bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Field tests reveal genetic variation for performance at low temperatures in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Overgaard Johannes , Sørensen Jesper Givskov , Jensen Louise Toft , Loeschcke Volker , Kristensen Torsten Nygaard 
Published: July 2009

Summary

1. Physiological and evolutionary responses underlying thermal adaptation and acclimation are often investigated under controlled laboratory conditions. Such studies may fail to assess ecologically relevant parameters as they do not account for the complexity of the natural environment.
2. We investigated a population of Drosophila melanogaster for performance at low temperature conditions in the field using release recapture assays and in the laboratory using standard cold resistance assays. The aim of the study was to get a better understanding of the nature and underlying mechanisms of the trait measured in field recapture studies and the association between field performance and fitness measures estimated in the laboratory.
3. We performed one generation of selection on the ability to reach a resource at low temperature under field conditions. Flies that reached a resource (‘mobile’) and those that never left the release site (‘stationary’) were reared to the F1 and F2 generation in the laboratory. Subsequent field releases with these flies demonstrated a clear genetic differentiation between mobile and stationary flies in their ability to reach resources at low temperatures in the field. This indicates that mobility at low temperature is under additive genetic influence. In contrast mobile and stationary flies were generally indistinguishable when tested in standard laboratory tests of cold performance. The genetic differentiation between the two sub‐populations was not linked to allelic variation in known candidate genes for cold adaptation. However, using transcriptomics we identified new candidate genes (transcripts) and pathways that differed between the mobile and stationary flies.
4. The current study reveals an irregular relationship between cold performance in the field and in the laboratory. Based on these results, we suggest that the ecological relevance of laboratory assays should be evaluated more critically in studies of thermal adaptation and hardening/acclimation.
Paoay Lake, northern Luzon, the Philippines: a record of Holocene environmental change
Authors: STEVENSON JANELLE , SIRINGAN FERNANDO , FINN JAN , MADULID DOMINGO , HEIJNIS HENK 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe last 7000 years of environmental history for Paoay Lake and its surrounding landscape is examined through the analysis of pollen, diatoms, charcoal, mineral magnetics and AMS dating. Basal sediments contain shells of Cerithiidae and the saline‐tolerant diatom Diploneis indicating that this was an estuarine environment before becoming a freshwater lake after 6000 bp. Pollen analysis shows that submontane forests, characterized by Pinus pollen, underwent a major disturbance around 5000 years ago, recovering to previous levels by 1000 years ago. Charcoal as an indicator of fire is abundant throughout record, although the highest levels occur in the earlier part of the record, between 6500 and 5000 years ago. An aspect of the project was to examine whether there is evidence of land clearance and agricultural development in the region during the late Holocene. While a clear signal of human impact in the record remains equivocal, there appears to be a correspondence between submontane forest decline and mid‐Holocene ocean data that depict warmer and possibly drier conditions for the region. The study highlights the vulnerability of these montane forests to forecasts of a warmer and drier climate in the near future.
Thermal adaptation of heterotrophic soil respiration in laboratory microcosms
Authors: BRADFORD MARK A. , WATTS BRIAN W. , DAVIES CHRISTIAN A. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractRespiration of heterotrophic microorganisms decomposing soil organic carbon releases carbon dioxide from soils to the atmosphere. In the short term, soil microbial respiration is strongly dependent on temperature. In the long term, the response of heterotrophic soil respiration to temperature is uncertain. However, following established evolutionary trade‐offs, mass‐specific respiration (Rmass) rates of heterotrophic soil microbes should decrease in response to sustained increases in temperature (and vice‐versa). Using a laboratory microcosm approach, we tested the potential for theRmassof the microbial biomass in six different soils to adapt to three, experimentally imposed, thermal regimes (constant 10, 20 or 30 °C). To determineRmassrates of the heterotrophic soil microbial biomass across the temperature range of the imposed thermal regimes, we periodically assayed soil subsamples using similar approaches to those used in plant, animal and microbial thermal adaptation studies. As would be expected given trade‐offs between maximum catalytic rates and the stability of the binding structure of enzymes, after 77 days of incubationRmassrates across the range of assay temperatures were greatest for the 10 °C experimentally incubated soils and lowest for the 30 °C soils, with the 20 °C incubated soils intermediate. The relative magnitude of the difference inRmassrates between the different incubation temperature treatments was unaffected by assay temperature, suggesting that maximum activities and notQ10were the characteristics involved in thermal adaptation. The time taken for changes inRmassto manifest (77 days) suggests they likely resulted from population or species shifts during the experimental incubations; we discuss alternate mechanistic explanations for those results we observed. A future research priority is to evaluate the role that thermal adaptation plays in regulating heterotrophic respiration rates from field soils in response to changing temperature, whether seasonally or through climate change.
The terminology and use of species–area relationships: a response to Dengler (2009)
Authors: Scheiner Samuel M. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDengler (Journal of Biogeography, 2009, 36, 728–744) addresses issues regarding species–area relationships (SARs), but fails to settles those issues. He states that only certain types of sampling schemes should be used to construct SARs, but is not consistent in the criteria that he uses to include some sampling schemes but not others. He argues that a sampling scheme of contiguous plots will be more accurate in extrapolating beyond the sampled area, but logic tells us that a dispersed sampling scheme is likely to be more accurate. Finally, he concludes that the ‘true’ SAR is a power function, but this conclusion is inconsistent with his results and with the results of others. Rather than defining a narrow framework for SARs, we need to recognize that the relationship between area and species richness is scale‐ and system‐dependent. Different sampling schemes serve different purposes, and a variety of functional relationships are likely to hold. Further theoretical and empirical work is needed to resolve these issues fully.
Phylogeography and genetic structure of the orchid Himantoglossum hircinum (L.) Spreng. across its European central–marginal gradient
Authors: Pfeifer Marion , Schatz Bertrand , Xavier Picó F. , Passalacqua Nicodemo G. , Fay Michael F. , Carey Pete D. , Jeltsch Florian 
Published: July 2009

