bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systems genetics approach reveals candidate genes for parasite resistance from quantitative trait loci studies in agricultural species
Authors: Sayre B. L. , Harris G. C. 
Published: August 2011

SummaryA systems genetics approach combining pathway analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and gene expression information has provided strong evidence for common pathways associated with genetic resistance to internal parasites. Gene data, collected from published QTL regions in sheep, cattle, mice, rats and humans, and microarray data from sheep, were converted to human Entrez Gene IDs and compared to the KEGG pathway database. Selection of pathways from QTL data was based on a selection index that ensured that the selected pathways were in all species and the majority of the projects overall and within species. Pathways with either up‐ and down‐regulated genes, primarily up‐regulated genes or primarily down‐regulated genes, were selected from gene expression data. After comparing the data sets independently, the pathways from each data set were compared and the common set of pathways and genes was identified. Comparisons within data sets identified 21 pathways from QTL data and 66 pathways from gene expression data. Both selected sets were enriched with pathways involved in immune functions, disease and cell responses to signals. The analysis identified 14 pathways that were common between QTL and gene expression data, and four directly associated with IFNγ or MHCII, with 31 common genes, including three MHCII genes. In conclusion, a systems genetics approach combining data from multiple QTL and gene expression projects led to the discovery of common pathways associated with genetic resistance to internal parasites. This systems genetics approach may prove significant for the discovery of candidate genes for many other multifactorial, economically important traits.
Quantitative trait loci segregating in crosses between New Hampshire and White Leghorn chicken lines: I. egg production traits
Authors: Goraga Z. S. , Nassar M. K. , Brockmann G. A. 
Published: August 2011

SummaryA genome scan was performed to detect chromosomal regions that affect egg production traits in reciprocal crosses between two genetically and phenotypically extreme chicken lines: the partially inbred line New Hampshire (NHI) and the inbred line White Leghorn (WL77). The NHI line had been selected for high growth and WL77 for low egg weight before inbreeding. The result showed a highly significant region on chromosome 4 with multiple QTL for egg production traits between 19.2 and 82.1 Mb. This QTL region explained 4.3 and 16.1% of the phenotypic variance for number of eggs and egg weight in the F2 population, respectively. The egg weight QTL effects are dependent on the direction of the cross. In addition, genome‐wide suggestive QTL for egg weight were found on chromosomes 1, 5, and 9, and for number of eggs on chromosomes 5 and 7. A genome‐wide significant QTL affecting age at first egg was mapped on chromosome 1. The difference between the parental lines and the highly significant QTL effects on chromosome 4 will further support fine mapping and candidate gene identification for egg production traits in chicken.
Fine mapping of porcine SSC14 QTL and SCD gene effects on fatty acid composition and melting point of fat in a Duroc purebred population
Authors: Uemoto Y. , Nakano H. , Kikuchi T. , Sato S. , Ishida M. , Shibata T. , Kadowaki H. , Kobayashi E. , Suzuki K. 
Published: August 2011

SummaryThe stearoyl‐CoA desaturase (delta‐9‐desaturase; SCD) gene is a candidate gene for fatty acid composition. It is located on pig SSC14 in a region where quantitative trait loci (QTL) for fatty acid composition were previously detected in a Duroc purebred population. The objective of the present study was to fine map the QTL, to identify polymorphisms of the pig SCD gene and to examine the effects of SCD polymorphisms on fatty acid composition and melting point of fat in the population. The pigs were examined for fatty acid composition and melting point of inner and outer subcutaneous fat and inter‐ and intramuscular fat; the number of pigs examined was 479–521. Two SNPs (g.−353C>T and g.−233T>C) were identified in the promoter region of the SCD gene and were completely linked in the pigs from the base generation. In all pigs, 19 microsatellite markers and SCD haplotypes were then genotyped. Different statistical models were applied to evaluate the effects of QTL and the possible causality of the SCD gene variants with respect to the QTL. The results show that all significant QTL for C14:0, C18:0, C18:1 and melting point of fat were detected in the same region, located near the SCD gene. The results also show a significant association between SCD haplotypes and fatty acid composition and fat melting point in this population. These results indicate that the haplotype of the SCD gene has a strong effect on fatty acid composition and melting point of fat.
