bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of estradiol during culture of bovine oocyte–granulosa cell complexes on the mitochondrial DNA copies of oocytes and telomere length of granulosa cells
Authors: Endo M. , Kimura K. , Kuwayama T. , Monji Y. , Iwata H. 
Published: December 2012

SummaryDuring the development of oocytes from early antral follicles (EAFs) to antral follicles (AFs), the mitochondrial DNA copy number (Mt DNA number) increases, and granulosa cells markedly proliferate. This study examined the effect of supplementation of culture medium with estradiol-17β (E2) on the in vitro growth of oocytes, and increases in the Mt DNA number, and telomere length during the in vitro culture of oocytes derived from EAFs (0.4–0.7 mm in diameter). The E2 supplementation improved antrum formation and the ratio of oocytes reaching the metaphase II (MII) stage, and there was a significant difference in these values between addition E2 concentrations of 10 μg/ml and 0.1 μg/ml. When the oocytes were cultured in the medium containing 10 μg/ml E2, the Mt DNA number determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) significantly increased, and the ratio of the Mt DNA number at the end of culture to the Mt DNA number at the beginning of the culture was greatly different among cows, and could be predicted by the degree of the difference between the Mt DNA number of oocytes derived from EAFs and that of oocytes derived from AFs (3–6 mm in diameter). When oocytes were cultured for 16 days in a medium containing 10 μg/ml E2 or 0.1 μg/ml E2, the Mt DNA number of oocytes grown in vitro did not differ, but the telomere length of the granulosa cells was significantly greater in the 10 μg/ml E2 group than in the 0.1 μg/ml group. In conclusion, E2 supplementation in culture medium improved the growth of oocytes derived from EAFs, and a high E2 concentration increased the telomere length of the granulosa cells.
A SOBOLEV ALGEBRA OF VOLTERRA TYPE
Authors: GALÉ JOSÉ E. , SÁNCHEZ-LAJUSTICIA LUIS 
Published: December 2012

AbstractWe present a family of radical convolution Banach algebras on intervals (0,a] which are of Sobolev type; that is, they are defined in terms of derivatives. Among other properties, it is shown that all epimorphisms and derivations of such algebras are bounded. Also, we give examples of nontrivial concrete derivations.
Planar inverted-F antenna with J-shaped slot and parasitic element for ultra-wide band application
Authors: Ibnyaich Saida , Ghammaz Abdelilah , Hassani Moha M'rabet 
Published: December 2012

This paper presents a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) for ultra-wide band (UWB) communication, which is printed on a dielectric substrate of FR4-epoxy with 4.4 relative permittivity (ɛr), 2 mm thickness. This antenna is designed to be used in a 2.9–10.7 GHz frequency band, and a very wide bandwidth is realized by the addition of a parasitic element and a J-shaped slot to the PIFA. The effects of varying the parameters of the antenna on the performance have been investigated.
Palatability of Diets for Channel Catfish that Contain Amprolium or Salinomycin Using Feed Conversion Ratio as the Criterion
Authors: Manning Bruce B , Griffin Matthew J , Khoo Lester H , Wise David J , Greenway Terry 
Published: December 2012

Abstract
Two feeding studies were conducted to evaluate the palatability of diets for juvenile Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus that contained the poultry anticoccidial drugs Amprolium or Salinomycin, which are candidates to control the Channel Catfish myxozoan parasite, Henneguya ictaluri. These chemotherapeutic drugs can effectively control outbreaks of other myxozoan parasites in various species of aquaculture fish. To evaluate palatability of diets containing these drugs, Channel Catfish maintained in glass aquaria were fed sinking diets composed of commercial catfish feed that had been pulverized and reformed into pellets that contained three levels of each of the two anticoccidial drugs for short periods of time, e.g. 10 d for Amprolium and 8 d for Salinomycin. Results showed that fish readily consumed the basal control diet containing no drug and diets containing all three levels of Amprolium based on comparisons of feed conversion ratios (FCR) for the four dietary treatments. On the other hand, FCR values of the Salinomycin treatments were significantly (P &lt; 0.05) poorer for the two highest inclusion levels (30 and 60 mg/kg diet) of this drug compared with the control diet, which indicated poor palatability of diets containing these levels of Salinomycin by Channel Catfish.
First Report on the Occurrence of A2 Mating Type of the Cucurbit Downy Mildew Agent Pseudoperonospora cubensis in China
Authors: Cohen Y. , Rubin A. E. , Liu X. L. , Wang W. Q. , Zhang Y. J. , Hermann D. 
Published: December 2012

