bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Hydrangea macrophylla for Resistance to Leaf‐Spot Diseases
Authors: Mmbaga Margaret T. , Kim Mee‐Sook , Mackasmiel Lucas , Li Yonghao 
Published: December 2011

AbstractGarden hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is a popular ornamental plant that can be devastated by leaf‐spot diseases. Information is needed to determine susceptibility of commercial cultivars to leaf‐spot diseases. To address this need, 88 cultivars of H. macrophylla were evaluated for their resistance to leaf‐spot diseases in full‐shade (2007–2008), full‐sun (2007–2008) and partial‐shade (2009–2010) environments in McMinnville, TN, USA. Ten cultivars [‘Ami Pasquier’, ‘Ayesha’, ‘Blue Bird’, ‘Forever Pink’, ‘Fuji Waterfall’ (‘Fujinotaki’), ‘Miyama‐yae‐Murasaki’, ‘Seafoam’, ‘Taube’, ‘Tricolor’ and ‘Veitchii’] were rated resistant (R) or moderately resistant to leaf spot under each of the three environments. In 2007–2008, approximately 51% of the cultivars were rated R in full shade, but only 5% were R in full sun. In 2009–2010, only 1% of the cultivars were rated R in partial shade. Although environmental parameters including temperature and rainfall influence disease severity and host reaction, a shaded environment was least favourable for leaf‐spot disease development, which demonstrates that establishing hydrangea in shaded environment can be an effective tool along with cultivar selection for managing leaf‐spot diseases on hydrangea. Six pathogens, Corynespora cassiicola, Cercospora spp., Myrothecium roridum, Glomerella cingulata (Anamorph: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), Phoma exigua and Botrytis cinerea, were associated with leaf‐spot diseases of garden hydrangea. Of the leaf‐spot pathogens, C. cassiicola was most frequently isolated (55% of all isolates), followed by Cercospora spp. (20%) and other pathogens (25%). Because symptoms attributed to each leaf‐spot pathogen were similar, cultivars were selected for resistance to multiple leaf‐spot pathogens.
Intraocular lens implantation position sensitivity as a function of refractive error
Authors: Guo Huanqing , Goncharov Alexander , Dainty Chris 
Published: December 2011

Citation information: Guo H, Goncharov A & Dainty C. Intraocular lens implantation position sensitivity as a function of refractive error. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2012, 32, 117–124. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011.00888.xAbstractPurpose:  To quantify the change in ocular aberrations due to intraocular lens (IOL) implantation position errors for pseudo‐phakic eyes with different refractive errors.Methods:  The theoretical part of this work was based on ray‐tracing in emmetropic and myopic eye models. The possible misalignments i.e. the decentration, tilt and axial translation, of the IOLs were statistically combined together and analysed using Monte–Carlo simulations. Spherical IOLs with a 3 and 5 mm pupil and an aspheric IOL with a 5 mm pupil were analysed as a function of refractive error. In the experimental part of the work, we built an IOL optical test bench including a model eye. The white light discrete point spread functions of misaligned IOLs were recorded by a CCD and we compared the change of the spread function as a result of misalignments for two spherical IOLs with different optical powers.Results:  The Monte–Carlo simulations showed that the average root‐mean‐square spot size at the retinal plane decreased with increasing myopic refractive error, i.e. lower power IOL. The experiments showed that a lower optical power spherical IOL had a less distributed point spread function than a higher optical power IOL, which supported the results of the simulation.Conclusion:  Regarding IOLs designed for myopic patients, low power IOLs (for high myopes) were shown to be less sensitive to the misalignment than high power ones. Aspheric IOLs were more sensitive to position errors than spherical IOLs under the same conditions.
Characteristics of women who are pregnant with their first baby at an advanced age
Authors: NILSEN ANNE BRITT VIKA , WALDENSTRÖM ULLA , HJELMSTED ANNA , RASMUSSEN SVEIN , SCHYTT ERICA 
Published: December 2011

