bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Towards environmentally sustainable agriculture in Brazil: challenges and opportunities for applied ecological research
Authors: Ferreira Joice , Pardini Renata , Metzger Jean Paul , Fonseca Carlos Roberto , Pompeu Paulo S. , Sparovek Gerd , Louzada Julio 
Published: May 2012

Summary1. Brazil is one of the world’s major producers of food and biofuels. Agricultural expansion has driven rapid economic development but has also had major impacts on biodiversity and the conservation of ecosystem services in the country.2. Here, we analyse recent advances in applied ecological research on the consequences of agricultural expansion for biodiversity in Brazil, identify knowledge gaps, and discuss how ecological science can help guide the development of more sustainable agricultural systems.3. The majority of native vegetation in Brazilian biomes is found within private lands, emphasizing the importance of recent reforms to the Brazilian Forest Act legislation. Using the example of the Forest Act, we critically assess the extent to which ecological research has provided guidance for policy decisions to date. We identify important knowledge gaps regarding the ecological impacts of agricultural expansion in Brazil and the general disconnection between ecological science and environmental policy processes.4. Synthesis and applications. Increased efforts are needed from both researchers and policy makers to engage from the earliest stage possible in the identification, assessment and communication of environmental issues and possible management solutions. Narrowing the gap between research and policy is essential if the academic community is to capitalize effectively on recent governmental investments in research and provide the necessary evidence basis for reconciling agricultural production and environmental conservation in Brazil.
Translocation of wild populations: conservation implications for the genetic diversity of the black‐lipped pearl oysterPinctada margaritifera
Authors: LEMER SARAH , PLANES SERGE 
Published: May 2012

AbstractTranslocation has been widely studied as a tool for conservation management to restore or enhance degraded populations. On the contrary, few studies have been conducted on translocation for commercial purposes. In this study, we evaluate the genetic consequences of translocation of wild individuals ofPinctada margaritiferaon farmed and adjacent wild populations. We tested the hypotheses that translocations would induce high genetic heterogeneity in farmed populations and this heterogeneity would then leak into the adjacent wild populations. In fact, farmed samples exhibit high levels of heterogeneity and low pairwise relatedness compared to wild populations, highlighting the pooling of genetically divergent populations into farms. We also demonstrate that this heterogeneity is transmitted to adjacent wild populations as a result of interbreeding. Adjacent wild populations tend to have higher genetic diversity values and greater pairwise relatedness coefficient with farmed populations than wild populations. Overall, pearl culture in French Polynesia promotes the mixing of unrelated individuals in farmed locations and reduces genetic divergence among geographically distant populations as well as among farmed and wild populations of a same lagoon. We also studied for the first time a farmed population originating from spat collected in a lagoon where release of hatchery‐produced larvae occurred 10 years ago and we were able to identify four distinct genetic groups. These groups contribute highly to reproduction and caused considerable genetic drift in the lagoon, suggesting that hatchery‐produced larvae are neither sustainable method for pearl culture nor for conserving the diversity ofP. margaritiferain French Polynesia.
The OsHMA2 transporter is involved in root‐to‐shoot translocation of Zn and Cd in rice
Authors: TAKAHASHI RYUICHI , ISHIMARU YASUHIRO , SHIMO HUGO , OGO YUKO , SENOURA TAKESHI , NISHIZAWA NAOKO K. , NAKANISHI HIROMI 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTZinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for plants and humans. Cadmium (Cd) is a Zn analog and one of the most toxic heavy metals to humans. Here we investigated the role of the Zn/Cd transporter OsHMA2. OsHMA2:GFP fusion protein localized to the plasma membrane in onion epidermal cells. The yeast expressing OsHMA2 was able to reverse the growth defect in the presence of excess Zn. The expression of OsHMA2 in rice was observed mainly in the roots where OsHMA2 transcripts were abundant in vascular bundles. Furthermore, Zn and Cd concentrations of OsHMA2‐suppressed rice decreased in the leaves, while the Zn concentration increased in the roots compared with the wild type (WT). These results suggest that OsHMA2 plays a role in Zn and Cd loading to the xylem and participates in root‐to‐shoot translocation of these metals in rice. Furthermore, the Cd concentration in the grains of OsHMA2‐overexpressing rice as well as in OsSUT1‐promoter OsHMA2 rice decreased to about half that of the WT, although the other metal concentrations were the same as in the WT. A phenotype that reduces only the Cd concentration in rice grains will be very useful for transgenic approaches to food safety.
Overwintering grapevine debris as an important source of Botrytis cinerea inoculum
Authors: Jaspers M. V. , Seyb A. M. , Trought M. C. T. , Balasubramaniam R. 
Published: May 2012

