bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Climate Variability and Change in South America: ENSO, Decadal Variability and Climate Change in South America: Trends, Teleconnections, and Potential Impacts; Guayaquil, Ecuador, 12–14 October 2010
Authors: McPhaden Michael J. , Vera Carolina Susana , Guingla Rodney Martínez 
Published: December 2010

El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) have profound effects on South American climate. Warm ENSO events (El Niños) and cold ENSO events (La Niñas), which occur on year‐to‐year time scales, are associated with droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events across the continent. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming of the planet will also likely have a profound effect on South America, through both gradual shifts in the baseline climate and increases in extreme events, including possible changes in the ENSO cycle.There are indications that climate change may already be having an impact in South America, with temperature trends observed in the Galápagos and in the altiplano of the northern Andes and in the shrinking of tropical mountain glaciers. There has also been a shift in the behavior of El Niño, with an increased tendency for warm sea surface temperature anomalies to be concentrated in the central Pacific rather than in the eastern Pacific during the past 2 decades. These central Pacific (or “Modoki,” which means “similar but different” in Japanese) El Niños have a different signature than eastern Pacific El Niños in terms of teleconnection patterns on weather variability in South America and in terms of effects on marine ecosystems and fisheries along the west coast of the continent. However, the instrumental climate record is relatively short, and many of the observed trends could simply be the result of natural decadal climate variability that is unresolved in observations.
Outreach and Communications Highlights at the AGU Fall Meeting
Authors: Chell Kaitlin 
Published: December 2010

Did you know that there is more to the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco than just scientific sessions? AGU also is offering a wide variety of outreach and communications workshops, career opportunity events, informative workshops for teachers, and film screenings at this year's Fall Meeting on 13–17 December and on Sunday, 12 December, just prior to the meeting.As part of its new strategic plan, AGU is committed to engaging its members, shaping policy, and informing society about the excitement of Earth and space science and its role in developing solutions for the sustainability of the planet. Outreach and communications events are critical to accomplishing these goals. AGU members can become involved in public outreach, public policy, or media‐related activities by participating in these events at the Fall Meeting. Here are highlights of outreach and communications events at the Fall Meeting:
Is Western consumption of Nile perch from Lake Victoria sustainable?
Authors: van der Knaap Martin , Ligtvoet Willem 
Published: December 2010

The exploitation of Nile perch resources of Lake Victoria has strongly increased during recent years. This is apparent from decreasing catch rates and ever increasing numbers of fishermen, fishing craft and gears. Despite this, it remains economic to continue the exploitation and exportation of Nile perch products. Exports to the EU, however, seemed to have reached their maximum in 2003, which could have been due to competition from cheaper fish products from certain Asian countries, as well as to market diversification by the East African exporting firms.
Fish prices paid to fishermen increased over time as a result of the success of the Nile perch fishery. However, the increased influx of money into the fishing communities did not necessarily lead to a reduction in poverty. This could be due to the lack of saving and investment possibilities. In the absence of sufficient schooling, youths automatically enter the fishery sector and as a result of relatively low investment costs and high earnings the fishing effort will continue to increase until the open-access based management regime is replaced by a licensing system. The role that Beach Management Units can play in managing the human and fisheries resources will have to be strengthened.
It is concluded that the economic gains based on the new fishery, in itself proved to be insufficient to provide a structural sustainable development, due to the restricted social and institutional capacity which hampers the riparian population's ability to adapt to the new social and fishery challenges.
First Report of Sugarcane mosaic virus on Maize in the Centre Region of France
Authors: Marie-Jeanne V. , Hariri D. , Doucet R. , Signoret P. A. 
Published: December 2010

