bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Programmed cell death or desiccation tolerance: two possible routes for wheat endosperm cells
Authors: Golovina Elena A. , Hoekstra Folkert A. , van Aelst Adriaan C. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe fate of cells in the endosperm of developing wheat kernels was investigated under normal conditions and upon premature slow drying on the cut ear. To follow the changes in membrane integrity and cellular ultrastructure, an electron spin resonance (ESR) spin probe technique and low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) were used. ESR data indicated that during development, the relative amount of cells with intact membranes decreased and became almost zero at the stage of mass maturity, i.e. several days before the onset of maturation drying. This suggests that the death of starchy endosperm cells is a developmental phenomenon rather than one induced by water loss. Even at 8 days after anthesis (daa), early in the differentiation phase, a considerable proportion of endosperm cells had already lost plasma membrane integrity. Comparison of ESR data with LTSEM micrographs revealed that the loss of plasma membrane integrity occurred early in the starch accumulation process, from which it was concluded that the programmes of starch accumulation and developmental death are simultaneously switched on. When the differentiation into starchy endosperm was arrested by premature slow drying of kernels on the cut ear, meristematic cells (aleurone initials) acquired desiccation tolerance as assessed by the combination of the spin probe technique and LTSEM. In contrast, fast drying caused immediate death of these cells. Thus, meristematic endosperm cells have the competence to acquire desiccation tolerance. This occurs upon premature slow drying or during normal differentiation into aleurone cells, but is lost when the cells differentiate into starchy endosperm.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativusL.) seed performance as influenced by ovary and ovule position
Authors: Jing Hai-Chun , Bergervoet Jan H.W. , Jalink Henk , Klooster Meindert , Du Sheng-Li , Bino Raoul J. , Hilhorst Henk W.M. , Groot Steven P.C. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe performance of cucumber (Cucumis sativusL.) seeds in relation to ovary and ovule position was monitored during seed production. Seeds from three (first, seventh and tenth nodes) fruit positions and three (stylar, intermediate and peduncular) ovule positions were harvested serially during development and characterized with physiological and cellular markers. Seed moisture contents declined to 30%approx. 35 d after pollination (DAP) and remained constant thereafter. At 42 DAP the maximum dry weight was acquired in seeds except those from peduncular segments, whose dry weight accumulation lagged behind. The onset of germinability and desiccation tolerance occurred before the attainment of maximum dry weight, whereas seed performance, as shown by laboratory germination and greenhouse emergence, was largely improved after the completion of seed development. Cell cycle activities (DNA per nucleus and β-tubulin content) ceased by 28 DAP, whereas the degradation of seed chlorophyll continued during the entire maturation period. Seeds from the top fruit and from the peduncular fruit segments were delayed in reaching maximum quality compared with seeds from other positions, and this was correlated with a slower decline of chlorophyll fluorescence.
Effect of harvest time and soaking treatment on cell cycle activity in sugarbeet seeds
Authors: Ś;liwiń;ska Elwira , Jing Hai-Chun , Job Claudette , Job Dominique , Bergervoet Jan H.W. , Bino Raoul J. , Groota Steven P.C. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractCell cycle activity in dry and germinating untreated and treated (soaked in water and subsequently in fungicide) seeds of two sugarbeet cultivars, collected at commercial harvest time (late mature seeds) and about 2 weeks before this (immature seeds), was investigated by flow cytometry, and by immuno-detection of β-tubulin and the B-subunit of the 11 S globulin. Germination capacity and field emergence were tested. With dry seeds of both cultivars, higher G2/ G1ratios were observed in the radicle tips of late mature seeds, as compared with those from immature seeds. The late mature seeds contained more partly degraded (soluble) B-subunit of 11 S globulin, typical of germinating or primed sugarbeet seeds. Thus events associated with the onset of germination had occurred in the seed lots collected at commercial harvest time. The cytoskeleton protein β-tubulin was not detectable in dry seeds from either harvest. Western blotting revealed an accumulation of β-tubulin during germination and this was faster in the late mature harvested seeds which was correlated with the onset of DNA replication. Soaking enhanced the rate of cell cycle activation during germination as well as vigour, germination capacity, and field emergence. There was positive correlation between the G2/ G1ratio and the traits examined in laboratory and field tests. It is concluded that a combined analysis of proteins and cell-cycle-related events can be used in understanding and predicting sugarbeet seed quality.
A hierarchical approach to mood classification in blogs
Authors: KESHTKAR FAZEL , INKPEN DIANA 
Published: March 2011

AbstractIn this article, we explore the task of mood classification for blog postings. We propose a novel approach that uses the hierarchy of possible moods to achieve better results than a standard machine learning approach. We also show that using sentiment orientation features improves the performance of classification. We used the Livejournal blog corpus as a data set to train and evaluate our method. We present extensive error analysis and discuss the difficulty of the task.
