bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Histology of waxflower (Chamelaucium spp.) flower infection by Botrytis cinerea
Authors: Dinh S. Q. , Joyce D. C. , Irving D. E. , Wearing A. H. 
Published: August 2010

Botrytis cinerea infects waxflower (Chamelaucium spp.) flowers and can induce them to abscise from their petioles before disease becomes evident. Botrytis cinerea infection of flowers was studied on two waxflower cultivars by light and electron microscopy. Pot‐grown waxflower flowers were harvested, inoculated with aqueous suspensions of B. cinerea conidia, incubated at 20–22°C and >95% RH and examined within 96 h post‐inoculation (hpi). Conidial germination on petals started 4 hpi, penetration via germ tube tips was 6 hpi and protoappressoria were formed 8 hpi. Germination on petals approximately doubled every 4–6 h to 18 hpi. Conidial germination was ca. 50% at 22–24 hpi. Botrytis cinerea infected most waxflower flower organs, including petals, anthers and filaments, stigma and hypanthium, within 24 hpi. Hyaline and lobate appressoria were observed 36 hpi. Infection cushions on stamen bases were formed 36 hpi by saprophytic hyphae that originated from anthers. This infection process can give rise to tan‐coloured symptoms typical of botrytis disease that radiate from this part of the flower. Subcuticular hyphae were present at high density near stamen bases and evidently resulted from multiple penetrations from single infection cushions. The subcuticular hyphae grew within the hypanthium and towards the centre of the floral tube. When flower abscission occurred, floral tube tissues close to the abscission zone remained uninfected. This observation infers possible transmission of a signal (e.g. ethylene) upon B. cinerea infection. Thus, B. cinerea causes flower abscission apparently as a defence response.
Genetic variation in herbivore resistance and tolerance: the role of plant life‐history stage and type of damage
Authors: MUOLA A. , MUTIKAINEN P. , LAUKKANEN L. , LILLEY M. , LEIMU R. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractInformation of the patterns of genetic variation in plant resistance and tolerance against herbivores and genetic trade‐offs between these two defence strategies is central for our understanding of the evolution of plant defence. We found genetic variation in resistance to two specialist herbivores and in tolerance to artificial damage but not to a specialist leaf herbivore in a long‐lived perennial herb. Seedlings tended to have genetic variation in tolerance to artificial damage. Genetic variation in tolerance of adult plants to artificial damage was not consistent in time. Our results suggest that the level of genetic variation in tolerance and resistance depends on plant life‐history stage, type of damage and timing of estimating the tolerance relative to the occurrence of the damage, which might reflect the pattern of selection imposed by herbivory. Furthermore, we found no trade‐offs between resistance and tolerance, which suggests that the two defence strategies can evolve independently.
Testing hybridization hypotheses and evaluating the evolutionary potential of hybrids in mangrove plant species
Authors: LO E. Y. Y. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractNatural hybridization is of marked importance from global to local biological diversity. In mangroves, species ranges overlap extensively with one another and species share a long overlap of flowering time. Although hybridization has been suggested, patterns of hybridization and the evolutionary potential of hybrids are not yet fully understood. This study provides molecular evidence for the parental origins and status of hybrids in the dominant mangrove genus Rhizophora based on comparisons of chloroplast and nuclear phylogenies and estimations of genetic relatedness and structure from inter‐simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that almost all species can act as maternal parents to hybrids and that hybridization can be bidirectional. Bayesian analyses indicate that hybrids are simple F1s, and no trace of backcrossing was detected within populations. Hybridization, for the most part, occurs almost only locally and dispersal of hybrid individuals is limited beyond the hybrid sites.
