bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic and Seed Treatment Effects in Organic Peanut
Authors: Cantonwine E.G. , Holbrook C.C. , Culbreath A.K. , Tubbs R.S. , Boudreau M.A. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
Stand establishment has been a challenge for organic peanut production in the Southeastern United States. Field experiments were conducted in 2007 and 2009 in research plots certified for organic production to evaluate the potential of genotype selection, shelling procedure, and seed treatment with Bacillus subtilis to improve stand establishment and seedling emergence rates, reduce incidence of Aspergillus crown rot, and increase seedling biomass. Seed of 15 peanut genotypes were mechanically shelled or hand-shelled, and treated with B. subtilis or untreated prior to planting in early June. Percent stand was estimated for each plot 17–21 days after planting (DAP), and percent seedlings affected by Aspergillus crown rot and plant biomass were estimated 21–24 DAP. Seed treatment significantly affected stand establishment for three genotypes each year, Georgia-01R both years, C-99R and Tifguard in 2007, and C34-24-69 and C724-19-25 in 2009. In all of these cases, the hand-shelled plots had significantly greater stands than the mechanically shelled plots for untreated and/or B. subtilis treated seed. B. subtilis treatment improved stands for two of the mechanically shelled treatments that significantly responded to hand shelling. Despite low incidence, there was a significant reduction of crown rot in the hand-shelled plots compared to the mechanically shelled plots across years and genotypes. The cultivar Georganic, which has been planted to organic peanut systems in Georgia in recent years, was among the genotypes with the lowest seedling establishment rates and biomass. Based on these results, it is recommended that sorting thresholds for damaged seed be higher for seed destined for organic production, and that breeding efforts that include assessments of factors involved in seedling establishment and growth be prioritized.
Organizational Factors Affecting Participation in a Smoking Cessation Program and Abstinence among 68 Auto Dealerships
Authors: Emont Seth L. , Cummings K. Michael 
Published: December 2011

The effects of organizational factors on participation rates in a smoking cessation clinic and on one-year quit rates were examined among 68 private sector businesses. Free smoking cessation programs were offered to all smoking employees. Smokers (n = 844) were contacted to determine changes in smoking behavior; managers (n = 68) were also contacted to assess changes in smoking policy implementation over the past year. The participation rate in the clinic was 6.6 percent. Overall, 14.3 percent of smokers reported abstaining from cigarettes for at least one month prior to the one-year follow-up survey. Organization factors predicting clinic participation included having health promotion programs, increased motivation to stop smoking, and greater length of employment. Factors predicting cessation at one year included greater clinic participation rates, larger worksite size, a greater awareness of smoking restrictions, and agreement that passive smoking was dangerous to ones health. The only factor to significantly increase both participation and cessation rates was the presence of smoking policies. Employee, manager, and organizational characteristics can exert independent effects on behavior. Therefore, interventions should be targeted at each of these levels to maximize smoking-related behavior change.
Short communication. The wilt of winter cucumber in south-eastern Spain caused by Pythium irregulare
Authors: Serrano-Alonso Y. , Melero-Vara J. M. 
Published: December 2011

Pythium irregulare was isolated from adult cucumber plants with stem base necrosis, wilt or, frequently, that were dead; symptoms were particularly observed in crops grown in winter in plastic-houses in south eastern Spain. Damage was often important because symptoms develop during the fruit harvesting period. Cucumber plants cv. Nevada sown in late September were inoculated at the 4-7 leaf stage (mid October) with a suspension of propagules of P. irregulare isolated from diseased cucumber or tomato plants. Non-inoculated plants served as controls. Symptoms were recorded weekly until the end of the experiment in mid January and cumulative marketable yields calculated. The experiment was repeated the following year. A high incidence (93.1 and 97.9%) of diseased or dead plants occurred in plots inoculated with isolates of P. irregulare from cucumber, which were significantly more aggressive than tomato isolates. Plants in non-inoculated plots remained symptom free. Yields were significantly lower in plots inoculated with cucumber isolates in both years, mainly due to reductions in the number of fruits rather than fruit weight. This is the first report of P. irregulare as the causal agent of root rot in plastic-houses of cucumber plants in Almería (Spain), one of the world’s largest concentrations of plastic-houses.
