bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Local knowledge of the Bornean Peacock-pheasant Polyplectron schleiermacheri: a critique of O'Brien et al. (1998a)
Authors: Sözer R. , Setiawan I. , Setiadi A. P. 
Published: July 2002

In a recent study, O'Brien et al. (1998a) sought to provide a better understanding of the distribution and status of the Bornean Peacock-pheasant Polyplectron schleiermacheri in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, based on an analysis of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with local inhabitants. This was the first scientific contribution concerning this species after the launch of the Conservation Action Plan for Pheasants (McGowan and Garson 1995). Although the authors of this study acknowledged and discussed the limitations of the questionnaire approach and some of the anomalies in the replies they received, we still feel that the questions posed in this survey may have been phrased in such a way as to invite slight biases in the answers, and that some of the analyses of the replies may have created further biases. We therefore feel it may be helpful to review these uncertain areas in order to help improve questionnaire surveys in future fieldwork. Two of us (I.S. and A.P.S.) helped conduct the surveys in question, and all of us have experience of galliforms in Kalimantan.We occasionally refer to additional information concerning the survey which was presented in another publication (O'Brien et al. 1998b).
Oligohydramnios at term and pregnancy outcome
Authors: Magann Everett F , Chauhan Suneet P , Martin Jr. James N 
Published: July 2002

An assessment of amniotic fluid volume has become an important component of antenatal testing for the at-risk pregnancy. The presence of normal amniotic fluid volume, either in association with a reactive nonstress test or as a component of the biophysical profile is considered to reflect current fetal well being and probable absence of chronic stress. The chronically stressed fetus is likely to have low amniotic fluid volume because of the shunting of blood preferentially to the brain, heart and adrenal glands at the expense of other body systems during the period of chronic stress. Decreased renal blood flow leads to decreased urinary output. Because the primary component of amniotic fluid in the third trimester of pregnancy is fetal urine, ongoing chronic stress can be recognised as oligohydramnios.Precise amniotic fluid volume (AFV) measurement is accomplished either by use of a dye-dilution technique or by direct measurement of the fluid volume at the time of caesarean delivery. The need for laboratory support and the inherent invasiveness of dye-dilution procedures limits their application to study protocols. Direct measurement of AFV at caesarean delivery is reflective only of fluid volume at the time of delivery and cannot be used to serially evaluate fluid volume as a component of antenatal testing.
Development and mechanisms of the nocturnal jet
Authors: Davies P A 
Published: July 2002

AbstractForecasting the occurrence and strength of the nocturnal jet is important to aviation, especially to balloonists and small aircraft. Jets also have implications for pollution transportation and the clearance of low cloud and fog. A one‐dimensional model showed that the main mechanism for the development of the nocturnal jet was a hybrid between an inertial oscillation in a layer within and above the jet core and a quasi‐steady jet within the inversion. The model, supported by observations, suggests that a nocturnal inversion is required to produce a jet and that the strength of the jet maximum is approximately 1.3 times the geostrophic wind. A wind profile minimum is also predicted to occur when the inertial oscillation reaches a minimum in the stress‐free layer and this was observed using a tethered balloon flown at Cardington. Copyright © 2000 Crown copyright
Development policies, resource constraints, and agricultural expansion on the Philippine land frontier
Authors: Coxhead Ian , Shively Gerald , Shuai Xiaobing 
Published: July 2002

This paper examines ways in which development policies interact and influence incentives for agricultural expansion in frontier areas. We develop a model of household response to economic and technical stimuli, conditional on agronomic and household characteristics. We evaluate the model empirically using survey data gathered from low-income corn and vegetable farms near a national park in the southern Philippines. We find that within farms, land allocation is responsive to relative crop prices and yields. However, different crops elicit different responses. In particular, some crop expansion takes place primarily through land substitution and intensified input use, while changes in prices or yields of other crops induce an expansion of total farm area. Land and family labor constraint bind at different points for different crops. These results suggest that because multiple policies interact, environmental policies must have multiple strands in order to replace incentives to further land expansion.JEL codes: Q12, Q24, O13.
Fatty Acid and Lipid Biosynthetic Genes Are Expressed at Constant Molar Ratios But Different Absolute Levels during Embryogenesis
Authors: O'Hara Paul , Slabas Antoni R. , Fawcett Tony 
Published: July 2002

