bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endogenous Pain Modulation in Response to Exercise in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Comorbid Fibromyalgia, and Healthy Controls: A Double‐Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Meeus Mira , Hermans Linda , Ickmans Kelly , Struyf Filip , Van Cauwenbergh Deborah , Bronckaerts Laura , De Clerck Luc S. , Moorken Greta , Hans Guy , Grosemans Sofie , Nijs Jo 
Published: February 2014

AbstractObjectiveTemporal summation (TS) of pain, conditioned pain modulation (CPM), and exercise‐induced analgesia (EIA) are often investigated in chronic pain populations as an indicator for enhanced pain facilitation and impaired endogenous pain inhibition, respectively, but interactions are not yet clear both in healthy controls and in chronic pain patients. Therefore, the present double‐blind randomized placebo‐controlled study evaluates pains cores, TS, and CPM in response to exercise in healthy controls, patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and comorbid fibromyalgia (CFS/FM), and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), both under placebo and paracetamol condition.MethodsFifty‐three female volunteers – of which 19 patients with CFS/FM, 16 patients with RA, and 18 healthy controls – underwent a submaximal exercise test on a bicycle ergometer on 2 different occasions (paracetamol vs. placebo), with an interval of 7 days. Before and after exercise, participants rated pain intensity during TS and CPM.ResultsPatients with rheumatoid arthritis showed decreased TS after exercise, both after paracetamol and placebo (P < 0.05). In patients with CFS/FM, results were less univocal. A nonsignificant decrease in TS was only observed after taking paracetamol. CPM responses to exercise are inconclusive, but seem to worsen after exercise. No adverse effects were seen.ConclusionThis study evaluates pain scores, TS, and CPM in response to submaximal exercise in 2 different chronic pain populations and healthy controls. In patients with RA, exercise had positive effects on TS, suggesting normal EIA. In patients with CFS/FM, these positive effects were only observed after paracetamol and results were inconsistent.
Genetics and biology of cytoplasmic male sterility and its applications in forage and turf grass breeding
Authors: Islam Md. Shofiqul , Studer Bruno , Møller Ian Max , Asp Torben 
Published: February 2014

AbstractHybrid breeding can exploit heterosis and thus offers opportunities to maximize yield, quality and resistance traits in crop species. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a widely applied tool for efficient hybrid seed production. Encoded in the mitochondrial genome, CMS is maternally inherited, and thus, it can be challenging to apply in breeding schemes of allogamous self‐incompatible plant species, such as perennial ryegrass. Starting with a general introduction to the origin and the function of mitochondria in plants, this review focuses on the genetics and biology of CMS systems in plants to identify conserved and system‐specific mechanisms. We examine prospects of comparative mitochondrial genomics to identify candidate genes and causative polymorphisms associated with CMS across species and discuss specificities, obstacles and potentials of CMS as a breeding tool for maximizing heterosis in forage grasses. The purpose of the review is to highlight the importance of CMS and hybrid breeding in grasses, with the aim of facilitating research and development of novel breeding strategies to address the future needs for food, feed and biomass production.
Diversity of glutelin acidic subunit polypeptides in rice cultivars collected from Northern Vietnam
Authors: Hoai Tran T. T. , Suu Tran D. , Satoh Hikaru , Kumamaru Toshihiro 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe diversity of glutelin acidic polypeptides in rice cultivars collected from Northern Vietnam was characterized via sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) and isoelectric focusing (IEF) electrophoresis. Glutelin acidic subunits were separated into four bands by molecular mass, as α‐1 (39 kDa), α‐2 (38 kDa), α‐3 (37.5 or 37 kDa) and α‐4 (34 or 33 kDa). One hundred and eighty‐five Vietnamese rice cultivars were divided into three types, based on differences in staining intensity and the molecular size of the α‐3 and α‐4 polypeptides derived from SDS‐PAGE analysis. Wide variation was also observed in the isoelectric point (pI) staining intensity, in addition to the absence/presence of pI bands detected via IEF analysis. A total of 16 pI bands, ranging from pI 6.30 to pI 7.52, were identified in the various local rice cultivars. The maximum and minimum of IEF bands detected were 14 and 10, respectively. The genetic variability index (H′) ranged from 0.280 to 0.820, which confirms that local rice cultivars from Northern Vietnam have diverse glutelin seed storage units.