Effect of different times and techniques of molybdenum applicationon chickpea (Cicer arietinum) growth and yield
Authors: Valenciano J.B. , Marcelo V. , Miguelez-Frade M.M. 
Published: December 2011

Molybdenum (Mo) plays an important role in increasing chickpea yield. In 2009, we studied the effects of different Mo application times and techniques on the response of the Kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum) to Mo nutrition. Pot experiments were conducted under natural conditions using two different soils from northwest Spain and following a factorial statistical pattern (7 × 2) with six replicates for each soil. A treatment of 2 mg Mo pot–1 was added to the pots at six different moments, 1 to 6 weeks after emergence (WAE), using two different application techniques (soil and foliar). Both growth and yield were affected by Mo application, but yield was more affected than total dry matter. The response was greater in the medium acid soil than in the neutral-slightly basic soil. At maturity, plants fertilized at 4 WAE produced a greater seed yield, mainly due to an increase in the number of pods per plant. Foliar Mo application was more effective, and soil Mo application should be carried out earlier in the cycle. An interaction was found between time and technique of Mo application, with the highest yield being obtained when Mo was applied at 4 WAE using foliar fertilization
Single‐Crystal Germanium Growth on Amorphous Silicon
Authors: McComber Kevin A. , Duan Xiaoman , Liu Jifeng , Michel Jurgen , Kimerling Lionel C. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractGrowing single‐crystal semiconductors directly on an amorphous substrate without epitaxy or wafer bonding has long been a significant fundamental challenge in materials science. Such technology is especially important for semiconductor devices that require cost‐effective, high‐throughput fabrication, including thin‐film solar cells and transistors on glass substrates as well as large‐scale active photonic circuits on Si using back‐end‐of‐line CMOS technology. This work demonstrates a CMOS‐compatible method of fabricating high‐quality germanium single crystals on amorphous silicon at low temperatures of <450 °C. Grain orientation selection by geometric confinement of polycrystalline germanium films selectively grown on amorphous silicon by chemical vapor deposition is presented, where the confinement selects the fast‐growing grains for extended growth and eventually leads to single crystalline material. Germanium crystals grown using this method exhibit (110) texture and twin‐mediated growth. A model of confined growth is developed to predict the optimal confining channel dimensions for consistent, single‐crystal growth. Germanium films grown from one‐dimensional confinement exhibit a 200% grain size increase at 1 μm film thickness compared to unconfined films, while 2D confinement growth achieved single crystal Ge. The area of single crystalline Ge on amorphous layers is only limited by the growth time. Significant enhancement in room temperature photoluminescence and reduction in residual carrier density have been achieved using confined growth, demonstrating excellent optoelectronic properties. This growth method is readily extensible to any materials system capable of selective non‐epitaxial deposition, thus allowing for the fabrication of devices from high‐quality single crystal material when only an amorphous substrate is available.
Detailed Comparative Anatomy of the Extrinsic Cardiac Nerve Plexus and Postnatal Reorganization of the Cardiac Position and Innervation in the Great Apes: Orangutans, Gorillas, and Chimpanzees
Authors: Kawashima Tomokazu , Sato Fumi 
Published: December 2011

AbstractTo speculate how the extrinsic cardiac nerve plexus (ECNP) evolves phyletically and ontogenetically within the primate lineage, we conducted a comparative anatomical study of the ECNP, including an imaging examination in the great apes using 20 sides from 11 bodies from three species and a range of postnatal stages from newborns to mature adults. Although the position of the middle cervical ganglion (MG) in the great apes tended to be relatively lower than that in humans, the morphology of the ECNP in adult great apes was almost consistent with that in adult humans but essentially different from that in the lesser apes or gibbons. Therefore, the well‐argued anatomical question of when did the MG acquire communicating branches with the spinal cervical nerves and appear constantly in all sympathetic cardiac nerves during primate evolution is clearly considered to be after the great apes and gibbons split. Moreover, a horizontal four‐chambered heart and a lifted cardiac apex with a relatively large volume in newborn great apes rapidly changed its position downward, as seen in humans during postnatal growth and was associated with a reduction in the hepatic volume by imaging diagnosis and gross anatomy. In addition, our observation using a range of postnatal stages exhibits that two sympathetic ganglia, the middle cervical and cervicothoracic ganglia, differed between the early and later postnatal stages. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expression of the Tgfβ2 Gene During Chick Embryogenesis
