bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stink Bug Feeding Induces Fluorescence in Developing Cotton Bolls
Authors: Xia Jinjun , Mustafic Adnan , Toews Michael D , Haidekker Mark A 
Published: August 2011

Abstract

Background
Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) comprise a critically important insect pest complex affecting 12 major crops worldwide including cotton. In the US, stink bug damage to developing cotton bolls causes boll abscission, lint staining, reduced fiber quality, and reduced yields with estimated losses ranging from 10 to 60 million dollars annually. Unfortunately, scouting for stink bug damage in the field is laborious and excessively time consuming. To improve scouting accuracy and efficiency, we investigated fluorescence changes in cotton boll tissues as a result of stink bug feeding.

Results
Fluorescent imaging under long-wave ultraviolet light showed that stink bug-damaged lint, the inner carpal wall, and the outside of the boll emitted strong blue-green fluorescence in a circular region near the puncture wound, whereas undamaged tissue emissions occurred at different wavelengths; the much weaker emission of undamaged tissue was dominated by chlorophyll fluorescence. We further characterized the optimum emission and excitation spectra to distinguish between stink bug damaged bolls from undamaged bolls.

Conclusions
The observed characteristic fluorescence peaks associated with stink bug damage give rise to a fluorescence-based method to rapidly distinguish between undamaged and stink bug damaged cotton bolls. Based on the fluorescent fingerprint, we envision a fluorescence reflectance imaging or a fluorescence ratiometric device to assist pest management professionals with rapidly determining the extent of stink bug damage in a cotton field.
Differential gene expression in Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula from Wistar rats and BALB/c mice
Authors: Peng Jinbiao , Han Hongxiao , Gobert Geoffrey N , Hong Yang , Jiang Weibin , Wang Xinzhi , Fu Zhiqiang , Liu Jinming , Shi Yaojun , Lin Jiaojiao 
Published: August 2011

Abstract

Background
More than 46 species of mammals can be naturally infected with Schistosoma japonicum in the mainland of China. Mice are permissive and may act as the definitive host of the life cycle. In contrast, rats are less susceptible to S. japonicum infection, and are considered to provide an unsuitable micro-environment for parasite growth and development. Since little is known of what effects this micro-environment has on the parasite itself, we have in the present study utilised a S. japonicum oligonucleotide microarray to compare the gene expression differences of 10-day-old schistosomula maintained in Wistar rats with those maintained in BALB/c mice.

Results
In total 3,468 schistosome genes were found to be differentially expressed, of which the majority (3,335) were down-regulated (≤ 2 fold) and 133 were up-regulated (≥ 2 fold) in schistosomula from Wistar rats compared with those from BALB/c mice. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that of the differentially expressed genes with already established functions or close homology to well characterized genes in another organisms, many are related to important biological functions or molecular processes. Among the genes that were down-regulated in schistosomula from Wistar rats, some were associated with metabolism, signal transduction and development. Of these genes related to metabolic processes, areas including translation, protein and amino acid phosphorylation, proteolysis, oxidoreductase activities, catalytic activities and hydrolase activities, were represented. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analysis of differential expressed genes indicated that of the 328 genes that had a specific KEGG pathway annotation, 324 were down-regulated and were mainly associated with metabolism, growth, redox pathway, oxidative phosphorylation, the cell cycle, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, protein export and the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinases) signaling pathway.