Pseudoperonospora cubensis is a foliar pathogen of cucurbits. In cucumber, it produces chlorotic, angular lesions with dark sporangia on their under-surface. The distribution of pathotypes and mating types of P. cubensis were investigated in seven provinces in China. Twenty-nine isolates were obtained from Guangdong, Anhui, Hubei, Sichuan, Shandong, Beijing, and Harbin, one to six isolates from each province. They were collected from cucumber during summer 2011, except those from Harbin, which were collected from cucumber in summer 2012. Isolates were tested for pathogenicity and mating type. Pathogenicity was tested by inoculation of detached leaves of: cucumber (Cucumis sativum cvs. Bet-Alpha, SMR18), melon (Cucumis melo reticulatus cv. Ananas-Yokneam), pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima cv. Tripoli), squash (Cucurbita pepo, cv. Beruti), butternut gourd (Cucurbita moschata cv. Waltham), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, cv. Malali), and sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica, cultivar unknown). Mating type was determined by oospore production in melon leaf discs inoculated with mixed sporangia of a test isolate and A1 or A2 tester isolates, as recently described (2). The results showed that 22 isolates belonged to pathotype 3, sporulating on cucumber and melon; five isolates belonged to pathotype 6, sporulating on cucumber, melon, pumpkin, squash, and butternut gourd; one isolate belonged to pathotype 5, sporulating on the above five species and watermelon (1), and one isolate was capable of sporulating on the mentioned five species and sponge gourd, herein called pathotype 7. Of the 29 isolates tested, 22 belonged to the A1 mating type, six to the A2 mating type, and one did not produce oospores with either testers. Of the six A2 isolates, two originated from Sichuan, one from Beijing, and three from Harbin. All 22 isolates belonging to pathotype 3 were A1, whereas the other six isolates (four pathotype 6, one pathotype 5, and one pathotype 7) were A2. Crosses made between Chinese isolates belonging to opposite mating types resulted in the formation of abundant oospores in detached melon or cucumber leaves. The results prove that the A2 mating type of P. cubensis occurs in China. This explains the abundant occurrence of oospores of P. cubensis in nature in China (4). The data corroborate with Runge et al. (3), who suggested that the recent changes in the population structure of P. cubensis around the world resulted from the migration of a new genotype of P. cubensis from the Far East to Europe and the U.S.A. In Israel, a new pathotype attacking both Cucumis and Cucurbita appeared in 2002 (1), and A2 mating type first appeared in 2010 (2). References: (1) Y. Cohen et al. Phytoparasitica 31:458, 2003. (2) Y. Cohen and A. E. Rubin. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 132:577, 2012. (3) F. Runge et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 129:135, 2011. (4) Y. J. Zhang et al. J. Phytopathol. 160:469, 2012.
First Report of Bacterial Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae on Panax notoginseng
Authors: Zhou L.-H. , Han Y. , Ji G.-H. , Wang Z.-S. , Liu F. 
Published: December 2012