Authors: Yamagishi Toshiyuki , Ando Katsumi , Nakamura Hiroaki , Nakajima Yuji 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWe performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF) β2 during chick embryogenesis from stage 6 to 30 (Hamburger and Hamilton, J Morphol 1951;88:49–92) using in situ hybridization. During cardiogenesis, Tgfβ2 was expressed in the endothelial/mesenchymal cells of the valvulo‐septal endocardial cushion tissue and in the epicardium until the end of embryogenesis. During the formation of major arteries, Tgfβ2 was localized in smooth muscle progenitors but not in the vascular endothelium. During limb development, Tgfβ2 was expressed in the mesenchymal cells in the presumptive limb regions at stage 16, and thereafter it was localized in the skeletal muscle progenitors. In addition, strong Tgfβ2 expression was seen in the mesenchymal cells in the pharyngeal arches. Tgfβ2 mRNA was also detected in other mesoderm‐derived tissues, such as the developing bone and pleura. During ectoderm development, Tgfβ2 was expressed in the floor plate of the neural tube, lens, optic nerve, and otic vesicle. In addition, Tgfβ2 was expressed in the developing gut epithelium. Our results suggest that TGFβ2 plays an important role not only in epithelial‐mesenchymal interactions but also in cell differentiation and migration and cell death during chick embryogenesis. We also found that chick and mouse Tgfβ2 RNA show very similar patterns of expression during embryogenesis. Chick embryos can serve as a useful model to increase our understanding in the roles of TGFβ2 in cell–cell interactions, cell differentiation, and proliferation during organogenesis. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Towards Quantitative Computer‐Aided Studies of Enzymatic Enantioselectivity: The Case of Candida antarctica Lipase A
Authors: Frushicheva Maria P. , Warshel Arieh 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe prospect for consistent computer‐aided refinement of stereoselective enzymes is explored by simulating the hydrolysis of enantiomers of an α‐substituted ester by wild‐type and mutant Candida antarctica lipase A, using several strategies. In particular, we focused on the use of the empirical valence bond (EVB) method in a quantitative screening for enantioselectivity, and evaluate both kcat and kcat/KM of the R and S stereoisomers. We found that an extensive sampling is essential for obtaining converging results. This requirement points towards possible problems with approaches that use a limited conformational sampling. However, performing the proper sampling appears to give encouraging results and to offer a powerful tool for the computer‐aided design of enantioselective enzymes. We also explore faster strategies for identifying mutations that will help in augmenting directed‐evolution experiments, but these approaches require further refinement.
Major Groove Substituents and Polymerase Recognition of a Class of Predominantly Hydrophobic Unnatural Base Pairs
Authors: Lavergne Thomas , Malyshev Denis A. , Romesberg Floyd E. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractExpansion of the genetic alphabet with an unnatural base pair is a long‐standing goal of synthetic biology. We have developed a class of unnatural base pairs, formed between d5SICS and analogues of dMMO2 that are efficiently and selectively replicated by the Klenow fragment (Kf) DNA polymerase. In an effort to further characterize and optimize replication, we report the synthesis of five new dMMO2 analogues bearing different substituents designed to be oriented into the developing major groove and an analysis of their insertion opposite d5SICS by Kf and Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase I (Taq). We also expand the analysis of the previously optimized pair, dNaM–d5SICS, to include replication by Taq. Finally, the efficiency and fidelity of PCR amplification of the base pairs by Taq or Deep Vent polymerases was examined. The resulting structure–activity relationship data suggest that the major determinants of efficient replication are the minimization of desolvation effects and the introduction of favorable hydrophobic packing, and that Taq is more sensitive than Kf to structural changes. In addition, we identify an analogue (dNMO1) that is a better partner for d5SICS than any of the previously identified dMMO2 analogues with the exception of dNaM. We also found that dNaM–d5SICS is replicated by both Kf and Taq with rates approaching those of a natural base pair.