Structural insights into a unique cellulase fold and mechanism of cellulose hydrolysis
Authors: Brás Joana L. A. , Cartmell Alan , Carvalho Ana Luísa M. , Verzé Genny , Bayer Edward A. , Vazana Yael , Correia Márcia A. S. , Prates José A. M. , Ratnaparkhe Supriya , Boraston Alisdair B. , Romão Maria J. , Fontes Carlos M. G. A. , Gilbert Harry J. 
Published: March 2011

Clostridium thermocellum
is a well-characterized cellulose-degrading microorganism. The genome sequence of
C. thermocellum
encodes a number of proteins that contain type I dockerin domains, which implies that they are components of the cellulose-degrading apparatus, but display no significant sequence similarity to known plant cell wall–degrading enzymes. Here, we report the biochemical properties and crystal structure of one of these proteins, designated
Ct
Cel124. The protein was shown to be an
endo
-acting cellulase that displays a single displacement mechanism and acts in synergy with Cel48S, the major cellulosomal
exo
-cellulase. The crystal structure of
Ct
Cel124 in complex with two cellotriose molecules, determined to 1.5 Å, displays a superhelical fold in which a constellation of α-helices encircle a central helix that houses the catalytic apparatus. The catalytic acid, Glu96, is located at the C-terminus of the central helix, but there is no candidate catalytic base. The substrate-binding cleft can be divided into two discrete topographical domains in which the bound cellotriose molecules display twisted and linear conformations, respectively, suggesting that the enzyme may target the interface between crystalline and disordered regions of cellulose.
Assessing mating performance of male Glossina pallidipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) using a walk-in field cage
Authors: Mutika G.N. , Opiyo E. , Robinson A.S. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractTo monitor the quality of male tsetse for use in the sterile insect technique (SIT), a field cage test was developed and evaluated. Mating competitiveness was tested with male Glossina pallidipes Austen that emerged from pupae stored for different periods at 15°C. Control males emerged from pupae stored at 23–24°C and emerged at 26.5°C. Each sample of test males was divided into two groups with one group being irradiated at 120 Gy; the other group was not irradiated. More than 70% of the maximum possible number of mating pairs occurred in all tests. Males emerged from pupae kept at low temperature and then irradiated formed a greater proportion of mating pairs than the controls. Males emerged from pupae kept at 15°C generally started mating more quickly than the standard colony males although there was no significant difference. Insemination rates were above 99%. Pooled data indicated that mean spermathecal values for females mated with irradiated males were significantly lower than for control males. The duration of copulation varied significantly between treatment groups and was significantly longer for irradiated male flies; there was no correlation between duration of copulation and mean spermathecal value.
Bioassay and biochemical analyses of insecticide resistance in southern African Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Brooke B.D. , Kloke G. , Hunt R.H. , Koekemoer L.L. , Tem E.A. , Taylor M.E. , Small G. , Hemingway J. , Coetzee M. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAnopheles funestus Giles has been implicated as a major malaria vector in sub-Saharan Africa where pyrethroid insecticides are widely used in agriculture and public health. Samples of this species from northern Kwazulu/Natal in South Africa and the Beluluane region of southern Mozambique showed evidence of resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. Insecticide exposure, synergist and biochemical assays conducted on A. funestus suggested that elevated levels of mixed function oxidases were responsible for the detoxification of pyrethroids in resistant mosquitoes in these areas. The data suggested that this mechanism was also conferring cross-resistance to the carbamate insecticide propoxur.
Population dynamics of the white wax scale, Ceroplastes destructor (Hemiptera: Coccidae), on citrus in South Africa, with implications for biological control
Authors: Wakgari W.M. , Giliomee J.H. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe population dynamics of the white wax scale, Ceroplastes destructor Newstead, was studied intensively in four easy-peel citrus orchards in the Western Cape Province of South Africa over three consecutive years (1997–1999). Key factor analysis was used to determine and quantify the contribution of individual mortality factors to the total generation mortality. Key stage mortality, determined from a cohort life table, was in the third instar and pre-ovipositing female stages. Mortality of C. destructor was caused primarily by parasitoids, predators and miscellaneous factors. Parasitoids and miscellaneous factors acted as density-dependent regulatory agents during the pre-ovipositional and first instar stages respectively. This has implications for biological control of C. destructor. Some of the mortality factors acted either randomly with no reference to the population densities or in an inverse density-dependent manner during the egg-crawler, second or third instar stages.
