bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plant Stress Physiology
Authors: Smirnoff Nicholas 
Published: October 2014

Abstract

Over the last few years there has been an explosion of information on responses to abiotic stresses in the model plant

Arabidopsis thaliana

as well as crops such as rice. Much of the research has focussed on changes in gene transcription following stress imposition. The approach identifies potential ‘stress tolerance genes’ followed by assessment of their effects in mutants and genetically modified plants. Although this approach has produced plants that are apparently more stress resistant, evidence for translation to improved performance in the field has been very limited. Possible reasons include the use of unrealistic laboratory stress treatments and the use of plants that are not fully acclimatised to the variable and interacting environmental factors encountered in the field. Stress research is beginning to address this issue and more recent approaches are highlighting the importance of putting stress responses in the context of the control of plant growth by hormones, the initial perception of stress signals and in the context of understanding the physiological and metabolic adjustments that are needed for stress tolerance.

Key Concepts:

Transcriptome studies are revealing the details of signalling and transcriptional networks that are involved in plant responses to a wide range of environmental stresses. Epigenetic control over gene expression is also important in stress responses.

Stress resistance mechanisms are sometimes incompatible with growth and laboratory studies of stress often focus on extreme or rapidly developing stress. Since these conditions are not generally relevant to agriculture, the translatability of this research to crop improvement is limited.

New approaches in which the signalling mechanisms that restrain growth during mild stress (e.g. low temperature or water stress) are circumvented may be promising avenues for crop improvement.

The plant microbiome consists of bacteria and fungi associated with the rhizosphere and living within tissues (endophytes). The microbiome influences stress resistance. Manipulating its composition has promise in improving stress resistance.
Molecular Ecology
Authors: Freeland Joanna R 
Published: October 2014

AbstractMolecular ecology is a field of biology that uses molecular genetic data to address ecological questions in disciplines as varied as genomics, biogeography, conservation genetics, and behavioural ecology. The majority of studies in molecular ecology use data that are based on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences, an approach that has been greatly enhanced in recent years by the advent of next‐generation sequencing, which collectively refers to methods that allow researchers to simultaneously sequence up to several thousand genes from a very small amount of starting DNA. In addition to DNA sequences, researchers can compare individuals and populations by characterising different versions of a particular gene (known as alleles) based on their sizes. By using molecular markers such as DNA sequences or allele sizes, researchers can quantify the genetic diversity within populations and the genetic similarity among populations. This in turn allows them to address specific questions pertaining to the ecology and evolution of species.Key Concepts:Molecular ecology uses molecular genetic data to address ecological questions.A variety of molecular markers can be used to genetically characterise species and populations.Next‐generation sequencing has greatly enhanced our ability to collect large amounts of genetic data at relatively low cost.Molecular genetic data from natural populations allow researchers to quantify the genetic diversity within populations, and the genetic similarity among populations.Genetic diversity is required for the long‐term survival of populations and species, and is influenced by a range of different factors.Gene flow among populations strongly influences their genetic similarity.Landscape genetics helps researchers to understand barriers to gene flow across a series of landscapes.Eco‐genomics is a field of study that seeks to understand the genetic mechanisms behind adaptation and natural selection.Behavioural molecular ecology uses highly variable molecular markers to differentiate individuals and to assign parentage.Phylogeography uses molecular genetic data to infer some of the ways in which historical events and processes have shaped the current distributions of species.
Scientific Method and Experimentation in Biology
Authors: Ruse Michael 
Published: October 2014

Abstract

Scientific method in biology has been of great interest since the time of the Greek philosopher Aristotle in the fourth century before the common era. Generally, the aim has been to be like the physical sciences in being causal and increasingly showing biology as a topic governed by universal natural laws. However, there has always been a debate about the end‐directed nature of organisms, which seem to require explanations in terms of final causes. Although these were expelled from the physical sciences in the scientific revolution, they remained in biology until Darwin wrote the
Origin of Species
. Even after that, they remained but today can be seen to be natural and brought on by Darwin's mechanism of natural selection.

Key Concepts:

Aristotle had an organic view of nature that led him to value end‐directed thinking, in terms of final cause.

The Scientific Revolution introduced the mechanical metaphor, thus making final causes otiose.

