bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
QTL analysis of yield‐related traits in sunflower under different water treatments
Authors: Poormohammad Kiani S. , Maury P. , Nouri L. , Ykhlef N. , Grieu P. , Sarrafi A. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractA set of sunflower recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was used to study agronomical traits under greenhouse and field conditions each with two water treatments and three replications. The difference among RILs was significant for all the traits studied in all conditions; and water treatment × RILs interaction was also observed for most of the traits in both field and greenhouse conditions. Because of the low rate of drought stress, this part of field data are not informative. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified for yield‐related traits with the percentage of phenotypic variance explained by QTLs (R2) ranging from 4% to 40%. Several QTLs for grain yield per plant (GYP) under four water treatments were identified on different linkage groups, among which two were specific to a single treatment (GYPN.4.1, GYPI.7.1). Three QTLs for GYP were overlapped with several QTLs for drought‐adaptative traits detected in our previous study (Poormohammad Kiani et al. 2007b). The whole results do highlight interesting genomic regions for marker‐based breeding programmes for drought tolerance in sunflower.
Association mapping of straighthead disorder induced by arsenic in Oryza sativa
Authors: Agrama H. A. , Yan W. G. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractStraighthead is a physiological disorder in rice (Oryza sativa L.) resulting in sterile florets, poorly developed panicles and yield loss. Because of its sporadic nature and unidentified causes for the disorder, molecular marker assisted selection is essential for resistance improvement in breeding programmes. To take advantage of recent advances in gene‐mapping technology, we executed a genome‐wide association mapping to identify genetic regions associated with straighthead disorder using 547 accessions of germplasm from the USDA rice core collection. Straighthead was evaluated in arsenic treated soil and genotyping was conducted with 75 molecular markers covering the entire rice genome about every 25 cM. A mixed‐linear model approach combining the principal component assignments with kinship estimates proved to be particularly promising for association mapping. The extent of linkage disequilibrium was described among the markers. Six markers were found to be significantly associated with straighthead, explaining 35% of the total phenotypic variation. However, only two SSR markers, RM413 and RM277 on chromosome 5 and 12, respectively, have a significant association with low rating indicating straighthead resistance. Confirmation of the marker‐straighthead association using segregating populations is necessary before marker‐assisted selection can be applied.
QTL mapping for agronomic and fibre traits using two interspecific chromosome substitution lines of Upland cotton
Authors: Luan M. , Guo X. , Zhang Y. , Yao J. , Chen W. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractCS‐B14Sh and CS‐B22Sh are cotton interspecific chromosome substitution (CS)‐B lines, in which a pair of short arms of chromosome 14 and chromosome 22 were introgressed from Gossypium barbadense doubled‐haploid line 3‐79 with the background of Gossypium hirsutum line TM‐1, respectively. These two CS‐B lines were crossed with TM‐1, and segregating progenies (F2 and F2:3, respectively) were obtained. Phenotypic data of lint yield, yield‐related traits and fibre‐quality traits were collected from two trials. In the cross CS‐B14SH X TM‐1, QTL for boll weight (BW), lint percentage (LP), fibre upper half mean length (UHML), micronaire reading (MIC), and fibre breaking tensile strength (STR) were repeatedly detected. Alleles from 3‐79 decreased BW and MIC, but increased UHML and STR. In the cross CS‐B22Sh X TM‐1, QTL for BW, LP, UHML, MIC, STR, fibre elongation (EL),seed weight(SW), node of first fruiting branch (NFB) and fibre uniformity index (UI) were repeatedly detected, and alleles from 3‐79 decreased UHML, UI and STR, but increased NFB, SW, MIC and EL. QTL clusters were found in both populations.
Micropropagation of self‐rooting juvenile clones by secondary somatic embryogenesis in Hevea brasiliensis
Authors: Hua Y. W. , Huang T. D. , Huang H. S. 