Abstract Objective. To describe the background characteristics of women who gave birth to their first child at an advanced and very advanced maternal age, including their sociodemographic background, social relationships, health behavior, physical and mental health, and reproductive history. Design. Cross‐sectional data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Setting. Norway. Sample. 41 236 Norwegian‐speaking nulliparous women. Methods. Data were collected by the first questionnaire distributed in week 17 of pregnancy during the recruitment period 1999–2008. The distribution of descriptive variables in relation to age was investigated, by means of bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Main outcome measures. Advanced (33–37 years) and very advanced (≥38 years) maternal age. Results. Women who had their first baby at an advanced or very advanced age differed from the younger women with regard to a wide range of background characteristics, and this difference was most pronounced for the very advanced group. Problems related to physical aging were more common (infertility, physical health problems, sleep problems, depression and fatigue). Of the sociodemographic factors; high annual income and low level of education were most strongly correlated with high maternal age, followed by single status, unemployment, unsatisfactory relationship with partner and unplanned pregnancy. Conclusions. Besides having more age‐related reproductive and physical health problems, women who had their first baby at an advanced or very advanced age constituted a heterogeneous group characterized by either socioeconomic prosperity or vulnerability.
Novel Antiviral Characteristics of Nanosized Copper(I) Iodide Particles Showing Inactivation Activity against 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus
Authors: Fujimori Yoshie , Sato Tetsuya , Hayata Taishi , Nagao Tomokazu , Nakayama Mikio , Nakayama Tsuruo , Sugamata Ryuichi , Suzuki Kazuo 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

We investigated the antiviral activity of nanosized copper(I) iodide (CuI) particles having an average size of 160 nm. CuI particles showed aqueous stability and generated hydroxyl radicals, which were probably derived from monovalent copper (Cu
+
). We confirmed that CuI particles showed antiviral activity against an influenza A virus of swine origin (pandemic [H1N1] 2009) by plaque titration assay. The virus titer decreased in a dose-dependent manner upon incubation with CuI particles, with the 50% effective concentration being approximately 17 μg/ml after exposure for 60 min. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the inactivation of the virus due to the degradation of viral proteins such as hemagglutinin and neuraminidase by CuI. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy revealed that CuI generates hydroxyl radicals in aqueous solution, and radical production was found to be blocked by the radical scavenger
N
-acetylcysteine. Taken together, these findings indicate that CuI particles exert antiviral activity by generating hydroxyl radicals. Thus, CuI may be a useful material for protecting against viral attacks and may be suitable for applications such as filters, face masks, protective clothing, and kitchen cloths.
Decreased Xylitol Formation during Xylose Fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Due to Overexpression of Water-Forming NADH Oxidase
Authors: Zhang Guo-Chang , Liu Jing-Jing , Ding Wen-Tao 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

The recombinant xylose-fermenting
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
strain harboring xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) from
Scheffersomyces stipitis
requires NADPH and NAD
+
, creates cofactor imbalance, and causes xylitol accumulation during growth on
d
-xylose. To solve this problem,
noxE
, encoding a water-forming NADH oxidase from
Lactococcus lactis
driven by the
PGK1
promoter, was introduced into the xylose-utilizing yeast strain KAM-3X. A cofactor microcycle was set up between the utilization of NAD
+
by XDH and the formation of NAD
+
by water-forming NADH oxidase. Overexpression of
noxE
significantly decreased xylitol formation and increased final ethanol production during xylose fermentation. Under xylose fermentation conditions with an initial
d
-xylose concentration of 50 g/liter, the xylitol yields for of KAM-3X(pPGK1-noxE) and control strain KAM-3X were 0.058 g/g xylose and 0.191 g/g, respectively, which showed a 69.63% decrease owing to
noxE
overexpression; the ethanol yields were 0.294 g/g for KAM-3X(pPGK1-noxE) and 0.211 g/g for the control strain KAM-3X, which indicated a 39.33% increase due to
noxE
overexpression. At the same time, the glycerol yield also was reduced by 53.85% on account of the decrease in the NADH pool caused by overexpression of
noxE
.
Selected Lactic Acid Bacteria Synthesize Antioxidant Peptides during Sourdough Fermentation of Cereal Flours
Authors: Coda Rossana , Rizzello Carlo Giuseppe , Pinto Daniela , Gobbetti Marco 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