George Cuvier argued that organisms cannot be brought fully under the mechanical metaphor and thus demand final‐cause thinking.

Charles Darwin spoke to final‐cause thinking through his mechanism of natural selection, although whether he eliminated such thinking is still debated.

The coming of molecular biology seemed a triumph of reductionist thinking and the mechanistic viewpoint, however, many think that organisms still require understanding over and beyond that one finds in the physical sciences.
History of Anticancer Drugs
Authors: Jones Graham B 
Published: October 2014

Abstract

The origins of cancer chemotherapies can be traced back to their roots in the nineteenth century. Historically, the majority of anticancer drugs have been natural products or synthetic agents designed to target a specific function in the cell or nucleus of tumour cells. These conventional agents however typically suffer from side effects as they are administered systemically – that is, they circulate to other organs where they often exert unwanted ‘bystander’ toxicity. More recent approaches have harnessed the power of monoclonal antibodies, complex proteins which are manufactured from cells. Antibodies accumulate on and around specific cell types (by binding to antigens on the surface of cells), and a number of antibodies which target and kill specific cancer cells have now been developed as therapeutics. A related strategy is to employ the antibody as a ‘delivery vehicle’ to accumulate a conventional anticancer drug in the cancer cell. Such antibody drug conjugates hold great promise.

Key Concepts:

A number of plants and bacteria produce toxins which have been used successfully as anticancer drugs.

A major limitation of conventional anticancer drugs is that they are also toxic to healthy tissue, and result in many side effects including nausea, hair loss, bone marrow loss and irritation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Proteins known as monoclonal antibodies, which target individual cell types specifically, hold great promise for the treatment of certain cancers.

Future research will focus on personalised cancer therapeutics, where the appropriate drug is selected based on the patients genomic makeup.

Synthetic derivatives and mimics of natural products have become front line therapeutics against a number of cancers.
Creationism
Authors: Ruse Michael 
Published: October 2014

Abstract

Creationism is the product of US evangelical religion. Formulated in the American South in the years after the Civil War, it is opposed to evolutionary ideas, and indeed to all forms of modernistic thinking. Creationist efforts to promote the doctrine have made their ways into courts of law, most notably in 1925 when the school teacher John Thomas Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution in a high school in Tennessee. After the World War II, the creationist work Genesis Flood (1961) had much effect in turning people to Young Earth Creationism – the belief that the earth is only 6000 years old – and this led to another court case, in Arkansas in 1981. The judge ruled firmly that Creationism taught in schools violates the US constitutional ban on the entwining of state and religion. However, a new mutant, so‐called Intelligent Design Theory, has been formulated, which continues to attract the support of many American evangelical Christians.

Key Concepts:

American evangelical religion often supports an antievolutionary doctrine known as Creationism.

Based on a literal reading of the
Bible
,
Genesis
in particular, Creationism has been the subject of continued court cases and thrives today under the name of Intelligent Design Theory.

Much of the difference between Creationists and their opponents has more to do with moral and social values rather than religion narrowly conceived.

Creationism is very much an American phenomenon with roots back to the years following the Declaration of Independence.

The key work, Genesis Flood, was written during the cold war and reflected tensions about nuclear war.

Courts have again and again declared the teaching of Creationism in state‐supported schools to be unconstitutional.

Intelligent Design Theory is smoother than Creationism but shares the same ends, especially with respect to moral and social values.
Normal Mode Analysis Techniques in Structural Biology
Authors: López‐Blanco José Ramón , Miyashita Osamu , Tama Florence , Chacón Pablo 
Published: October 2014

Abstract

The dynamic simulation of macromolecular systems with biologically relevant sizes and time scales is critical for understanding macromolecular function. In this context, normal mode analysis (NMA) approximates the complex dynamical behaviour of a macromolecule as a simple set of harmonic oscillators vibrating around a given equilibrium conformation. This technique, originated from classical mechanics, was first applied to investigate the dynamical properties of small biological systems more than 30 years ago. During this time, a wealth of evidence has accumulated to support NMA as a successful tool for simulating macromolecular motions at extended length scales. Today, NMA combined with coarse‐grained representations has become an efficient alternative to molecular dynamics simulations for studying the slow and large‐amplitude motions of macromolecular machines. Interesting insights into these systems can be obtained very quickly with NMA to characterise their flexibility, to predict the directions of their collective conformational changes, or to help in the interpretation of experimental structural data. The recently developed methods and applications of NMA together with an introduction of the underlying theory will be briefly reviewed here.