Panax notoginseng is a species that produces a rare type of Chinese herbal medicine and is cultivated primarily in Yunnan Province. P. notoginseng has a 3-year-long crop cycle before harvest. A new bacterial disease was observed on P. notoginseng plants in the Wenshan Mountain area of Yunnan in 2012. The disease affected primarily leaves. Symptoms were circular or irregular brown leaf spots, surrounded by a yellow halo, located on the edges of the leaves. Eight creamy white pigmented, rounded strains were isolated consistently from leaf spots on Luria-Bertani agar (LB) medium, incubated at 28°C. Three strains (SQYB-1, SQYB-2, SQYB-3) of eight isolates were prepared for further study. Three isolates were purified and characterized: all were gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, aerobic, non-spore forming, and negative for oxidase, potato soft rot, arginine dehydrolase, presence of tyrosinase and urease, nitrate, and fluorescent pigment production. Moreover, they were positive for levan production, presence of catalase, and for tobacco hypersensitivity. All three strains isolated were identified as Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) based on morphology, metabolic profile (Biolog Microbial ID System), and 16S rDNA sequence analysis (1). The metabolic similarity index between experiment strain SQYB-1 and a type of strain Pss was 0.619. The primers of 16S rDNA sequence amplification were 27F/1492R. Before sequencing, we cloned the PCR products. There was 99% homology in 16S rDNA sequences between one isolate, SQYB-1 (NCBI Accession No. JX876901) and Pss (HQ840766), supporting the identification of the P. notoginseng strains as Pss (3). For Koch's postulates, 10 surface-disinfected young leaves on three plants were inoculated with SQYB-1 isolates by spraying a phosphate-buffered saline cell suspension (3.0 × 108 CFU/ml) onto the leaves (4). Controls were inoculated similarly with sterile phosphate-buffered saline. Plants were covered with polyethylene bags for 24 h at 25°C and then transferred to a greenhouse. Circular or irregular brown spots were observed on all bacteria-inoculated leaves within 9 to 14 days after inoculation. No symptoms were observed on controls. Bacteria reisolated from inoculated leaves were identical to the original isolates as determined by the methods described above. The present study indicated that isolate SQYB-1 could independently infect P. notoginseng leaves, which was different from the finding of Luo et al. concerning involvement of Pss in root rot (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae causing bacterial leaf spot on P. notoginseng in China. References: (1) M. R. Gillings et al. PNAS 12:102, 2005. (2) W. F. Luo et al. J. Yunnan Agric. Univ. 14:123, 1999 (in Chinese). (3) C. L. Oliver et al. Plant Dis. 4:96, 2012. (4) H. Ornek et al. New Dis. Rep. 13:40, 2006.
Testing applied nucleation as a strategy to facilitate tropical forest recovery
Authors: Zahawi Rakan A. , Holl Karen D. , Cole Rebecca J. , Reid J. Leighton 
Published: December 2012

Summary

Active forest restoration typically involves planting trees over large areas; this practice is costly, however, and establishing homogeneous plantations may favour the recruitment of a particular suite of species and strongly influence the successional trajectory. An alternative approach is to plant nuclei (islands) of trees to simulate the nucleation model of succession and accelerate natural recovery.

We evaluated natural tree recruitment over 4 years in a restoration study replicated at eight former pasture sites in the tropical premontane forest zone of southern Costa Rica. At each site, two active restoration strategies were established in 50 × 50 m plots: planting trees throughout, and planting different‐sized tree islands (4 × 4, 8 × 8, 12 × 12 m) within the plot. Restoration plots were compared to similar‐sized controls undergoing passive restoration. Sites were spread across c. 100 km2 and distributed along a gradient of surrounding forest, allowing us to compare the relative importance of adjacent forest to that of within‐site treatment on tree recruitment.

Recruitment of animal‐dispersed tree species was more than twofold higher in active (μ = 0·45 recruits m−2) as compared to passive restoration; recruitment was equivalent in plantation and island treatments, even though only 20% of the area in island plots was planted originally. The majority of recruits (>90%) represented early successional species (n = 54 species total).

Density of animal‐dispersed recruits was greater in large (0·80 ± 0·66 m−2) than small (0·28 ± 0·36 m−2) islands and intermediate in medium‐sized islands. Seedling recruitment (<1 m tall) was greater in the interior of islands as compared to plantations, whereas sapling recruitment was similar, suggesting that island interiors may develop greater density of woody recruits as succession proceeds.

Surrounding forest cover did not influence density or species richness of recruits among sites, although this factor may become more important over time.