Comparing three different methods to detect selective loci using dominant markers
Authors: PÉREZ‐FIGUEROA A. , GARCÍA‐PEREIRA M. J. , SAURA M. , ROLÁN‐ALVAREZ E. , CABALLERO A. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractWe carried out a simulation study to compare the efficiency of three alternative programs (dfdist, detseld and bayescan) to detect loci under directional selection from genome‐wide scans using dominant markers. We also evaluated the efficiency of correcting for multiple testing those methods that use a classical probability approach. Under a wide range of scenarios, we conclude that bayescan appears to be more efficient than the other methods, detecting a usually high percentage of true selective loci as well as less than 1% of outliers (false positives) under a fully neutral model. In addition, the percentage of outliers detected by this software is always correlated with the true percentage of selective loci in the genome. Our results show, nevertheless, that false positives are common even with a combination of methods and multitest correction, suggesting that conclusions obtained from this approach should be taken with extreme caution.
‘Wrong blood in tube’: solutions for a persistent problem
Authors: Ansari S. , Szallasi A. 
Published: August 2010

Background and Objectives  This study was performed to determine the incidence of ‘wrong blood in tube’ (WBIT)‐type errors at our institution during the past 5 years, to analyse their root cause and to evaluate the efficacy of preventive measures that have been implemented since 2006.Methods  All reports of mislabelled and miscollected specimens detected between January 2005 and December 2009 were reviewed. Of these, WBIT‐type errors were further analysed as they represent a major risk for mistransfusion.Results  Between 2005 and 2009, 59 373 type and screens were performed at our institution and a total of 26 major errors (WBIT) were identified. Of the errors, eight were detected by discrepant typing results (in comparison with historic blood type), six were discovered by the clinical service and 12 were identified in the blood bank by other means. Our estimated ‘raw’ WBIT rate (1 in 2283 samples) is comparable to that (1:2262) in the published literature. Since 2006, our nursing policy mandates that ‘all type, screen and cross will have two witnesses to the correct ID of the patient and labeling is done at the bedside at the time of the draw.’ This has reduced (from 11 in 2006 to 5 in 2007), but did not eliminate, our WBIT problem that persisted into 2008 and 2009 (three and seven incidents, respectively). Since 2009, we also require a second, independently drawn sample in previously un‐typed patients who are likely to be transfused.Conclusion  We conclude that WBITs continue to represent a leading cause of potential mistransfusions at our institution. Changes in nursing (two witnesses to correct ID) and/or blood bank policy (check‐type with a second specimen) may reduce, but not eliminate, this persistent problem. Clearly, additional safety measures are required to prevent WBIT‐type errors.
Persistently low fruiting success in the Mediterranean pipevine Aristolochia baetica (Aristolochiaceae): a multi‐year study
Authors: Berjano R. , Arista M. , Ortiz P. L. , Talavera S. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractLow fruit set is common in many plant species and may be caused by a variety of factors, such as predation, resource limitation or deficient pollination, or it may be an evolutionary strategy. In this paper, we investigate factors that affect fruit set in Aristolochia baetica (Aristolochiaceae), a Mediterranean pipevine found in southwest Spain. Fruit production was monitored in two populations over 4 years (2002–2005), and the causes of flower or fruit loss were determined. Experimental hand‐pollinations were performed, and germinated pollen grains on the stigmas of open‐pollinated flowers were quantified. Fruit set was always very low (4–14%). Floral abscission initially reduced reproductive output by more than 50%; then herbivory (6–12%) and fruit abortion (8–26%) caused further reductions. Given that the number of efficiently pollinated flowers was always higher than that of ripe fruits, and that xenogamous hand‐pollination did not increase fruit set in relation to open‐pollination, the final fruit production of A. baetica seems not to be pollen‐limited. Fruit abortion of effectively pollinated flowers supports the idea that resource availability limits fruit set. In A. baetica, fruit abortion could lead to mate selection of the best quality fruits. Moreover, the initiated fruits that finally abort could also satiate predators, contributing to increase progeny fitness.
Plant metallothioneins – metal chelators with ROS scavenging activity?
Authors: Hassinen V. H. , Tervahauta A. I. , Schat H. , Kärenlampi S. O. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractMetallothioneins (MTs) are ubiquitous cysteine‐rich proteins present in plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. In plants, MTs are suggested to be involved in metal tolerance or homeostasis, as they are able to bind metal ions through the thiol groups of their cysteine residues. Recent reports show that MTs are also involved in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The interplay between these roles is not entirely clear. Plants have many MT isoforms with overlapping expression patterns, and no specific role for any of them has been assigned. This review is focused on recent findings on plant MTs.