Production of Botrytis cinerea conidia from infected grapevine debris (trash) left on the ground and in the canopy in the season following harvest was studied in vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand. When subsamples were incubated under high relative humidity in the laboratory, rachides had the greatest sporulation potential (P < 0·05), followed by tendrils, cane lengths and petioles. Trash remaining on the ground under the canopy had higher rates of sporulation (P < 0·05) than that in the inter‐row. The sporulation potential of rachides at different times during the growing season was assessed by placing them in vine canopies or on the inter‐row soil in three vineyards in late spring. Subsamples were removed on five occasions between flowering (capfall) and harvest, and incubated under high relative humidity in the laboratory. Mean numbers of conidia produced from the canopy rachides diminished from 3·5 × 105 per rachis at capfall to 2·6 × 104 at harvest, and from 3·9 × 105 to 2·7 × 103, respectively, from the ground rachides. The greater loss in sporulation capacity of ground rachides was considered to be associated with their earlier spontaneous sporulation and greater degradation in the moist inter‐row sward, where they lost 29% of their weight (P < 0·001) and 23% of their pedicels (P < 0·001), compared to the canopy rachides which lost 0% of their weight and 3% of their pedicels from capfall to harvest. This study has shown that necrotic, overwintering grapevine debris can produce B. cinerea conidia throughout the following growing season, so may contribute to the subsequent risk of bunch rot.
Neurocognitive functioning in patients recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Authors: Hellvin Tone , Sundet Kjetil , Simonsen Carmen , Aminoff Sofie R , Lagerberg Trine Vik , Andreassen Ole A , Melle Ingrid 
Published: May 2012

Hellvin T, Sundet K, Simonsen C, Aminoff SR, Lagerberg TV, Andreassen OA, Melle I. Neurocognitive functioning in patients recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 227–238. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Objectives:  Cognitive dysfunction in bipolar disorder (BD) is well established in the literature; however, there are few studies of neurocognition in patients early in the course of the illness. In this study we compare neurocognitive function in a cohort of first‐contact mania patients with a healthy control group matched for age, gender, and education.Methods:  Patients with a first manic episode (FM) (n = 34) or previous untreated manic episodes (PM) (n = 21) were neuropsychologically tested following their first treated manic episode. A total of 110 matched healthy control comparison subjects were also tested. The following cognitive domains were evaluated: verbal and visual learning and memory, attention, processing speed, executive functioning, and IQ. Results were corrected for speed of processing differences and were compared with previously reported results for multiple‐episode BD patients.Results:  BD patients early in their disease course showed impairments in psychomotor speed, attention, learning and memory, executive functioning, and IQ. When controlling for speed of processing, measures of visuoconstructive reasoning and motor dexterity remained statistically significant. Eighteen percent of FM and 16% of PM patients were found to have clinically significant neurocognitive impairment. No significant relationship between clinical symptoms and neurocognition was found. The first‐contact mania patients studied were found to have smaller neurocognitive deficits compared to multiple‐episode patients in previous studies.Conclusions:  Neurocognitive dysfunction is present in early BD and is clinically significant for a proportion of patients. Our findings also suggest that neurocognitive dysfunction may increase with illness progression.
Platelet uptake of GABA and glutamate in patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Daniele Simona , Da Pozzo Eleonora , Abelli Marianna , Panighini Anna , Pini Stefano , Gesi Camilla , Lari Lisa , Cardini Alessandra , Cassano Giovanni Battista , Martini Claudia 
Published: May 2012