Conclusions
This work presents the first large scale gene expression study identifying the differences between schistosomula maintained in mice and those maintained in rats, and specifically highlights differential expression that may impact on the survival and development of the parasite within the definitive host. The research presented here provides valuable information for the better understanding of schistosome development and host-parasite interactions.
Adult mortality in the cities of Bulawayo and Harare, Zimbabwe: 1979‐2008
Authors: Dlodlo Riitta A , Fujiwara Paula I , Hwalima Zanele E , Mungofa Stanley , Harries Anthony D 
Published: August 2011

BackgroundZimbabwe has been severely affected by the HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics, with an estimated 80% of tuberculosis patients being HIV infected. We set out to use annual population‐mortality records from the cities of Harare and Bulawayo to describe trends and possible causes of mortality from 1979 to 2008. The specific objectives were to document overall, sex and age‐specific mortality, proportion of deaths attributed to AIDS and tuberculosis, and changes in death rates since the start of antiretroviral therapy in 2004.MethodsThis retrospective descriptive study used existing mortality records of the Health Services departments in Harare and Bulawayo. Data points included: estimated yearly total population; groupings by sex and age; deaths (total and by sex and age groups for each year of the study period); and most frequently reported causes of death (for age groups <15 years, 15‐44 years and ≥45 years). Data on deaths were aggregated by year, and crude, sex‐ and age‐specific death rates were calculated per 1000 population. Tuberculosis and HIV‐related disease‐specific death rates and proportion of deaths attributed to these conditions were computed.ResultsIn both cities, crude death rates were lowest in the late 1980s, increased three‐ to five‐fold by the early 2000s, and began a slow and, in the case of Bulawayo, intermittent decline from 2004. Sex‐specific death rates followed a similar trend, being higher in males than in females. The death rates in the age groups <5 years, 15‐44 years and ≥45 years showed significant increases, with a gradual levelling off and decline from 2002 onwards; death rates in those aged 5‐14 years were relatively unaffected. Tuberculosis and HIV caused 70% of deaths in the age group of 15‐44 years from the early 1990s.ConclusionsThis study used routinely collected population‐mortality data that are rare in resource‐limited settings, and it described, for the first time in Zimbabwe, the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the introduction of antiretroviral therapy on death rates in two large cities. After a substantial rise in crude mortality rates, there has been a decline associated with the introduction of ART. Such routine population data must continue to be collected, collated and analyzed.
A cell-intrinsic role for CaMKK2 in granulocyte lineage commitment and differentiation
Authors: Teng Ellen C , Racioppi Luigi , Means Anthony R 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTGranulocytes serve a critical function in host organisms by recognizing and destroying invading microbes, as well as propagating and maintaining inflammation at sites of infection. However, the molecular pathways underpinning the development of granulocytes are poorly understood. Here, we identify a role for CaMKK2 in the restriction of granulocytic fate commitment and differentiation of myeloid progenitor cells. Following BMT, engraftment by Camkk2−/− donor cells resulted in the increased production of mature granulocytes in the BM and peripheral blood. Similarly, Camkk2−/− mice possessed elevated numbers of CMP cells and exhibited an accelerated granulopoietic phenotype in the BM. Camkk2−/− myeloid progenitors expressed increased levels of C/EBPα and PU.1 and preferentially differentiated into Gr1+Mac1+ granulocytes and CFU-G in vitro. During normal granulopoiesis in vivo or G-CSF-induced differentiation of 32D myeloblast cells in vitro, CaMKK2 mRNA and protein were decreased as a function of time and were undetectable in mature granulocytes. Expression of ectopic CaMKK2 in Camkk2−/− CMPs was sufficient to rescue aberrant granulocyte differentiation and when overexpressed in 32D cells, was also sufficient to impede granulocyte differentiation in a kinase activity-dependent manner. Collectively, our results reveal a novel role for CaMKK2 as an inhibitor of granulocytic fate commitment and differentiation in early myeloid progenitors.
Abca12-mediated lipid transport and Snap29-dependent trafficking of lamellar granules are crucial for epidermal morphogenesis in a zebrafish model of ichthyosis
Authors: Li Qiaoli , Frank Michael , Akiyama Masashi , Shimizu Hiroshi , Ho Shiu-Ying , Thisse Christine , Thisse Bernard , Sprecher Eli , Uitto Jouni 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARY
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) can serve as a model system to study heritable skin diseases. The skin is rapidly developed during the first 5–6 days of embryonic growth, accompanied by expression of skin-specific genes. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of wild-type zebrafish at day 5 reveals a two-cell-layer epidermis separated from the underlying collagenous stroma by a basement membrane with fully developed hemidesmosomes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals an ordered surface contour of keratinocytes with discrete microridges. To gain insight into epidermal morphogenesis, we have employed morpholino-mediated knockdown of the abca12 and snap29 genes, which are crucial for secretion of lipids and intracellular trafficking of lamellar granules, respectively. Morpholinos, when placed on exon-intron junctions, were &gt;90% effective in preventing the corresponding gene expression when injected into one- to four-cell-stage embryos. By day 3, TEM of abca12 morphants showed accumulation of lipid-containing electron-dense lamellar granules, whereas snap29 morphants showed the presence of apparently empty vesicles in the epidermis. Evaluation of epidermal morphogenesis by SEM revealed similar perturbations in both cases in the microridge architecture and the development of spicule-like protrusions on the surface of keratinocytes. These morphological findings are akin to epidermal changes in harlequin ichthyosis and CEDNIK syndrome, autosomal recessive keratinization disorders due to mutations in the ABCA12 and SNAP29 genes, respectively. The results indicate that interference of independent pathways involving lipid transport in the epidermis can result in phenotypically similar perturbations in epidermal morphogenesis, and that these fish mutants can serve as a model to study the pathomechanisms of these keratinization disorders.
Epistaxis in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia treated with selective arterial embolization
Authors: Trojanowski Piotr , Jargiełło Tomasz , Trojanowska Agnieszka , Klatka Janusz 
Published: August 2011