Published: June 2009

With 2 figures and 5 tables AbstractMicropropagation of self‐rooting juvenile clones in Hevea brasiliensis was established for two clones CATAS 7‐33‐97 and CATAS 88‐13 through the following three steps: induction of primary embryos, embryo multiplication by secondary somatic embryogenesis in three successive cycles from a single culture of primary embryo and plant regeneration. The embryo multiplication coefficients of the two clones increased in the first cycle and reached the maximum in the second and the third cycle at the same rate. Significant effects of origins of embryo fragments and calcium on secondary embryogenesis were detected, the highest ratios of the regenerated embryos to primary embryos appeared, when embryo fragments close to the base of embryos were used and incubated in Murashige and Skoog (MS)‐based callogenesis medium with 6.0 mm CaCl2 for CATAS 88‐13 and 9.0 mm CaCl2 for CATAS 7‐33‐97. The highest rates of plant conversion were produced on MS‐based plant regeneration medium with 4.5 and 9.0 μm 2,4‐D for CATAS 7‐33‐97 (85.0%) and 13.5 μm for CATAS 88‐13 (75.0%), being higher than other reports (60%). Finally, the application of this system was discussed.
Rapamycin prevents Concanavalin A‐induced liver injury by inhibiting lymphocyte activation
Authors: Zhang Yuanqing , Xiao Xiang , Li Xianchang , Wei Haiming 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBackground and Aims:  Liver injury induced by Concanavalin A (Con A) is often used as a model to study the pathophysiology of immune mediated liver injury. Rapamycin (Rapa) is an effective immunosuppressant widely used for preventing immune activation and transplant rejection. However, the effect of Rapa on liver injury caused by Con A has not been carefully examined. In the present study, we examined the effect of Rapa on liver injury caused by Con A.Methods:  Mice received intraperitoneal Rapa injection before Con A intravenous administration. The liver injury was examined by measuring serum transaminase and pathology, and the level of cytokines was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results:  In the present study, we examined the effect of Rapa on liver injury after Con A injection in mice. We found that the treatment of mice with Rapa protected the liver from Con A‐induced injury. Pretreatment with Rapa dramatically ameliorated Con A‐induced mortality. This protection was associated with reduced transaminase levels in the blood and further confirmed by liver histology. ELISA showed that Rapa suppressed pro‐inflammatory cytokines IFN‐γ and TNF‐α production as compared with the untreated controls. Furthermore, intrahepatic lymphocyte proliferation was significantly inhibited.Conclusion:  These findings suggested that Rapa has the therapeutic potential for treatment of immune‐mediated liver injury in the clinic.
Fluorofenidone attenuates collagen I and transforming growth factor‐β1 expression through a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase‐dependent way in NRK‐52E cells
Authors: PENG ZHANG‐ZHE , HU GAO‐YUN , SHEN HONG , WANG LING , NING WANG‐BIN , XIE YAN‐YUN , WANG NA‐SUI , LI BING‐XIN , TANG YI‐TING , TAO LI‐JIAN 
Published: June 2009

SUMMARY:Aim:  Fluorofenidone (1‐(3‐fluorophenyl)‐5‐methyl‐2‐(1H)‐pyridone) is a novel pyridone agent. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of fluorofenidone on angiotensin (Ang)II‐induced fibrosis and the involved molecular mechanism in rat proximal tubular epithelial cells.Methods:  NRK‐52E cells, a rat proximal tubular epithelial cell line, were incubated with medium containing AngII, with or without nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI), losartan, fluorofenidone (2, 4 and 8 mmol/L) and pirfenidone (8 mmol/L) for 24 h. Cells in the serum‐free medium were controls. The expression of three subunits of NADPH oxidase, including p47phox, Nox‐4 and p22phox, were determined by real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and western blot. NADPH oxidase activity was measured directly by superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibitable cytochrome C reduction assay. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by dichlorofluorescein fluorescence analysis. The mRNA and protein expression of collagen I and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 were determined by real‐time RT–PCR and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results:  Fluorofenidone significantly inhibited TGF‐β1 and collagen I expression upregulation induced by AngII or TGF‐β1 respectively. Moreover, fluorofenidone greatly reduced the elevation of expression and activity of NADPH oxidase and inhibited ROS generation induced by AngII in rat proximal tubular epithelial cells. These responses were also attenuated by DPI, losartan, and pirfenidone.Conclusion:  Fluorofenidone acted as an anti‐oxidative and anti‐fibrotic agent through the mechanisms of blocking NADPH oxidase‐dependent oxidative stress and inhibiting TGF‐β1 expression in rat proximal tubular epithelial cells.