Synthesis and applications. Applied nucleation is a promising restoration strategy that can accelerate forest recovery to a similar degree as plantation‐style restoration but is more economical. Appropriate island size is on the order of c. 100 m2. Practitioners should consider the methodology as an alternative to large‐scale plantings.
Short‐term dynamics of diversity patterns: evidence of continual reassembly within lacustrine small eukaryotes
Authors: Mangot Jean‐François , Domaizon Isabelle , Taib Najwa , Marouni Nemr , Duffaud Emilie , Bronner Gisèle , Debroas Didier 
Published: December 2012

SummaryThe short‐term variation in the community structure of freshwater small eukaryotes (0.2–5 μm) was investigated in a mesotrophic lake every 2–3 days over one summer by coupling three molecular methods: 454 amplicon pyrosequencing, qPCR and TSA‐FISH. The pyrosequencing approach unveiled a much more extensive small‐eukaryotic diversity (991 OTUs) than has been described previously. The vast majority of the diversity described was represented by rare OTUs (≤ 0.01% of reads) belonging primarily to Cryptomycota, Dikarya and photosynthetic organisms, which were never detected as abundant in any of the samples. The small eukaryote community was characterized by a continual and important reassembly. These rearrangements involved the 20 ‘core taxa’ (≥ 1% of reads), and, were essentially due to a handful of OTUs that were detected in intermediate abundance (0.01–1% of reads) and sporadically in dominant taxa. Putative bacterivorous (Ciliophora and Cercozoa) as well as parasitic and saprotrophic taxa (Perkinsozoa and Cryptomycota) were involved in these changes of diversity. A putative infection of microalgae by a lacustrine perkinsozoan was also reported for the first time in this study. Open questions regarding both the patterns that govern the rapid small eukaryote reassemblies and the possible biogeography of these organisms arise from this study.
Triggers for head computed tomography following paediatric head injury: Comparison of physicians' reported practice and clinical decision rules
Authors: Lockie Francis D , Dalton Sarah , Oakley Ed , Babl Franz E 
Published: December 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo compare head computed tomography (CT) triggers for paediatric head injury as reported by senior paediatric emergency physicians in Australia and New Zealand with triggers in published evidence‐based clinical decision rules (CDRs).MethodsA survey of CT triggers after head injury was distributed to senior emergency physicians at PREDICT (Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative) sites in Australia and New Zealand. Results were compared with recommendations for CT scans in CATCH, CHALICE and PECARN CDRs. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) from each site were also reviewed.ResultsThe response rate was 93% (130/140). No published trigger for head CT was identified by 100% of survey participants and each CDR included several triggers not identified by many respondents. Abnormal examination findings, including depressed skull fracture and base of skull fracture, were most likely to prompt respondents to order a head CT (>90%). A concerning mechanism of injury, such as a fall greater than 3 feet or five stairs, triggered a CT response only in approximately 10% of respondents. Eight different head injury CPGs were used across the 13 PREDICT sites. These were highly variable between sites and CPGs were not explicitly based on published CDRs.ConclusionHigh‐quality, published CDRs exist for head CT use after paediatric head injury. Physician‐reported CT triggers differ from CDR‐recommended triggers. The major published head injury CDRs should be prospectively validated in the Australasian setting before incorporating them into local practice and CPGs.
The heritability of oxycodone reward and concomitant phenotypes in a LG/J × SM/J mouse advanced intercross line
Authors: Bryant Camron D. , Guido Michael A. , Kole Loren A. , Cheng Riyan 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe rewarding property of opioids likely contributes to their abuse potential. Therefore, determining the genetic basis of opioid reward could aid in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of opioid addiction, provided that it is a heritable trait. Here, we characterized the rewarding property of the widely abused prescription opioid oxycodone (OXY) in the conditioned place preference (CPP) assay using LG/J and SM/J parental inbred mouse strains and 17 parent–offspring families of a LG/J × SM/J F47/F48 advanced intercross line (AIL). Following OXY training (5 mg/kg, i.p.), SM/J mice and AIL mice, but not LG/J mice, showed an increase in preference for the OXY‐paired side, suggesting a genetic basis for OXY‐CPP. SM/J mice showed greater locomotor activity than LG/J mice in response to both saline and OXY. LG/J, SM/J, and AIL mice all exhibited robust OXY‐induced locomotor sensitization. Narrow‐sense heritability (h2) estimates of the phenotypes using linear regression and maximum likelihood estimation showed good agreement (r = 0.91). OXY‐CPP was clearly not a heritable trait whereas drug–free‐ and OXY‐induced locomotor activity and sensitization were significantly and sometimes highly heritable (h2 = 0.30–0.84). Interestingly, the number of transitions between the saline‐ and OXY‐paired sides emerged as a reliably heritable trait following OXY training (h2 = 0.46–0.66) and could represent a genetic component of drug‐seeking behavior. Thus, although OXY‐CPP does not appear to be amenable to genome‐wide quantitative trait locus mapping, this protocol will be useful for mapping other traits potentially relevant to opioid abuse.
The value of biochemical markers in predicting a perforation in acute appendicitis
Authors: McGowan David Ross , Sims Helen M. , Zia Khawaja , Uheba Mokthar , Shaikh Irshad Ahammed 
Published: December 2012