Background Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare systemic fibrovascular dysplasia also known as Rendu-Osler-Weber disease. Epistaxis is often the first and foremost symptom of the disease and recurrent epistaxis is the main complaint. Purpose Evaluation of effectiveness and safety of endovascular treatment of epistaxis in HHT patients. Material and Methods Between June 2004 and January 2008, 14 patients with HHT underwent embolization of external carotid artery (ECA) branches due to severe epistaxis. There were eight men and six women aged 27–42 years. Patients were referred for endovascular treatment when primary management with electrocautery and nasal packing was ineffective. Arteries suspected of bleeding were catheterized super-selectively with micro-catheters to perform embolization. Polyvinyl alcohol particles (PVA) or embospheres in diameter of 500–700-µm were used as an embolic material. Results Embolization was technically successful in 11 (78.5%) patients. Immediate, complete control of bleeding was achieved in 12 (85%) patients. During long-term follow-up recurrent nasal bleeding occurred in six (43%) patients 6–24 months after treatment. There were no severe complications after embolization. Nine patients experienced mild facial pain which resolved within three days after the treatment. Three patients in whom arterial spasm was observed, suffered from facial paraesthesia lasting for 3–5 days after embolization. Out of 14 patients, 12 were available for 24-month follow-up evaluation. All except one claimed reduction in frequency and severity of epistaxis which had a positive impact on their quality of life. Conclusion Endovascular embolization of epistaxis in patients with HHT is an effective and safe procedure although it cannot provide a long-term cure in most cases. Embolization reduces the frequency, severity and duration of nasal bleeding in patients with HHT, improving patients' quality of life.
Cash-Out or Flameout! Opportunity Cost and Entrepreneurial Strategy: Theory, and Evidence from the Information Security Industry
Authors: Arora Ashish , Nandkumar Anand 
Published: August 2011

We analyze how entrepreneurial opportunity cost conditions performance. Departing from the common practice of using survival as a measure of entrepreneurial performance, we model both failure and cash-out (liquidity event) as conditioned by the same underlying process. High-opportunity-cost entrepreneurs prefer a shorter time to success, even if this also implies failing more quickly, whereas entrepreneurs with fewer outside alternatives will choose less aggressive strategies and, consequently, linger on longer. We formalize this intuition with a simple model. Using a novel data set of information security start-ups, we find that entrepreneurs with high opportunity costs are not only more likely to cash out more quickly but are also more likely to fail faster. Not only is survival a poor indicator of performance, but its use as one obscures the relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics, entrepreneurial strategies, and outcomes. This paper was accepted by David Hsu, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Tournaments Without Prizes: Evidence from Personnel Records
Authors: Blanes i Vidal Jordi , Nossol Mareike 
Published: August 2011

