that contribute to chronic stress: whether the presence of a stressor, real or imagined, is long‐lived and/or frequent (repeated activation), the degree to which the stressor is perceived as a threat even when no longer present (low or slow adaptation), and the extent to which the duration of responding is prolonged (delayed or failure to return to homeostasis). Importantly, we examine how perseverative cognitions (such as rumination and worry) contribute to chronic stress by creating and sustaining acute stress responses, largely via influencing activation, adaptation, and return to homeostasis. Finally, we discuss the implications of our stress model: that interventions can be ideographically tailored to address how an individual is experiencing chronic stress; that researchers may be better able to identify specific characteristics of chronic stress that relate most strongly to poor health; and that moderators of chronic stress may function through these contributing factors rather than via general effects on the system.
Dyadic Models for the Study of Health
Authors: Reed Rebecca G. , Butler Emily A. , Kenny David A. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractDyadic designs have been used in health research to investigate intra‐ and inter‐personal mechanisms of health and well‐being in various types of dyads, including parent–child dyads, siblings, friends, and romantic partners. Although a growing number of researchers are designing studies that capture the interdependent complexities of relationships, many still need more information on how to analyze the data in a way that maximizes its value. Therefore, the purpose of this review paper is twofold: (1) to address some of the ways in which dyadic data analysis is being used in current health research, with an emphasis on research that has employed the Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model, and (2) to propose and explain various methodological and substantive considerations that researchers should consider when using dyadic data analysis in their own research.
Heat stress induction of miR398 triggers a regulatory loop that is critical for thermotolerance in Arabidopsis
Authors: Guan Qingmei , Lu Xiaoyan , Zeng Haitao , Zhang Yanyan , Zhu Jianhua 
Published: March 2013

SummarymicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in plant growth and development. Previous studies have shown that down‐regulation of miR398 in response to oxidative stress permits up‐regulation of one of its target genes, CSD2 (copper/zinc superoxide dismutase), and thereby helps plants to cope with oxidative stress. We report here that heat stress rapidly induces miR398 and reduces transcripts of its target genes CSD1, CSD2 and CCS (a gene encoding a copper chaperone for both CSD1 and CSD2). Transgenic plants expressing miR398‐resistant forms of CSD1, CSD2 and CCS under the control of their native promoters are more sensitive to heat stress (as indicated by increased damage at the whole‐plant level and to flowers) than transgenic plants expressing normal coding sequences of CSD1, CSD2 or CCS under the control of their native promoters. In contrast, csd1, csd2 and ccs mutant plants are more heat‐tolerant (as indicated by less damage to flowers) than the wild‐type. Expression of genes encoding heat stress transcription factors (HSF genes) and heat shock proteins (HSP genes) is reduced in heat‐sensitive transgenic plants expressing miR398‐resistant forms of CSD1, CSD2 or CCS but is enhanced in the heat‐tolerant csd1, csd2 and ccs plants. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that HSFA1b and HSFA7b are the two HSFs responsible for heat induction of miR398. Together, our results suggest that plants use a previously unrecognized strategy to achieve thermotolerance, especially for the protection of reproductive tissues. This strategy involves the down‐regulation of CSD genes and their copper chaperone CCS through heat‐inducible miR398.
A draft genome sequence of the pulse crop chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Jain Mukesh , Misra Gopal , Patel Ravi K. , Priya Pushp , Jhanwar Shalu , Khan Aamir W. , Shah Niraj , Singh Vikas K. , Garg Rohini , Jeena Ganga , Yadav Manju , Kant Chandra , Sharma Priyanka , Yadav Gitanjali , Bhatia Sabhyata , Tyagi Akhilesh K. , Chattopadhyay Debasis 
Published: March 2013

SummaryCicer arietinum L. (chickpea) is the third most important food legume crop. We have generated the draft sequence of a desi‐type chickpea genome using next‐generation sequencing platforms, bacterial artificial chromosome end sequences and a genetic map. The 520‐Mb assembly covers 70% of the predicted 740‐Mb genome length, and more than 80% of the gene space. Genome analysis predicts the presence of 27 571 genes and 210 Mb as repeat elements. The gene expression analysis performed using 274 million RNA‐Seq reads identified several tissue‐specific and stress‐responsive genes. Although segmental duplicated blocks are observed, the chickpea genome does not exhibit any indication of recent whole‐genome duplication. Nucleotide diversity analysis provides an assessment of a narrow genetic base within the chickpea cultivars. We have developed a resource for genetic markers by comparing the genome sequences of one wild and three cultivated chickpea genotypes. The draft genome sequence is expected to facilitate genetic enhancement and breeding to develop improved chickpea varieties.