A pool of selected lactic acid bacteria was used for the sourdough fermentation of various cereal flours with the aim of synthesizing antioxidant peptides. The radical-scavenging activity of water/salt-soluble extracts (WSE) from sourdoughs was significantly (
P
< 0.05) higher than that of chemically acidified doughs. The highest activity was found for whole wheat, spelt, rye, and kamut sourdoughs. Almost the same results were found for the inhibition of linoleic acid autoxidation. WSE were subjected to reverse-phase fast protein liquid chromatography. Thirty-seven fractions were collected and assayed
in vitro
. The most active fractions were resistant to further hydrolysis by digestive enzymes. Twenty-five peptides of 8 to 57 amino acid residues were identified by nano-liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Almost all of the sequences shared compositional features which are typical of antioxidant peptides. All of the purified fractions showed
ex vivo
antioxidant activity on mouse fibroblasts artificially subjected to oxidative stress. This study demonstrates the capacity of sourdough lactic acid bacteria to release peptides with antioxidant activity through the proteolysis of native cereal proteins.
Multiplex PCR-Based Reverse Line Blot Assay for Simultaneous Detection of 22 Virulence Genes in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Kudinha Timothy , Kong Fanrong , Johnson James R. , Andrew Scott D. , Anderson Peter , Gilbert Gwendolyn L. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections and are responsible for significant morbidity and health care costs worldwide. The main bacterial cause of uncomplicated UTI is
Escherichia coli
, which possesses numerous virulence factors (VFs). Many studies of the pathogenesis of
E. coli
UTI have centered on VF genes. Hence, the development of better molecular assays to study VF genes would facilitate these studies. We developed a highly sensitive and specific multiplex PCR-based reverse line blot (mPCR/RLB) assay to simultaneously detect 22 VF genes of uropathogenic
E. coli
and then used it to characterize 180 isolates from nonpregnant women of child-bearing age with cystitis and 153 fecal isolates from similar-age healthy women, in regional New South Wales, Australia. The assay accurately identified all VF genes (of the 22 under study) known to be present in 30 previously characterized control strains. The detection limits were 28 ng of DNA from
E. coli
isolates and 50 CFU/ml in mock-infected urine specimens containing known concentrations of
E. coli.
Cystitis isolates (compared to the fecal isolates) showed a significantly higher prevalence of 18 individual VF genes and contained significantly more VF genes per isolate (median number, 18.5 versus 6.5 [
P
= 0.001]). Discordance between paired probes for a given VF gene occurred in several clinical test isolates but no reference strains and among the test isolates was associated with fecal source (10% of VF genes versus 2% for cystitis isolates [
P
< 0.001]). This novel mPCR/RLB method is a potentially powerful tool for investigating the prevalence and distribution of VFs in
E. coli
.
The Allele-Specific Probe and Primer Amplification Assay, a New Real-Time PCR Method for Fine Quantification of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Pooled DNA
Authors: Billard A. , Laval V. , Fillinger S. , Leroux P. , Lachaise H. , Beffa R. , Debieu D. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT
The evolution of fungicide resistance within populations of plant pathogens must be monitored to develop management strategies. Such monitoring often is based on microbiological tests, such as microtiter plate assays. Molecular monitoring methods can be considered if the mutations responsible for resistance have been identified. Allele-specific real-time PCR approaches, such as amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) PCR and mismatch amplification mutation assay (MAMA) PCR, are, despite their moderate efficacy, among the most precise methods for refining SNP quantification. We describe here a new real-time PCR method, the allele-specific probe and primer amplification assay (ASPPAA PCR). This method makes use of mixtures of allele-specific minor groove binder (MGB) TaqMan probes and allele-specific primers for the fine quantification of SNPs from a pool of DNA extracted from a mixture of conidia. It was developed for a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that is responsible for resistance to the sterol biosynthesis inhibitor fungicide fenhexamid, resulting in the replacement of the phenylalanine residue (encoded by the TTC codon) in position 412 of the enzymatic target (3-ketoreductase) by a serine (TCC), valine (GTC), or isoleucine (ATC) residue. The levels of nonspecific amplification with the ASPPAA PCR were reduced at least four times below the level of currently available allele-specific real-time PCR approaches due to strong allele specificity in amplification cycles, including two allele selectors. This new method can be used to quantify a complex quadriallelic SNP in a DNA pool with a false discovery rate of less than 1%.
Activation-Independent Cyclization of Monoterpenoids
Authors: Siedenburg Gabriele , Jendrossek Dieter , Breuer Michael , Juhl Benjamin , Pleiss Jürgen , Seitz Miriam , Klebensberger Janosch , Hauer Bernhard 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACTThe biosynthesis of cyclic monoterpenes (C10) generally requires the cyclization of an activated linear precursor (geranyldiphosphate) by specific terpene cyclases. Cyclic triterpenes (C30), on the other hand, originate from the linear precursor squalene by the action of squalene-hopene cyclases (SHCs) or oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs). Here, we report a novel terpene cyclase fromZymomonas mobilis(ZMO1548-Shc) with the unique capability to cyclize citronellal to isopulegol. To our knowledge, ZMO1548-Shc is the first biocatalyst with diphosphate-independent monoterpenoid cyclase activity. A combinatorial approach using site-directed mutagenesis and modeling of the active site with a bound substrate revealed that the cyclization of citronellal proceeds via a different mechanism than that of the cyclization of squalene.
Posttranslational Modifications of Proteins in the Pathobiology of Medically Relevant Fungi
Authors: Leach Michelle D. , Brown Alistair J. P. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Posttranslational modifications of proteins drive a wide variety of cellular processes in eukaryotes, regulating cell growth and division as well as adaptive and developmental processes. With regard to the fungal kingdom, most information about posttranslational modifications has been generated through studies of the model yeasts
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
and
Schizosaccharomyces pombe
, where, for example, the roles of protein phosphorylation, glycosylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, sumoylation, and neddylation have been dissected. More recently, information has begun to emerge for the medically important fungal pathogens
Candida albicans
,
Aspergillus fumigatus
, and
Cryptococcus neoformans
, highlighting the relevance of posttranslational modifications for virulence. We review the available literature on protein modifications in fungal pathogens, focusing in particular upon the reversible peptide modifications sumoylation, ubiquitination, and neddylation.
A Single-Domain FlgJ Contributes to Flagellar Hook and Filament Formation in the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi
Authors: Zhang Kai , Tong Brian A. , Liu Jun , Li Chunhao 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