Pulmonary function in thalassaemia major and its correlation with body iron stores
Authors: Sohn Eugene Y. , Noetzli Leila J. , Gera Aakanksha , Kato Roberta , Coates Thomas D. , Harmatz Paul , Keens Thomas G. , Wood John C. 
Published: August 2011

SummaryThis study compared pulmonary function tests (PFTs) with cardiac, pancreatic and liver iron in 76 thalassemia major (TM) patients. Restrictive lung disease was observed in 16%, hyperinflation in 32% and abnormal diffusing capacity in 3%. While no patients met Global Initiative for Chronic Lung Disease criteria for airways obstruction, there were indicators of small airways disease and air trapping. PFTs did not correlate with somatic iron burden, blood counts or haemolysis. Restrictive lung disease was associated with inflammation. We conclude that TM patients have pulmonary abnormalities consistent with small airways obstruction. Restrictive disease and impaired diffusion are less common.
Bacterial growth trend of a dried Japanese common squid (Todarodes pacificus Steenstrup) characterised by dehydration
Authors: Konishi Yasuyuki , Kobayashi Masayoshi , Kawai Yuji 
Published: August 2011

SummaryThe bacterial contamination of dried Japanese common squid was effectively controlled by regulating the distribution of two water species retained in a Japanese common squid mantle. The two water species were distinguished as water species‐A1, a mobile‐water species and water species‐A2, a relatively restricted‐water species. Water species‐A1 and ‐A2 were effectively characterised by a physicochemical parameter, the correlation time (τC, s), which was evaluated using a proton NMR analysis. The bacterial count was evaluated as a function of τC and the relative humidity (RH), and the results precisely demonstrated the existence of a critical τC (CτC = 10−8 s) at which the water species were divided into species‐A1 (region I < CτC) and ‐A2 (region II > CτC). Bacterial growth was completely interrupted by species‐A2 or by an RH lower than 30% (designated as RH30) at <103 CFU g−1. In region I, at higher than RH30, the dominant genera of the bacteria observed were identified as Micrococcus and Staphylococcus.
Effects of β‐cyclodextrin addition and farming type on vitamin C, antioxidant activity, carotenoids profile, and sensory analysis in pasteurised orange juices
Authors: Navarro Patricia , Melendez‐Martinez Antonio Jesus , Heredia Francisco , Gabaldon Jose Antonio , Carbonell‐Barrachina Ángel Antonio , Soler Antonio , Perez‐Lopez Antonio José 
Published: August 2011

SummaryThe effects of organic farming, pasteurisation and addition of β‐cyclodextrin on the content of vitamin C, colour, carotenoids and antioxidant capacity of orange juices were studied. After pasteurisation at 98 °C (20 s) and subsequently storage along 145 days at room temperature (20–25 °C), the loss of vitamin C content was around 30%. The effects of the thermal process on carotenoid were clearly observed in lutein (loss of 16% for organic and traditional 8%) and especially β‐cryptoxanthin (loss of 30%). The colour changes were noticeable after the pasteurisation of orange juice and subsequent storage, with significant decreases being observed in lightness and the coordinate a*, while increases were found for coordinates b*, Hue* and chroma. The antioxidant capacity was 0.075 ± 0.01 and 0.053 ± 0.01 mMT mL−1 for organic and conventional, respectively, with losses around 40% being found at the end of the storage period. The addition of β‐cyclodextrin caused no significant effects on the parameters under analysis. These data showed that strong thermal treatments, such as pasteurisation, adversely affect the nutritional and sensory quality of orange juices.