Review of doubled haploid production in durum and common wheat through wheat × maize hybridization
Authors: Niu Zhixia , Jiang Aixiang , Abu Hammad Wesam , Oladzadabbasabadi Atena , Xu Steven S. , Mergoum Mohamed , Elias Elias M. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractProduction of doubled haploids (DHs) is an important methodology to speed the process of breeding and development of mapping populations in crops. The procedure for DH production includes two major steps: haploid induction and chromosome doubling. In recent years, wide hybridization between wheat and maize has become a main approach for haploid production in wheat. In this method, the maize chromosomes are completely eliminated during the early development of the hybrid seeds after wheat spikes were pollinated with maize pollen. Numerous wheat cultivars and mapping populations have been developed using wheat–maize hybridization. In this study, we review the procedures of DH production of durum and common wheat via wide hybridization with maize, the factors which affect the efficiency of DH production, and the mechanism of selective elimination of the maize genome during the early development of the hybrid embryos. We also report a highly efficient protocol for DH production in durum and common wheat, which was established based on the optimal conditions for each of the factors that affect the efficiency of DH production.
Current research on chronic active Epstein–Barr virus infection in Japan
Authors: Fujiwara Shigeyoshi , Kimura Hiroshi , Imadome Ken‐ichi , Arai Ayako , Kodama Eiichi , Morio Tomohiro , Shimizu Norio , Wakiguchi Hiroshi 
Published: February 2014

AbstractEpstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection is usually asymptomatic and persists lifelong. Although EBV‐infected B cells have the potential for unlimited proliferation, they are effectively removed by the virus‐specific cytotoxic T cells, and EBV‐associated lymphoproliferative disease develops only in immunocompromised hosts. Rarely, however, individuals without apparent immunodeficiency develop chronic EBV infection with persistent infectious mononucleosis‐like symptoms. These patients have high EBV‐DNA load in the peripheral blood and systemic clonal expansion of EBV‐infected T cells or natural killer (NK) cells. Their prognosis is poor with life‐threatening complications including hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, organ failure, and malignant lymphomas. The term “chronic active EBV infection” (CAEBV) is now generally used for this disease. The geographical distribution of CAEBV is markedly uneven and most cases have been reported from Japan and other East Asian countries. Here we summarize the current understanding of CAEBV and describe the recent progress of CAEBV research in Japan.
Auditory pattern recognition and steering in the cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus
Authors: CROS EMILIE , HEDWIG BERTHOLD 
Published: February 2014

AbstractMale crickets Teleogryllus oceanicus (Le Guillou) produce a complex species‐specific calling song with phrases combining groups of single pulses (chirps) and groups of double‐pulses (trills) to attract females, which fly or walk towards singing males. In open‐loop trackball experiments, phonotactic steering responses to normal calling song phrases consisting of chirps and trills are strongest, suggesting that both components are necessary for maximal attractiveness. Sequences of just chirps or trills are less effective in eliciting phonotactic walking and steering. Split‐song paradigms are used to analyze the steering behaviour underlying orientation in more detail. The females' phonotactic steering reflects the alternating acoustic pattern of the split‐song paradigm. Analysis with high temporal resolution demonstrate, that even when the calling song is presented only from one side, the steering velocity and lateral deviation towards the song is modulated by steering events to single‐sound pulses. Therefore, pattern recognition, which integrates the structure of the song, appears not to be directly involved in the rapid steering response. This organization of phonotactic behaviour with a parallel processing of pattern recognition and steering is similar to other cricket species and may allow T. oceanicus females to steer transiently towards distorted song patterns as they occur in natural habitats.
