bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Accuracy of Probabilistic Versus Temporal Clinician Prediction of Survival for Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Preliminary Report
Authors: Hui David , Kilgore Kelly , Nguyen Linh , Hall Stacy , Fajardo Julieta , Cox-Miller Tonye P. , Palla Shana L. , Rhondali Wadih , Kang Jung Hun , Kim Sun Hyun , Del Fabbro Egidio , Zhukovsky Donna S. , Reddy Suresh , Elsayem Ahmed , Dalal Shalini , Dev Rony , Walker Paul , Yennu Sriram , Reddy Akhila , Bruera Eduardo 
Published: October 2011

Abstract
Clinicians have limited accuracy in the prediction of patient survival. We assessed the accuracy of probabilistic clinician prediction of survival (CPS) and temporal CPS for advanced cancer patients admitted to our acute palliative care unit, and identified factors associated with CPS accuracy. Eight physicians and 20 nurses provided their estimation of survival on admission by (a) the temporal approach, “What is the approximate survival for this patient (in days)?” and (b) the probabilistic approach, “What is the approximate probability that this patient will be alive (0%–100%)?” for ≥24 hours, 48 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. We also collected patient and clinician demographics. Among 151 patients, the median age was 58 years, 95 (63%) were female, and 138 (81%) had solid tumors. The median overall survival time was 12 days. The median temporal CPS was 14 days for physicians and 20 days for nurses. Physicians were more accurate than nurses. A higher accuracy of temporal physician CPS was associated with older patient age. Probabilistic CPS was significantly more accurate than temporal CPS for both physicians and nurses, although this analysis was limited by the different criteria for determining accuracy. With the probabilistic approach, nurses were significantly more accurate at predicting survival at 24 hours and 48 hours, whereas physicians were significantly more accurate at predicting survival at 6 months. The probabilistic approach was associated with high accuracy and has practical implications.
Relationship between SSR‐based Genetic Distance and Cotton F2 Hybrid Performance for Lint Yield and Fiber Properties
Authors: Zeng Linghe , Meredith William R. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTAnalysis of relationships between genetic distance and hybrid performance may promote utilization of exotic germplasm in hybrid production. This study was designed to determine the relationship between SSR‐based genetic distance (GD) and F2 hybrid performance in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Forty‐eight F2 hybrids derived from crosses between four elite germplasm (EL) lines and 12 exotic germplasm lines, that is, six Species Polycross (SP) germplasm lines and six John Cotton (JC) germplasm lines, were evaluated in four environments during 2008 and 2009. One hundred and fourteen primer pairs amplified 284 polymorphic fragments among the 16 parental lines. Parents divided into three groups in a dendrogram of UPGMA clusters based on pair‐wise GD among parents. The correlations between the GD and F2 performance were significant for some fiber properties, but low with the highest r value in fineness (r = –0.43). The highest correlation between GD and mid‐parent heterosis was −0.43 for short fiber content. Population differentiation (P < 0.001) was identified between the JC and EL germplasm, but not between the SP and EL germplasm. Moderate correlations with r values ranging from −0.42 to 0.62 were detected between GD and fiber properties in the JC‐derived F2 hybrids. The results suggest that prediction of F2 performance by GD may be effective when crosses are made between parents from genetically differentiated groups in cotton germplasm.
Evaluating a Germplasm Collection of the Cover Crop Hairy Vetch for Use in Sustainable Farming Systems
Authors: Maul Jude , Mirsky Steven , Emche Sarah , Devine Thomas 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the association between genotype and agronomically important phenotypes (early flowering, hard seed, and winter hardiness) will facilitate cultivar selection and inform breeding programs concerned with the cover crop hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth). We used molecular, observational, and biochemical techniques to identify and evaluate 64 accessions of hairy vetch that originated throughout the world and comprise the USDA National Plant Germplasm System. Time to flowering, percent C, and percent N were measured on plants of each accession grown in the field at Beltsville, MD. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms were assayed on each accession. We related parameters of genetic, phenotypic, and biochemical diversity to the geographical origins of the accessions. Country of origin explained little of the marker genetic diversity in this collection. Climate factors of geographical origins, however, explained larger amounts of the marker genetic diversity observed. These results provide baseline information to identify a core genetic subset of the V. villosa germplasm collection. Information presented here may facilitate future V. villosa breeding efforts and directly assist farmers in cover crop varietal selection.