The questionable promise of social media for education: connective learning and the commercial imperative
Authors: Friesen N. , Lowe S. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractFacebook and other social media have been hailed as delivering the promise of new, socially engaged educational experiences for students in undergraduate, self‐directed, and other educational sectors. A theoretical and historical analysis of these media in the light of earlier media transformations, however, helps to situate and qualify this promise. Specifically, the analysis of dominant social media presented here questions whether social media platforms satisfy a crucial component of learning – fostering the capacity for debate and disagreement. By using the analytical frame of media theorist Raymond Williams, with its emphasis on the influence of advertising in the content and form of television, we weigh the conditions of dominant social networking sites as constraints for debate and therefore learning. Accordingly, we propose an update to Williams' erudite work that is in keeping with our findings. Williams' critique focuses on the structural characteristics of sequence, rhythm, and flow of television as a cultural form. Our critique proposes the terms information design, architecture, and above all algorithm, as structural characteristics that similarly apply to the related but contemporary cultural form of social networking services. Illustrating the ongoing salience of media theory and history for research in e‐learning, the article updates Williams' work while leveraging it in a critical discussion of the suitability of commercial social media for education.
Comparing residential programmes for adults with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability: outcomes of challenging behaviour and quality of life
Authors: Gerber F. , Bessero S. , Robbiani B. , Courvoisier D. S. , Baud M. A. , Traoré M.‐C. , Blanco P. , Giroud M. , Galli Carminati G. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractBackground  Owing to methodological issues, little research has been conducted to examine quality of life (QoL) as a treatment outcome in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID). This study was conducted to combine QoL measures and objective observations of challenging behaviours (CB) in order to evaluate changes over time in adults with ASD and ID who were treated in two different residential programmes; we hypothesised that a decrease in CB would be related to an improved QoL.Method  In a longitudinal study (45 months), we followed 31 adults with ASD and ID who had been integrated into two residential programmes [Autism Programme with a Structured Method (PAMS) vs. traditional programme for ID (No‐PAMS)] for 2–19 years. QoL [Quality of Life Inventory in a Residential Environment (IQVMR)] and severity of autistic features (Childhood Autism Rating Scales) were evaluated annually. CB, as measured by the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC), including stereotypic behaviour and inappropriate speech, were repeatedly assessed every 3 months.Results  Observed separately, the groups' results were different. In the PAMS programme, stereotypic behaviour and inappropriate speech (ABC scores) significantly decreased, and the IQVMR total score increased; in contrast, in the comparison group, ABC scores did not change and the IQVMR total score decreased. In all, three mixed‐effect ANCOVAs partially confirmed that the PAMS programme had an effect on CB and that QoL improvement did not directly depend on the type of programme but on reducing CB as measured by the ABC.Conclusion  The PAMS programme has a positive and indirect influence on QoL by reducing CB.
Electron microscopy of lipids: Effects of pH and fixatives on the appearance of a macromolecular assembly of lipid micelles in negatively stained preparations
Authors: Glauert Audrey M. , Lucy J. A. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYNegatively stained preparations of macromolecular assemblies composed of lecithin, cholesterol and saponin have been examined by electron microscopy. Studies were made of the effects of different negative stains, pH and fixatives on the self‐assembly process that gives rise to helical and related structures, on the characteristic appearance of the structures that are formed, and on the stability of the different assemblies. A variety of different macromolecular assemblies, each apparently made of globular lipid subunits arranged in different ways, were observed under different experimental conditions. The structural appearance of the assemblies changes rapidly when the chemical constitution of the aqueous environment is altered. It is concluded that the negative‐staining technique normally provides an image of the hydrated specimen so that drying artifacts are not a major hazard, but the possibility of interactions between the specimen and the aqueous negative‐staining solution must not be ignored. The observations reported in this paper are relevant to an understanding of the factors that may control the formation, in vivo, of those biological membranes that contain discrete subunits composed of lipids or lipoproteins.