Nutritional status and the foraging behaviour of Bactrocera tryoni with particular reference to protein bait spray
Authors: BALAGAWI SOLOMON , JACKSON KEVIN , UL HAQ IHSAN , HOOD‐NOWOTNY REBECCA , RESCH CHRISTIAN , CLARKE ANTHONY R. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractPoisoned protein baits comprise a recognized method for controlling tephritid fruit flies in the form of a ‘lure‐and‐kill’ technique. However, little is known about how a fly's internal protein and carbohydrate levels (i.e. nutritional status) might influence the efficacy of this control. In the present study, the relationships between the internal levels of protein (as measured by total body nitrogen) and carbohydrate (as measured by total body carbon) of the fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) are investigated, as well as its foraging behaviours in response to protein, fruit and cue‐lure (a male‐specific attractant) baits. Small cage behavioural experiments are conducted using flies from cultures of different nutritional status and wild flies sampled from the field during the fruiting cycle of a guava crop. For female flies, increasing total body nitrogen is correlated with decreased protein foraging and increased oviposition activity; increasing total body carbon levels generate the same behavioural changes except that the oviposition response is not significant. For males, there are no significant correlations between changes in total body nitrogen and total body carbon and protein or cue‐lure foraging. For wild flies from the guava orchard, almost all of them are sexually mature when entering the crop and, over the entire season, total body nitrogen and total body carbon levels are such that protein hunger is unlikely for most flies. The results infer strongly that the requirements of wild, sexually mature flies for protein are minimal and that flies can readily gain sufficient nutrients from wild sources for their physiological needs. The results offer a mechanistic explanation for the poor response of male and mature female fruit flies to protein bait spray.
Indirect cues in selecting a hunting site in a sit‐and‐wait predator
Authors: DEFRIZE JĆRĆMY , LLANDRES ANA L. , CASAS JĆRÔME 
Published: February 2014

AbstractSit‐and‐wait predators use relatively simple rules for their decisions to choose and leave a patch, such as using the direct presence of prey to select a hunting site. However, the direct presence of prey can only be used when there is a highly visited patch in the proximity of the predator. Therefore, it is plausible that sit‐and‐wait predators also exploit indirect cues of prey presence and, consequently, use associative learning to select a hunting site. The present study tests for the role of associative learning in a sit‐and‐wait predator species for which the ecology is well understood:Misumena vatiaClerck crab spiders. An ecologically relevant scenario is used by selecting flower colour as the conditioned stimulus and prey presence as the unconditioned stimulus. The results provide no evidence thatM. vatiacrab spiders use the association between flower colour and food presence for selecting a hunting site. After a training phase of being exposed to a colourful artificial flower highly visited by bees, spiders select a hunting site independently of its colour during the testing phase. Investigations of similar scope and ecological relevance are required with other sit‐and‐wait predators to identify the conditions promoting the use of associative learning for foraging site selection when animals face an unpredictable food supply.
Histopathological aspects of mango resistance to the infection process of Ceratocystis fimbriata
Authors: Araujo L. , Silva Bispo W. M. , Cacique I. S. , Cruz M. F. A. , Rodrigues F. A. 