Sex‐selective Predation by Threespine Sticklebacks on Sea Lice: A Novel Cleaning Behaviour
Authors: Losos Craig J. C. , Reynolds John D. , Dill Lawrence M. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractCleaning interactions have been described in a wide range of fish species and other taxa. We observed a novel cleaning behaviour during a study of the transmission dynamics of sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) between juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada. Experiments showed that sticklebacks significantly reduced the number of sea lice on individual juvenile salmon. Adult female lice were preferentially consumed by sticklebacks, and gravid female lice also experienced egg string cropping. Overall, 76% of gravid female lice experienced either consumption, egg string cropping, or both by sticklebacks. This preference by sticklebacks for female parasites may stem from female lice being larger than males and the added nutritional value of egg strings on gravid females. Cleaning by sticklebacks can potentially have an impact on sea louse populations on wild juvenile salmon.
Behavioral Isolation Based on Visual Signals in a Sympatric Pair of Darter Species
Authors: Williams Tory H. , Mendelson Tamra C. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractElaborate visual communication signals characterize many animal lineages. Often sex‐limited, these signals are generally assumed to result from sexual selection, and in many cases, their evolution is thought to play a central role in speciation. The co‐evolution of male visual signals and female preferences is hypothesized to result in behavioral isolation between divergent lineages; however, for many lineages characterized by elaborate visual signals, the importance of visual differences in behavioral isolation is not well established. Darters (fish genus Etheostoma) are particularly appropriate for examining the role of visual signals in behavioral isolation. They comprise one of the most diverse groups of North American freshwater fish, and nearly every species is characterized by unique nuptial coloration. Multiple darter species co‐exist in sympatric populations, indicating that reproductive barriers are central to maintaining these extraordinarily diverse color patterns. This study demonstrates the presence of behavioral isolation between a pair of distinctly colored sympatric darter species, Etheostoma barrenense and Etheostoma zonale, through experimental observations using an artificial stream. In addition, a series of dichotomous mate‐choice trials indicate that females prefer conspecific males over heterospecifics based on visual differences alone. We therefore provide the first evidence that visual signals are a critical trait maintaining behavioral isolation in darters, a lineage of fishes with spectacular diversification in visual communication.
Use of fungal biosystematics and molecular genetics in detection and identification of wood‐decay fungi for improved forest management
Authors: Glaeser J. A. , Lindner D. L. 
Published: August 2010

SummaryAdvances in fungal biosystematics and molecular genetics have clarified relationships among the wood‐decay fungi and are providing new tools for their detection and identification. Species complexes of forest pathogens, including those withinHeterobasidion, Armillaria, Laetiporus,andPhellinus, are being resolved. The ability to isolate fungal DNA directly from wood without in intermediate culturing step will greatly facilitate sampling and disease detection and has applications in forest disease management, hazard tree assessment, invasive species detection, and carbon cycling, sequestration and climate change research. Recent changes in fungal nomenclature and their application to forest pathology are discussed.
Increased Ca2+ sensitivity of myofibrillar tension in ischaemic vs dilated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Lee Samuel , Lu Rong , Müller‐Ehmsen Jochen , Schwinger Robert HG , Brixius Klara 
Published: August 2010

Summary1. There is evidence that different aetiologies of heart failure, especially ischaemic vs dilated cardiomyopathy (ICM and DCM, respectively), may influence the prognosis of patients with this disease. Patients with ICM have a worse prognosis than those with DCM; the mechanisms underlying this difference have not yet been clarified. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there are changes in myofibrillar function depending on the aetiology of human heart failure.2. Ca2+‐dependent tension (DT) and actomyosin ATPase acitivity (MYO) in Triton X‐skinned fibre preparations of the left ventricular myocardium from patients with heart failure due to ICM (n = 5) and DCM (n = 5) were measured. Tension‐dependent ATP consumption was calculated by the ratio of DT and MYO (‘tension cost’). Non‐failing myocardium (NF) from donor hearts, which could not be transplanted because of technical reasons, was evaluated as a control.3. Although DT was reduced, the myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity of DT and MYO, as well as tension cost, were increased in preparations from ICM and DCM myocardium compared with NF. The Ca2+ sensitivity of DT and MYO was significantly increased in ICM compared with DCM preparations, resulting in more economic cross‐bridge cycling in ICM than in DCM.4. In conclusion, ICM is associated with an increased Ca2+ sensitivity of myofibrillar tension and ATPase activity accompanied by decreased tension cost compared with DCM. Thus, the worse prognosis associated with ICM does not seem to be due to differences in myofibrillar function.