In 2007, sweet corn plants (Zea mays cv. Challenger) with symptoms of mosaic resembling those caused by Maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV) were observed in production fields in the Centre Region of France. In 10 sweet corn fields surveyed, yield production was decreased by 10 to 20%. Potyvirus-like particles were observed by electron microscopy. Twenty samples from affected plants (cv. Challenger) showing severe mosaic symptoms were tested by ELISA with rabbit polyclonal antibodies to MDMV (Montpellier SupAgro, France) and SCMV (Sugarcane mosaic virus) (Bioreba, Reinach, Switzerland). For all leaves tested, slight and strong positive reactions were observed for MDMV and SCMV, respectively, indicating that the plants were infected by SCMV. Filtered phosphate buffer extracts of infected leaves of field plants (cv. Challenger) were used to mechanically inoculate leaves of different corn plants at the three-leaf stage. Sweet corn cultivars (Atugan, Challenger, Golda, Max, and Rana) and seed corn cultivars (DK315, DK3152, DKC3420, Marcello, and PR38H20) were tested. Two weeks after inoculation, mosaic symptoms were observed on leaves. The sweet corn cultivars (with the exception of cv. Max) were considerably more sensitive to the virus. Using two lots of 1,000 seeds each (cv. Challenger), a rate of seed transmission was estimated to be 0.5 to 0.6%. Total RNA was extracted from infected leaves of cv. Challenger 3 weeks after mechanical inoculation. To confirm the potyvirus species involved, a short conserved fragment of the coat protein gene was reverse transcribed, PCR amplified and sequenced (3). The sequence was deposited in GenBank (Accession No. HM014060). Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis clearly grouped this isolate called SCMV-MFc (Maize France centre) in the ‘Maize’ cluster of SCMV, which consists exclusively of isolates from maize. Nucleotide sequence comparison showed that SCMV-MXVrP, a Mexican isolate (2), and SCMV-P3, a Polish isolate (4), have the two closest sequences (285 identical nucleotides of 286). SCMV-MFc is more distantly related with the described SCMV German isolates (1). This is in contrast to SCMV isolates from the traditional Saccharum officinarum cultivars that can be clustered by geographical origin (1). This result could be a consequence of the possible seed transmission of the maize isolates of SCMV. In the future, it will be interesting to check the occurrence of SCMV-MFc in maize fields to assess its economical importance. References: (1) O. Alegria et al. Arch. Virol. 148:357, 2003. (2) F. Espejel et al. Arch. Virol. 151:409, 2006. (3) V. Marie-Jeanne et al. J. Phytopathol. 148:141, 2000. (4) K. Trzmiel. Plant Dis. 93:1078, 2009.
Bacterial Soft Rot of Oncidium Orchids Caused by a Dickeya sp. (Pectobacterium chrysanthemi) in Florida
Authors: Cating R. A. , Palmateer A. J. 
Published: December 2010

Oncidium orchids have been subjected to extensive cultivation in the pot-plant and cut flower industries because of their attractive and numerous flowers. In August 2008, approximately 50 Oncidium ‘Gower Ramsey’ orchids were discovered at a commercial orchid nursery in South Florida with brown, macerated leaves typical of soft rot disease reported in other orchids. Ten plants were selected, and sections were removed from the edge of symptomatic tissue and bacteria were isolated according to the method described by Schaad et al. (3). All isolates were gram negative, anaerobic, degraded pectate, grew at 37°C, produced blue-to-brown pigment on nutrient agar-glycerol-manganese chloride (NGM) medium (1), were sensitive to erythromycin, oxidase negative, and positive for phosphatase and indole production. Further analyses were performed on four of the isolates. MIDI analysis (Sherlock version TSBA 4.10; Microbial Identification, Newark, DE) identified the isolates as Erwinia chrysanthemi (SIM 0.880 to 0.929). Polymerase chain reactions were performed with the 16S primers 27f and 1495r (4) and 1,423 bp of the 16S rDNA gene showed 98 to 99% sequence identity to Pectobacterium chrysanthemi (GenBank Accession No. FM946179). Sequences were deposited in GenBank (Nos. HQ287572–HQ287575). Pathogenicity tests were performed by injecting 10 Oncidium ‘Gower Ramsey’ orchids with 100 μl of a bacterial suspension at 1 × 108 CFU/ml. Ten plants were inoculated with 100 μl of sterile water as controls. Plants were placed in a greenhouse at 26.0°C to 30.0°C and 50 to 83% relative humidity. Soft rot symptoms were observed on all inoculated plants within 24 h while control plants appeared normal. A Dickeya sp. was reisolated and identified according to the method described above. Oncidium orchids are known to be highly susceptible to P. carotovora (= E. carotovora) and soft rot caused by P. carotovora is known to occur frequently on Oncidium orchids (2). Although, an Erwinia sp. has been reported to cause soft rot symptoms on Oncidium aureum, to our knowledge, this is the first report of a Dickeya sp. (= P. chrysanthemi) causing soft rot symptoms on Oncidium orchids grown in large-scale commercial production in the United States. References: (1) Y. A. Lee and C. P. Yu. J. Microbiol. Methods 64:200, 2006. (2) C. H. Liau et al. Transgenic Res. 12:329, 2003. (3) N. W. Schaad et al. Erwinia soft rot group. Page 56 in: Laboratory Guide for Identification of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria. 3rd ed. N. W. Schaad et al., eds. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 2001. (4) W. G. Weisburg et al. J. Bacteriol. 173:697, 1991.
First Report of Goss's Bacterial Wilt and Leaf Blight (Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis) of Corn in Texas
Authors: Korus K. A. , Timmerman A. D. , French-Monar R. D. , Jackson T. A. 
Published: December 2010