We use a quasi-experimental research design to study the effect of giving workers feedback on their relative performance. The setting is a firm in which workers are paid piece rates and where, for exogenous reasons, management begins to reveal to workers their relative position in the distribution of pay and productivity. We find that merely providing this information leads to a large and long-lasting increase in productivity that is costless to the firm. Our findings are consistent with the interpretation that workers' incipient concerns about their relative standing are activated by information about how they are performing relative to others. This paper was accepted by Olav Sorenson, organizations.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Competitive Advantage: Overcoming the Trust Barrier
Authors: Du Shuili , Bhattacharya C. B. , Sen Sankar 
Published: August 2011

This research builds on the complementary corporate social responsibility (CSR) literatures in strategy and marketing to provide insight into the efficacy of CSR as a challenger's competitive weapon against a market leader. Through an investigation of a real-world CSR initiative, we show that the challenger can reap superior business returns (i.e., more positive attitudinal and behavioral outcomes) among consumers who had participated in its CSR initiative, relative to those who were merely aware of the initiative. Specifically, participant consumers demonstrate the desired attitudinal and behavioral changes in favor of the challenger, regardless of their affective trust in the leader, whereas aware consumers' reactions become less favorable as their affective trust in the leader increases. Furthermore, participant consumers, but not aware ones, form a communal, trust-based bond with the challenger. This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta and Preyas Desai, special issue editors. This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta and Preyas Desai, special issue editors.
Logarithmic convergence rate of Levenberg–Marquardt method with application to an inverse potential problem
Authors: Böckmann Christine , Kammanee Athassawat , Braunß Andreas 
Published: August 2011

AbstractWe prove logarithmic convergence rate of the Levenberg–Marquardt method in a Hilbert space if a logarithmic source condition is satisfied. This method is applied to an inverse potential problem. Numerical implementations demonstrate the convergence rate.
Exponential instability in the Gel'fand inverse problem on the energy intervals
Authors: Isaev Mikhail Ismailovitch 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
We consider the Gel'fand inverse problem and continue studies of Mandache (Inverse Problems 17: 1435–1444, 2001). We show that the Mandache-type instability remains valid even in the case of Dirichlet-to-Neumann map given on the energy intervals. These instability results show, in particular, that the logarithmic stability estimates of Alessandrini (Appl. Anal. 27: 153–172, 1988), Novikov and Santacesaria (J. Inverse Ill-Posed Probl., 2010) and especially of Novikov (2010) are optimal (up to the value of the exponent).
Fluctuation-induced forces in critical crosslinked polymer blends
Authors: El Fassi Saâd , Benhamou Mabrouk , Agouzouk Abdellatif , Boughou Mohamed , Kaïdi Hamid , Yaznasni Mohamed El , Ridouane Hamid 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
In this paper, we report on the computation of the induced forces in crosslinked polymer blends, with immersed small colloidal particles (nanoparticles) or confined to two parallel plates (film). We assume that the particles or the walls prefer to be attracted by one polymer, close to the spinodal temperature where a microphase separation takes place. This is the so-called “critical adsorption”. As an assumption, the particle diameter or the film thickness is considered to be small enough in comparison with the size of microdomains (“mesh size”). The critical fluctuations of the crosslinked mixture induce a pair potential between particles located in the non-preferred phase or between the confining walls. The purpose is to recall how this Casimir pair potential can be determined, as a function of the interparticle distance or the walls separation. To achieve calculations, use is made of an extended de Gennes model that takes into account the colloid-polymer and polymer-wall interactions. Finally, the obtained results are compared to those relatively to uncrosslinked polymer blends in the same geometries, and the main conclusion is that the induced force is reduced by the presence of permanent crosslinks.
An effective tool to characterize adhesion at the interface of binary polymer blends: a free volume study
Authors: Raj Jaya Madhu , Altaweel Abdullah Mohammed Ali Mohammed , Chandrashekara Malavalli Nagarajaiah , Ramya Puttegowda , Ravikumar Harijan Basavaraju , Ranganathaiah Chikkakuntappa 
Published: August 2011