Role of Ras‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 2 (Rac2), NADPH oxidase and reactive oxygen species in diallyl disulphide‐induced apoptosis of human leukaemia HL‐60 cells
Authors: Yi Lan , Ji Xiao‐Xia , Tan Hui , Lin Min , Tang Yi , Wen Ling , Ma Yan‐Hua , Su Qi 
Published: August 2010

Summary1. Diallyl disulphide (DADS) has potential as a chemopreventive and therapeutic agent. Previous studies have reported that Ras‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 2 (Rac2), a regulatory subunit of the NADPH oxidase complex, is upregulated in DADS‐induced apoptosis in human leukaemia HL‐60 cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of Rac2, NADPH oxidase and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in DADS‐induced apoptosis.2. Expresssion of the Rac2 gene along with that of five other genes of NADPH oxidase subunits were in HL‐60 cells measured by Sybergreen quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. RNA interference was used to test the effect of Rac2. Protein expression was evaluated using western blot analysis and ROS levels were measured by 2′,7′‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH‐DA) fluorescence. DNA fragmentation and flow cytometry analysis were used to detect apoptotic cells.3. Levels of Rac2 gene and protein were significantly upregulated and NADPH oxidase was activated in DADS‐induced apoptosis. Pretreatment of HL‐60 cells with small interfering (si) RNAs to inhibit Rac2 blocked DADS‐induced apoptosis. Diallyl disulphide‐induced intracellular ROS production was increased in phorbol myristate acetate‐stimulated cells, but decreased in Rac2 siRNA‐treated cells. In Rac2 siRNA‐treated cells, activator protein‐1 and caspase 3 levels decreased, c‐myc protein levels were increased and p38 protein levels were unchanged compared with Rac2‐competent, DADS‐treated cells.4. These results demonstrate that NADPH oxidase is the main source of DADS‐induced ROS. In addition, Rac2 selectively activates the c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase pathway, but not the p38 pathway, in DADS‐induced apoptosis. So, Rac2, NADPH oxidase and ROS have a critical role in DADS‐induced apoptosis in human leukaemia HL‐60 cells.
Perception, attitudes and knowledge regarding the 2009 swine‐origin influenza A (H1N1) virus pandemic among health‐care workers in Australia
Authors: Tebruegge Marc , Pantazidou Anastasia , Ritz Nicole , Connell Tom , Bryant Penelope , Donath Susan , Curtis Nigel 
Published: August 2010

Aim:  To determine the perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of Australian health‐care workers (HCWs) regarding the novel, swine‐origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S‐OIV) outbreak that reached the country in early May 2009.Methods:  Self‐administered, anonymous Web‐based survey conducted during the early stages of the S‐OIV pandemic. Participants comprised hospital‐ and community‐based medical and nursing staff, medical students, allied health professionals, laboratory staff and administrative personnel.Results:  Of the 947 participants surveyed, 59.4% were not convinced that Australia was sufficiently prepared for an influenza pandemic. Only 17.6% of the participants stated they were prepared to work unconditionally during a pandemic; 36.5% stated they would work if they had access to antiviral treatment; 27.9% would if provided with antiviral prophylaxis; and 7.5% would refuse to work. In addition, 37.5% of the participants responded they would refuse or avoid being involved in screening suspected cases. A total of 47.7% admitted to possessing a personal supply of antivirals or having considered this option. Only 48.0% provided a realistic estimate of the mortality associated with an influenza pandemic at a population level. HCWs overestimating the mortality risk and HCWs believing the efficacy of antiviral prophylaxis to be low were significantly less likely to be prepared to work (P= 0.04 and P= 0.0004, respectively).Conclusions:  To ensure adequate staffing during an influenza pandemic, preparedness plans should anticipate significant levels of absenteeism by choice. Interventions aimed at increasing staff retention during a pandemic require further evaluation.