Published: February 2014

Mango wilt, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata, is one of the most important diseases affecting mango yields in Brazil. Information regarding the infection process of C. fimbriata in the stem tissues of mango from different cultivars and the basis of host resistance to the pathogen is rare in the literature. Thus, the objective of the study was to investigate how infection by two isolates of C. fimbriata can be affected by mango cultivar‐specific mechanisms of resistance. Disease progress on the inoculated stem tissues of the mango cultivars was evaluated and stem sections were obtained from the site of inoculation and prepared for histopathological observations using light microscopy. The factors mango cultivars and C. fimbriata isolates and their interaction were significant for all measures of disease development. Plants from the cultivars Espada, Haden and Palmer inoculated with isolates of C. fimbriata were more susceptible, whereas plants from the cultivars Tommy and Ubá were moderately resistant and resistant, respectively. Histopathologically, fungal isolates apparently massively colonized the stem tissues of plants from the susceptible cultivars Espada, Haden and Palmer, starting from the collenchyma and moving in the direction of the cortical parenchyma, xylem vessels and pith parenchyma. By contrast, on stem tissues of plants from the resistant cultivars Tommy Atkins and Ubá, most of the cells reacted to C. fimbriata infection by accumulating amorphous material. The results from the present study strongly indicated the importance of phenolic compounds for mango cultivar resistance against infection by Brazilian C. fimbriata isolates.
Phylogenetic relationships and population structure of Ralstonia solanacearum isolated from diverse origins in Taiwan
Authors: Lin C.‐H. , Tsai K.‐C. , Prior P. , Wang J.‐F. 
Published: February 2014

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a destructive disease for many crops. The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogenetic relationships and genetic structure of an R. solanacearum population from diverse origins in Taiwan. All 58 tested isolates belonged to phylotype I, except the two biovar 2 isolates from potato. These belonged to phylotype IIB sequevar 1 and were identical to known potato brown rot strains, which were probably introduced. Phylotype I isolates were grouped into 10 sequevars. Sequevar 15 was predominant (34 out of 56 isolates). Its distribution covered the whole island and it was largely associated with solanaceous crops such as tomato, and with tomato field soil. A total of 14 haplotypes were identified based on a partial endoglucanase gene sequence. Parsimony network analysis revealed that haplotype A was the oldest haplotype in the local population. It encompassed all but one of the sequevar 15 isolates. Large variation in virulence on tomato was observed among the 58 isolates, and seven pathotypes were identified. Significant genetic differentiation was detected among pathotypes. Moreover, genetic differentiation was detected between biovar 3 and biovar 4 subgroups and between the strains associated with solanaceous and non‐solanaceous species, but none was detected between strains from different geographic origins. The results suggest that the phylotype I population in Taiwan is homogeneous, while mutation and local adaptation to specific ecological niches keep shaping the population.
Twelve‐week physical and leisure activity programme improved cognitive function in community‐dwelling elderly subjects: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Kamegaya Tadahiko , Araki Yumi , Kigure Hanami ,   Long‐Term‐Care Prevention Team of Maebashi City, Yamaguchi Haruyasu 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackgroundJapan is one of the most rapidly ageing societies in the world. A number of municipalities have started services for the prevention of cognitive decline for community‐dwelling elderly individuals, but the effectiveness of these services is currently insufficient. Our study explored the efficacy of a comprehensive intervention programme consisting of physical and leisure activities to prevent cognitive decline in community‐dwelling elderly subjects.MethodWe administered a 12‐week intervention programme consisting of physical and leisure activities aimed at enhancing participants' motivation to participate and support one another by providing a pleasant atmosphere, empathetic communication, praise, and errorless support. This programme for the prevention of cognitive decline was conducted as a service by the city of Maebashi. All participants underwent the Five‐Cog test, which evaluated the cognitive domains of attention, memory, visuospatial function, language, and reasoning. Executive function was evaluated by the Wechsler Digit Symbol Substitution Test and Yamaguchi Kanji‐Symbol Substitution Test. Subjective health status, level of social support, functional capacity, subjective quality of life, and depressive symptoms were assessed with a questionnaire. Grip strength test, timed up‐and‐go test, 5‐m maximum walking times test, and functional reach test were performed to evaluate physical function. Fifty‐two participants were randomly allocated to intervention (n = 26) and control (n = 26) groups. Twenty‐six participants, aged between 65–87 years, received intervention once a week at a community centre. The programme was conducted by health‐care professionals, with the help of senior citizen volunteers.ResultsThe intervention group (n = 19) showed significant improvement on the analogy task of the Five‐Cog test (F1,38 = 4.242, P = 0.046) and improved quality of life (F1,38 = 4.773, P = 0.035) as compared to the control group (n = 24).ConclusionA community‐based 12‐week intervention programme that aimed to enhance motivation to participate in activities resulted in improvements in some aspects of cognitive function and quality of life. Senior citizens who volunteered in the present intervention enabled the smooth implementation of the programme and alleviated the burden on professional staff.