Lead exposure and its association with pubertal development in school‐age Egyptian children: Pilot study
Authors: Tomoum Hoda Yahya , Mostafa Gehan Ahmed , Ismail Nanees Ahmed , Ahmed Samah Mohammed 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBackground:  The aim of the present study was to determine blood lead levels in a group of Egyptian school‐age children and assess its relationship to pubertal development.Methods:  Forty‐one children were recruited from high‐ and low‐pollution areas in Cairo, Egypt. Sexual maturation was evaluated using Tanner score. Measurements of blood lead and serum levels of follicle stimulation hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol in girls and testosterone in boys were performed for included subjects.Results:  A total of 51.2% of children had high blood lead levels (≥10 µg/dL). Boys with high lead levels had delayed pubertal maturation compared to those with low lead levels. Breast staging of sexual maturation was significantly delayed in girls with high lead levels. FSH and LH were significantly reduced in children of both sexes, and testosterone levels were reduced in boys with high lead.Conclusion:  These findings consolidate the cumulative medical evidence of the deleterious effect of high lead levels on pubertal development, possibly through the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis.
Association between falls and high‐risk medication use in hospitalized Asian elderly patients
Authors: Mamun Kaysar , Lim Jimmy KH 
Published: June 2009

Aim:  Most studies looking at the relation between medication use and fall among the hospitalized elderly patients, were done in Western countries. So, a study was planned to investigate the role of medications in causing falls in hospitalized Asian elderly patients.Methods:  Case note review was done for all patients age 65 years and above, who fell at least once during their hospital stay over a 12‐month period. Information obtained from the case notes included: (i) demographic information; (ii) Modified Morse Fall scale; (iii) circumstances and time of fall; and (iv) medication use. From the hospital admission database, an age‐ and sex‐matched control group was selected for comparison.Results:  Over the 12‐month study period, 298 patients met the study criteria. Average age of the patients was 75.8 years, 60.4% were male and 84.9% were Chinese. Multivariate analysis showed that fallers had longer lengths of stay and were more likely to have a history of falls. Fallers were also more likely to be taking hypnotics, cough preparations and anti‐platelets, but less likely to be taking paracetamol. Fallers were on fewer medications.Conclusion:  Elderly hospitalized patients on hypnotic drugs, cough preparations and anti‐platelets were more likely to fall. Appropriate usage of analgesics, especially paracetamol, to relieve pain may reduce falls.
Association of plasma sex hormone levels with functional decline in elderly men and women
Authors: Fukai Shiho , Akishita Masahiro , Yamada Shizuru , Hama Tatsuya , Ogawa Sumito , Iijima Katsuya , Eto Masato , Kozaki Koichi , Toba Kenji , Ouchi Yasuyoshi 
Published: June 2009

Aim:  We aimed to determine whether plasma sex hormone levels are associated with activities of daily living (ADL), cognition, depression and vitality in elderly individuals with functional decline.Methods:  Two hundred and eight consecutive persons 70 years or older (108 men and 100 women; mean ± standard deviation, 81 ± 7 years) with a chronic stable condition, receiving long‐term care at a long‐term care facilities located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, were enrolled. Plasma total testosterone, free testosterone (only in men), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA sulfate (DHEA‐S) and estradiol levels were determined in the morning after an overnight fast. Comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed including basic ADL by Barthel Index, instrumental ADL, cognitive function by Hasegawa Dementia Scale – Revised, mood by Geriatric Depression Scale and ADL‐related vitality by Vitality Index.Results:  Simple regression analysis showed that, in men, plasma total and free testosterone levels were associated with basic ADL (R = 0.292 and R = 0.282), instrumental ADL (R = 0.261 and R = 0.408), cognitive function (R = 0.393 and R = 0.553) and vitality (R = 0.246 and R = 0.396), while DHEA(‐S) was associated with cognitive function, and estradiol with cognitive function as well as vitality. In women, the only significant correlation was between DHEA(‐S) and basic ADL. Adjustment for age and nutritional markers did not influence the associations of plasma sex hormone levels with functional scores except for that of free testosterone with Barthel Index.Conclusion:  These results suggest that sex hormones have sex‐specific associations with physical and neuropsychiatric functions in elderly individuals, and that endogenous testosterone is related to global function in elderly men.
