bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic Analysis of Tolerance to Rice Tungro Bacilliform Virus in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Through Agroinoculation
Authors: Zenna N. S. , Sta Cruz F. C. , Javier E. L. , Duka I. A. , Barrion A. A. , Azzam O. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBalimau Putih [an Indonesian cultivar tolerant to rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV)] was crossed with IR64 (RTBV, susceptible variety) to produce the three filial generations F1, F2 and F3. Agroinoculation was used to introduce RTBV into the test plants. RTBV tolerance was based on the RTBV level in plants by analysis of coat protein using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The level of RTBV in cv. Balimau Putih was significantly lower than that of IR64 and the susceptible control, Taichung Native 1. Mean RTBV levels of the F1, F2 and F3 populations were comparable with one another and with the average of the parents. Results indicate that there was no dominance and an additive gene action may control the expression of tolerance to RTBV. Tolerance based on the level of RTBV coat protein was highly heritable (0.67) as estimated using the mean values of F3 lines, suggesting that selection for tolerance to RTBV can be performed in the early selfing generations using the technique employed in this study. The RTBV level had a negative correlation with plant height, but positive relationship with disease index value.
FusariumSpecies Colonizing Spears and Forming Mycotoxins in Field Samples of Asparagus from Germany and Poland
Authors: Weber Z. , Kostecki M. , von Bargen S. , Gossmann M. , Waskiewicz A. , Bocianowski J. , Knaflewski M. , Büttner C. , Golinski P. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe occurrence ofFusariumspp. and associated mycotoxins in asparagus spears was evaluated in Poland in 2002 and 2003 and in Germany in 2002. Spears of two cultivars, Eposs and Gijnlim, were collected from two locations in Poland, Swidwowiec and Poznan, on sandy and sandy loam soil, respectively.Fusarium oxysporumandF. proliferatumwere detected at an average incidence of 38.3% and 15.8% in the spear sections sampled, respectively. In stands of 11 (tested) cultivars of asparagus sampled in Germany on sandy soil, the same species dominated, however, they were less frequent than in Poland (26.6% and 5.6% of the spears infected withF. oxysporumandF. proliferatum, respectively). Chemical analyses revealed that fumonisin B1(FB1) and moniliformin (MON) were present in some of the spears sampled in Poland. FB1was not found and MON was not assessed in spears sampled in Germany in 2002, butF. proliferatumwas able to form the toxinin vitroin the range from 101.4 up to 205.8 μg/kg maize kernel substrate. Asparagus samples in Poland contained FB1at up to 5.6 μg/kg spear fresh weight. The highest MON concentration (1350 μg/kg) was detected in cultivar Eposs in Marcelin, Poland, in 2002. MON and FB1were found in spears infected by bothF. oxysporumandF. proliferatum, however, only the latter fungus was able to synthesize both toxins.
Changes in Phenolic Acid Content During Alternaria alternata Infection in Tomato Fruit
Authors: Ruelas C. , Tiznado‐Hernández M. E. , Sánchez‐Estrada A. , Robles‐Burgueño M. R. , Troncoso‐Rojas R. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractPhenolic acids are components of the plant defence system; however few studies had been done with fruits. The objective of this experiment was to elucidate the changes in phenolic acid content in tomato fruits in response to pathogenic attack. Tomato fruit ‘Pinto’ was inoculated with spores of Alternaria alternata and stored for 10 days at 25°C and 90–92% of relative humidity. Sampling of epicarp and mesocarp tissues of control and infected tomato fruits were done every 2 days. Phenolic acids were extracted from each tissue and identified by HPLC coupled to a mass spectrometer. Quantification was done based in standard curves. In vitro evaluation of the phenolic acid effect either one‐by‐one and in a mixture of phenolic acids (MPA) over A. alternata spore germination was done with 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500 mm. It was found caffeic, chlorogenic and vanillic acids in both epicarp and mesocarp tomato tissues before the beginning of the experiment. Infected tomato fruits showed significantly higher concentrations of vanillic acid in the epicarp, only. Chlorogenic acid and the MPA inhibit spore germination by 30%, whereas caffeic acid and vanillic acid inhibit 16% at 500 mm. It was concluded that chlorogenic, vanillic and caffeic acids are phytoanticipins in tomato fruit. The concentration of vanillic acid also increases in tomato fruit epicarp as part of the defence system during a pathogenic attack.
Plasma total homocysteine in the active stage of ulcerative colitis
Authors: Drzewoski Józef , Gąsiorowska Anita , Małecka‐Panas Ewa , Bald Edward , Czupryniak Leszek 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBackground:  Homocysteine, an independent risk factor for thromboembolism, has been recently shown to be elevated in ulcerative colitis (UC). However, its relation to the activity of the disease remain unclear.Methods:  Two groups were studied: group consisted of 1–30 patients with UC (17 men, 13 women, mean age 50.3 ± 14.7 years), including 15 patients with active disease. Group 2 (controls) consisted of 21 age‐, sex‐, bodyweight‐matched healthy persons (12 men, nine women, mean age 53.1 ± 12.8 years). Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) and serum folate and vitamin B12 as well as selected coagulation parameters were assessed.Results:  Mean tHcy in UC patients was significantly higher than in healthy controls: 10.8 ± 3.1 mmol/L versus 6.8 ± 2.5 mmol/L (P < 0.001). Patients with active disease had higher tHcy than patients in remission: 11.2 ± 3.5 mmol/L versus 9.0 ± 2.3 mmol/L (P = 0.048). Patients with ≥4 recurrences of the disease had also higher tHcy than the others: 11.5 ± 3.6 mmol/L versus 9.0 ± 2.1 mmol/L (P = 0.035). The tHcy correlated with duration of disease: r = 0.6632 (P < 0.05). Folate and B12 levels were within their reference ranges in all subjects. However, in the patients with active disease the platelet count, fibrinogen and d‐dimer were significantly higher than in the patients in remission and the controls.Conclusions:  Ulcerative colitis is associated with elevated tHcy concentration, particularly in the active stage, and in more recurrent types of the disease; this elevation does not seem to be prevented by a normal folate status and might have an enhancing effect on the procoagulation blood profile.