Light‐microscopic radioautography utilizing araldite sections
Authors: Hodson S. A. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYA report is presented of light‐microscopic radioautography over araldite sections using either a stripping film (AR10) or a nuclear dipping emulsion (G5) as detector. Except for anomalies at the beginning of the exposure, both emulsions have similar sensitivities, resolutions and latent image‐fading characteristics. The stripping film technique has some disadvantages including the necessity of staining the tissue before application of the film. A short list of familiar tissue stains and their chemographic properties is presented. The self absorption of araldite sections to the electron emitted from a tritium atom is measured and its significance for reproducible results commented upon.
A rapid methylene blue‐basic fuchsin stain for semi‐thin sections of peripheral nerve and other tissues
Authors: Aparicio S. R. , Marsden P. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYDifferential histological staining of various tissues is achieved in epon, araldite or glycol methacrylate sections 0·25–0·5 μ thick, from human, guinea‐pig and rat origin. The staining procedure is as follows: 1% methylene blue in 1% borax 15–30 sec at 70°C; wash in hot water; 2% basic fuchsin in distilled water 1–2 min at room temperature; wash and mount in DPX. Results: with all tissues: nuclei pale violet, cytoplasm blue. Special histological components: collagen red, myelin deep blue, elastin deep violet, axoplasm pale blue. Although of general utility the method is especially useful for peripheral nerve and blood vessels.
Birefringence phenomena in cylindrical fibres
Authors: Thetford A. , Simmens S. C. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYThe interference pattern seen in a birefringent cylindrically shaped fibre, e.g. a nylon fibre, when viewed through a polarizing microscope has been used by different workers to provide information about radial inhomogeneity of the internal structure of the fibres. This interference pattern is now shown to be markedly influenced by the mounting medium containing the fibre and an explanation for this behaviour, based on geometrical optics, is given.
Visualization of substructure in ferritin molecules: An artifact
Authors: Haydon Glen B. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYIt has been suggested in the literature that the core of the ferritin molecule contains a tetrad or other substructure resolvable in electron micrographs. The work described in this paper indicates:1. At a potential resolution of 5 Å, near‐focus electron micrographs of ferritin molecules show no substructure in the core.2. By defocusing the microscope a computed amount, electron micrographs of the same ferritin molecule can be produced which show apparent core substructure similar to that shown in several patterns reported in the literature.3. Apparent ferritin molecules with or without substructure, depending upon the phase granularity in the negative, can be added in printing by over‐exposing an area of the background equal in size to a ferritin molecule.4. Underfocus contrast enhancement, frequently used by electron microscopists at lower magnifications without loss of resolution, does result in a loss of resolution at maximum useful magnifications.5. The established physical principles of electron‐optical image formation which should be applied to all high‐resolution electron microscopy to distinguish substructure from artifact, are reviewed.This work is compatible with recent X‐ray diffraction studies of ferritin molecules which indicate that iron‐containing micelles in the core of ferritin are smaller than the practical resolution of the best electron microscopes and therefore neither they nor their substructure could be imaged.
A combined PAS‐myofibril stain for demonstration of early lesions of striated muscle
Authors: Puchtler Holde , Waldrop Faye Sweat , Terry Mary S. , Conner H. M. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYTo facilitate studies of early myocardial lesions a method was developed for simultaneous demonstration of saccharides and muscle proteins. Deparaffinized sections were treated consecutively with the PAS reaction, tannic acid, phosphomolybdic acid and Levanol fast cyanine 5RN. A and Z bands in normal muscle were stained blue. I bands were coloured yellow. Under various pathological conditions A and Z bands lost their affinity for Levanol fast cyanine 5RN, with and without appearance of PAS‐positive material in the Z bands.Comparison of staining patterns with chemical, electron microscopic and X‐ray diffraction data indicated that Levanol fast cyanine 5RN is bound by myosin and tropomyosin B. This affinity is lost when the protein structure is altered. The origin of the PAS‐positive material appearing in the Z bands could not yet be determined.
