bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Panmixia supports divergence with gene flow in Darwin’s small ground finch, Geospiza fuliginosa, on Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands
Authors: GALLIGAN TOBY H. , DONNELLAN STEPHEN C. , SULLOWAY FRANK J. , FITCH ALISON J. , BERTOZZI TERRY , KLEINDORFER SONIA 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe divergence‐with‐gene‐flow model of speciation has a strong theoretical basis with a growing number of plausible examples in nature, but remains hotly debated. Darwin’s finches of the Galápagos Archipelago have played an important role in our understanding of speciation processes. Recent studies suggest that this group may also provide insights into speciation via divergence with gene flow. On the island of Santa Cruz, recent studies found evidence for adaptive divergence in Darwin’s small ground finch, Geospiza fuliginosa, between ecologically contrasting arid and humid zones. Despite the short geographical distance between these zones, strong disruptive selection during low rainfall periods is expected to generate and maintain adaptive divergence. Conversely, during high rainfall periods, when disruptive selection is predicted to be weakened, population divergence in adaptive traits is expected to break down. Because periods of low and high rainfall irregularly alternate, the geographical pattern of adaptive divergence can be assumed to break down and, importantly, regenerate in situ. Here, we use microsatellite allele frequency data to assess the genetic population structure of G. fuliginosa on Santa Cruz. We sample 21 sites and four ecological zones across the island. We reject hypotheses of population substructure linked to ecological and geographical differences among sites in favour of a single panmictic population. Panmixia implies high levels of gene flow within Santa Cruz, which favours selection over genetic drift as a valid process generating phenotypic divergence in G. fuliginosa on Santa Cruz. We discuss how our findings may support classic adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, matching habitat choice or any combination of these three processes.
Arabidopsis thaliana histone deacetylase 14 (HDA14) is an α‐tubulin deacetylase that associates with PP2A and enriches in the microtubule fraction with the putative histone acetyltransferase ELP3
Authors: Tran Hue T. , Nimick Mhairi , Uhrig R. Glen , Templeton George , Morrice Nick , Gourlay Robert , DeLong Alison , Moorhead Greg B. G. 
Published: March 2012

SummaryIt is now emerging that many proteins are regulated by a variety of covalent modifications. Using microcystin‐affinity chromatography we have purified multiple protein phosphatases and their associated proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana. One major protein purified was the histone deacetylase HDA14. We demonstrate that HDA14 can deacetylate α‐tubulin, associates with α/β‐tubulin and is retained on GTP/taxol‐stabilized microtubules, at least in part, by direct association with the PP2A‐A2 subunit. Like HDA14, the putative histone acetyltransferase ELP3 was purified on microcystin‐Sepharose and is also enriched at microtubules, potentially functioning in opposition to HDA14 as the α‐tubulin acetylating enzyme. Consistent with the likelihood of it having many substrates throughout the cell, we demonstrate that HDA14, ELP3 and the PP2A A‐subunits A1, A2 and A3 all reside in both the nucleus and cytosol of the cell. The association of a histone deacetylase with PP2A suggests a direct link between protein phosphorylation and acetylation.
Bacterial‐ and plant‐type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isozymes from developing castor oil seeds interact in vivo and associate with the surface of mitochondria
Authors: Park Joonho , Khuu Nicholas , Howard Alexander S. M. , Mullen Robert T. , Plaxton William C. 
Published: March 2012

SummaryPhosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) from developing castor oil seeds (COS) exists as two distinct oligomeric isoforms. The typical class‐1 PEPC homotetramer consists of 107‐kDa plant‐type PEPC (PTPC) subunits, whereas the allosterically desensitized 910‐kDa class‐2 PEPC hetero‐octamer arises from the association of class‐1 PEPC with 118‐kDa bacterial‐type PEPC (BTPC) subunits. The in vivo interaction and subcellular location of COS BTPC and PTPC were assessed by imaging fluorescent protein (FP)‐tagged PEPCs in tobacco suspension‐cultured cells. The BTPC‐FP mainly localized to cytoplasmic punctate/globular structures, identified as mitochondria by co‐immunostaining of endogenous cytochrome oxidase. Inhibition of respiration with KCN resulted in proportional decreases and increases in mitochondrial versus cytosolic BTPC‐FP, respectively. The FP‐PTPC and NLS‐FP‐PTPC (containing an appended nuclear localization signal, NLS) localized to the cytosol and nucleus, respectively, but both co‐localized with mitochondrial‐associated BTPC when co‐expressed with BTPC‐FP. Transmission electron microscopy of immunogold‐labeled developing COS revealed that BTPC and PTPC are localized at the mitochondrial (outer) envelope, as well as the cytosol. Moreover, thermolysin‐sensitive BTPC and PTPC polypeptides were detected on immunoblots of purified COS mitochondria. Overall, our results demonstrate that: (i) COS BTPC and PTPC interact in vivo as a class‐2 PEPC complex that associates with the surface of mitochondria, (ii) BTPC’s unique and divergent intrinsically disordered region mediates its interaction with PTPC, whereas (iii) the PTPC‐containing class‐1 PEPC is entirely cytosolic. We hypothesize that mitochondrial‐associated class‐2 PEPC facilitates rapid refixation of respiratory CO2 while sustaining a large anaplerotic flux to replenish tricarboxylic acid cycle C‐skeletons withdrawn for biosynthesis.
The effects of Arceuthobium sichuanense infection on needles and current‐year shoots of mature and young Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) trees
Authors: Xia B. , Tian C.‐M. , Luo Y.‐Q. , Liu L.‐Y. , Cairang D.‐Z. , Ma J.‐H. , Han F.‐Z. 
Published: March 2012

SummaryArceuthobium sichuanense is a hemiparasitic angiosperm that infects Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) in Qinghai province, China, and causes severe damage to spruce forests in Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. In this study, the impact of A. sichuanense infection on mature and young trees of Qinghai spruce was evaluated by examining needle and current‐year shoot morphology, needle water and nitrogen‐use efficiency (NUE) and needle nitrogen concentration. The most apparent effect of A. sichuanense infection was a significant reduction in both needle size distal to infection and current‐year shoot length in the infected branches (p < 0.001). Per cent reductions in needle and current‐year shoot length were similar between mature and young trees (58.9 vs. 56.3%; 59.7 vs. 62.9%). There was a high degree of correlation in foliar δ15N values between the dwarf mistletoe and its host trees (R2 = 0.9017, p < 0.001), while the foliar δ13C values of A. sichuanense were similar to those of infected mature and young spruce trees. The dwarf mistletoe infection also resulted in a significant decrease in host needle N concentration and δ13C values (p < 0.001). The per cent reduction in needle N concentration in young trees was nearly twice as much as that in mature trees (20.49 vs. 11.54%), while the per cent reduction in needle δ13C values was similar between young and mature trees (−0.98 vs.−1.1‰). The NUE in mature trees was not affected by A. sichuanense infection, but the NUE in young trees was increased by the infection.
Effect of different blood‐guided conditioning programmes on skeletal muscle ultrastructure and histochemistry of sport horses
Authors: Lindner A. , Dag Erginsoy S. , Kissenbeck S. , Mosen H. , Hetzel U. , Drommer W. , Chamizo V. E. , Rivero J. L. L. 
Published: March 2012