Road traffic accidents and the elderly
Authors: Abou‐Raya Suzan , ElMeguid Leila Abd 
Published: June 2009

Aim:  To identify and evaluate the causes and characteristics of road traffic accidents (RTA) and to analyze injury patterns in elderly road traffic victims in order to apply appropriate measures for the prevention of RTA in the elderly.Methods:  Two hundred and fifty‐eight elderly road traffic victims admitted to the Emergency and Traumatology Departments of our institution were enrolled. Complete data about the circumstances surrounding the accident, mechanism of injury, specific injury, comorbid conditions and drug history were recorded. All subjects underwent a physical and mental function examination.Results:  The majority of road traffic victims were pedestrians. Most elderly pedestrian accidents were due to falls. Accidents by elderly car drivers occurred frequently at intersections. Craniocerebral and extremity injuries formed the majority of the injuries in pedestrian and cyclist victims whereas chest injuries were commoner in car accident victims. Medical problems and medication usage was common among RTA victims.Conclusion:  The fragility of elderly car occupants and pedestrians should be taken into consideration and strategies aimed at the road‐user safety including periodic medical screening, improvement of road structure and facilities, and the improved design of motor vehicles should be implemented.
Family relationships of self‐care‐dependent older people and institutionalized rate to nursing homes
Authors: Kodama Hiroko , Izumo Yuji , Takahashi Ryutaro , Suda Yuko , Kudo Hisashi , Kudo Hideaki , Miyamoto Masao , Sasaki Hidetada 
Published: June 2009

Background:  The government recommends home care for self‐care‐dependent older people in order to suppress care expenditure. Family relationships between primary caregivers and self‐care‐dependent older people might be one of the factors influencing the institutionalized rate.Method:  We investigated family relationships between primary caregivers and self‐care‐dependent older people at home in the rural town of Oodate, Akita Prefecture, and the urban district of Katsushika, Tokyo, in 2003. One thousand and thirty‐six primary caregivers completed the questionnaire and entered the present study. Two years later, we prospectively followed how the family relationship between them influenced the institutionalized rate in 2005. Finally, 556 primary caregivers completed the questionnaire in 2005.Results:  The institutionalized rate of subjects with poor family relationships (31%) was significantly higher than that of subjects with good family relationships (12%).Conclusion:  Good or poor family relationships were significantly related to psychological strains and might determine the institutionalized rate in nursing homes.
The influence of the environment and corrosion on the structural integrity of aircraft materials
Authors: RUSSO S. , SHARP P. K. , DHAMARI R. , MILLS T. B. , HINTON B. R. W. , CLARK G. , SHANKAR K. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTFatigue results of 11/2 dog‐bone jointed specimens manufactured from 7075‐T6 aluminium alloy indicated that the application of corrosion preventative compounds (CPCs) at the faying surfaces slightly decreased the log mean fatigue life at 144 MPa, while the effect was not statistically significant at the higher stress level (210 MPa). The addition of the CPC also reduced fretting corrosion at the faying surfaces and shifted the fatigue initiation sites closer to the edge of fastener holes. Scatter in fatigue life was found to be associated with the location and size of the intermetallics at the initiation site. The presence of corrosion in the bores of the countersunk fastener holes reduced the fatigue life by up to one order of magnitude. Fatigue test results for dog‐bone specimens manufactured from 7075‐T651 and 2024‐T351 aluminium alloys indicated that the presence of exfoliation corrosion reduced the fatigue life under dry conditions, with a greater reduction under humid conditions. The application of a CPC to the corroded region eliminated the influence humidity had on fatigue life.