Integrating Phenotypic Evaluations with a Molecular Diversity Assessment of a Brazilian Collection of Common Bean Landraces
Authors: Burle Marília Lobo , Fonseca Jaime Roberto , José del Peloso Maria , Melo Leonardo Cunha , Temple Steve R. , Gepts Paul 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTCommon bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important legume crop for direct human consumption in Brazil. Overall patterns of genetic diversity of common bean in the country are not well understood. Hence, this study sought to integrate morphological and agronomic evaluations with prior molecular diversity data from a geo‐referenced collection of Brazilian common bean. Our sample included 279 randomly chosen landrace accessions from the main growing regions of beans in Brazil. Eighteen morphological and three agronomic characters (yield and susceptibility to common bacterial blight and rust diseases) were evaluated in field conditions in Brazil or California. Results show that the sample was diverse morphologically but did not include all the morphological variability described in domesticated common bean outside Brazil. Several accessions showed clear morphological differences in spite of having the same name. The integration of the current morphological and agronomic evaluations with a prior 74‐marker diversity assessment of the same landraces improved the identification of five subpopulations identified on the basis of microsatellite diversity. These subpopulations could be distinguished by their morphology, the type and frequency of the market classes they included, and the frequency of susceptibility to diseases. This information will facilitate the management and use of P. vulgaris genetic diversity in Brazil.
Genetic Variation of High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunits in Wheat Accessions in China
Authors: Guo Xiaomin , Li Hongqin , Xiang Jishan , Xu Xin , Liu Weihua , Gao Ainong , Yang Xinming , Wang Ruihui , Li Xiuquan , Li Lihui 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTThe high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW‐GS) are essential in determining bread‐making quality, and knowing their composition can help in making appropriate decisions to improve wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) quality. The HMW‐GS compositions of 189 Chinese wheat landraces (CWLs), 61 introduced lines (ILs), and 840 Chinese improved varieties (CIVs) were investigated by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) in this study. The aim was to identify novel HMW‐GS alleles and to compare the genetic diversity among the three groups. A total of 31 HMW‐GS alleles and 86 allele combinations were found in all accessions. For CWL and CIV, the predominant pattern was (null, 7+8, 2+12), with a frequency of 71.6 and 26.0%, respectively. The predominant pattern in the IL was (null, 7+9, 2+12) with a frequency of 13.6%. The IL had the largest variation and the average index of genetic variation (H). The H was 0.6117, whereas CWL and CIV had H values of 0.2275 and 0.5161, respectively. In addition, the present study showed that an increase of 7+9 and 5+10 in the CIV came from the use of foreign parents. The results revealed that the IL was an important reservoir for improving Chinese wheat‐quality characteristics such as grain protein content, hardness, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation. Although the genetic variation in the CWL was low, it contained novel alleles (1Bx7.1* and 1By8.1*), which indicated that this group was also a potential resource for wheat‐quality improvement.