Family planning in a stemborer parasitoid: sex ratio, brood size and size-fitness relationships in Parallorhogas pyralophagus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), and implications for biological control
Authors: Bernal J.S. , Gillogly P.O. , Griset J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractVarious aspects were studied of the brood size and sex allocation strategies, and of size-fitness relationships in Parallorhogas pyralophagus (Marsh), a gregarious ectoparasitoid of Eoreuma loftini Dyar. Brood size was significantly correlated with host size; larger hosts were allocated larger broods. Brood sex ratios were fixed precisely at 1 male per 4 females, and eggs were likely to be deposited in that order; differential mortality did not contribute to this precise sex ratio. The sex allocation strategy of P. pyralophagus is likely to conform to strict, i.e. single foundress, local mate competition. Adoption of this strategy is probably influenced by a limited insemination capacity of males; a smaller proportion of females (0.09 vs. 0.21) remained virgin in broods with precise or higher sex ratios (≥0.20 males) relative to broods with lower than precise sex ratios (< 0.20 males). Moreover, all females were inseminated in most broods (60%) with precise or higher sex ratios, whereas this did not occur in broods with lower than precise sex ratios. The hypothesized occurrence of strict local mate competition in P. pyralophagus was supported also by observations that: (i) offspring brood sex ratios were independent of maternal brood sex ratios and number of parental females concurrently allocating offspring to a group of hosts, and; (ii) the rate of superparasitism under no-choice conditions was low (~20%), suggesting that rates of outbreeding in the field are low. Other results suggested that fitness in P. pyralophaguswas correlated with adult size; longevity and reproductive capacity both increased with adult size in males and females. However, adult size may be more important for females than for males because the differences in reproductive capacity between the largest and smallest individuals was up to 7.3 times greater in females versus <2 times in males.
On the Waring problem with Dickson polynomials in finite fields
Authors: Ostafe Alina , Shparlinski Igor 
Published: March 2011

We improve recent results of D. Gomez and A. Winterhof on the Waring problem with Dickson polynomials in finite fields. Our approach is based on recent advances in arithmetic combinatorics in arbitrary finite fields due to A. Glibichuk and M. Rudnev.
The AP2/ERF Transcription Factor AtERF73/HRE1 Modulates Ethylene Responses during Hypoxia in Arabidopsis
Authors: Yang Chin-Ying , Hsu Fu-Chiun , Li Jin-Ping , Wang Ning-Ning , Shih Ming-Che 
Published: March 2011

AbstractA number of APETALA2 (AP2)/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) genes have been shown to function in abiotic and biotic stress responses, and these genes are often induced by multiple stresses. We report here the characterization of an AP2/ERF gene in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that is specifically induced during hypoxia. We show that under normoxic conditions, the expression of AtERF73/HRE1 can be induced by exogenous addition of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and that a combination of hypoxia and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid results in hyperinduction of AtERF73/HRE1 expression. In addition, hypoxic induction of AtERF73/HRE1 is reduced but not completely abolished in ethylene-insensitive mutants and in the presence of inhibitors of ethylene biosynthesis and responses. These results suggest that, in addition to ethylene, an ethylene-independent signal is also required to mediate hypoxic induction of AtERF73/HRE1. To assess the role of AtERF73/HRE1, we generated three independent RNA interference (RNAi) knockdown lines of AtERF73/HRE1. Under normoxic conditions, the AtERF73/HRE1-RNAi seedlings displayed increased ethylene sensitivity and exaggerated triple responses, indicating that AtERF73/HRE1 might play a negative regulatory role in modulating ethylene responses. Gas chromatography analyses showed that the production of ethylene was similar between wild-type and RNAi lines under hypoxia. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that hypoxia-inducible genes could be affected by AtERF73/HRE1-RNAi lines in two different ways: hypoxic induction of glycolytic and fermentative genes was reduced, whereas induction of a number of peroxidase and cytochrome P450 genes was increased. Taken together, our results show that AtERF73/HRE1 is involved in modulating ethylene responses under both normoxia and hypoxia.
Alcohol‐related negative consequences among drinkers around the world
Authors: Graham Kathryn , Bernards Sharon , Knibbe Ronald , Kairouz Sylvia , Kuntsche Sandra , Wilsnack Sharon C. , Greenfield Thomas K. , Dietze Paul , Obot Isidore , Gmel Gerhard 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTAims This paper examines (i) gender and country differences in negative consequences related to drinking; (ii) relative rates of different consequences; and (iii) country‐level predictors of consequences.Design, setting and participants Multi‐level analyses used survey data from the Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study (GENACIS) collaboration.Measurements Measures included 17 negative consequences grouped into (i) high endorsement acute, (ii) personal and (iii) social. Country‐level measures included average frequency and quantity of drinking, percentage who were current drinkers, gross domestic product (GDP) and Human Development Index (HDI).Findings Overall, the three groupings of consequences were reported by 44%, 12% and 7% of men and by 31%, 6% and 3% of women, respectively. More men than women endorsed all consequences, but gender differences were greatest for consequences associated with chronic drinking and social consequences related to male roles. The highest prevalence of consequences was in Uganda and lowest in Uruguay. Personal and social consequences were more likely in countries with higher usual quantity, fewer current drinkers and lower scores on GDP and HDI. However, significant interactions with individual‐level quantity indicated a stronger relationship between consequences and usual quantity among drinkers in countries with lower quantity, more current drinkers and higher scores on GDP and HDI.Conclusions Both gender and country need to be taken into consideration when assessing adverse drinking consequences. Individual measures of alcohol consumption and country‐level variables are associated with experiencing such consequences. Additionally, country‐level variables affect the strength of the relationship between usual quantity consumed by individuals and adverse consequences.