Daniele S, Da Pozzo E, Abelli M, Panighini A, Pini S, Gesi C, Lari L, Cardini A, Cassano GB, Martini C. Platelet uptake of GABA and glutamate in patients with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 301–308. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Objectives:  Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) are the major neurotransmitters of the human central nervous system, and their actions are determined by specific transporters. Several studies suggest that GABA‐ and Glu‐uptake mechanisms are modified in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). We explored the functionality of the GABA and Glu transporters in three groups of patients with BD, each with a different polarity of index episode (manic, depressive, or euthymic) at the time of blood draw.Methods:  Forty patients with a diagnosis of BD, according to DSM‐IV‐TR criteria, and 15 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. GABA and Glu uptake were evaluated in freshly prepared platelets using [3H]GABA or [3H]glutamate.Results:  Compared to controls, GABA uptake was significantly increased in patients with depressive episodes and significantly decreased in subjects with manic episodes. Glu uptake was significantly increased in patients with index manic episodes and in euthymic patients compared to healthy controls. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between GABA platelet uptake and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores and between Glu platelet uptake and Young Mania Rating Scale scores in patients with manic episodes.Conclusions:  We found a relationship between GABA‐ and Glu‐uptake levels and the polarity of episodes in patients with BD. Our data suggest that the functionality of both GABA and Glu transporters could represent a useful neurobiological marker to characterize the real polarity of an index episode of illness in patients with BD.
Cross‐diagnostic comparison of duration mismatch negativity and P3a in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
Authors: Jahshan Carol , Wynn Jonathan K , Mathis Kristopher I , Altshuler Lori L , Glahn David C , Green Michael F 
Published: May 2012

Jahshan C, Wynn JK, Mathis KI, Altshuler LL, Glahn DC, Green MF. Cross‐diagnostic comparison of duration mismatch negativity and P3a in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.  Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 239–248. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Objectives:  Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia share common pathophysiological processes and may have similar perceptual abnormalities. Mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a – event‐related potentials associated with auditory preattentional processing – have been extensively studied in schizophrenia, but rarely in bipolar disorder. Furthermore, MMN and P3a have not been examined between diagnostic subgroups of patients with bipolar disorder. We evaluated MMN and P3a in patients with bipolar disorder compared to patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.Methods:  MMN and P3a were assessed in 52 bipolar disorder patients, 30 schizophrenia patients, and 27 healthy control subjects during a duration‐deviant auditory oddball paradigm.Results:  Significant MMN and P3a amplitude reductions were present in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia relative to controls. The MMN reduction was more prominent in patients with schizophrenia than bipolar disorder, at a trend level. P3a did not differ significantly between patient groups. There were no MMN or P3a differences between patients with bipolar I (n = 34) and bipolar II (n = 18) disorder. Patients with bipolar I disorder failed to show lateralized MMN, in contrast to the other groups. No MMN or P3a differences were found between patients with bipolar disorder taking (n = 12) and not taking (n = 40) lithium, as well as between those taking (n = 30) and not taking (n = 22) antipsychotic medications.Conclusions:  Patients with bipolar disorder showed deficits in preattentive auditory processing, including MMN deficits that are less severe and P3a deficits that are slightly more pronounced, than those seen in schizophrenia.
Waiting to win: elevated striatal and orbitofrontal cortical activity during reward anticipation in euthymic bipolar disorder adults
Authors: Nusslock Robin , Almeida Jorge RC , Forbes Erika E , Versace Amelia , Frank Ellen , LaBarbara Edmund J , Klein Crystal R , Phillips Mary L 
Published: May 2012