AbstractAim  This study aims to link demographic traits and post‐glacial recolonization processes with genetic traits in Himantoglossum hircinum (L.) Spreng (Orchidaceae), and to test the implications of the central–marginal concept (CMC) in Europe.Location  Twenty sites covering the entire European distribution range of this species.Methods  We employed amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers and performed a plastid microsatellite survey to assess genetic variation in 20 populations of H. hircinum located along central–marginal gradients. We measured demographic traits to assess population fitness along geographical gradients and to test for correlations between demographic traits and genetic diversity. We used genetic diversity indices and analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) to test hypotheses of reduced genetic diversity and increased genetic differentiation and isolation from central to peripheral sites. We used Bayesian simulations to analyse genetic relationships among populations.Results  Genetic diversity decreased significantly with increasing latitudinal and longitudinal distance from the distribution centre when excluding outlying populations. The AMOVA revealed significant genetic differentiation among populations (FST = 0.146) and an increase in genetic differentiation from the centre of the geographical range to the margins (except for the Atlantic group). Population fitness, expressed as the ratio NR/N, decreased significantly with increasing latitudinal distance from the distribution centre. Flower production was lower in most eastern peripheral sites. The geographical distribution of microsatellite haplotypes suggests post‐glacial range expansion along three major migratory pathways, as also supported by individual membership fractions in six ancestral genetic clusters (C1–C6). No correlations between genetic diversity (e.g. diversity indices, haplotype frequency) and population demographic traits were detected.Main conclusions  Reduced genetic diversity and haplotype frequency in H. hircinum at marginal sites reflect historical range expansions. Spatial variation in demographic traits could not explain genetic diversity patterns. For those sites that did not fit into the CMC, the genetic pattern is probably masked by other factors directly affecting either demography or population genetic structure. These include post‐glacial recolonization patterns and changes in habitat suitability due to climate change at the northern periphery. Our findings emphasize the importance of distinguishing historical effects from those caused by geographical variation in population demography of species when studying evolutionary and ecological processes at the range margins under global change.
All this happened, more or less: thoughts on ‘truth’, the role of fiction and its potential application in mental health and psychiatric nursing research
Authors: BILEY F. C. 
Published: July 2009

Accessible summary

This paper explores history and historical research from different perspectives.
It explores the role of fiction in the construction of historical work and how there may be elements of fiction in history, and, similarly, historical ‘fact’ in works of fiction.
A number of texts that explore the 1960's counterculture are interrogated.
A conclusion is drawn that works of fiction can be used, with caution, to inform our understanding of the past.