Abstract
In plants, fatty acid and complex lipid synthesis requires the correct spatial and temporal activity of many gene products. Quantitative northern analysis showed that mRNA for the biotin carboxylase subunit of heteromeric acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase, fatty acid synthase components (3-oxoacyl-acyl carrier protein [ACP] reductase, enoyl-ACP reductase, and acyl-ACP thioesterase), and stearoyl-ACP desaturase accumulate in a coordinate manner duringBrassica napus embryogenesis. The mRNAs were present in a constant molar stoichiometric ratio. Transcript abundance of mRNAs for the catalytic proteins was found to be similar, whereas the number of ACP transcripts was approximately 7-fold higher. The peak of mRNA accumulation of all products was between 20 and 29 d after flowering; by 42 d after flowering, the steady-state levels of all transcripts fell to about 5% of their peak levels, which suggests that the mRNAs have similar stability and kinetics of synthesis. Biotin carboxylase was found to accumulate to a maximum of 59 fmol mg−1 total RNA in embryos, which is in general agreement with the value of 170 fmol mg−1 determined for Arabidopsis siliques (J.S. Ke, T.N. Wen, B.J. Nikolau, E.S. Wurtele [2000] Plant Physiol 122: 1057–1071). Embryos accumulated between 3- and 15-fold more transcripts per unit total RNA than young leaf tissue; the lower quantity of leaf 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase mRNA was confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. This is in conflict with analysis of B. napus transcripts using an Arabidopsis microarray (T. Girke, J. Todd, S. Ruuska, J. White, C. Benning, J. Ohlrogge [2000] Plant Physiol 124: 1570–1581) where similar leaf to seed levels of fatty acid synthase component mRNAs were reported.
Differential Induction of Pyruvate Decarboxylase Subunits and Transcripts in Anoxic Rice Seedlings
Authors: Rivoal J. , Thind S. , Pradet A. , Ricard B. 
Published: July 2002

Abstract
In 2-d-old rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings subjected to anoxic stress, pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activity increased 9-fold during a 168-h period. A polyclonal PDC antiserum that recognized α-- and β-subunits was used to quantify PDC protein by an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay and showed a 5.6-fold increase, suggesting that the anoxically induced enzyme has a higher specific activity than the PDC isoform present under normoxia. Immunoblot analysis showed that levels of both PDC subunits were induced by anoxia. Immunoprecipitation of proteins labeled in vivo during anoxic treatment demonstrated that the α--subunit was preferentially synthesized at the onset of anoxia Two partial cDNAs, including a novel sequence, were cloned from a cDNA library made from seedlings subjected to anoxia for 6 h. Gene-specific probes used to quantify northern blots showed that two or three PDC mRNAs are differentially induced by anoxia in rice seedlings. Immunoprecipitation of in vitro translation products of mRNAs isolated at different times of anoxic treatment confirmed this finding. Our results suggest that anoxic induction of rice PDC involves transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression as well as differences in enzyme characteristics.
Assessment of the ability to model proteins with leucine‐rich repeats in light of the latest structural information
Authors: Kajava Andrey V. , Kobe Bostjan 
Published: July 2002

AbstractThe three‐dimensional structures of leucine‐rich repeat (LRR)‐containing proteins from five different families were previously predicted based on the crystal structure of the ribonuclease inhibitor, using an approach that combined homology‐based modeling, structure‐based sequence alignment of LRRs, and several rational assumptions. The structural models have been produced based on very limited sequence similarity, which, in general, cannot yield trustworthy predictions. Recently, the protein structures from three of these five families have been determined. In this report we estimate the quality of the modeling approach by comparing the models with the experimentally determined structures. The comparison suggests that the general architecture, curvature, “interior/exterior” orientations of side chains, and backbone conformation of the LRR structures can be predicted correctly. On the other hand, the analysis revealed that, in some cases, it is difficult to predict correctly the twist of the overall super‐helical structure. Taking into consideration the conclusions from these comparisons, we identified a new family of bacterial LRR proteins and present its structural model. The reliability of the LRR protein modeling suggests that it would be informative to apply similar modeling approaches to other classes of solenoid proteins.
Effect of Squealer Geometry Arrangement on a Gas Turbine Blade Tip
Heat Transfer
Authors: Azad Gm Salam , Han Je-Chin , Bunker Ronald S. , Lee C. Pang 
Published: July 2002