Nusslock R, Almeida JRC, Forbes EE, Versace A, Frank E, LaBarbara EJ, Klein CR, Phillips ML. Waiting to win: elevated striatal and orbitofrontal cortical activity during reward anticipation in euthymic bipolar disorder adults. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 249–260. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Objective:  Bipolar disorder may be characterized by a hypersensitivity to reward‐relevant stimuli, potentially underlying the emotional lability and dysregulation that characterizes the illness. In parallel, research highlights the predominant role of striatal and orbitofrontal cortical (OFC) regions in reward‐processing and approach‐related affect. We aimed to examine whether bipolar disorder, relative to healthy, participants displayed elevated activity in these regions during reward processing.Methods:  Twenty‐one euthymic bipolar I disorder and 20 healthy control participants with no lifetime history of psychiatric disorder underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning during a card‐guessing paradigm designed to examine reward‐related brain function to anticipation and receipt of monetary reward and loss. Data were collected using a 3T Siemens Trio scanner.Results:  Region‐of‐interest analyses revealed that bipolar disorder participants displayed greater ventral striatal and right‐sided orbitofrontal [Brodmann area (BA) 11] activity during anticipation, but not outcome, of monetary reward relative to healthy controls (p < 0.05, corrected). Whole‐brain analyses indicated that bipolar disorder, relative to healthy, participants also displayed elevated left‐lateral OFC (BA 47) activity during reward anticipation (p < 0.05, corrected).Conclusions:  Elevated ventral striatal and OFC activity during reward anticipation may represent a neural mechanism for predisposition to expansive mood and hypo/mania in response to reward‐relevant cues that characterizes bipolar disorder. Our findings contrast with research reporting blunted activity in the ventral striatum during reward processing in unipolar depressed individuals, relative to healthy controls. Examination of reward‐related neural activity in bipolar disorder is a promising research focus to facilitate identification of biological markers of the illness.
Age‐ and Gender‐Dependent Changes of Bovine Myocardium Architecture
Authors: Noci B. , Neocleous P. , Gemeinhardt O. , Hiebl B. , Berg R. , Plendl J. , Hünigen H. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryGrowth, gravidity and lactation put high demands on the performance of the myocardium. The aim of this study, which was performed in 40 female and 20 male bovines ranging from 1 to 4.5 years old, was to determine gross and microscopic morphometric data of bovine myocardium to establish a comparative measure of myocardial growth during juvenile development. During the developmental stage of young adulthood, age‐related increases in female myocardial characteristics included cardiac mass, left and right ventricular mass and the ratio of cardiac mass to loose connective tissue. Age‐related decreases were observed in the number of myocyte nuclei per mm² and the thickness of the right ventricular wall. Sex differences in these parameters were found between 2‐year‐old bulls (N = 20) and 2‐year‐old heifers (N = 10), with males having heavier hearts, thicker ventricular walls, less myocytes in the left ventricle and less connective tissue in both ventricles. Age and sex had no influence on the ratio of capillaries to myocytes, estimated at 0.98 in the adult bovine. Capillary density does not change during juvenile development, but cross‐sectional capillary area does adapt to myocyte cross‐sectional area, accounting for this relatively constant ratio.
Correlation Between Virulence and Morphological Characteristics of Microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae Isolates Infecting Olive
Authors: López‐Escudero Francisco Javier , Roca José Manuel , Valverde‐Corredor Antonio , Mercado‐Blanco Jesús 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe spreading of highly virulent isolates of Verticillium dahliae, causing Verticillium wilt of olive, is one of the most threatening concerns for olive cultivation. Using an isolate collection from infected olive trees in southern Spain, the morphology of microsclerotia (MS) produced on water agar was correlated with their molecular characteristics by a PCR‐based pathotyping. Defoliating isolates (D) produced MS with a significantly higher length/width ratio than non‐defoliating (ND) ones. These parameters were correlated using the logistic model log (y/1 − y) = 3.73L/W − 6.95, when the pathotype was regressed on length/width ratio of the propagules. Inflection point of the logistic curve corresponded to length/width = 1.86. This morphological differentiation of virulence groups could be a simple and useful tool at commercial laboratories for the assignation of the pathotype of V. dahliae isolates during routine microbiological‐based diagnosis.
Bioinformatic Analysis of the L polymerase Gene Leads to Discrimination of New Rhabdoviruses
Authors: Petrzik Karel 
Published: May 2012