Stocking Strategies as Related to Animal and Pasture Productivity of Endophyte‐Free Tall Fescue
Authors: Burns J. C. , Fisher D. S. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTTall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is a well adapted perennial grass used for pasture across the north–south transition zone in the United States. This 3‐yr trial evaluated three stocking strategies to utilize well‐fertilized spring (April to July) growth of endophyte‐free tall fescue for steer and pasture production. Continuous stocked (CS) was compared with a daily allowance (DA) or lax rotation (LR) (7 to 12 d). Forage mass (in kilograms per hectare) averaged 2673 for CS, 3057 at turn on and 2844 residual for DA, and 2851 at turn on and 2559 residual for the LR. Canopies were similar being mainly leaf (54.9%), followed by dead (32.6%), stem (11.9%), and head (0.5%) fractions. Steer daily gains (0.95 kg), stocking rate (6.7 steers ha−1), gain per hectare (585 kg), and effective feed units (3111 kg ha−1) were similar among stocking strategies. Canopy in vitro true organic matter disappearance (IVTOD) was similar (747 g kg−1) among treatments but differed in crude protein (CP), averaging 186 g kg−1 for CS vs. 198 g kg−1 for rotations. Furthermore, DA was less in CP than LR (189 vs. 207 g kg−1) but greater in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (623 vs. 594 g kg−1). Diet selected was similar among treatments in IVTOD (885 g kg−1), CP (245 g kg−1), and NDF (457 g kg−1) as was daily grazing time of 11.5 h when monitored by Vibracorder or 12.3 h when monitored by computer. Well‐fertilized tall fescue pastures free of toxic endophyte can accommodate a range of stocking strategies when efficiently utilized in animal production systems.
A Method for Forage Yield and Quality Assessment of Tall Fescue Cultivars in the Spring
Authors: Cherney J. H. , Parsons D. , Cherney D. J. R. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTComparative evaluation of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cultivars for yield and quality is confounded with cultivar maturity differences if all cultivars are harvested on the same day; harvesting on different days at a similar morphological stage confounds quality with day‐to‐day environmental fluctuations. Forage grasses should be harvested at optimum fiber content for the class of livestock being fed. For lactating dairy cattle, optimum is approximately 500 g kg−1 neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Our goal was to develop a system to adjust yield and quality of each cultivar to the date of optimum NDF content for harvest. Tall fescue cultivars were sampled on five to eight dates during late spring growth for five trials in New York State. Rates of change per day for yield, NDF, and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) were used to adjust these parameters to the date of optimum NDF content. Rates of change in yield and quality among cultivars were similar within an environment but were not similar across environments. Harvesting cultivars on a single date biased the yields of both early and late maturing cultivars. Cultivar heading dates were not well correlated with NDF or NDFD, indicating that heading date was not a useful adjustment parameter. Adjustment of yield and NDFD to the optimum spring harvest date for each cultivar in a trial significantly changed cultivar ranking. This method should be feasible for evaluating cultivars of any cool‐season grass species but requires further testing for other species.
Pollen Viability and Longevity of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)
Authors: Ge Yaxin , Fu Chunxiang , Bhandari Hem , Bouton Joseph , Brummer E. Charles , Wang Zeng‐Yu 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTPollen is essential for seed production and serves as the primary means of gene flow in outcrossing species like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). There is a lack of information on basic pollen biology in switchgrass. This study investigated pollen viability, pollen longevity, and pollen size using different materials, including the tetraploid cultivar Alamo, the octoploid cultivar Cave‐in‐Rock, and transgenic Alamo plants. Pollen grains were collected from field‐grown Alamo and Cave‐in‐Rock plants, and greenhouse‐grown transgenics. Pollen size was in the range of 42.5 to 54.0 μm; no significant difference was observed in average pollen size between transgenic and control plants. Increasing temperature and ultraviolet‐B irradiation negatively affected pollen viability and longevity, while relative humidity had only limited impact. Weather conditions had a large impact on pollen longevity. Under sunny atmospheric conditions, pollen longevity of both cultivars decreased rapidly, with a half‐life of <4.9 min and a complete loss of viability in 20 min. Under cloudy atmospheric conditions, the half‐life of pollen was more than fivefold longer than under sunny conditions, and it took approximately 150 min to lose viability completely. No difference in pollen viability and longevity was found between transgenic and nontransgenic control plants.