SummaryThe effects of three different blood‐guided conditioning programmes on ultrastructural and histochemical features of the gluteus medius muscle of 2‐year‐old sport horses were examined. Six non‐trained Haflinger horses performed three consecutive conditioning programmes of varying lactate‐guided intensities [velocities eliciting blood lactate concentrations of 1.5 (v1.5), 2.5 (v2.5) and 4 (v4) mm respectively] and durations (25 and 45 min). Each conditioning programme lasted 6 weeks and was followed by a 5‐week resting period. Pre‐, post‐ and deconditioning muscle biopsies were analysed. Although training and detraining adaptations were similar in nature, they varied significantly in magnitude among the three different conditioning programmes. Overall, the adaptations consisted in significant increases in size of mitochondria and myofibrils, as well as a hypertrophy of myofibrillar ATPase type IIA muscle fibres and a reduction in number of type IIx low‐oxidative fibres. Together, these changes are compatible with a significant improvement in both muscle aerobic capacity and muscle strength. The use of v1.5 and v2.5 as the exercise intensities for 45 min elicited more significant adaptations in muscle, whereas conditioning horses at v4 for 25 min evoked minimal changes. Most of these muscular adaptations returned towards the pre‐conditioning status after 5 weeks of inactivity. It is concluded that exercises of low or moderate intensities (in the range between v1.5 and v2.5) and long duration (45 min) are more effective for improving muscle features associated with stamina and power in sport horses than exercises of higher intensity (equivalent to v4) and shorter duration (25 min).
Low‐dose clarithromycin therapy modulates CD4+ T‐cell responses in a mouse model of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection
Authors: DING FENG‐MING , ZHU SONG‐LEI , SHEN CE , JIANG YAN‐QUN 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Low‐dose clarithromycin (CAM) is widely used for the treatment of chronic respiratory infections. However, its anti‐inflammatory mechanisms have not been fully explored. As CD4+ T cells play an important role in the initiation of immune responses to infectious microorganisms, we aimed to investigate the effects of low‐dose CAM on CD4+ T‐cell responses.Methods:  Fifty‐four BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups: a control group (inoculated with sterile agarose beads and treated with saline from day 7), a saline group (inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa‐loaded beads and treated with saline from day 7) and a CAM group (identical to the saline group, except that saline was replaced by CAM solution). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cell counts, bacterial load, lung tissue histology and pulmonary CD3+CD4+ cell numbers were assessed. Levels of T helper (Th)1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and suppressor cytokines (interleukin (IL)‐10 and transforming growth factor‐β1) were analysed. Messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for transcription factors for CD4+ T‐cell subsets were determined.Results:  The CAM group had lower BAL fluid cell counts, pathological scores and pulmonary CD3+CD4+ cell numbers compared with the saline group, whereas the bacterial load was not significantly different. Levels of Th1/Th17 cytokines and expression of a transcription factor for naturally occurring regulatory T cells (Treg) were significantly decreased in the CAM group compared with the saline group, whereas there was no significant difference in GATA‐3 mRNA expression.Conclusions:  This study demonstrated a downregulation of Th1/Th17/naturally occurring Treg responses after treatment with low‐dose CAM in mice with chronic P. aeruginosa lung infection.
Qualitative descriptive study exploring schizophrenia and the everyday effect of medication‐induced weight gain
Authors: Vandyk Amanda Digel , Baker Cynthia 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTWeight gain and obesity are serious side effects of the medications used to manage psychotic disorders and successful, long‐term weight loss interventions are not yet available. One reason for this may be that current interventions are designed without consideration of the patient's perspective. The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experience of weight and lifestyle from the perspective of people with schizophrenia. A qualitative, constructivist research design was used and conversational interviews were conducted with 18 purposefully recruited participants from an outpatient clinic at a psychiatric hospital in Eastern Ontario. Data were analysed according to the method of constant comparison and three central themes emerged: a life altering diagnosis, weight management as complex, and today's experiences shape tomorrow's outcomes. Weight management was seen as difficult yet important to the participants. The findings of this study provide insight into the views and opinions of the participants regarding weight and lifestyle and may be used to support the design of tailored heath initiatives for persons with mental illness.
Registered nurses' health in community elderly care in Sweden
Authors: Josefsson K. 
Published: March 2012

JOSEFSSON K. (2012) Registered nurses' health in community elderly care in Sweden. International Nursing Review59, 409–415Aim:  To describe registered nurses' (RNs) ratings of their work‐related health problems, sickness presence and sickness absence in community care of older people. To describe RNs' perceptions of time, competence and emotional pressure at work. To describe associations between time, knowledge and emotional pressure with RNs' perceptions of work‐related health problems, sickness presence and sickness absence.Background:  There is a global nursing shortage. It is a challenge to provide working conditions that enable RNs to deliver quality nursing care.Method:  A descriptive design and a structured questionnaire were used. 213 RNs in 60 care homes for older people participated, with a response rate of 62%.Findings:  RNs' reported work‐related health problems, such as neck/back disorders, dry skin/dry mucous membranes, muscles/joints disorders, sleep disorders and headache. They had periods of fatigue/unhappiness/sadness because of their work (37%). Most of the RNs felt at times psychologically exhausted after work, with difficulties leaving their thoughts of work behind. RNs stated high sickness presence (68%) and high sickness absence (63%). They perceived high time pressure, adequate competence and emotional pressure at work. There was a weak to moderate correlation between RNs' health problems and time pressure.Discussion:  We cannot afford a greater shortage of RNs in community care of older people. Politicians and employers need to develop a coordinated package of policies that provide a long‐term and sustainable solution with healthy workplaces.Conclusion:  It is important to prevent RNs' work‐related health problems and time pressure at work.
Double Standards in Educational Standards – Do Schools with a Disadvantaged Student Body Grade More Leniently?
Authors: Himmler Oliver , Schwager Robert 
Published: March 2012