AbstractConserved block III of the RNA polymerase L gene is predicted to be essential for RNA polymerase function of cytorhabdoviruses and may be a target in exploring evolutionary relationships among rhabdoviruses. Sequence comparison of an amplified segment of the polymerase gene isolated from six English ivy samples revealed its high similarity with known plant cytorhabdoviruses. Lettuce yellow mottle virus was recognized as a closely related virus with 79.6% aa identity in the amplified region of the CB2 isolate and around 70% aa identity for the CB1, CB6 and CB18 isolates. The CB11 and CB16 isolates show a closer relationship to Raspberry vein chlorosis virus, with 75 and 69% aa identity, respectively. These data in combination with phylogenetic analyses resulted in discrimination of four new rhabdoviruses. The names Ivy latent viruses 1, 2, 3 and 4 (IvLV1, IvLV2, IvLV3 and IvLV4) are proposed for these viruses.
Urethral distension as a novel method to simulate sphincter insufficiency in the porcine animal model
Authors: Burdzińska Anna , Crayton Robert , Dybowski Bartosz , Koperski Łukasz , Idziak Marta , Fabisiak Michał , Pączek Leszek , Radziszewski Piotr 
Published: May 2012

Objectives: To describe a novel animal model of intrinsic sphincter deficiency.Methods: The study was carried out on 10 female pigs. Injury to the urethral sphincter was induced by distension of the urethra. This was obtained by using the balloon of an 18‐F Dufour catheter for 5 min followed by its retraction through the urethra without draining the balloon. The urethral pressure profile was evaluated before injury, immediately postinjury and at day 28 postinjury in the experimental group (n = 5), and on day 1 and day 28 in the control uninjured group (n = 5). The maximal urethral closure pressure, the functional urethral length and the area under curve of the urethral pressure profile were measured.Results: The mean maximal urethral closure pressure at the beginning of the experiment was 32 cmH2O, and the mean functional urethral length was 4.88 cm. The assessment at day 28 showed a reduction of the maximal urethral closure pressure (50% of the control,P > 0.05), the functional urethral length (52.5% of the control,P < 0.05) and the area under curve (52% of the control,P < 0.05) in injured pigs. Histologically, a fibrosis of the sphincter was detected without rupture of the muscle layer in all the samples.Conclusions: The proposed porcine model can be used to obtain intrinsic sphincter deficiency‐like urodynamic findings without rupturing the sphincter. This methodology can be applied to investigate therapies for intrinsic sphincter deficiency.
The eroded genome of a Psychotria leaf symbiont: hypotheses about lifestyle and interactions with its plant host
Authors: Carlier Aurelien L. , Eberl Leo 
Published: May 2012

SummarySeveral plant species of the genus Psychotria (Rubiaceae) harbour Burkholderia sp. bacteria within specialized leaf nodules. The bacteria are transmitted vertically between plant generations and have not yet been cultured outside of their host. This symbiosis is also generally described as obligatory because plants devoid of symbionts fail to develop into mature individuals. We sequenced for the first time the genome of the symbiont of Psychotria kirkii in order to shed some light on the nature of their symbiotic relationship. We found that the 4 Mb genome of Candidatus Burkholderia kirkii (B. kirkii) is small for a Burkholderia species and displays features consistent with ongoing genome erosion such as large proportions of pseudogenes and transposable elements. Reductive genome evolution affected a wide array of functional categories that may hinder the ability of the symbiont to be free‐living. The genome does not encode functions commonly found in plant symbionts such as nitrogen fixation or plant hormone metabolism. Instead, a collection of genes for secondary metabolites' synthesis is located on the 140 kb plasmid of B. kirkii and suggests that leaf nodule symbiosis benefits the host by providing protection against herbivores or pathogens.