Key Concepts:

NMA computes all motions around an equilibrium conformation (normal modes).

Normal modes are orthogonal displacement vectors with an associated frequency.

The collective functional motions of the macromolecules are well described by lowest frequency modes.

NMA inexpensive and accurately simulates the slow and large‐amplitude motions of biomolecules, but local reorganisations and the absolute time scale or amplitude of the motions are poorly predicted.

NMA can be used to characterise macromolecular flexibility, to predict the directions of collective conformational changes, and to interpret structural experimental data.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy
Authors: Haas Alexander M , Benbadis Selim R , Vale Fernando 
Published: October 2014

AbstractEpilepsy refractory to medical management with antiepileptic drugs continues to pose a problem to clinicians as well as to patients struggling with the limitations imposed on them by their condition. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a safe and effective surgical treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy who are not candidates for surgery involving resection of temporal lobe structures or epileptogenic foci. Even in those with failed surgical resection, VNS may still provide some benefit, though this must be elucidated. Although the mechanism is still poorly understood, several theories exist as to how VNS exerts its antiepileptic effects and several clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy and safety. VNS has become the most widely used nonpharmacological therapy for the treatment of drug‐resistant epilepsy.Key Concepts:VNS is a safe and effective treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy who are not candidates for surgery involving resection of temporal lobe structures or epileptogenic foci and possibly those that have failed to respond to surgical correction.Increased reduction of seizure frequency with VNS occurs over time resulting in decreased need for antiepileptic drugs with increased duration of stimulation.In addition to the benefit of seizure reduction, data exists to support improved subjective quality of life scores with use of VNS.Although the insertion of the VNS unit is a surgical procedure, it can often be performed as an outpatient surgery and thus does not require inpatient hospitalization as resection‐based epilepsy surgery does.VNS is generally well tolerated with side effects including mild and including voice alteration and throat pain.
Biochemistry of Toll‐Like Receptors
Authors: Bonham Kevin Scott , Kagan Jonathan C 
Published: October 2014

Abstract

Recognition of potentially pathogenic organisms is a critical first step in an immune response. To prevent pathogen outgrowth, this detection must be rapid and initiate a robust inflammatory response. However, inflammation is dangerous, and spurious activation in response to nonthreatening stimuli has the potential to cause autoimmunity and other inflammatory disorders. For this reason, the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of the innate immune system have evolved to recognise pathogen‐associated molecular patterns to distinguish between self and potentially infectious nonself. The first discovered and most well‐studied PRRs are the toll‐like receptors (TLRs), which are transmembrane receptors that detect a diverse set of microbe‐specific products. Extensive work has uncovered the proteins required in TLR signalling, but a more complete understanding of the biochemistry of signalling molecules in their cellular context is required to understand the role of TLRs in pathogen detection and clearance.

Key Concepts:

Pathogen‐associated molecular patterns are molecular patterns unique to potentially pathogenic microbes, conserved among many species, and essential to the fitness of the microbes that use them.

Pattern recognition receptors distinguish self from nonself.

Toll‐like receptor ‘sorting adaptors’ define the subcellular location of signal transduction.

Toll‐like receptor ‘signalling adaptors’ link the cytosolic TIR domain of the receptor to signalling enzymes.
Generalized Linear Mixed Models
Authors: Mcculloch Charles E. , Neuhaus John M. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractGeneralized linear mixed models (GLMMs) are a class of models that incorporates random effects into the linear predictor of a generalized linear model (GLM). This allows the modeling of correlated data within the context of GLMs and greatly extends their breadth of applicability. They thus include both linear mixed models (LMMs) and GLMs as special cases.
Navigating Comics II: Constraints on the Reading Order of Comic Page Layouts
Authors: Cohn Neil , Campbell Hannah 
Published: October 2014