Abstract
This study investigates the effect of a squealer tip geometry arrangement on heat transfer coefficient and static pressure distributions on a gas turbine blade tip in a five-bladed stationary linear cascade. A transient liquid crystal technique is used to obtain detailed heat transfer coefficient distribution. The test blade is a linear model of a tip section of the GE E3 high-pressure turbine first stage rotor blade. Six tip geometry cases are studied: (1) squealer on pressure side, (2) squealer on mid camber line, (3) squealer on suction side, (4) squealer on pressure and suction sides, (5) squealer on pressure side plus mid camber line, and (6) squealer on suction side plus mid camber line. The flow condition during the blowdown tests corresponds to an overall pressure ratio of 1.32 and exit Reynolds number based on axial chord of 1.1×106. Results show that squealer geometry arrangement can change the leakage flow and results in different heat transfer coefficients to the blade tip. A squealer on suction side provides a better benefit compared to that on pressure side or mid camber line. A squealer on mid camber line performs better than that on a pressure side.
IB-367, a Protegrin Peptide with In Vitro and In Vivo Activities against the Microflora Associated with Oral Mucositis
Authors: Mosca Deborah A. , Hurst Malinda A. , So Wendy , Viajar Beverly S. C. , Fujii Craig A. , Falla Timothy J. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Although the microflora associated with oral mucositis initiated by cytotoxic therapy is not well characterized, several studies suggest that reduction of the microbial load in the oral cavity has some clinical benefit. The MICs of IB-367, a synthetic protegrin analog, ranged from 0.13 to 64 μg/ml for gram-positive bacteria (
Streptococcus mitis
,
Streptococcus sanguis
,
Streptococcus salivarius
, and
Staphylococcus aureus
) and from 0.06 to 8 μg/ml for gram-negative species (
Klebsiella
,
Escherichia
, and
Pseudomonas
). IB-367 exhibited rapid, microbicidal activity against both log- and stationary-phase cultures of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. At concentrations near the MICs for these two organisms (4 and 2 μg/ml, respectively), IB-367 reduced viability by more than 3 logs in less than 16 min. Similarly, IB-367 effected a 4-log reduction of the endogenous microflora in pooled human saliva within 2 min at 250 μg/ml, a concentration readily attained by local delivery. After nine serial transfers at 0.5× the MIC, the MIC of IB-367 for MRSA and
P. aeruginosa
increased only two to four times. In a phase I clinical study with healthy volunteers, IB-367 was well tolerated, with no detectable systemic absorption. One hour after treatment with 9 mg of IB-367, the prevalence of gram-negative bacteria and yeast was reduced, and the density of the predominant gram-positive oral flora was decreased 1,000 times. IB-367's properties (speed of killing, breadth of spectrum, and lack of resistance) make the compound a strong candidate for the prophylaxis of oral mucositis. Phase II clinical trials with IB-367 are under way for this indication in immunocompromised subjects.
Activities of Several Antimicrobials against
Mycobacterium ulcerans
Infection in Mice
Authors: Dega Herve , Robert Jerome , Bonnafous Pascale , Jarlier Vincent , Grosset Jacques 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Mycobacterium ulcerans
inoculated into the footpads of mice at 6 × 10
3
CFU was shown to have a generation time of 6.5 days when estimated from weekly changes in microscopic counts of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and 7.5 days when calculated from actual CFU enumerated on Lowenstein-Jensen egg medium incubated at 32°C. Footpads became swollen at week 10 (W10) after infection, and all infected control mice were dead at W15 after infection. Daily (5 days/week) treatment with 100 mg of clarithromycin (CLR)/kg of body weight beginning the day after infection prevented swelling of footpads at W10. When initiation of treatment was delayed until obvious footpad swelling was observed, there was a reduction in both the increase in AFB counts and deterioration of swollen footpads and also a prolonged survival of the mice to W18. Mice infected in the hind footpads with 5 × 10
5
CFU of
M. ulcerans
were divided into an untreated control group and six treatment groups that received one of the following therapies for 8 weeks: 100 mg of CLR/kg, 25 mg of minocycline (MIN)/kg, 50 mg of sparfloxacin (SPX)/kg, 10 mg of rifampin (RIF)/kg, 10 mg of rifabutin (RBT)/kg, or 100 mg of amikacin (AMK)/kg. After completion of therapy, treated animals were observed for an additional 17 weeks. All control mice and mice treated with CLR, MIN, or SPX exhibited swollen footpads during the observation period. In contrast, of those animals treated with RIF, RBT, or AMK, none had footpad swelling and all inoculated cultures done after the W17 observation remained negative. These results suggest that RIF, RBT, and AMK may be effective in the treatment of human infection with
M. ulcerans
.
Characterization of a Genetic Element Carrying the Macrolide Efflux Gene
mef
(A) in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Santagati Maria , Iannelli Francesco , Oggioni Marco R. , Stefani Stefania , Pozzi Gianni 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