AbstractIn this work, an effective method of characterizing the adhesion at the interface of partially miscible and immiscible binary polymer is used. Three polymer blends namely PS/PMMA, PP/NBR and PVC/SAN were irradiated with e-beam and microwaves, in order to bring about interfacial modification, and were characterized in terms of free volume measured by Positron Lifetime technique. The changes in free volume parameters upon e-beam and microwave irradiation on the two systems clearly shows improved interaction between the blend constituents as a result of cross-linking through hydrogen bond formation. However, the extent of interfacial modification brought in at different weight compositions is not forthcoming. Therefore, the hydrodynamic interaction parameter α, which accounts for friction at the interface between the dissimilar chains of the blend constituents, is evaluated from the very same free volume data. Since α represents the strength of hydrodynamic interaction, it could be taken as an indicator of the adhesion strength at the interface. Present results showed that both e-beam and microwave irradiations can be used to stabilize the interfaces in binary polymer blends as evidenced by hydrodynamic interaction.
Electrostrictive polymer composite for energy harvesters and actuators
Authors: Cottinet Pierre-Jean , Guyomar Daniel , Guiffard Benoit , Lebrun Laurent , Putson Chatchai 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
Polymers have attractive properties when compared with inorganic materials: they are lightweight, inexpensive, pliable, and easily processed and manufactured. They can be configured into complex shapes and their properties can be tailored according to demand. With the rapid advances in materials used in science and technology, various substances embedded with intelligence at the molecular level are being developed. A type of electroactive polymer known as electrostrictive has shown considerable promise for a variety of applications, such as actuation with a strain thickness of 15% for an electric field of 10 V/μm. Polyurethane-based nanocomposite films were prepared by incorporating a carbon black nanopowder (C) into the polymer matrix. Electric field-induced strain measurements revealed that a loading of 1 vt% C (volume percentage of carbon black nanopowder) increased the strain level by a factor of 2.5 at a moderate field strength (10 V/μm). Moreover, another application for this material concerned the harvesting of mechanical energy, which constitutes an attractive alternative to the strict reliance on traditional batteries with limited lifetimes. For instance, an effective conversion from the mechanical-to-electric domains of 2.3 μW/cm3, under a transverse vibration level of 0.25% at 100 Hz, has been demonstrated for nylon. The final results indicated that the dielectric constant was a crucial parameter for energy harvesting.
Thermodynamic analysis of phase separation of a thermoplastic in a variant epoxy/monoamine-diamine system: influence of epoxy molecular structure
Authors: Lopez Joaquin , Rico Maite , Montero Belen , Ramirez Carmen 
Published: August 2011

Abstract
A thermodynamic study of phase separation induced by the polymerization process was carried out in a variant epoxy/amine system modified with polystyrene (PS) by means of a model based on the Flory-Huggins theory in which the polydispersity of components was taken into account. Modification of the epoxy/amine system was to continually change its molecular structure from a linear polymer to a highly crosslinked polymer using a monoamine and a diamine mixed in different proportions. The cloud-point curves during polymerization for five epoxy/monoamine-diamine systems with PS blends were experimentally measured. Application of the thermodynamic model led to obtaining the corresponding phase diagrams. All studied blends showed an upper critical solution temperature behavior and an increase in miscibility was observed by increasing the monoamine/diamine ratio. The polydispersity of components caused a molecular fractionation leading to a difference in the conversion of separate phases.