AbstractBackgroundAcute appendicitis is the most common surgical diagnosis of abdominal pain. Perforated appendicitis can result in increased morbidity and mortality. Identifying a perforation early can reduce the impact on the patient. Bilirubin, C‐reactive protein (CRP) and white cell count (WCC) have been shown to indicate perforation in appendicitis. This study aimed to identify whether these biochemical markers can be used to identify if patients are suitable for either a conservative or surgical approach.MethodsA retrospective post hoc analysis of all appendicectomies over a 6‐year period investigating the association between preoperative bilirubin, CRP, WCC, and neutrophil count and the histological findings of either the presence or lack of a perforation.ResultsOne thousand two hundred seventy‐one patients had appendicitis, 154 (12.12%) of which were perforated upon histological examination. All biochemical markers were significantly higher in perforation (P < 0.001). The greatest sum of sensitivity and specificity of CRP was at 34.6 mg/L (sensitivity 78.57%, specificity 63.01%), and for bilirubin was at 21.5 μmol/L (sensitivity 62.96%, specificity 88.31%). Combining CRP and bilirubin improved sensitivity and specificity, but this was reduced by further incorporating WCC and neutrophils. Logistic regression analysis identified CRP as the most sensitive marker of perforation (odds ratio (OR) = 1.064 (1.043–1.085) ) (P < 0.001), with bilirubin (OR = 1.005 (1.003–1.008) ) also significant (P < 0.001) for a 1‐unit increase.ConclusionBilirubin and CRP are markers of perforation in appendicitis, but are not accurate enough to be diagnostic. In a patient with high clinical suspicion of acute appendicitis, a raised CRP and bilirubin suggests that a patient is not suitable for conservative treatment.
Efficacy of transanal drainage for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic low anterior resection of the rectum
Authors: Okoshi Kae , Masano Yuuki , Hasegawa Suguru , Hida Koya , Kawada Kenji , Nomura Akinari , Kawamura Junichiro , Nagayama Satoshi , Yoshimura Tsunehiro , Sakai Yoshiharu 
Published: December 2012

AbstractIntroductionAnastomotic leakage remains a devastating complication following low anterior resection of the rectum. Our aim was to retrospectively assess the efficacy of transanal drainage.MethodsTwenty‐five patients with anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic low anterior resection (using the double‐stapling technique) were reviewed. Transanal drainage was performed when an abscess was localized within the pelvic cavity, and any leakage was detected through radiological study and digital examination. In each patient, the fistula was dilated with a forefinger, and the abscess was drained into the rectum. A suction drain tube was indwelled transanally when the abscess cavity was large or unstable. Clinical outcomes of patients after transanal drainage were then analyzed.ResultsNine of the 25 patients required an emergency operation. The remaining 16 cases with localized disease were treated conservatively as an initial treatment. This included 12 patients treated by transanal drainage, 10 of whom were successfully cured. Two eventually required a defunctioning ileostomy because of fistula formation with other organs (treatment success rate: 83.3%). The median duration of drain placement, fasting and postoperative hospitalization were 10, 10 and 45 days, respectively.ConclusionsTransanal drainage may be a viable option for the treatment of anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection of the rectum.
Schultz–Crock binocular ophthalmoscope
Authors: McAllister Ian L , Keeler Richard , Burrows Clive 
Published: December 2012

AbstractThe ophthalmoscope, which is an indispensable tool of our profession, is now taken for granted. It is often forgotten that it was only just over 150 years ago that the first binocular ophthalmoscope was invented. The early instruments were not popular for a variety of reasons. Australians Donald Schultz and Gerald Crock played a major role in improving this instrument and developing the modifications that turned it into an everyday tool of all ophthalmologists.