AbstractFundamental differences in the philosophy of history as an academic discipline are briefly explored, primarily from two perspectives. The traditional psychiatric and mental health nursing historian objectively uses primary sources in order to be able to make ‘truth’ claims about the past. The post‐modern psychiatric nursing historian, on the other hand, constructs truth claims, rather than discovers them, and in the process of doing so creates historical discourses that are different from the past. To the postmodern psychiatric nursing historian, all histories are fictions, created with the use of imagination, and have characteristics that are similar to the literary constructions that are more traditionally identified as fiction. A variety of literature is used in order to explore such claims, and the conclusion is drawn that, with caution and careful attention to the rigorous use of historical method, fiction can be used as a valid source for historical research in psychiatric and mental health nursing.
Prevalence, comorbidities and risk factors of restless legs syndrome in the Korean elderly population – results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging
Authors: KIM KI WOONG , YOON IN‐YOUNG , CHUNG SEOCKHOON , SHIN YOON‐KYUNG , LEE SEOK BUM , CHOI EUN AE , PARK JOON HYUCK , KIM JONG‐MIN 
Published: July 2009

SummaryThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, neuropsychiatric comorbidities, iron metabolism and potential risk factors of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in the elderly Korean population. As a community‐based epidemiological study, a simple random sample of 1118 was drawn from a roster of 61 730 adult individuals aged 65 years and older and 714 participated. The diagnosis of RLS was established in face‐to‐face interviews using the four minimal diagnostic criteria for RLS recommended by National Institute of Health. Depressive symptoms, nocturnal sleep disturbances, daytime sleepiness and quality of life were evaluated. Laboratory tests of iron metabolism, markers of inflammation, renal and endocrine function, hormones and vitamins were performed. A total of 59 patients (42 women and 17 men) were diagnosed as RLS with a prevalence of 8.3% (95% confidence interval: 6.2–10.3%), with an almost twofold higher prevalence in women (10.2%) than in men (5.7%). Depression was more prevalent among the subjects with RLS than without RLS and poor nocturnal sleep and quality of life were also observed in subjects with RLS. Daytime sleepiness was observed in 32.8% of subjects with RLS. No significant differences were found in iron metabolism or other risk factors between the subjects with and without RLS. The prevalence of RLS in the Korean elderly population was comparable with that in the Caucasian population. RLS had undesirable effects on mood, sleep quality and general wellbeing of elderly individuals.
NsrR targets in the Escherichia coli genome: new insights into DNA sequence requirements for binding and a role for NsrR in the regulation of motility
Authors: Partridge Jonathan D. , Bodenmiller Diane M. , Humphrys Michael S. , Spiro Stephen 
Published: July 2009