SummaryAlthough readers typically believe that comic page layouts should be read following the left to right and down ‘Z‐path’ inherited from written language, several spatial arrangements can push readers to deviate from this order. These manipulations include separating panels from each other, overlapping one panel onto another, and using a long vertical panel to the right of a vertical column to ‘block’ a horizontal row. We asked participants to order empty panels in comic page layouts that manipulated these factors. All manipulations caused participants to deviate from the conventional Z‐path, and this departure was modulated by incremental changes to spatial arrangements: The more layouts deviated from a grid, the less likely participants were to use the Z‐path. Overall, these results reinforce that various constraints push comic readers to engage with panels in predictable ways, even when deviating from the traditional Z‐path of written language. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of Dihydroisobenzofurans via Palladium‐Catalyzed Sequential Alkynylation/Annulation of 2‐Bromobenzyl and 2‐Chlorobenzyl Alcohols under Microwave Irradiation
Authors: Buxaderas Eduardo , Alonso Diego A. , Nájera Carmen 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe palladium‐catalyzed synthesis of dihydroisobenzofurans has been performed by sequential Sonogashira cross‐coupling/cyclization reactions between terminal alkynes and 2‐(hydroxymethyl)bromo‐ and chlorobenzenes in methanol as solvent at 130 °C under microwave irradiation. A 4,4′‐dichlorobenzophenone oxime‐derived chloro‐bridged palladacycle is an efficient pre‐catalyst to perform this tandem process using 2‐dicyclohexylphosphanyl‐2′,4′,6′‐triisopropylbiphenyl (Xphos) as ancillary ligand and potassium hydroxide as base in the absence of a copper cocatalyst. Under these conditions, functionalized 2‐bromo‐ and 2‐chlorobenzaldehydes are also suitable partners in the domino process affording phthalans in good yields. All the reactions can be performed under air and employing reagent‐grade chemicals under low loading conditions (1 mol% Pd).magnified image
Gold‐Catalyzed Regioselective Meyer–Schuster Rearrangement and Ring Expansion Cascade Leading to α‐Hydroxy‐α‐vinylcyclopentanones
Authors: An Jun‐Hyun , Yun Hokeun , Shin Sunwoong , Shin Seunghoon 
Published: October 2014

AbstractReadily available cyclobutanols having a butyne‐1,4‐diol moiety underwent a sequential regioselective Meyer–Schuster rearrangement and 1,2‐shift, furnishing α‐hydroxy‐α‐vinylcyclopentanones. The reaction mechanism is consistent with the formation of an allenol intermediate that racemizes under the reaction conditions. Subsequent activation of the allenol leads to an enantio‐ and diastereoselective route to this scaffold.magnified image
A Ferrocene‐Functionalized Bistable [2]Rotaxane with Switchable Fluorescence
Authors: Liu Li , Wang Qi , Cheng Ming , Hu Xiao‐Yu , Jiang Juli , Wang Leyong 
Published: October 2014

AbstractA switchable, bistable molecular shuttle based on dialkylammonium ion and urea functional recognition sites, and a macrocycle bearing a ferrocenyl unit has been constructed, in which the ferrocenyl macrocycle can be easily switched along the thread by addition of acid/base or by addition/removal of acetate anions. The shuttling motion of the macrocycle is accompanied with different fluorescence responses via the adjustment of the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect between the ferrocene electron donor and the fluorophores.
Toxoplasmose‐Diagnose mithilfe eines synthetisch hergestellten Glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐Glycans
Authors: Götze Sebastian , Azzouz Nahid , Tsai Yu‐Hsuan , Groß Uwe , Reinhardt Anika , Anish Chakkumkal , Seeberger Peter H. , Varón Silva Daniel 
Published: October 2014