Inheritances of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in a Cross Involving Local and Exotic Durum Wheat Cultivars
Authors: Fakhfakh M. M. , Yahyaoui A. , Rezgui S. , Elias E. M. , Daaloul A. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTFusarium head blight (FHB) has recently become a major disease in durum wheat {Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn. [syn. Triticum turgidum L. var. durum (Desf.) Bowden]} in Tunisia. Although partial resistance to FHB is found in durum wheat landraces, little is known about resistance genes and their effectiveness. The objective of this research was to evaluate potential resistance or tolerance to FHB using a cross between two partially resistant durum wheat cultivars, Divide, a North Dakota State University (NDSU) cultivar, and Tun7, a Tunisian landrace. Seven populations (P1, P2, F1, F2, F3, BC1, and BC2) were evaluated in the greenhouse. Percentages of infected spikelets (PIS) were evaluated at 7, 14, and 21 d postinoculation (DPI) and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) and Fusarium‐damaged kernels (FDK) were measured. Mean generations analysis indicated that dominance effect (h) and dominance × dominance epistasis effect (l) contributed largely to the expression of partial resistance to FHB as measured by the PIS observed at 7 DPI (h = −8.9 and l = 10.4), 14 DPI (h = −28 and l = 33.7), and AUDPC (h = −300.5 and l = 340). Variance components indicated that additive effect (d) and additive × additive epistasis effect (i) are predominant components in the disease development at 21 DPI (d = 8.5 and i = −9). Additive effect (d) appeared to condition the expression of FDK (d = −3). Heritability estimates were 0.42 for PIS observed at 21 DPI and 0.84 for FDK. These results suggest that disease scoring at 21 DPI and FDK could be used to screen for FHB in early generations.
Counting Maize Kernels through Digital Image Analysis
Authors: Severini Alan D. , Borrás Lucas , Cirilo Alfredo G. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTBecause kernel number is the main yield component in grain crops, kernel number per plant or per unit land area is a commonly measured trait in field experiments. This is usually done by means of manual or mechanical counters, which is time consuming. We examined the possibility of counting kernels by means of image analysis. Our method involved taking photographs of dispersed kernel samples with a domestic digital camera and using the open source software ImageJ for automatic particle counting. We show that this is a quick (∼2 min per sample) and reliable (RMSE = 16 kernels per sample) method that could be widely adopted.
Quantifying Rhizosphere Respiration for Two Cool‐Season Perennial Forages
Authors: Skinner R. Howard 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the regulation of ecosystem CO2 flux from forage production systems requires knowledge of component fluxes, including photosynthetic uptake and respiratory loss. Experimental separation of soil respiration into heterotrophic and rhizosphere respiration has been difficult, complicating efforts to quantify management and environmental effects on grazing land C sequestration. This study takes advantage of differences in the natural abundance of 13C between C3 and C4 plant species to separate microbial respiration of C4–derived soil organic matter from root respiration by C3 forage species. Respiratory flux and C isotope data were collected in May, July, and September 2008 and 2009 from plots containing either orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) or white clover (Trifolium repens L.). The site had been a big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi Vitman) field for about 30 yr before grass and clover establishment. Thus, the soil organic C had a strong C4 signature. At each sampling period, respiration measurements were made at the midpoint of the regrowth cycle, 2 wk following mowing. Rhizosphere respiration accounted for about 50% of soil respiration in July and September but only 40% in May. Rhizosphere respiration under orchardgrass averaged 50% of total soil respiration compared with 43% under white clover. Accurate quantification of the components of ecosystem respiration will aid in the development of realistic models to simulate ecosystem C flux.
Maize Transgenes Containing Zein Promoters are Regulated by opaque2
Authors: Schroder Megan N. , Floyd Brice E. , Scott M. Paul 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTUnderstanding epistatic interactions between transgenes and native genes is critical for predicting the response of transgenes to different genetic backgrounds and environments. Our objective was to determine if predicted epistatic interactions occur between maize (Zea mays L.) transgenes carrying zein promoters and opaque2, a transcriptional regulator of zein genes. Expression of the transgenes was significantly decreased in kernels containing the opaque2 mutation. Native zein proteins in these kernels were reduced as well. Thus, transgene expression mirrored expression of the native gene that contributed the promoter of the transgene. This work demonstrates that information about native gene expression may be useful for predicting transgene expression, reducing the risk of unintended consequences of transgene expression.
