bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Temporary loss of antibiosis in plants of a lucerne cultivar selected for resistance to spotted alfalfa aphid
Authors: Hughes R. D. , Hughes M. A. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractIn autumn 1981 there were widespread reports of a reduced level of antibiosis in lucerne crops and field trials where cultivars selected for resistance to the aphid, Therioaphis trifolii f. maculata, had been used. On our field trial, the plot of ‘CUF 101’ lucerne was infested to a level about 40% of that on the aphid‐susceptible ‘Hunter River’, compared with an average of about 3% over the two years before and the two years after.An experimental study of possible causes using a bioassay technique on cloned plants representing the spectrum of resistance in CUF 101 indicated that loss of resistance was temporary and occurred apparently randomly among the tests, but that certain treatments increase the frequency of its occurrence. Lowered temperatures and the use of either young regrowth or senescent lucerne, each increased the frequency of loss of resistance. Inundation of lucerne by large numbers of aphids did not affect the expression of resistance directly, but the few progeny that survived to adulthood on partly‐resistance lucerne were habituated and were then able to interact with the plants to increase the apparent frequency of breakdown of resistance. Plants which showed the loss of resistance developed aphid populations between 4× ad 25 × those when they expressed their normal resistance level.Investigations suggest that the situation in autumn 1981 may have been the result of a prolonged and massive immigration of aphids into lucerne crops, which, on the aphid resistant cultivars allowed surviving aphids to exploit maximally the combined effects of factors causing some loss of resistance.
Composition as Identity: Part 1
Authors: Wallace Megan 
Published: November 2011

AbstractMany of us think that ordinary objects – such as tables and chairs – exist. We also think that ordinary objects have parts: my chair has a seat and some legs as parts, for example. But once we are committed to the (seemingly innocuous) thesis that ordinary objects are composed of parts, we then open ourselves up to a whole host of philosophical problems, most of which center on what exactly the composition relation is. Composition as Identity (CI) is the view that the composition relation is the identity relation. While such a view has some advantages, there are many arguments against it. In this essay, I will briefly canvass three different varieties of Composition as Identity, and suggest why one of them should be preferred over the others. Then I will outline several versions of the most common objection against CI. I will suggest how a CI theorist can respond to these charges by maintaining that some of the arguments are invalid. (In part 2, I show how a CI theorist can maintain that the remaining arguments, while valid, are unsound).
The Nature of Attention
Authors: Watzl Sebastian 
Published: November 2011

AbstractWhat is attention? Attention is often seen as a subject matter for the hard sciences of cognitive and brain processes, and is understood in terms of sub‐personal mechanisms and processes. Correspondingly, there still is a stark contrast between the central role attention plays for the empirical investigation of the mind in psychology and the neurosciences, and its relative neglect in philosophy. Yet, over the past years, several philosophers have challenged the standard conception. A number of questions concerning the nature of attention arise. This article provides an introduction to contemporary debates concerning these questions. In particular, it discusses the question of how the pre‐theoretic conception of attention might be reconciled with a scientific conception, arguments that provide support for an anti‐reductionist theory of attention, and sketches several recent anti‐reductionist theories and their inter‐relations.
Race and Racism in Foucault’s Collège de France Lectures
Authors: Taylor Chloë 
Published: November 2011

AbstractWhile Michel Foucault’s writings have been taken up extensively to explore gender and sexuality, until recently there was little work drawing on Foucault’s writings to discuss race. In part, this was because Foucault seemed to have said almost nothing about race, aside from some comments on Nazism and eugenics in the final pages of Part V of The History of Sexuality, volume 1. With the 1997 and 1999 publication of two series of lectures that Foucault delivered at the Collège de France between 1974 and 1976, Abnormal and “Society Must Be Defended” (both appearing in English translation in 2003), Foucault scholars have, however, become aware that he made more extensive and provocative observations about race than had previously been believed. Both of these lecture series gives a genealogical account of the ways in which modern, biological forms of racism emerged at a certain point in history, stressing the contingency of this emergence and its enmeshment in power struggles and modern forms of power. This paper provides an account of what Foucault argues about race and racism in the Collège de France lectures, and, more briefly, presents two of the most extended treatments of race coming from Foucauldian perspectives that have appeared in the wake of these texts.
Endoparasitoids of larval Anomis privata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), major pest of Hibiscus syriacus (Columniferae: Malvaceae)
Authors: KIM Youngjin , CHO Youngho , HAN Yong‐Gu , NAM Sang‐Ho 
Published: November 2011