SummaryThe Escherichia coli NsrR protein is a nitric oxide‐sensitive repressor of transcription. The NsrR‐binding site is predicted to comprise two copies of an 11 bp motif arranged as an inverted repeat with 1 bp spacing. By mutagenesis we confirmed that both 11 bp motifs are required for maximal NsrR repression of the ytfE promoter. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation and microarray analysis (ChIP‐chip) to show that NsrR binds to 62 sites close to the 5′ ends of genes. Analysis of the ChIP‐chip data suggested that a single 11 bp motif (with the consensus sequence AANATGCATTT) can function as an NsrR‐binding site in vivo. NsrR binds to sites in the promoter regions of the fliAZY, fliLMNOPQR and mqsR‐ygiT transcription units, which encode proteins involved in motility and biofilm development. Reporter fusion assays confirmed that NsrR negatively regulates the fliA and fliL promoters. A mutation in the predicted 11 bp NsrR‐binding site in the fliA promoter impaired repression by NsrR and prevented detectable binding in vivo. Assays on soft‐agar confirmed that NsrR is a negative regulator of motility in E. coli K12 and in a uropathogenic strain; surface attachment assays revealed decreased levels of attached growth in the absence of NsrR.
Quality and equality in obstetric care: racial and ethnic differences in caesarean section delivery rates
Authors: Bryant Allison S. , Washington Sierra , Kuppermann Miriam , Cheng Yvonne W. , Caughey Aaron B. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryWe sought to examine racial/ethnic differences in deliveries by caesarean section (CS) over time, particularly among women at low risk for this procedure. To do so, we conducted a retrospective cohort study at the University of California, San Francisco, a tertiary care academic centre. Births occurring between 1980 and 2001 were included in the analyses. Women with multiple gestations, fetuses in other than the cephalic presentation or with other known contraindications to vaginal birth were excluded. A total of 28 493 African American, Asian, Latina and White women were studied. Risk‐adjusted models were created to explore differences in CS risk by race/ethnicity. We also performed analyses of subgroups of women at relatively low risk of CS, and explored changes in observed disparities over time.The overall CS rate was 15.8%. The absolute rate was highest among Latinas (16.7%) and lowest among Asians (14.7%). After adjustment for known risk factors, African American women had a 1.48 times greater odds of having a CS than did White women [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31, 1.68], and Latina women had a 1.19 times greater odds [95% CI 1.05, 1.34]. Stepwise adjustment for confounders showed that this variation is not entirely explained by known risk factors. These differences exist even for women at low risk of CS, and have persisted over time. We conclude that racial and ethnic disparities in CS delivery exist, even among women presumed to be at lower risk of CS; rates have not improved with time. Disparities in risk‐adjusted CS should be considered as a quality metric for obstetric care, whether at the national, state, hospital or provider level.
Treatment of New World cutaneous leishmaniasis – a systematic review with a meta‐analysis
Authors: Tuon Felipe Francisco , Amato Valdir Sabbaga , Graf Maria Esther , Siqueira Andre Machado , Nicodemo Antonio Carlos , Neto Vicente Amato 
Published: July 2009

AbstractBackground  New World leishmaniasis is an important endemic disease and public health problem in developing countries. The increase in ecologic tourism has extended this problem to developed countries. Few drugs have emerged over the past 50 years, and drug resistance has increased, such that the cure rate is no better than 80% in large studies. Despite these data, there has been no systematic review with a meta‐analysis of the therapy used in this important tropical disease. The aim of this study was to determine the best drug management in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Latin America based on the best studies published in the medical literature.Methods  MEDLINE, LILACS, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify articles related to CL and therapy. Articles with adequate data on cure and treatment failure, internal and external validity information, and more than four patients in each treatment arm were included.Results  Fifty‐four articles met our inclusion criteria and 12 were included in the meta‐analysis. Pentavalent antimonials were the most studied drugs, with a total of 1150 patients, achieving a cure rate of 76.5%. The cure rate of pentamidine was similar to that of pentavalent antimonials. Other drugs showed variable results, and all demonstrated an inferior response.Conclusion  Although pentavalent antimonials are the drugs of choice in the treatment of CL, pentamidine showed similar results. Nevertheless, several aspects, such as cost, adverse effects, local experience, and availability of drugs to treat CL, must be considered when determining the best management of this disease, especially in developing countries where resources are scarce.
Is Semen Analysis Useful to Predict the Odds that the Sperm will Meet the Egg?
Authors: Holt WV 
Published: July 2009