In September 2009, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic received leaf samples of hybrid corn (Zea mays L.) displaying long, necrotic lesions with wavy margins. The lesions had discontinuous water-soaked spots that are indicative of Goss's bacterial wilt and leaf blight. The symptomatic leaves were submitted from Dallam County, located in the Texas Panhandle (northwest Texas). According to the USDA Farm Service Agency and the National Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2009 Dallam County had 54,025 ha planted to corn. This is approximately 19% of the total corn planted in the 26 counties in the Texas Panhandle and 6% of the total corn planted in the state of Texas. Extracts from the infected leaf tissue tested positive for Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis with a commercially available ELISA test (Neogen Inc., Scotland, UK). Isolation from the infected tissue onto CNS selective media (1) resulted in round, dark orange, mucoid colonies that tested gram positive with the Gram-stain test. BLAST nucleotide sequence alignments of the amplified 500-bp 16S rRNA region of the suspect culture's genome (2) revealed a 96% similarity for C. michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (NCBI BLAST Accession No. U09381.1). To fulfill Koch's postulates, three sweet corn plants (Golden Cross Bantam) at growth stage V3 to V4 were inoculated in the greenhouse with a suspension of approximately 1 × 109 CFU/ml from suspect cultures grown on CNS for 5 days. Wounds approximately 6.5 cm long were created with sterile scissors on the fifth leaf from the bottom running parallel to the veins on either side of the midrib at the leaf apex. The leaf apex was dipped into 150 ml of the inoculum suspension for 5 s. Approximately 6 days after inoculation, discontinuous, water-soaked spots consistent with the symptoms on the original symptomatic leaves appeared on all the inoculated leaves near the site of infection. Colonies consistent with C. michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (dark orange, mucoid) were reisolated onto CNS, completing Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Goss's bacterial wilt and leaf blight on corn in Texas and because it is a residue-borne pathogen, the probability of it becoming a resident disease is relatively high. References: (1) D. C. Gross and A. K. Vidaver. Phytopathology 69:82, 1979. (2) X. Li and S. H. De Boer. 1995. Phytopathology 85:837, 1995.
The influence of ICT on the activity patterns of children with physical disabilities outside school
Authors: Lidström H. , Ahlsten G. , Hemmingsson H. 
Published: December 2010

AbstractAim  To investigate the outside school activity patterns of children with physical disabilities, and specifically their information and communication technology (ICT) usage compared with that of non‐disabled children. In addition, the aim was to investigate the children's opinions on computer use and the associations between their use of the Internet and their interaction with peers.Methods  Questionnaire on activities outside school, answered by 215 children and youths with physical disabilities, mean age 12 years 10 months, attending mainstream schools. For group comparisons with non‐disabled children, data from the survey ‘Kids and Media’ were used.Results  In the analysis, two sets of activity patterns were identified, depending on whether the child was disabled or not and on the gender of the child. A higher proportion of children with physical disabilities were engaged in ICT activities, while non‐disabled children tended to be engaged in a broader range of activities outside school. The activity pattern was more uniform for boys and girls with disabilities than for their non‐disabled peers. Use of the Internet was positively associated with peer interaction.Conclusion  Outside school, the activity patterns of children and youths with physical disabilities seem to be characterized by a focus on ICT activities, which enable children to compensate for their impairment because it suits all. In addition, digital skills developed outside school engage children with physical disabilities, giving them increased access to society and for educational purposes.
Leptin levels in cord blood and anthropometric measures at birth: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Karakosta Polyxeni , Chatzi Leda , Plana Estel , Margioris Andrew , Castanas Elias , Kogevinas Manolis 
Published: December 2010