AbstractEndoparasitoids of Anomis privata larvae include five species in three families of two orders. In this work, two species of Hymenoptera Braconidae (Cotesia sp., Microplitis sp.), one species of Ichneumonidae (Mesochorus vittator) and two species of Diptera Tachinidae (Exorista (Podotachina) sorbillans, Timavia amoena) were investigated. Of the 261 larvae of A. privata examined, 32 had a parasite, so the rate of parasitism was 12.26%. Parasitism by taxon was the highest, at 10.35% (27 individuals), in Cotesia sp. in Hymenoptera Braconidae. Parasitoids of Braconidae and Ichneumonidae were larval parasitoids. A parasitic insect of Tachinidae was a larva–pupal parasitoid. Solitary parasitoids included Microplitis sp. in Braconidae and E. sorbillans in Tachinidae. Gregarious parasitoids included Cotesia sp. in Braconidae, M. vittator in Ichneumonidae and T. amoena in Tachinidae. There was also a multiparasitoid (T. amoena) and two superparasitoids (Cotesia sp., M. vittator). A larva of A. privata sought feed even after it was parasitized every parasitoid investigated in this study, so five species of parasitoids were all koinobiont.
Identifying high‐quality pond habitats for Odonata in lowland England: implications for agri‐environment schemes
Authors: RAEBEL EVA M. , MERCKX THOMAS , FEBER RUTH E. , RIORDAN PHILIP , MACDONALD DAVID W. , THOMPSON DAVID J. 
Published: November 2011

Abstract.  1. Agricultural intensification has contributed to severe declines in odonate (dragonfly and damselfly) populations. The objective of our study is to benefit current measures for the conservation of odonates by establishing the conditions favourable to Odonata and focusing on ponds within agricultural land.2. Our landscape‐scale study used exuvial counts and habitat measurements from 29 ponds across a catchment in England, over 3 years, to determine key factors affecting odonate abundance and species richness.3. Ponds dominated by floating and submerged vegetation were the most transparent, supported the highest abundance and species richness of exuviae, and were always fully or partially surrounded by buffer strips. Ponds lacking vegetation were turbid, yielding no exuviae even if they were buffered. English agri‐environment schemes (AES) currently support pond and buffer strip creation and management.4. Abundance of exuviae was higher in recently created ponds compared to older ponds, whereas ponds that had dried out the previous summer had fewer exuviae.5. Species richness of exuviae decreased with increasing distance to the nearest viable pond, falling by more than 40% for distances over 100 m.6. We conclude that odonate conservation would be more effective if AES would consider the spatial scale at which ponds are created and the location, type, and quality of ponds targeted for buffer strips.
Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control of Rigid-Flexible Multibody Systems With Bounded Inputs
Authors: Ben-Tzvi Pinhas , Bai Shengjian , Zhou Qingkun , Huang Xinsheng 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
This paper presents the dynamic modeling and fuzzy sliding mode control for rigid-flexible multibody systems. To investigate the dynamic stiffening of rigid-flexible systems, a first-order approximate model of a flexible spacecraft system is formulated by using Hamilton’s principles and assumed mode method, taking into account the second-order term of the coupling deformation field. For highly flexible structural models, ideal surface sliding that produces pure rigid body motion may not be achievable. In this paper, the discontinuity in the sliding mode controller is smoothed inside a thin boundary layer using fuzzy logic technique to reduce the chattering phenomenon efficiently. Sliding mode control is insensitive to parameter variations and provides complete rejection of disturbances, but these advantages only hold in the sliding mode domain. However, when the actuators’ amplitude is limited by their physical constraints, the sliding mode domain will be restricted to some local domain near zero on the switching surface. Control input saturation is also considered in the fuzzy sliding mode control approach. The new features and advantages of the proposed approach are the use of new dynamic equations for the motion of flexible spacecraft systems and the design of fuzzy sliding mode control by taking into account the control input saturation. The classical sliding mode control case is also developed for comparison. Numerical simulations are performed to validate the proposed methods and to demonstrate that rotational maneuvers and vibration suppression are accomplished in spite of the presence of model uncertainty and control saturation nonlinearity.
Identification of Escherichia coli Genes Associated with Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Mao Bin-Hsu , Chang Yung-Fu , Scaria Joy , Chang Chih-Ching , Chou Li-Wei , Tien Ni , Wu Jiunn-Jong , Tseng Chin-Chung , Wang Ming-Cheng , Chang Chao-Chin , Hsu Yuan-Man , Teng Ching-Hao 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