Diagnosing daytime bladder symptoms in children with nocturnal enuresis: A comparison of brief parental questionnaire with in‐depth, physician‐elicited, assessment
Authors: Sureshkumar Premala , Caldwell Patrina HY , Craig Jonathan C 
Published: August 2010

Aims:  To assess the accuracy of brief parental questionnaire reporting of daytime bladder symptoms in children with nocturnal enuresis and compare with in‐depth reporting elicited by physician assessment, for diagnosing monosymptomatic and non‐monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.Methods:  A cross‐sectional study of consecutive children attending an outpatient nocturnal enuresis clinic at a tertiary paediatric hospital participated in the study. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire as part of routine assessment at their first visit which was compared with a detailed clinical assessment by the physician involving eliciting a thorough history from the parent and child.Results:  Parents of 585 children participated in the study (mean age 9.2 years, range 5.0–17.5 years). Sixty percent of children were males. There was poor agreement between initial parental reporting and physician diagnosis of monosymptomatic and non‐monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (Kappa = 0.3, 95% confidence interval 0.21–0.37), mainly because parents underreport daytime incontinence and urgency compared with physician‐elicited information (43% vs. 69% and 66% vs. 87%, respectively).Conclusions:  Parents underreport daytime symptoms by 20–25%. Reliance on a brief parental history without prompting by physicians for daytime symptoms for diagnosing type of nocturnal enuresis may be misleading and result in suboptimal management.
Assisted exercise improves bone strength in very low birthweight infants by bone quantitative ultrasound
Authors: Chen Hsiu‐Lin , Lee Chia‐Ling , Tseng Hsing‐I , Yang San‐Nan , Yang Rei‐Cheng , Jao Hsiao‐Ching 
Published: August 2010

Aim:  To evaluate whether assisted exercise could prevent the development of osteopenia of prematurity, we performed assisted exercise in the study group of very low birthweight (VLBW) premature infants.Methods:  Sixteen premature infants with birthweight below 1500 g were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned into the exercise (n = 8) and control (n = 8) groups. Assisted exercise involved full extension and flexion range of motion of the upper and lower extremities by a trained nurse with a schedule of 5 days a week for a total of 4 weeks. Bone strength was determined by quantitative ultrasound measurement of tibial bone speed of sound every 2 weeks during the study period.Results:  No difference in gender, birthweight, and gestation age between the exercise and control groups was noted. There was statistically significant less tibial bone speed of sound decrease in the exercise group on the sixth and eighth week of life. During the study period, there were no statistically significant differences in blood biochemistry data, including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin, between the two groups.Conclusions:  This study revealed that early assisted exercise could improve bone strength in very low birthweight infants. The biochemical markers of bone metabolism, osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin, could not be the indicators for early diagnosis of osteopenia of prematurity.
Allergy is an important factor in asthma exacerbation: A Pro/Con Debate
Authors: CUSTOVIC Adnan , SIMPSON Angela , BARDIN Philip G. , LE SOUËF Peter 
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACTAllergy and allergens have been implicated in asthma and it has historically been assumed that deteriorating asthma is related to allergen exposure. In the current pro/con debate some leading academics and researchers in the field consider this notion in the light of recent evidence. They conclude that allergy does not directly cause exacerbations but suggest that it may contribute to acute asthma in a different fashion. Possibilities that are proposed by the authors include specific allergy phenotypes acting as risk factors for virus‐associated exacerbations or alternatively that allergy may be implicated in the blunted innate immune responses detected in asthma.