AbstractGeschätzte zwei Milliarden Menschen sind weltweit mit dem apikomplexen Parasiten Toxoplasma gondii infiziert, der die Ursache für eine Reihe gesundheitlicher Probleme ist. So kann eine Primärinfektion während der Schwangerschaft zum Tod des Fötus oder zu einer geistigen Behinderung des Kindes führen. Da die Medikamente gegen eine Infektion mit T. gondii potenziell schädlich für das ungeborene Kind sind, ist eine verlässliche Diagnose akuter Infektionen von schwangeren Frauen unentbehrlich. Bessere, schnellere, zuverlässigere und günstigere Diagnostika, die auf akkuraten serologischen Tests basieren und definierte Antigene verwenden, sind deshalb von großem Interesse. Synthetische pathogenspezifische Glycosylphosphatidylinositol(GPI)‐Glycan‐Antigene sind solche diagnostischen Biomarker, die eine akkurate Unterscheidung verschiedener Toxoplasmose‐Krankheitsstadien in menschlichen Seren ermöglichen.
A Palladium Nanoparticle–Nanomicelle Combination for the Stereoselective Semihydrogenation of Alkynes in Water at Room Temperature
Authors: Slack Eric D. , Gabriel Christopher M. , Lipshutz Bruce H. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe addition of NaBH4to Pd(OAc)2in water containing nanomicelles leads to the generation of H2and Pd nanoparticles. Subsequent reduction of disubstituted alkynes affordsZ‐alkenes in high yields. These reactions are general, take place in water at ambient temperatures, and offer recycling of the aqueous reaction mixture along with low overall E Factors.
Isolierung eines dreifach koordinierten Borkations mit einer Bor‐Schwefel‐Doppelbindung
Authors: Franz Daniel , Irran Elisabeth , Inoue Shigeyoshi 
Published: October 2014

AbstractDie Umsetzung der sterisch anspruchsvollen Bis(imidazolin‐2‐iminato)‐Ligandenvorstufe (1,2‐(LMesNH)2‐C2H4)[OTs]2 (12+ 2[OTs]−; LMes=1,3‐Dimesitylimidazolin‐2‐yliden, OTs=p‐Toluolsulfonat) mit Lithiumborhydrid ergibt das kationische Boroniumdihydrid (1,2‐(LMesN)2‐C2H4)BH2[OTs] (2+ [OTs]−). Dieses reagiert mit gelbem Schwefel zum Thioxoboransalz (1,2‐(LMesN)2‐C2H4)BS[OTs] (3+ [OTs]−). Die bisher unbekannten Verbindungen 12+ 2[OTs]−, 2+ [OTs]− und 3+ [OTs]− wurden durch spektroskopische Methoden und Einkristallröntgenbeugung charakterisiert. Darüber hinaus wurden die Bindungsverhältnisse in 2+ und 3+ durch DFT‐Rechnungen genauer aufgeklärt. Die theoretische und kristallographische Analyse zeigt, dass 3+ das erste Beispiel für einen stabilen kationischen Komplex mit dreifach koordiniertem Bor ist, der eine Bor‐Schwefel‐Doppelbindung aufweist.
Total Synthesis of the Tetracyclic Antimalarial Alkaloid (±)‐Myrioneurinol
Authors: Nocket Anthony J. , Weinreb Steven M. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe first total synthesis of the tetracyclic antimalarial Myrioneuron alkaloid (±)‐myrioneurinol has been accomplished using three highly diastereoselective reactions as pivotal steps: 1) an intramolecular Michael addition of a benzyloxycarbonyl‐protected lactam titanium enolate to an α,β‐unsaturated ester for construction of the spirocyclic C5 quaternary center and the a/d rings, 2) a malonate anion conjugate addition to a transient nitrosoalkene to install the requisite functionality and configuration at the C7 position, and 3) an intramolecular sulfonyliminium aza‐Sakurai reaction to form the b ring and the attendant C9/C10 configuration of the natural product.
A Cascade Strategy Enables a Total Synthesis of (−)‐Gephyrotoxin
Authors: Chu Shuyu , Wallace Stephen , Smith Martin D. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractA concise and efficient synthesis of (−)‐gephyrotoxin from L‐pyroglutaminol has been realized. The key step in this approach is a diastereoselective intramolecular enamine/Michael cascade reaction that forms two rings and two stereocenters and generates a stable tricyclic iminium cation. A hydroxy‐directed reduction of this intermediate plays a key role in establishing the required cis‐decahydroquinoline ring system, enabling the total synthesis of (−)‐gephyrotoxin in nine steps and 14 % overall yield. The absolute configuration of the synthetic material was confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and is consistent with the structure originally proposed for material isolated from the natural source.