Multiple‐Line Cross Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping in European Elite Maize
Authors: Steinhoff Jana , Liu Wenxin , Maurer Hans Peter , Würschum Tobias , Longin C. Friedrich H. , Ranc Nicolas , Reif Jochen C. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTMultiple‐line cross quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is considered a promising tool to detect QTL with high power and substantial accuracy. The main goal of this study was to investigate the benefits of combined QTL analysis by applying two biometrical models compared to single‐population analyses. For the combined QTL analysis we used a biometrical model that assumes allele substitution effects specific for every biparental population (disconnected model). We also applied a biometrical model that assumes allele substitution effects specific for every parent (connected model). Six testcross populations of maize (Zea mays L.) derived from a diallel cross of four parents were tested in 10 Italian environments in 2007 for grain yield and grain moisture. The 788 genotypes were fingerprinted with 857 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Our findings clearly underline the potential to improve the power to detect QTL and the resolution to localize the QTL in the genome by switching from single population QTL mapping toward joint QTL analysis across populations. The disconnected model outperformed the connected model with regard to the power to detect QTL. Consequently, our results suggest that the disconnected model is the model of choice for multiple‐line cross QTL mapping in elite maize germplasm.
Present and prospective leather industry waste disposal
Authors: Fela Katarzyna , Wieczorek-Ciurowa Krystyna , Konopka Michał , Woźny Zenon 
Published: October 2011

Present and prospective leather industry waste disposal
In this paper general characteristics of the main leather industry waste regarding its amount reduction by thermal treatment have been presented. Both the tannery solid wastes and the sludge contain organic substances. Their energy value is more than 50% higher in comparison to hard coal (nominally 20 MJ/kg as dry material). Up to now, the considerable amounts of energy are not recovered; leather wastes are predominantly on landfill. Implementation of a comprehensive thermal method for tannery solid waste and sludge utilization can permit to solve the waste disposal problem by effective neutralization of all of the waste. Moreover, it should bring economic benefits associated with steam or hot water production and landfill tax avoiding. The study is oriented towards the practical application.
Separation of volatile compounds from fermentation broth by membrane distillation
Authors: Gryta Marek , Barancewicz Marta 
Published: October 2011

Separation of volatile compounds from fermentation broth by membrane distillation
The diluted ethanol solutions and fermentation broth (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were separated by membrane distillation (MD). Hydrophobic macroporous (pore size 0.2 μm) capillary polypropylene membranes, Accurel PP V8/2 HF and Accurel PP S6/2, were used for these studies. The MD process can be successfully applied to remove the volatile components from the fermentation broth. Besides ethanol, propionic and acetic acids were moved from the broth to the distillate. Therefore, the course of the fermentation carried out in a membrane distillation bioreactor considerably accelerate its rate and increase the efficiency by a selective removal of fermentation products. It was found that the broth subjected to the separation did not affect the hydrophobic properties of the polypropylene membrane assembled in the MD modules.
Studies of properties of polypropylene/halloysite composites
Authors: Szczygielska Agnieszka , Kijeński Jacek 
Published: October 2011

Studies of properties of polypropylene/halloysite composites
The results of the studies on the synthesis, mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene composites with various amount of halloysite filler are presented. Halloysite (HNT) belongs to the silica type characterized by a two-layer 1:1 structure. This work was aimed to develop a method for the modification of halloysite in its prime use as a filler for polypropylene by extrusion. The composites contain 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt.% of HNT. The degree of crystallinity of the composites decrease with increasing halloysite content. The results confirm the expectations that composites of interesting physicochemical, mechanical and thermal properties can be obtained. The mechanical properties studied show that the filler modification method used leads to the synthesis of polymer composites of improved thermal and mechanical properties.