AbstractA simple model of decentralized graduation standards is presented. It is shown that a school whose students are disadvantaged on the labor market applies less demanding standards because such students have lower ability or less incentives to graduate. The model’s predictions are tested using Dutch school-level data. Since students in the Netherlands have to participate in both a central and a school specific examination, we can identify the grading policy of individual schools. We find that schools which harbor greater shares of disadvantaged students tend to set lower standards. This association is most pronounced in the track of secondary schooling that prepares for university.
Moisturizing effect of alcohol‐based hand rub containing okra polysaccharide
Authors: Kanlayavattanakul M. , Rodchuea C. , Lourith N. 
Published: March 2012

SynopsisA natural, moisturizing alcohol‐based hand rub (ABHR) containing okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) polysaccharide was formulated to reduce the dryness caused by traditional hand‐cleansing products. The ABHR developed also reduced infectious disease transmission. Preliminary evaluations of the stable natural hand hygiene preparations were conducted to determine preference and short‐term moisturizing efficacy in volunteers. Formulations contained varying amounts of gelling agent (0.5% and 0.3% w/v). Accelerated stability testing using a centrifugation assay and six heating/cooling cycles of the ABHR bases were performed. Then, okra polysaccharide (5%, 7%, 10% and 15% w/w) was incorporated into the base, and stability tests were repeated. The moisturizing okra polysaccharide was compatible with the formulations at all concentrations. All of the formulated ABHRs were stable. Sensory evaluation was conducted in 36 volunteers. The two most preferred okra ABHRs were patch‐tested in 12 volunteers; results indicated none of the preparations caused irritation. Efficacy of the most preferred moisturizing ABHR containing 0.3% gelling agent and 10% (w/v) okra extract was determined. Short‐term moisturizing efficacy of a single application was examined in 20 volunteers. The okra ABHR hydrated skin significantly better than a control ABHR (P < 0.005) at 30 min after application. Skin moisture was retained for 210 min of the observation period. Thus, the ABHR product containing moisturizing okra is safe, efficacious and possesses desirable properties. The formulation can be applied every 3 h for good hand hygiene with moisturizing efficacy.
War‐making and sense‐making: some technical reflections on an instance of ‘friendly fire’
Authors: Mair Michael , Watson Patrick G. , Elsey Chris , Smith Paul Vincent 
Published: March 2012