Escherichia coli
is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
E. coli
genes epidemiologically associated with UTIs are potentially valuable in developing strategies for treating and/or preventing such infections as well as differentiating uropathogenic
E. coli
from nonuropathogenic
E. coli
. To identify
E. coli
genes associated with UTIs in humans, we combined microarray-based and PCR-based analyses to investigate different
E. coli
source groups derived from feces of healthy humans and from patients with cystitis, pyelonephritis, or urosepsis. The
cjrABC-senB
gene cluster,
sivH
,
sisA
,
sisB
,
eco274
, and
fbpB
, were identified to be associated with UTIs. Of these,
cjrABC-senB
,
sisA
,
sisB
, and
fbpB
are known to be involved in urovirulence in the mouse model of ascending UTI. Our results provide evidence to support their roles as urovirulence factors in human UTIs. In addition, the newly identified UTI-associated genes were mainly found in members of phylogenetic groups B2 and/or D.
Inaccuracy of the Disk Diffusion Method Compared with the Agar Dilution Method for Susceptibility Testing of Campylobacter spp
Authors: Lehtopolku Mirva , Kotilainen Pirkko , Puukka Pauli , Nakari Ulla-Maija , Siitonen Anja , Eerola Erkki , Huovinen Pentti , Hakanen Antti J. 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

The agar dilution method has been standardized by the CLSI for the susceptibility testing of
Campylobacter
species, and according to these standards, the disk diffusion method should be used only in screening for macrolide and ciprofloxacin resistance. Nevertheless, the disk diffusion test is currently widely used, since it is easy to perform in clinical microbiology laboratories. In this study, the disk diffusion method was compared to the agar dilution method by analyzing the
in vitro
activities of seven antimicrobial agents against 174
Campylobacter
strains collected in Finland between 2003 and 2008. Recommendations of the CLSI were followed using Mueller-Hinton agar plates with 5% of sheep blood. For each strain, the disk diffusion tests were performed two to four times. Of the 33 erythromycin-resistant strains (MIC, ≥16 μg/ml), 24 (73%) constantly showed a 6-mm erythromycin inhibition zone (i.e., no inhibition), while for seven strains the inhibition zone varied from 6 to 44 mm in repeated measurements. Among the 141 erythromycin-susceptible strains (MIC, <16 μg/ml), erythromycin inhibition zones varied between 6 and 61 mm. Of the 87 ciprofloxacin-resistant strains, 47 (54%) showed 6-mm inhibition zones, while 40 strains showed inhibition zones between 6 and 60 mm. Significant differences between the repetitions were observed in the disk diffusion for all antimicrobial agents and all strains except for the macrolide-resistant strains regarding the macrolides. For 17 (10%) strains, the variation in repeated measurements was substantial. These results show that the disk diffusion method may not be a reliable tool for the susceptibility testing of
Campylobacter
spp. Further studies are needed to assess whether the disk diffusion test could be improved or whether all susceptibilities of campylobacters should be tested using an MIC-based method.
Polyclonal Diffusion of Beta-Lactamase-Producing Enterococcus faecium
Authors: Sarti Mario , Campanile Floriana , Sabia Carla , Santagati Maria , Gargiulo Raffaele , Stefani Stefania 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