The
mef
(A) gene from a clinical isolate of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
exhibiting the M-type resistance to macrolides was found to be part of the 7,244-bp chromosomal element Tn
1207.1
, which contained 8 open reading frames.
orf2
encodes a resolvase/invertase, and
orf5
is a homolog of the macrolide-streptogramin B resistance gene
msr
(SA).
Correlation of In Vitro Susceptibilities to Newer Quinolones of Naturally Occurring Quinolone-Resistant
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Strains with Changes in GyrA and ParC
Authors: Shultz Tiffany R. , Tapsall John W. , White Peter A. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

The in vitro activities of ciprofloxacin, trovafloxacin, moxifloxacin, and grepafloxacin against 174 strains of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
isolated in Sydney, Australia, were determined. The strains included 84 quinolone-less-sensitive and -resistant
N. gonorrhoeae
(QRNG) strains for which ciprofloxacin MICs were in the range of 0.12 to 16 μg/ml. The QRNG included strains isolated from patients whose infections were acquired in a number of countries, mostly in Southeast Asia. The
gyrA
and
parC
quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR) of 18 selected QRNG strains were sequenced, and the amino acid mutations observed were related to the MICs obtained. The activities of moxifloxacin and grepafloxacin against QRNG were comparable to that of ciprofloxacin. Trovafloxacin was more active than the other quinolones against some but not all of the QRNG strains. Increments in ciprofloxacin resistance occurred in a step-wise manner with point mutations initiated in
gyrA
resulting in amino acid alterations Ser91-to-Phe, Ser91-to-Tyr, Asp95-to-Gly, and Asp95-to-Asn. Single
gyrA
changes correlated with ciprofloxacin MICs in the range 0.12 to 1 μg/ml. The Ser91 changes in GyrA were associated with higher MICs and further QRDR changes. QRNG strains for which ciprofloxacin MICs were greater than 1 μg/ml had both
gyrA
and
parC
QRDR point mutations. ParC alterations were seen in these isolates only in the presence of GyrA changes and comprised amino acid changes Asp86-to-Asn, Ser87-to-Asn, Ser87-to-Arg, Ser88-to-Pro, Glu91-to-Lys, and Glu91-to-Gln. QRNG strains for which MICs were in the higher ranges had double GyrA mutations, but again only with accompanying ParC alterations. Not only did the nature and combination of GyrA and ParC changes influence the incremental increases in ciprofloxacin MICs, but they seemingly also altered the differential activity of trovafloxacin. Our findings suggest that the newer quinolones of the type examined are unlikely to be useful replacements for ciprofloxacin in the treatment of gonorrhea, particularly where ciprofloxacin MICs are high or where resistance is widespread.
Peptide Deformylase as an Antibacterial Drug Target: Target Validation and Resistance Development
Authors: Apfel Christian M. , Locher Hans , Evers Stefan , Takács Béla , Hubschwerlen Christian , Pirson Wolfgang , Page Malcolm G. P. , Keck Wolfgang 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