FlgJ plays a very important role in flagellar assembly. In the enteric bacteria,
flgJ
null mutants fail to produce the flagellar rods, hooks, and filaments but still assemble the integral membrane-supramembrane (MS) rings. These mutants are nonmotile. The FlgJ proteins consist of two functional domains. The N-terminal rod-capping domain acts as a scaffold for rod assembly, and the C-terminal domain acts as a peptidoglycan (PG) hydrolase (PGase), which allows the elongating flagellar rod to penetrate through the PG layer. However, the FlgJ homologs in several bacterial phyla (including spirochetes) often lack the PGase domain. The function of these single-domain FlgJ proteins remains elusive. Herein, a single-domain FlgJ homolog (FlgJ
Bb
) was studied in the Lyme disease spirochete
Borrelia burgdorferi
. Cryo-electron tomography analysis revealed that the

flgJ
Bb

mutant still assembled intact flagellar basal bodies but had fewer and disoriented flagellar hooks and filaments. Consistently, Western blots showed that the levels of flagellar hook (FlgE) and filament (FlaB) proteins were substantially decreased in the

flgJ
Bb

mutant. Further studies disclosed that the decreases of FlgE and FlaB in the mutant occurred at the posttranscriptional level. Microscopic observation and swarm plate assay showed that the motility of the

flgJ
Bb

mutant was partially deficient. The altered phenotypes were completely restored when the mutant was complemented. Collectively, these results indicate that FlgJ
Bb
is involved in the assembly of the flagellar hook and filament but not the flagellar rod in
B. burgdorferi
. The observed phenotype is different from that of
flgJ
mutants in the enteric bacteria.
BpaB and EbfC DNA-Binding Proteins Regulate Production of the Lyme Disease Spirochete's Infection-Associated Erp Surface Proteins
Authors: Jutras Brandon L. , Verma Ashutosh , Adams Claire A. , Brissette Catherine A. , Burns Logan H. , Whetstine Christine R. , Bowman Amy , Chenail Alicia M. , Zückert Wolfram R. , Stevenson Brian 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT

Vector-borne pathogens regulate their protein expression profiles, producing factors during host infection that differ from those produced during vector colonization. The Lyme disease agent,
Borrelia burgdorferi
, produces Erp surface proteins throughout mammalian infection and represses their synthesis during colonization of vector ticks. Known functions of Erp proteins include binding of host laminin, plasmin(ogen), and regulators of complement activation. A DNA region immediately 5′ of
erp
operons, the
erp
operator, is required for transcriptional regulation. The
B. burgdorferi
BpaB and EbfC proteins exhibit high
in vitro
affinities for
erp
operator DNA. In the present studies, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) demonstrated that both proteins bind
erp
operator DNA
in vivo
. Additionally, a combination of
in vivo
and
in vitro
methods demonstrated that BpaB functions as a repressor of
erp
transcription, while EbfC functions as an antirepressor.
LIFTED HEEGAARD SURFACES AND VIRTUALLY HAKEN MANIFOLDS
Authors: ZHANG YU 
Published: December 2011