Paraneoplastic hypertrophic osteopathy in 30 dogs
Authors: Withers S. S. , Johnson E. G. , Culp W. T. N. , Rodriguez C. O. , Skorupski K. A. , Rebhun R. B. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractParaneoplastic hypertrophic osteopathy (pHO) is known to occur in both canine and human cancer patients. While the pathology ofpHOis well‐described in the dog, very little information exists regarding the true clinical presentation of dogs affected withpHO. The primary objective of this study was to provide a more comprehensive clinical picture ofpHO. To this end, we retrospectively identified 30 dogs and recorded data regarding presenting complaints and physical examination (PE) findings on the date ofpHOdiagnosis. As a secondary objective, any blood test results were also collected from the computerized records. The most common clinical signs included leg swelling, ocular discharge and/or episcleral injection, lameness, and lethargy. The most common haematological and serum biochemical abnormalities included anaemia, neutrophilia and elevated alkaline phosphatase. In addition to presenting a more detailed clinical description ofpHOin the dog, these data support the previously described haematological, serum biochemical and PE abnormalities published in individual case reports.
Suppression of NF‐kappaB p65 expression attenuates delayed xenograft rejection
Authors: Shen Zhenya , Ye Wenxue , Ten Xiaomei 
Published: March 2013

AbstractBackgroundDelayed xenograft rejection (DXR) involves type II vascular endothelial cell (VEC) activation including upregulation of pro‐inflammatory genes, which contributes to infiltration into the graft and a complex process of cytokine production. Approaches to prevent DXR have shown limited success. In this study, we modified heart donors using siRNA in an attempt to attenuate DXR and to improve xenograft survival in the mouse‐to‐rat heterotopic heart transplant model.MethodssiRNA technology was used to inhibit NF‐kappaB p65 gene expression in vivo in mice. After the donor was transfected with siRNA, the effects of NF‐kappaB siRNA on DXR and expression of NF‐kappaB and pro‐inflammatory genes were evaluated in a concordant mouse‐to‐rat cardiac xenograft model.ResultsTreatment of NF‐kappaB siRNA prolonged median heart graft survival time in the recipient rats from 1.7 days in a PBS control group to 5.4 days in the NF‐kappaB siRNA‐treated group (P < 0.05). Compared with normal mouse hearts, the NF‐kappaB p65 mRNA relative levels following siRNA injection in the donors decreased significantly (approximately 70% reduction) in grafts harvested 12 h after transplantation. The mRNA levels of VCAM‐1, ICAM‐1, and interleukin‐1 displayed a similar reduction. Histological evaluation using light and electron microscopy showed that damage of endothelial cells after NF‐kappaB siRNA treament occured at a later time.ConclusionTransfection of NF‐kappaB p65 siRNA in donor animals can delay the emergence of DXR. This treatment may be used as part of strategies to minimize the complex and multi‐faceted rejection responses in vascularized xenografts.
Measurement of changes in linear accelerator photon energy through flatness variation using an ion chamber array
Authors: Gao Song , Balter Peter A. , Rose Mark , Simon William E. 
Published: March 2013

Purpose:To compare the use of flatness versus percent depth dose (PDD) for determining changes in photon beam energy for a megavoltage linear accelerator.Methods:Energy changes were accomplished by adjusting the bending magnet current by up to ±15% in 5% increments away from the value used clinically. Two metrics for flatness, relative flatness in the central 80% of the field (Flat) and average maximum dose along the diagonals normalized by central axis dose (FDN), were measured using a commercially available planner ionization chamber array. PDD was measured in water at depths of 5 and 10 cm in 3 × 3 cm2 and 10 × 10 cm2 fields using a cylindrical chamber.Results:PDD was more sensitive to changes in energy when the beam energy was increased than when it was decreased. For the 18‐MV beam in particular, PDD was not sensitive to energy reductions below the nominal energy. The value of Flat was found to be more sensitive to decreases in energy than to increases, with little sensitivity to energy increases above the nominal energy for 18‐MV beams.FDN was the only metric that was found to be sensitive to both increases and reductions of energy for both the 6‐ and 18‐MV beams.Conclusions:Flatness based metrics were found to be more sensitive to energy changes than PDD, In particular,FDN was found to be the most sensitive metric to energy changes for photon beams of 6 and 18 MV. The ionization chamber array allows this metric to be conveniently measured as part of routine accelerator quality assurance.