New inhibitors of peptide deformylase (PDF) which are very potent against the isolated enzyme and show a certain degree of antibacterial activity have recently been synthesized by our group. Several lines of experimental evidence indicate that these inhibitors indeed interfere with the target enzyme in the bacterial cell. (i) The inhibition of
Escherichia coli
growth could be counteracted by overexpression of PDF from different organisms, including
E. coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae
, and
Haemophilus influenzae
. Conversely, reduced expression of PDF in
S. pneumoniae
resulted in an increased susceptibility to the inhibitors. (ii) Proteome analysis on two-dimensional gels revealed a shift for many proteins towards lower pI in the presence of PDF inhibitors, as would be expected if the proteins still carry their
N
-formyl-Met terminus. (iii) PDF inhibitors show no antimicrobial activity against
E. coli
under conditions that make growth independent of formylation and deformylation. The antibacterial activity in
E. coli
was characterized as bacteriostatic. Furthermore, the development of resistance in
E. coli
was observed to occur with high frequency (10
−7
). Resistant mutants show a reduced growth rate, and DNA sequence analysis revealed mutations in their formyl transferase gene. Taking all these aspects into account, we conclude that PDF may not be an optimal target for broad-spectrum antibacterial agents.
First Description of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Harboring CTX-M β-Lactamases (CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-3) in Taiwan
Authors: Yu Wen Liang , Winokur Patricia L. , Von Stein Diana L. , Pfaller Michael A. , Wang Jen Hsien , Jones Ronald N. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Klebsiella pneumoniae
isolates from Taiwan medical centers (50 strains; 1998 to 2000) with a CTX-M resistance phenotype (ceftazidime susceptible and ceftriaxone or cefotaxime nonsusceptible) were selected for initial isoelectric focusing analysis. β-Lactamases with pIs of 7.9 (
n
= 22) and 8.4 (
n
= 28) in addition to 5.4 and/or 7.6 were detected. DNA gene sequencing identified the β-lactamases with pIs of 7.9 and 8.4 as CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-3, respectively. Molecular typing suggested inter- and intrahospital clonal dissemination of these Taiwanese CTX-M-producing
Klebsiella
strains.
Streptococcus thermophilus
Cell Wall-Anchored Proteinase: Release, Purification, and Biochemical and Genetic Characterization
Authors: Fernandez-Espla María Dolores , Garault Peggy , Monnet Véronique , Rul Françoise 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus thermophilus
CNRZ 385 expresses a cell envelope proteinase (PrtS), which is characterized in the present work, both at the biochemical and genetic levels. Since PrtS is resistant to most classical methods of extraction from the cell envelopes, we developed a three-step process based on loosening of the cell wall by cultivation of the cells in the presence of glycine (20 mM), mechanical disruption (with alumina powder), and enzymatic treatment (lysozyme). The pure enzyme is a serine proteinase highly activated by Ca
2+
ions. Its activity was optimal at 37°C and pH 7.5 with acetyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-paranitroanilide as substrate. The study of the hydrolysis of the chromogenic and casein substrates indicated that PrtS presented an intermediate specificity between the most divergent types of cell envelope proteinases from lactococci, known as the PI and PIII types. This result was confirmed by the sequence determination of the regions involved in substrate specificity, which were a mix between those of PI and PIII types, and also had unique residues. Sequence analysis of the PrtS encoding gene revealed that PrtS is a member of the subtilase family. It is a multidomain protein which is maturated and tightly anchored to the cell wall via a mechanism involving an LPXTG motif. PrtS bears similarities to cell envelope proteinases from pyogenic streptococci (C5a peptidase and cell surface proteinase) and lactic acid bacteria (PrtP, PrtH, and PrtB). The highest homologies were found with streptococcal proteinases which lack, as PrtS, one domain (the B domain) present in cell envelope proteinases from all other lactic acid bacteria.
Detection of Human and Animal Rotavirus Sequences in Drinking Water
Authors: Gratacap-Cavallier B. , Genoulaz O. , Brengel-Pesce K. , Soule H. , Innocenti-Francillard P. , Bost M. , Gofti L. , Zmirou D. , Seigneurin J. M. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT
Reverse transcription-PCR analysis of drinking water in the homes of 56 children suffering from rotaviral gastroenteritis has shown the presence of the rotavirus genome in four samples. These strains were different from human rotaviruses detected in the children's feces, as determined by sequencing of the VP7-amplified fragments—three of them of animal origin (porcine or bovine) and one of human origin.