Copper‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Synthesis of Imidazo/Benzoimidazoquinazolinones by Sequential Ullmann‐Type Coupling and Intramolecular CH Amidation
Authors: Xu Hao , Fu Hua 
Published: December 2011

AbstractA simple, practical, and highly efficient copper‐catalyzed one‐pot synthesis of imidazo/benzoimidazoquinazolinones has been developed. The procedure is based on a sequential copper‐catalyzed Ullmann‐type N‐arylation and aerobic oxidative intramolecular CH amidation. This method should provide a new and useful strategy for construction of N‐heterocycles.
Design of Nanocatalysts for Green Hydrogen Production from Bioethanol
Authors: Bion Nicolas , Duprez Daniel , Epron Florence 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBioethanol is an interesting feedstock that may be used for hydrogen production by steam or autothermal reforming. However, the impurities (heavy alcohols, esters, acids, N compounds) contained in the raw feedstock require a costly purification, as they have a dramatic impact on catalyst activity and stability. Thus, a method that can utilize the raw feedstock without severe degradation of the catalyst would be desirable. In this Minireview, the composition of bioethanol from first and second generation biomass, the reactions involved in the catalytic ethanol steam reforming process and the design of catalysts adapted for hydrogen production from a real bioethanol feed are surveyed.
Adaptive frequency compensation for maximum and constant bandwidth feedback amplifiers
Authors: Pennisi Salvatore , Scotti Giuseppe , Trifiletti Alessandro 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACTWe present an adaptive frequency compensation technique providing maximum bandwidth closed‐loop amplifiers. The approach exploits an auxiliary variable gain amplifier to implement an electrically tunable compensation capacitor proportional to the feedback factor. In this manner, the closed‐loop bandwidth is kept ideally constant irrespective of the closed‐loop gain. The proposed method can be applied to any amplifier adopting dominant‐pole compensation. As an example, we designed a CMOS amplifier providing 66‐dB direct current gain and 310‐MHz gain‐bandwidth product. For closed‐loop gains ranging from 1 to 10, the closed‐loop bandwidth was found never lower than 401 MHz (noinverting configuration) and 229 MHz (inverting configuration). A similar amplifier with equal gain‐bandwidth product, but adopting the traditional fixed compensation approach, would exhibit a closed‐loop bandwidth reduced to 33 MHz (noninverting) and 30 MHz (inverting) when the gain magnitude is set to 10. The enhanced frequency performance is obtained with a 48% increase in current consumption, whereas the other main operational amplifier performance parameters remain almost unchanged compared with the standard solution. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of the G‐protein‐coupled membrane‐bound estrogen receptor GPR30 in the zebra finch brain reveals a sex difference in gene and protein expression
Authors: Acharya Kalpana D. , Veney Sean L. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractEstradiol‐induced structural dimorphisms exist in the songbird brain. However, how they arise is not clear since there is a scarce distribution of ERα and lack of ERβ in song control nuclei. This suggests that other receptors are involved. The G‐protein coupled membrane‐bound estrogen receptor, GPR30, is a candidate but has never been investigated in songbirds. In this study, we characterized its gene and protein in the zebra finch brain. Analysis of the putative GPR30 protein sequence revealed a strong similarity to avian and mammalian homologues. Quantitative PCR indicated that the gene was elevated in the telencephalon of both sexes from posthatching day (P) 15 to P45, with a male‐biased sex difference at P21 and P30. In comparison, expression at younger posthatching ages and in adults was significantly less. At P21, GRP30 protein was widespread, nonuniform, and overlapped with song control nuclei. Of particular interest, the number of immunoreactive cells was greatest in HVC and RA, but less in LMAN and Area X. Labeling in HVC was also dimorphic; with more cells present in males than in females. In parallel with the gene, by adulthood, protein expression was reduced across most brain regions. Taken together these data suggest that GPR30 may contribute to differences in song system development by mediating dimorphic responses to estrogens. In addition, the extensive protein distribution indicates that it may also have a role in general brain development in both sexes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2012
Ruthenium Acetate Complexes as Versatile Probes of Metal–Ligand Interactions: Insight into the Ligand Effects of Vinylidene, Carbene, Carbonyl, Nitrosyl and Isocyanide
Authors: Welby Christine E. , Eschemann Thomas O. , Unsworth Christopher A. , Smith Elizabeth J. , Thatcher Robert J. , Whitwood Adrian C. , Lynam Jason M. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractReaction of cis‐Ru(κ2‐OAc)2(PPh3)2 with two‐electron donor ligands L results in the formation of complexes trans‐[Ru(κ1‐OAc)(κ2‐OAc)L(PPh3)2] (L = CO, NO+, CNtBu). Vinylidene complexes (L = C=CHR) may be prepared from the corresponding reaction with terminal alkynes HC≡CR, and species containing hydroxyvinylidene ligands (L = C=CHCR1R2{OH}) may be prepared from related reactions with propargyl alcohols HC≡CCR1R2{OH}. Treatment of cis‐Ru(κ2‐OAc)2(PPh3)2 with ω‐alkynols HC≡C(CH2)nOH (n = 2–4) results in the formation of oxacyclocarbene complexes [L = CCH2(CH2)nO]. An analysis of the spectroscopic data and the structural metrics (as determined by X‐ray crystallography) of this series of complexes allows for the relative donor/acceptor properties of the ligand L to be evaluated. This comparison indicates that the vinylidene ligand behaves in a similar fashion to the isocyanide ligand.