Scanning electron microscopy of intestinal microvilli
Authors: Millington P. F. , Critchley D. R. , Tovell P. W. A. , Pearson R. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYThe usual simple methods for the preparation of soft tissues for scanning electron microscopy failed to demonstrate the presence of microvilli on intestinal epithelial cells from rats. Treatment with a mucolytic agent or surface‐section methods also failed. However, the isolation of the brush borders as the first step in the preparatory procedure did allow a study of the microvilli. The width and height of the microvilli differed from those seen by transmission microscopy and it is suggested that these differences are related to both the shadow‐material used and the presence of a mucopolysaccharide on the surface of the membrane. The technique illustrates the possible use of fractionation methods as part of the preparative procedures in scanning electron microscopy.
A new technique for making plant epidermal imprints using various domestic adhesives
Authors: Inamdar J. A. , Patel R. C. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYA simple, quick and easy method for making leaf surface imprints for microscopic studies by using cheap and easily available non‐toxic domestic adhesives is described. The most satisfactory results were obtained, in order of preference, by using ‘Quickfix’, ‘Stickfast’, ‘Fevicol’, ‘D.P.X. (mountant)’, ‘Camel paste’, ‘Cello‐tape’ and ‘Araldite’. These were used on the epidermis of vegetative and floral organs of a number of plants (living and dried). A semi‐transparent film was allowed to dry, which was then stripped off and mounted on a clean slide. This film records very fine structural details which are evident from the photomicrographs presented. With the help of this technique, the form, distribution and orientation of stomata, size of guard cells and their movement, size of stomatal pores, stomatal development, cell‐wall nature, stomatal frequency and indices and venation pattern can easily be studied. Repeated imprints can be made from the same surface of an organ. This method should be of great use to plant morphologists and anatomists.
An electronic light source and modified Bolex H‐16 camera for time‐lapse cinemicrography
Authors: Dawson Mary , Johnstone A. J. , Matthews J. E. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYAn apparatus is described for use in time‐lapse cinemicrography. The modifications made to the standard shutter mechanism of the Bolex camera offer increased reliability when it is used in a single‐frame manner over a long period. A reliable method of firing microflash tubes in synchrony with a short shutter‐opening period is also described.
Reflected‐light differential‐interference microscopy: principles, use and image interpretation
Authors: Hoffman Robert , Gross Leo 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYThe reflected‐light differential‐interference microscope is a simple optical instrument easy to use and adjust, which reveals surface contours in variations of light intensity or in colour with a clarity and sensitivity not previously achieved. It can reveal new structures or display familiar tissue and cellular architecture in new and refreshing aspects. This type of microscope can provide insights into surface characteristics in metallurgy, microelectronics, biology, etc. Understanding how the differential‐interference microscope works, how to control it and how to interpret the images produced, is essential to using the microscope fruitfully.
Orientation of spherical specimens for ultrathin sectioning in selected planes by embedding in agar
Authors: Scott Kay , Tarin D. , Sharp J. A. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYThe use of agar for supporting specimens in a desired orientation during processing for electron microscopy is described.The specimen is fixed in glutaraldehyde and orientated in liquid agar which is then allowed to set. The agar block is post‐fixed in osmium tetroxide and embedded in Araldite. Ultrathin sections are easily obtained and tissue preservation is satisfactory.
The statistical analysis of autoradiographs: II. Theoretical aspects including methods for optimal allocation of measurement effort
Authors: England J. M. , Miller R. G. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYUnder carefully controlled conditions autoradiographic grain densities vary in accordance with the Poisson distribution. The present paper derives several different formulæ and presents graphs to enable the experimenter to measure such grain densities to any specified accuracy after making the appropriate correction for radioactive background.Emphasis is placed upon the allocation of counting effort between one or more labelled sources and the unlabelled background so that the total area of emulsion to be counted is minimized.This technique of optimal measurement allocation has been considered for grain‐density measurements both by visual counting and by photometric methods.This approach has also been applied to the problem of accurately determining the percentage of labelled cells by sampling from a large population.