Lowered performance in working memory and attentional sub‐processes are most prominent in multi‐domain amnestic mild cognitive impairment subtypes
Authors: Klekociuk Shannon Z. , Summers Mathew J. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackgroundResearch suggests that working memory and attention deficits may be present in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the functional status of these domains within revised MCI subtypes remains unclear, particularly because previous studies have examined these cognitive domains with the same tests that were used to classify MCI subtypes. The aim of this study was to examine working memory and attention function in MCI subtypes on a battery of neuropsychological tests that were distinct from those used to classify MCI subtypesMethodsA total of 122 adults aged 60–90 years were classified at baseline as amnestic MCI, non‐amnestic MCI, and multi‐domain amnestic (a‐MCI+). The attentional and working memory capacity of participants was examined using a battery of tests distinct from those used to classify MCI at screening.ResultsThe a‐MCI+ group demonstrated the poorest performance on all working memory tasks and specific sub‐processes of attention. The non‐amnestic MCI group had lowered performance on visual span and complex sustained attention only. There was no evidence of either attentional or working memory impairment in the amnestic MCI participants.ConclusionWhen MCI cohorts are assessed on measures distinct from those used at classification, a‐MCI+ subjects had the most compromised working memory and attention function. These results support previous findings that suggest a‐MCI+ more closely resembles early stage Alzheimer's disease and those with a‐MCI+ may be at increased rate of future cognitive decline compared to those with other MCI subtypes.
Optimization of the use of skin expanders
Authors: Pamplona D. C. , Weber H. I. , Leta F. R. 
Published: February 2014

BackgroundSkin expansion is a physiological process that is defined as the ability of the human skin to increase its superficial area in response to stress or to a given deformation. Skin expanders are silicon bags that are implanted underneath the skin. Because the skin presents creep or relaxation, the resulting stress decreases after a time due to the imposed deformation. Skin expansions are used to reconstruct burned areas and breasts after a mastectomy or to hide scars.PurposeThe question that constantly arises during skin expansion is whether it creates a sufficient amount of skin or, in other words, whether the achieved expansion is sufficient to resurface the defect. These questions are answered with information about how much new tissue is required to achieve the reconstruction in a given context and calculating the required tissue (surface area) in relationship with the volume infiltrated.MethodSurface formulas for round and rectangular, and finite elements method for crescent skin expanders are used to calculate the relation between infiltrated volume and surface area. Those results were corrected or validated by an experimental work using 3D scanners to calculate the relation between surface area and internal volumes for the three types of expanders in question.ResultsThe research provides information to determine the type, number, and volume of skin expanders necessary to obtain an extra amount of skin to repair a specific medical condition and to determine the amount of skin obtained even in cases when the expansion does not come to term.Symbols, Correcting factor, which corrects the mathematical formulas using the experimental results, for i skin expander; i, geometry of the expander, round (c), rectangular (r), or crescent (cresc/cr); Sd, surface of the defect; Sds, surface area of the donor site; , surface area obtained using a mathematical calculation for the i skin expander; , surface area obtained experimentally for the i skin expander; , corrected surface area obtained using a mathematical calculation for the i skin expander corrected by the correcting factor; extra flap of skin obtained by expansion for the i skin expander; , internal volume infiltrated in the i skin expander; , nominal internal volume of the i skin expander.