Prescribing of smoking cessation medication in England since the introduction of varenicline
Authors: Langley Tessa E. , Huang Yue , McNeill Ann , Coleman Tim , Szatkowski Lisa , Lewis Sarah 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACTAims  To estimate the effect of the introduction of a new smoking cessation medication, varenicline, and the publication of guidance related to its use, on trends in prescribing of smoking cessation medications in England.Design  Interrupted time series analysis of primary care data on prescribing of smoking cessation medication using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling.Setting  A total of 446 general practices included in The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a database of UK electronic primary care records.Participants  All primary care patients registered with a THIN practice in England.Measurements  Monthly rates of prescribing of varenicline, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and bupropion per 100 000 patients registered with a THIN practice between June 2000 and June 2009.Findings  NRT was the most commonly prescribed stop smoking medication, and bupropion the least frequently prescribed. After its introduction in December 2006 varenicline rapidly became the second most commonly prescribed drug. There was no statistically significant change in overall prescribing for smoking cessation medications after its introduction (P = 0.760), or after the publication of the related guidance in July 2007 (P = 0.134).Conclusions  Soon after being introduced in England, varenicline was widely prescribed; after nicotine replacement therapy it was the most commonly prescribed cessation medication. However, this does not appear to have increased overall rates of prescribing for smoking cessation medication.
Professional background and the comprehension of family‐centredness of rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Jeglinsky I. , Autti‐Rämö I. , Brogren Carlberg E. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground  Children with cerebral palsy have difficulties in several areas of functioning, and they need long‐lasting rehabilitation with a clear focus on the individual's needs. Finnish guidelines emphasize family‐centred service. The values of family‐centred service are widely known, but how the principles of family‐centred service are adopted in clinical practice is not well documented. The objective of this study was to analyse the family‐centred behaviour of professionals working with children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.Methods  A translated version of the Measure of Processes of Care for Service Providers (MPOC‐SP) questionnaire was used to evaluate the family‐centred service. The questionnaire was sent to all the professionals in the multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams at all the hospitals and governmental special schools treating children and adolescents with cerebral palsy in Finland (n= 327). Furthermore, 438 physiotherapy service providers working in the children's home region were invited to participate.Results  A total of 201 multidisciplinary team members and 311 physiotherapy service providers completed the questionnaire. Both the team members and the service providers generally rated their family‐centred behaviour positively. There was statistically significant difference in how the team members in the multidisciplinary teams self‐assessed their family‐centred service. Physiotherapists working in multidisciplinary teams rated their family‐centred service higher than physiotherapy service providers. The professional's apprehension of family‐centred service increased with work experience.Conclusions  Professional background and professional context seem to affect the apprehension of family‐centred service. Also work experience and being part of a multidisciplinary team have an influence on how the professionals embrace the family‐centred service delivered. The MPOC‐SP can be used to identify areas for improvement.
Management of drooling in children: a survey of UK paediatricians' clinical practice
Authors: Parr J. R. , Buswell C. A. , Banerjee K. , Fairhurst C. , Williams J. , O'Hare A. , Pennington L. ,   on behalf of the British Academy of Childhood Disability Drooling Study Development Group
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground  Drooling is common in children with disordered oral‐motor control. There is little evidence about the comparative effectiveness of different interventions used to reduce the impact of drooling. Anecdotal reports suggest clinicians' management of drooling varies widely. The aims of this survey were to establish which drooling interventions are currently used, how their effectiveness is monitored and how frequently adverse effects are reported.Methods  151 UK paediatricians completed a questionnaire about their management of drooling.Results  Paediatricians saw one new child with problematic drooling and three follow‐up children per month. The most common prescribing pattern was hyoscine first line (84.7%) followed by glycopyrronium bromide second line. The reported rate of adverse effects of medications was lower than expected (median 10% for hyoscine). Very few paediatricians used standardized methods of measuring the medication's effectiveness or adverse effects.Conclusion  Paediatricians regularly see small numbers of children with problematic drooling. Their clinical management of drooling varies; this is most likely because of a lack of evidence about the most effective approach. Comparative trials of interventions and the development of evidence‐based clinical guidelines would improve the management of children's drooling.