We describe here the isolation of 8 beta-lactamase-producing multidrug-resistant
Enterococcus faecium
isolates in 2010. All strains showed diverse pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles, all belonging to the same clonal complex, CC17. By PCR and hybridization experiments, the entire
blaZ-blaI-blaR1
operon was found. The beta-lactamase activity was demonstrated at a high inoculum and in the presence of methicillin after overnight incubation.
Identification of Non-diphtheriae Corynebacterium by Use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Alatoom Adnan A. , Cazanave Charles J. , Cunningham Scott A. , Ihde Sherry M. , Patel Robin 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTWe evaluated the Bruker Biotyper matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry for identification of 92 clinical isolates ofCorynebacteriumspecies in comparison to identification usingrpoBor 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Eighty isolates (87%) yielded a score of ≥1.700, and all of these were correctly identified to the species level with the exception ofCorynebacterium aurimucosumbeing misidentified as the closely relatedCorynebacterium minutissimum.
Use of a Commercial PCR-Based Line Blot Method for Identification of Bacterial Pathogens and the
mecA
and
van
Genes from BacTAlert Blood Culture Bottles
Authors: Steindor Mathis , Weizenegger Michael , Harrison Nicole , Hirschl Alexander M. , Schweickert Birgitta , Göbel Ulf B. , MacKenzie Colin R. 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

In this study, the PCR-based DNA strip assay GenoType BC for the identification of bacteria and the resistance genes
mecA
,
vanA
,
vanB
,
vanC1
, and
vanC2/3
directly from positive BacTAlert blood culture bottles was evaluated in a multicenter study. Of a total of 511 positive blood cultures, correct identification percentages for Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and the
mecA
gene were 96.1%, 89.9%, and 92.9%, respectively. Results were available 4 h after growth detection.
Transsignaling of Interleukin-6 Crucially Contributes to Atherosclerosis in Mice
Authors: Schuett Harald , Oestreich René , Waetzig Georg H. , Annema Wijtske , Luchtefeld Maren , Hillmer Anja , Bavendiek Udo , von Felden Johann , Divchev Dimitar , Kempf Tibor , Wollert Kai C. , Seegert Dirk , Rose-John Stefan , Tietge Uwe J.F. , Schieffer Bernhard , Grote Karsten 
Published: November 2011

Objective—
Transsignaling of interleukin (IL)-6 is a central pathway in the pathogenesis of disorders associated with chronic inflammation, such as Crohn disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory colon cancer. Notably, IL-6 also represents an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) in humans and is crucially involved in vascular inflammatory processes.

Methods and Results—

In the present study, we showed that treatment with a fusion protein of the natural IL-6 transsignaling inhibitor soluble glycoprotein 130 (sgp130) and IgG1-Fc (sgp130Fc) dramatically reduced atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic
Ldlr
−/−
mice without affecting weight gain and serum lipid levels. Moreover, sgp130Fc treatment even led to a significant regression of advanced atherosclerosis. Mechanistically, endothelial activation and intimal smooth muscle cell infiltration were decreased in sgp130Fc-treated mice, resulting in a marked reduction of monocyte recruitment and subsequent atherosclerotic plaque progression. Of note, patients with CAD exhibited significantly lower plasma levels of endogenous sgp130, suggesting that a compromised counterbalancing of IL-6 transsignaling may contribute to atherogenesis in humans.

Conclusion—
These data clarify, for the first time, the critical involvement of, in particular, the transsignaling of IL-6 in CAD and warrant further investigation of sgp130Fc as a novel therapeutic for the treatment of CAD and related diseases.
Effect of Ionizing Radiation Induced Damage of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Vascular Regeneration
Authors: Lee Mi-Ok , Song Seung-Hyun , Jung Seokyun , Hur Seulgi , Asahara Takayuki , Kim Hyongbum , Kwon Sang-Mo , Cha Hyuk-Jin 
Published: November 2011

Objective—
A number of studies have revealed that stress signaling and subsequent stress responses in stem/progenitor cells are responsible for attenuated regeneration or degenerative disease. Because ionizing radiation (IR), which sensitizes diverse types of stem cells, reportedly induces cardio-circulatory diseases, we hypothesized that IR-induced vascular abnormalities are associated with defects in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that are responsible for vascular homeostasis.