ContentAny mammalian spermatozoon that achieves successful in vivo fertilization has to perform almost perfectly in many disparate functions and overcome a series of obstacles imposed by the female reproductive tract. This implies that during formation in the testis and epididymis, the spermatozoa did not incur any morphological, metabolic, immunological or genetic abnormalities. Given that the spermatozoa are such highly differentiated cells, this means that every cellular compartment must not only be intact but must also respond appropriately to intracellular and extracellular signals. Assuming that a spermatozoon possesses this level of perfection, and is able to reach and penetrate an oocyte, it can only be regarded as ‘fertile’ if the DNA it carries is intact and able to sustain embryonic development. Although the proportion of inseminated spermatozoa that meet these criteria is vanishingly small, the female reproductive tract applies stringent selection criteria during sperm transport and, as a result, the probability of conception around the time of ovulation is very high. If laboratory tests of semen quality could approach the efficacy of the female reproductive tract, it would be possible to predict the odds of spermatozoa meeting the egg; however, this is not possible at present. In this article, I suggest a simple model to illustrate how a battery of laboratory tests could eventually be used to make these predictions.
Emerging role of tumour necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) as a key regulator of inflammatory responses
Authors: Collison Adam , Foster Paul S , Mattes Joerg 
Published: July 2009

Summary1. Tumour necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in tumour cells while leaving most non‐transformed cells unharmed. Binding of TRAIL to its death receptors (DR4 and DR5) activates the extrinsic apoptotic pathway by recruiting procaspase 8 into the death‐inducing silencing complex. Cleavage of the BH‐3 only peptide Bid by caspase 8 links the apoptotic TRAIL signal to the mitochondrial pathway and the subsequent release of cytochromec.2. In addition, TRAIL binds to neutralizing decoy receptors (DcR1 and DcR2). Signalling through DcR2, DR4 and DR5 can activate pro‐inflammatory intracellular molecules such as mitogen‐activated protein kinase, protein kinase B and nuclear factor‐κB.3. Recent studies have identified an important role for TRAIL in regulating immune responses to viruses, self‐antigen and allergens. Increased concentrations of TRAIL are found in virus infections of the lung and TRAIL affects the antiviral response and resolution of infection. In addition, TRAIL is upregulated in the airways of asthmatics and inhibition results in reduced inflammation, T helper 2 cytokine and CCL20 release, as well as abolishing the development of airway hyperreactivity in experimental models.4. Characterization of the specific receptor systems activated and the pro‐inflammatory factors regulated by TRAILin vivomay lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for diseases as diverse as infection, autoimmunity and asthma.
Production of a recombinant full‐length collagen type I α‐1 and of a 45‐kDa collagen type I α‐1 fragment in barley seeds
Authors: Eskelin Katri , Ritala Anneli , Suntio Taina , Blumer Susan , Holkeri Heidi , Wahlström Eva H. , Baez Julio , Mäkinen Kristiina , Maria Nuutila Anna 
Published: July 2009

SummaryRecombinant DNA technology can be used to design and express collagen and gelatin‐related proteins with predetermined composition and structure. Barley seed was chosen as a production host for a recombinant full‐length collagen type I α1 (rCIa1) and a related 45‐kDa rCIa1 fragment. The transgenic barley seeds were shown to accumulate both the rCIa1 and the 45‐kDa rCIa1 fragment. Even when the amount of the rCIa1 was just above the detection threshold, this work using rCIa1 as a model demonstrated for the first time that barley seed can be used as a production system for collagen‐related structural proteins. The 45‐kDa rCI1a fragment expression, targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum, was controlled by three different promoters (a constitutive maize ubiquitin, seed endosperm‐specific rice glutelin and germination‐specific barley α‐amylase fusion) to compare their effects on rCIa1 accumulation. Highest accumulation of the 45‐kDa rCIa1 was obtained with the glutelin promoter (140 mg/kg seed), whereas the lowest accumulation was obtained with the α‐amylase promoter. To induce homozygosity for stable 45‐kDa rCIa1 production in the transgenic lines, doubled haploid (DH) progeny was generated through microspore culture. The 45‐kDa rCIa1 expression levels achieved from the best DH lines were 13 mg/kg dry seeds under the ubiquitin promoter and 45 mg/kg dry seeds under the glutelin promoter. Mass spectroscopy and amino acid composition analysis of the purified 45‐kDa rCIa1 fragment revealed that a small percent of prolines were hydroxylated with no additional detectable post‐translational modifications.