SummaryKarakosta P, Chatzi L, Plana E, Margioris A, Castanas E, Kogevinas M. Leptin levels in cord blood and anthropometric measures at birth: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010.The role of intrauterine environment in the development of obesity is increasingly recognised. Adipokines and specifically leptin have been examined as potential biomarkers predicting early development of obesity. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the epidemiological evidence for the association between leptin levels in cord blood and anthropometric measurements at birth in healthy mother‐newborn pairs. A PubMed search was performed between 1994 and 2009 and manual search of reference lists of retrieved articles. Forty‐four studies met the inclusion criteria set. All studies reported a positive correlation between leptin levels and birthweight. The combined correlation coefficient (r) was 0.46 [95%CI 0.43, 0.50]. Leptin levels explained 21% of variation in birthweight. Results were similar in males (r = 0.55; 0.40, 0.68) and females (r = 0.60; 0.50, 0.69), and between Caucasians (r = 0.45; 0.39, 0.51) and eastern Asian populations (r = 0.47; 0.37, 0.55). Statistically significant positive correlations were also found for birth length (r = 0.29; 0.23, 0.34) and ponderal index (r = 0.36; 0.31, 0.41). There was no indication of publication bias (Egger's test P‐value = 0.23). This meta‐analysis shows a clear but moderate correlation between leptin levels in cord blood and birthweight that is observed in different population groups.
Epidemiology and outcome of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a 9‐year experience
Authors: Wright Joanna C. E. , Budd Judith L. S. , Field David J. , Draper Elizabeth S. 
Published: December 2010

SummaryWright JCE, Budd JLS, Field DJ, Draper ES. Epidemiology and outcome of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a 9‐year experience. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010.The aim of this study was to report the birth prevalence and short‐term outcome of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in a large geographically defined population, and to assess the feasibility of performing a randomised control trial (RCT) in this population.Data were collected on all cases of CDH reported to the East Midlands and South Yorkshire Congenital Anomalies Register between 1997 and 2005. A total of 194 cases of CDH were identified from 547 025 births; a birth prevalence of 3.5/10 000. Overall 1‐year survival was 42%. In total, 69% of cases resulted in a live birth, of these 61% survived to 1 year; 73% were diagnosed antenatally and 22% postnatally, with 1‐year survivals 30% and 71%, respectively. A total of 54% were isolated cases and 46% associated with another anomaly, with more live births (80% vs. 56%) and better 1‐year survival (62% vs. 19%) with isolated CDH. Overall, only 83 babies were born alive with an isolated CDH: the only group suitable for inclusion in a RCT.In conclusion, given the small numbers of live isolated CDH cases it is impossible that any network alone would be able to perform a valid RCT of treatments, highlighting the need for collaborative international trials to address this complex condition.
Potential biological control of clubroot on canola and crucifer vegetable crops
Authors: Peng G. , McGregor L. , Lahlali R. , Gossen B. D. , Hwang S. F. , Adhikari K. K. , Strelkov S. E. , McDonald M. R. 
Published: December 2010

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is an emerging threat to canola (Brassica napus) production in western Canada, and a serious disease on crucifer vegetable crops in eastern Canada. In this study, seven biological control agents and two fungicides were evaluated as soil drenches or seed treatments for control of clubroot. Under growth cabinet conditions, a soil‐drench application of formulated biocontrol agents Bacillus subtilis and Gliocladium catenulatum reduced clubroot severity by more than 80% relative to pathogen‐inoculated controls on a highly susceptible canola cultivar. This efficacy was similar to that of the fungicides fluazinam and cyazofamid. Under high disease pressure in greenhouse conditions, the biocontrol agents were less effective than the fungicides. Additionally, all of the treatments delivered as a seed coating were less effective than the soil drench. In field trials conducted in 2009, different treatments consisting of a commercial formulation of B. subtilis, G. catenulatum, fluazinam or cyazofamid were applied as an in‐furrow drench at 500 L ha−1 water volume to one susceptible and one resistant cultivar at two sites seeded to canola in Alberta and one site of Chinese cabbage in Ontario. There was no substantial impact on the susceptible canola cultivar, but all of the treatments reduced clubroot on the susceptible cultivar of Chinese cabbage, lowering disease severity by 54–84%. There was a period of 4 weeks without rain after the canola was seeded, which likely contributed to the low treatment efficacy on canola. Under growth cabinet conditions, fluazinam and B. subtilis products became substantially less effective after 2 weeks in a dry soil, but cyazofamid retained its efficacy for at least 4 weeks.
Molecular diagnosis of trichodorid species from Portugal
Authors: Duarte I. M. , Almeida M. T. M. , Duarte M. M. , Brown D. J. F. , Neilson R. 
Published: December 2010