Approaches to Antifungal Therapies and Their Effectiveness among Patients with Cryptococcosis
Authors: Bratton Emily W. , El Husseini Nada , Chastain Cody A. , Lee Michael S. , Poole Charles , Stürmer Til , Weber David J. , Juliano Jonathan J. , Perfect John R. 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT
The goal of this study was to determine the degree to which the persistence of cryptococcosis, overall 1-year mortality, and 1-year mortality due to cryptococcosis were influenced by initial antifungal treatment regimen in a cohort of adults with cryptococcosis treated at a tertiary care medical center. Risk factors, underlying conditions, treatment, and mortality information were obtained for 204 adults with cryptococcosis from Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) from 1996 to 2009. Adjusted risk ratios (RR) for persistence and hazard ratios (HR) for mortality were estimated for each exposure. The all-cause mortality rate among patients with nonsevere disease (20%) was similar to that in the group with disease (26%). However, the rate of cryptococcosis-attributable mortality with nonsevere disease (5%) was much lower than with severe disease (20%). Flucytosine exposure was associated with a lower overall mortality rate (HR, 0.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2 to 0.9) and attributable mortality rate (HR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.2 to 1.2). Receiving a nonrecommended antifungal regimen was associated with a higher relative risk of persistent infection at 4 weeks (RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 0.9 to 4.3), and the rate of attributable mortality among those not receiving the recommended dose of initial therapy was higher than that of those receiving recommended dosing (HR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.0 to 5.0). Thus, the 2010 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines are supported by this retrospective review as a best-practice protocol for cryptococcal management. Future investigations should consider highlighting the distinction between all-cause mortality and attributable mortality so as not to overestimate the true effect of cryptococcosis on patient death.
Comparative Analysis of the Antibacterial Activity of a Novel Peptide Deformylase Inhibitor, GSK1322322
Authors: O'Dwyer Karen , Hackel Meredith , Hightower Sarah , Hoban Daryl , Bouchillon Samuel , Qin Donghui , Aubart Kelly , Zalacain Magdalena , Butler Deborah 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTGSK1322322 is a novel peptide deformylase (PDF) inhibitor being developed for the intravenous and oral treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. The activity of GSK1322322 was tested against a global collection of clinical isolates ofHaemophilus influenzae(n= 2,370),Moraxella catarrhalis(n= 115),Streptococcus pneumoniae(n= 947),Streptococcus pyogenes(n= 617), andStaphylococcus aureus(n= 940), including strains resistant to one or more marketed antibiotics. GSK1322322 had an MIC90of 1 μg/ml againstM. catarrhalisand 4 μg/ml againstH. influenzae, with 88.8% of β-lactamase-positive strains showing growth inhibition at that concentration. AllS. pneumoniaestrains were inhibited by ≤4 μg/ml of GSK1322322, with an MIC90of 2 μg/ml. Pre-existing resistance mechanisms did not affect its potency, as evidenced by the MIC90of 1 μg/ml for penicillin, levofloxacin, and macrolide-resistantS. pneumoniae. GSK1322322 was very potent againstS. pyogenesstrains, with an MIC90of 0.5 μg/ml, irrespective of their macrolide resistance phenotype. This PDF inhibitor was also active againstS. aureusstrains regardless of their susceptibility to methicillin, macrolides, or levofloxacin, with an MIC90of 4 μg/ml in all cases. Time-kill studies showed that GSK1322322 had bactericidal activity againstS. pneumoniae,H. influenzae,S. pyogenes, andS. aureus, demonstrating a ≥3-log10decrease in the number of CFU/ml at 4× MIC within 24 h in 29 of the 33 strains tested. Given the antibacterial potency demonstrated against this panel of organisms, GSK1322322 represents a valuable alternative therapy for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant pathogens.