In this paper, we give infinitely many non-Haken hyperbolic genus three 3-manifolds each of which has a finite cover whose induced Heegaard surface from some genus three Heegaard surface of the base manifold is reducible but can be compressed into an incompressible surface. This result supplements [A. Casson and C. Gordon, Reducing Heegaard splittings, Topology Appl. 27 (1987) 275–283] and extends [J. Masters, W. Menasco and X. Zhang, Heegaard splittings and virtually Haken Dehn filling, New York J. Math. 10 (2004) 133–150].
Cancer Dormancy: A Model of Early Dissemination and Late Cancer Recurrence
Authors: Páez David , Labonte Melissa J. , Bohanes Pierre , Zhang Wu , Benhanim Leonor , Ning Yan , Wakatsuki Takeru , Loupakis Fotios , Lenz Heinz-Josef 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
Cancer dormancy is a stage in tumor progression in which residual disease remains occult and asymptomatic for a prolonged period of time. Dormant tumor cells can be present as one of the earliest stages in tumor development, as well as a stage in micrometastases, and/or minimal residual disease left after an apparently successful treatment of the primary tumor. The general mechanisms that regulate the transition of disseminated tumor cells that have lain dormant into a proliferative state remain largely unknown. However, regulation of the growth from dormant tumor cells may be explained in part through the interaction of the tumor cell with its microenvironment, limitations in the blood supply, or an active immune system. An understanding of the regulatory machinery of these processes is essential for identifying early cancer biomarkers and could provide a rationale for the development of novel agents to target dormant tumor cells. This review focuses on the different signaling models responsible for early cancer dissemination and tumor recurrence that are involved in dormancy pathways. Clin Cancer Res; 18(3); 645–53. ©2011 AACR.
Altered Metabolism of Low-Density Lipoprotein and Very-Low-Density Lipoprotein Remnant in Autosomal Recessive Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Tada Hayato , Kawashiri Masa-aki , Ikewaki Katsunori , Terao Yoshio , Noguchi Tohru , Nakanishi Chiaki , Tsuchida Masayuki , Takata Mutsuko , Miwa Kenji , Konno Tetsuo , Hayashi Kenshi , Nohara Atsushi , Inazu Akihiro , Kobayashi Junji , Mabuchi Hiroshi , Yamagishi Masakazu 
Published: December 2011

Background—
Autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia (ARH) exhibits different responsiveness to statins compared with that in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). However, few data exist regarding lipoprotein metabolism of ARH. Therefore, we aimed to clarify lipoprotein metabolism, especially the remnant lipoprotein fractions of ARH before and after statin therapy.

Methods and Results—

We performed a lipoprotein kinetic study in an ARH patient and 7 normal control subjects, using stable isotope methodology (10 mg/kg of [
2
H
3
]-leucine). These studies were performed at baseline and after the 20 mg daily dose of atorvastatin. Tracer/tracee ratio of apolipoprotein B (apoB) was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and fractional catabolic rates (FCR) were determined by multicompartmental modeling, including remnant lipoprotein fractions. FCR of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apoB of ARH was significantly lower than those of control subjects (0.109 versus 0.450±0.122 1/day). In contrast, the direct removal of very-low-density lipoprotein remnant was significantly greater in ARH than those in control subjects (47.5 versus 2±2%). Interestingly, FCR of LDL apoB in ARH dramatically increased to 0.464 1/day, accompanying reduction of LDL cholesterol levels from 8.63 to 4.22 mmol/L after treatment with atorvastatin of 20 mg/d for 3 months.

Conclusions—
These results demonstrate that ARH exhibits decreased LDL clearance associated with decreased FCR of LDL apoB and increased clearance for very-low-density lipoprotein remnant. We suggest that increased clearance of remnant lipoprotein fractions could contribute to the great responsiveness to statins, providing new insights into the lipoprotein metabolism of ARH and the novel pharmacological target for LDLRAP1.