Synthesis of Paullone and Kenpaullone Derivatives by Photocyclization of 2‐(2‐Chloro‐1H‐indol‐3‐yl)‐N‐arylacetamides
Authors: Li Zhanshan , Lu Nianhong , Wang Lihong , Zhang Wei 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAn efficient synthesis of paullone and kenpaullone derivatives in moderate to high yields has been achieved through photocyclizations of (2‐chloro‐1H‐indole‐3‐yl)‐N‐arylacetamides in acetone at room temperature. Paullone and kenpaullone have been obtained easily and in high yields by deprotection of the photocyclization products.
Acting prosocially reduces retaliation: Effects of prosocial video games on aggressive behavior
Authors: Greitemeyer Tobias , Agthe Maria , Turner Robin , Gschwendtner Christina 
Published: December 2011

AbstractPast research has provided abundant evidence that exposure to violent video games increases aggression and aggression‐related variables. In contrast, little is known whether and why video game exposure may also decrease aggressive behavior. In fact, two experiments revealed that playing a prosocial (relative to a neutral) video game reduces aggressive behavior. Mediational analyses showed that differences in both aggressive cognition and aggressive affect underlie the effect of type of video game on aggressive behavior. These findings are in line with assumptions of the General Learning Model and point to the importance of the cognitive and affective routes in predicting how aggressive behavior is affected by exposure to video games. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reproductive development of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) exposed to oil sands–affected waters
Authors: van den Heuvel Michael R. , Hogan Natacha S. , Roloson Scott D. , Van Der Kraak Glen J. 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
In similar experiments conducted in 1996 and 2009, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were stocked into two experimental systems: a demonstration lake where oil sands fine tailings were capped with natural water and a lake in a watershed containing bitumen-bearing sodic clays. In both experiments, yellow perch were captured in May from a nearby reservoir and released into the experimental ponds. Perch were recaptured in the experimental systems, the source lake, and two reference lakes in late September and lethally sampled to examine reproductive parameters. In the 1996 experiment, gonad size and steroid hormones were not affected in either pond environment. In the 2009 experiment, male perch in the water-capped tailings pond showed a significant reduction in the testicular development and reductions in circulating testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone, while no reductions were seen in the second experimental pond. No changes were observed in ovarian size or circulating steroid levels in female perch. In the pond containing tailings, the release of water from underlying tailings caused approximately a twofold increase in salinity, alkalinity, and naphthenic acids, and a pH increase from 8.4 to 9.4 over the 13-year period of the study. In the pond influenced by unextracted oil sands materials, total dissolved solids, major ions, and pH did not change substantially. However, naphthenic acids in this system dropped more than twofold post–watershed reclamation. Because the selective reproductive effect observed in male perch in the experimental end-pit lake were accompanied by increases in naphthenic acids, alkalinity, and pH, a specific cause cannot be determined. The present study adds to the evidence, suggesting the presence of endocrine-disrupting substances in oil sands. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:654–662. © 2011 SETAC