AbstractIn this paper we analyse a ‘friendly fire’ incident from the second Gulf War and the controversy which came to envelop it during a coroner's inquest in 2007. Focusing on the cockpit video of the incident that was leaked to the media during that inquest, we examine what the military and civilian investigators were involved in reconstructing: the incident as it unfolded in real time. Our analysis is grounded in a praxeological perspective that draws on and links ethnomethodological studies of work, research into ‘normal’ accidents, disasters and risks, and recent ethnographies of the military. Based on our analysis, we suggest that the accounts offered after the event by the military and civilian inquiries should be treated less as competing descriptions than different ways of problematizing particular aspects of the military–political ‘machineries’ the pilots' actions were enmeshed within.
Culture, state and varieties of capitalism: a comparative study of life insurance markets in Hong Kong and Taiwan1
Authors: Chan Cheris Shun‐ching 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis article examines the interplay between local culture, the state, and economic actors' agency in producing variation across markets. I adopt a political–cultural approach to examining why life insurance has been far more popular in Taiwan than Hong Kong, despite the presence of a cultural taboo on the topic of premature death in both societies. Based on interview data and documentary references, the findings reveal that as an independent state, the Taiwanese government heavily protected domestic insurance firms during their emergence. These domestic firms adopted a market‐share approach by re‐defining the concept of life insurance to accommodate the local cultural taboo. The colonial Hong Kong government, on the other hand, adopted laissez‐faire policies that essentially favoured foreign insurance firms. When faced with the tension between local adaptation and the profitability of the business, these foreign firms chose the latter. Their reluctance to accommodate local cultures, however, resulted in a smaller market. I argue that state actions mediate who the dominant economic players are and that the nature of the dominant players affects the extent of localization. Specifically, the presence of competitive domestic players alongside transnational corporations is more likely to produce varieties of capitalism.
Why different countries manage death differently: a comparative analysis of modern urban societies1
Authors: Walter Tony 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe sociology of death, dying and bereavement tends to take as its implicit frame either the nation state or a homogenous modernity. Between‐nation differences in the management of death and dying are either ignored or untheorized. This article seeks to identify the factors that can explain both similarities and differences in the management of death between different modern western nations. Structural factors which affect all modern nations include urbanization and the division of labour leading to the dominance of professionals, migration, rationality and bureaucracy, information technology and the risk society. How these sociologically familiar structural features are responded to, however, depends on national histories, institutions and cultures. Historically, key transitional periods to modernity, different in different nations, necessitated particular institutional responses in the management of dying and dead bodies. Culturally, key factors include individualism versus collectivism, religion, secularization, boundary regulation, and expressivism. Global flows of death practices depend significantly on subjugated nations' perceptions of colonialism, neo‐colonialism and modernity, which can lead to a dominant power's death practices being either imitated or rejected.
Genetic Variant R952Q in LRP8 is Associated with Increased Plasma Triglyceride Levels in Patients with Early‐Onset CAD and MI
Authors: Shen Gong‐Qing , Li Lin , Wang Qing K. 
Published: March 2012

SummaryWe previously identified a novel locus for plasma triglyceride (TG) levels on chromosome 1p31–32 by genome‐wide linkage analysis in the GeneQuest population with familial and premature coronary artery disease (CAD). Here we tested a hypothesis that variants in LRP8, a gene that is under the 1p31–32 linkage peak and associated with risk of familial and premature CAD and increased platelet activation, are associated with TG levels. Seven tagSNPs that cover the entire LRP8 gene were characterized in 358 GeneQuest Caucasian probands. Only SNP R952Q (rs5174) was associated with TG levels (P‐adj = 0.0016), and this finding was replicated in one other independent population of 134 patients with early‐onset myocardial infarction (males <45; females <55; P‐adj = 0.0098). TG levels were higher in the group with higher body mass index (BMI ≥ 25) than in the group with lower BMI (BMI < 25). The association was significant in the overweight group (P‐adj = 0.0029) or in the smoking group (P‐adj = 0.0004), but not in the group with normal BMI or without smoking history. These results suggest that genetic variant R952Q of LRP8 is associated with increased plasma TG levels in patients who are overweight and have premature CAD/MI and history of smoking.
Reliability of a set of protractors for direct anatomical measurements around the glenoid and humeral head rims
Authors: Amadi Hippolite O. , Fogg Quentin A. , Ugbolue Ukadike C. , Emery Roger J. H. , Bull Anthony M. J. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractFunctional biomechanics studies of the glenohumeral (GH) soft tissues require an understanding of their sites of bony attachment. Anatomical positions of GH capsular structures have often been quantified relative to the rims of the glenoid and humeral head (HH). The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to quantify the reliability of a set of protractors that directly fit on to the glenoid and HH rims and (2) to use this to determine direct angular position referencing of landmarks and soft tissue attachment points. Three assessors independently used the protractors to assess nine prescribed landmarks on 30 dry bone specimens (15 glenoids and 15 HHs) recording the angular positions of the structures relative to the glenoid and HH. The collected data showed high levels of validity as indicated by the protractor’s intra‐ and inter‐assessor reliabilities: 98.2 and 98.7% for the glenoid component, and 96.2 and 96.5% for the humeral component, respectively. The device could be useful in anatomical studies, description of defects and pathologies on glenohumeral articulation, and planning of scapular reconstructive surgery.