Probabilistic sensitivity analysis in life‐prediction of an α+β titanium alloy
Authors: JHA S. K. , MILLWATER H. R. , LARSEN J. M. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTProbabilistic sensitivities using the score function method are developed for a lifing analysis of an α+β titanium alloy in a round bar under axial fatigue load. Sensitivities with respect to the statistical inputs of the crack initiation size (a), and Paris crack growth intercept (C) and exponent (m) are developed with consideration of the correlation between C and m. The sensitivities are obtained using a single Monte Carlo sampling analysis and do not involve finite difference approximations. The sensitivities indicate the importance of the random variable input parameters on the mean life and standard deviation of life and can be used as a basis for determining constructive data collection efforts. For this example, the crack growth intercept (C) is the dominant variable that affects mean‐life and standard deviation of life, indicating that improved confidence in the results can be obtained most efficiently by improving the statistical characterization of C.
High cycle thermo‐mechanical fatigue: Damage operator approach
Authors: NAGODE M. , HACK M. , FAJDIGA M. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTThe stress‐life approach is standardized and widely accepted for determining fatigue damage under stress‐controlled high cycle fatigue (HCF) loading. It was first extended to non‐isothermal cases by introducing an equivalent temperature approach (ETA). The paper presents its extension, that is, the damage operator approach (DOA), enabling online continuous damage calculation for isothermal and non‐isothermal loading with mean stress correction. The cycle closure point, cycle equivalent temperature, threshold temperature and separate rainflow counting, obligatory for the ETA, are not necessary for the DOA any more. Both approaches are equivalent for the second and subsequent runs of block loading if temperature is constant. However, for non‐isothermal cases the DOA is within the worst‐ and the best‐case scenarios of the ETA. The approaches are compared with the simple stress history and several thermo‐mechanical fatigue (TMF) cycle types.
A micromechanical model for small fatigue crack growth: an approach based on two threshold conditions
Authors: VALLELLANO C. , VÁZQUEZ J. , NAVARRO A. , DOMÍNGUEZ J. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a micromechanical description of small fatigue crack growth based on the successive blocking of the monotonic plastic zone (MPZ) and cyclic plastic zone (CPZ) of a crack at microstructural barriers such as grain boundaries and phase limits. This allows two different fatigue crack growth thresholds to be established, one of which, the maximum‐controlled fatigue threshold, is dependent on the ability of MPZ to overcome successive material barriers and the other, the range‐controlled fatigue threshold, is associated with the ability of CPZ to overcome such barriers as well. The proposed model connects in a natural manner with recent advances in fatigue mechanics relying on the use of two parameters, Kmax and ΔK, approaches to describe crack propagation process.
Analysis of ductile tearing using a local approach to fracture
Authors: TAKTAK R. , BENSEDDIQ N. , IMAD A. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the Rice and Tracey (RT) model based on growth of cavities is verified in order to describe the ductile tearing in stainless steel 12Ni6Cr and aluminium alloy. Experimentally, central crack panel and compact tension specimens were tested. The comparison of the experimental results with the classical RT model shows that this model cannot make a good prediction using J−Δa curve. On the basis of fitting procedure and numerical simulations, we have proposed a modification of this model by introducing corrective coefficients to improve the classical RT model. The proposed model, although very simple, is able to approximate with good accuracy the experimental results and that the approximation is, as expected, better than using the RT approach directly.
Stability analysis and experimental verification for optimum notch configuration in chevron‐notched round bar specimens
Authors: RAY K. K. , VEERABABU A. , SARKAR R. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTIn some earlier communications [Ray and Poddar, FFEMS, 27 (2004), Sarkar and Ray, FFEMS, 31 (2008)], a methodology to estimate the minimum normalized stress intensity factor for chevron‐notched round bar (CVNRB) specimens has been outlined. The primary aim of this report is to theoretically analyse stable crack propagation in CVNRB specimens in order to estimate conservative fracture toughness value associated with this specimen geometry. The theoretical analyses have been substantiated using fracture toughness tests on CVNRB specimens of steel having initial normalized notch lengths (α0) between 0.2 and 0.5. The major inferences drawn from this investigation are: (1) the optimum notch geometry in CVNRB specimens corresponds to 0.2 < α0 < 0.3 for the maximum stable crack extension, and (2) the estimated fracture toughness of the steel using CVNRB specimens indicates minimum KICV at α0= 0.29 in good agreement with the theoretical analyses.