A PCR‐RFLP assay was developed for the identification of trichodorid nematodes belonging to Nanidorus, Paratrichodorus and Trichodorus genera. Using the variability of the 18S SSU rDNA gene, this method provides a new molecular diagnosis tool which allows identification within mixed samples of trichodorid and non‐trichodorid species, differentiation of juveniles, and represents an alternative to the difficult and time consuming phenotyping of similar species. Based on the alignment of previously obtained 18S rDNA nucleotide sequences of trichodorids from Portugal, a pair of selective primers was designed in conserved regions to allow the amplification of a variable region located at the 3′ end of the gene in all known Portuguese species. The 615 bp PCR product showed nucleotide variability enabling the generation of restriction fragment patterns which were consistent among populations of the same species but allowed discrimination of trichodorids at the species level. The proposed protocol was tested and proved effective with 12 trichodorid species from Portugal (N. minor, P. allius, P. anemones, P. divergens, P. hispanus, P. pachydermus, P. porosus, T. beirensis, T. lusitanicus, T. primitivus and two other Trichodorus species, A and B) and six non‐indigenous trichodorid populations (N. minor, P. allius, P. anemones, P. pachydermus, P. porosus and T. primitivus).
A RESTORER OF FERTILITY‐like PPR gene is required for 5′‐end processing of the nad4 mRNA in mitochondria of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Hölzle Angela , Jonietz Christian , Törjek Ottó , Altmann Thomas , Binder Stefan , Forner Joachim 
Published: December 2010

SummaryProcessing of 5′‐ends is a frequently observed step during maturation of plant mitochondrial mRNAs. Up to now, very little is known about the biochemistry of this process and the proteins involved in the removal of 5′ leader sequences. Based on natural genetic variation we have used linkage mapping and complementation studies to identify a nuclear gene required for the efficient generation of a 5′‐end 228 nucleotides upstream of the mitochondrial nad4 gene encoding subunit 4 of the NADH dehydrogenase complex. This nuclear gene, At1g12700, that we designate RNA PROCESSING FACTOR 1 (RPF1), encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein of the P‐class containing canonical PPR‐repeats. RPF1 belongs to a subgroup of PPR proteins, which includes the RESTORER OF FERTILITY (RF) gene products restoring cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in various plant species. CMS is a mitochondrially inherited trait caused by the expression of aberrant, chimeric genes, which has not been observed in the predominantly inbreeding species Arabidopsis thaliana. The here reported results are a further step towards the characterization of the plant mitochondrial RNA processing machinery and provide additional insights into the function of RF‐like PPR proteins.
DEHP‐plasticised PVC: relevance to blood services*
Authors: Sampson J. , de Korte D. 
Published: December 2010

Phthalates are the most widely used plasticisers in the world and have been in medical use since 1955. Di(2‐ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is present in many industrial and domestic products, and is a common plasticiser used in blood bags and tubing sets. Concerns have been raised by environmental groups that DEHP exposure may result in gender birth defects and the feminisation of boys although there were no studies performed of intravenous exposure to DEHP on higher mammals or humans which report similar effects.This article reports on the toxicology of DEHP and considers concerns regarding its use in the context of transfusion medicine. The benefits of using DEHP are evaluated and the use of alternative plasticisers to DEHP is explored. The article reports on international and European regulatory recommendations for DEHP use in transfusion medicine and examines the impact of legislation on the medical devices and blood industries. The article also reviews labelling considerations for blood components and offers some guidance for blood establishments in respect of DEHP use.