Methods and Results—
We used an irradiated mouse model to mimic the IR effect on vasculogenesis. Mouse EPCs isolated from irradiated mice and human EPCs exposed to IR were used for functional analysis and gene expression study. Under IR exposure, EPCs were depleted, and their function for vasculogenesis in vitro and in vivo was significantly reduced. In such IR-mediated stress responses, upregulating p21Cip1 and downregulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were mediated by p53 transcriptional activity.

Conclusion—
The results of the present study suggest that suppression of p53 would be clinically applicable to (1) minimize the functional defects in EPCs in order to prevent the onset of vascular diseases caused by radiation therapy or radiation exposure and also to (2) provide novel insight into the mechanisms of IR-induced vascular damage and a possible strategy to minimize vascular damage by IR.
Differential Susceptibility to Axonopathy in Necrotic and Non-Necrotic Perinatal White Matter Injury
Authors: Riddle Art , Maire Jennifer , Gong Xi , Chen Kevin X. , Kroenke Christopher D. , Hohimer A. Roger , Back Stephen A. 
Published: November 2011

Background and Purpose—
White matter injury (WMI) is the leading cause of brain injury in preterm survivors and results in myelination failure. Although axonal degeneration occurs in necrotic lesions, the role of axonopathy in myelination failure remains controversial for diffuse non-necrotic WMI, which is currently the major form of WMI. We determined the burden of axonopathy in diffuse lesions.

Methods—
We analyzed WMI in a preterm fetal sheep model of global cerebral ischemia that replicates the relative burden of necrotic and non-necrotic human WMI. WMI was analyzed at 1 or 2 weeks after ischemia and identified by ex vivo high-field (11.7 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging of fixed brain tissue. Axonal integrity was analyzed by immunohistochemical detection of axon injury markers and by transmission electron microscopy to quantify axon loss and degeneration in magnetic resonance imaging-defined lesions.

Results—
Axonal degeneration, defined by staining for neurofilament protein and β-amyloid precursor protein, was restricted to discrete necrotic foci with robust microglial activation. Unexpectedly, axonal degeneration was not visualized in the major form of WMI, which comprised large non-necrotic lesions with diffuse reactive astrogliosis. In these major lesions, quantitative electron microscopy studies confirmed no significant differences in the density of intact and degenerating axons or in the distribution of axon diameters relative to controls.

Conclusions—
The mechanism of myelination failure differs significantly in perinatal WMI dependent on the burden of necrosis. Axonopathy is associated with focal necrotic injury but not with primary diffuse non-necrotic lesions, which supports that intact axons in the primary lesions are potential targets for myelination.
Role of the West African Westerly Jet in Sahel Rainfall Variations
Authors: Pu Bing , Cook Kerry H. 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
The West African westerly jet is a low-level feature of the summer climatology that transports moisture from the eastern Atlantic onto the African continent at 8°–11°N. This study examines the relationship between the jet and Sahel precipitation variability in August, when both the jet and rainfall reach their seasonal maxima.
Variations of the West African westerly jet are significantly positively correlated with precipitation variations over the Sahel on both interannual and decadal time scales. Three periods are identified (1958–71, 1972–87, and 1988–2009), corresponding to times with a wet Sahel–strong jet, dry Sahel–weak jet, and relatively wet Sahel–strong jet. In wet (dry) periods, enhanced (decreased) westerly moisture fluxes associated with a strong (weak) jet increase (decrease) the low-level moisture content over the Sahel, decreasing (enhancing) the stability of the atmosphere. This association between the jet and Sahel rainfall is also found in case studies of 1964, 1984, 1999, and 2007.
The southerly moisture flux associated with the West African monsoon has less pronounced decadal variability than the westerly moisture flux of the West African westerly jet and weaker correlations with Sahel rainfall. When the monsoon flow is weak, for example, 1999 and 2007, the Sahel may still experience positive precipitation anomalies in association with strong westerly moisture transport by the jet.
The West African westerly jet is also important for stabilizing the regional vorticity balance by introducing strong relative vorticity gradients. Northward flow advects low relative vorticity south of the jet to balance positive vorticity tendencies generated by midtropospheric condensation.