Rapid induction and activation of Tec tyrosine kinase in liver regeneration
Authors: Wang Si‐Ying , Li Fei‐Fei , Zheng Hong , Yu Ke‐Ke , Ni Fang , Yang Xiao‐Ming , Qu Cheng‐Kui , Li Jun 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBackground:  Previous studies have indicated that Tec tyrosine kinase is differentially expressed in the regenerating liver. The purpose of the present study was to further investigate the potential involvement of Tec tyrosine kinase in hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration.Methods:  Tec kinase gene expression after partial (two‐thirds) hepatectomy was examined by representational difference analysis. Tissue distribution and potential involvement of Tec kinase in liver regeneration and hepatocyte proliferation were then determined by northern blotting, reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR), and western blotting. Full‐length rat Tec cDNA was cloned.Results:  Using this cDNA as the probe, northern blotting showed that Tec was specifically expressed in liver and kidney, the highest expression of Tec being detected in embryonic day 15–19 fetal livers. In contrast, the expression level of Tec in adult and neonatal rat livers was significantly decreased. Similar results were obtained from western blotting analyzes. It was thus hypothesized that Tec might be involved in hepatocyte proliferation. To test this hypothesis, Tec expression was examined in regenerating rat livers. An increase in Tec expression and activation of Tec kinase were observed within 1 h after partial hepatectomy. Moreover, it has been shown that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) dramatically induces Tec expression in primary rat hepatocytes. Additionally, it was observed that Tec gene expression in serum‐starved liver tumor cell line HepG2 was substantially decreased. Stimulation with 10% fetal bovine serum and insulin but not epidermal growth factor resulted in dramatic elevation of Tec expression in these cells.Conclusion:  Tec is an inducible early response gene that might enhance hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration.
Postoperative continuous intrathecal pain treatment in children after selective dorsal rhizotomy with bupivacaine and two different morphine doses
Authors: HESSELGARD KARIN , STRÖMBLAD LARS‐GÖRAN , ROMNER BERTIL , REINSTRUP PETER 
Published: March 2006

SummaryBackground:  Children undergoing selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) experience severe pain postoperatively; a pain related to both the extensive surgical exposure with multilevel laminectomy and nerve root manipulation. We sought to define an optimal dose of continuous intrathecal (IT) morphine and bupivacaine to treat this severe pain. The aim of this study was to compare two different concentrations of morphine in a fixed dose of bupivacaine with regard to the analgesic effect and survey if they differed in side effects.Methods:  Twenty‐six children, aged 2.7–7.4 years undergoing SDR were included in this study. Postoperatively 11 children received a continuous infusion of morphine 0.4 μg.kg−1.h−1 and bupivacaine 40 μg.kg−1.h−1 (low‐dose group) and 15, a continuous infusion of morphine 0.6 μg.kg−1.h−1 and bupivacaine 40 μg.kg−1.h−1 (high‐dose group). The Behavioral Observational Pain Scale (BOPS) was used to evaluate pain.Results:  Better pain relief was obtained in the high‐dose group seen in lower BOPS score compared with the low‐dose group [P = 0.03, Fisher's permutation test and P = 0.06 Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney (WMW) test]. The low‐dose group received seven times as much ketobemidone 0.43 ± 0.54 mg.kg−1 48 h−1 compared with 0.06 ± 0.09 mg.kg−1 48 h−1 in the high‐dose group (P = 0.0005 Fisher's permutation test, P = 0.0017 WMW test). There was no statistical difference in pruritus and postoperative nausea and vomiting between the groups. Respiratory and hemodynamic depression was not found.Conclusion:  This study shows that, compared with low‐dose, the higher dose of continuous IT morphine combined with bupivacaine, significantly reduce pain score and postoperative intravenous analgesic requirements without increasing adverse effects.
A redescription of Eucyclops serrulatus (Fischer, 1851) (Crustacea: Copepoda: Cyclopoida) and some related taxa, with a phylogeny of the E. serrulatus‐group
Authors: Alekseev Victor , Dumont Henri J. , Pensaert Jeannine , Baribwegure Deo , Vanfleteren Jacques R. 
Published: March 2006

Eucyclops serrulatus (Fischer, 1851), the type species of the genus Eucyclops, is redescribed from specimens found in the St. Petersburg area, Russia (type locality) and compared with specimens from Siberia, western Europe and North Africa. A neotype is selected. Cultures were set up, and interpopulation hybridization as well as hybridization with related species was attempted. The classical description of external body morphology was combined with pore signature mapping and with DNA nuclear small subunit (18S) ribosomal gene sequence analysis. Comparisons with E. dumonti Alekseev, 2000, E. hadjebensis Kiefer, E. speratus Lilljeborg, E. turcomanus Lindberg, and E. pectinifer (Cragin, 1883) were carried out. A phylogenetic tree based on molecular information shows that E. serrulatus and E. speratus should be regarded as separate species. E. dumonti also deserves species status, but not E. hadjebensis. A cladistic tree based on the pore pattern of the cephalosome agrees well with a tree based on the sequence of the 18S rDNA gene. Cephalosome (and probably metasome) pore patterns seem useful to elucidate relationships within genera, while urosomal pore patterns better reflect the relationship between genera. E. serrulatus occurs in three morphological forms over most of its range; one of these (C) might be a rare (‘recessive’) morphotype, while forms A and B differ in microhabitat choice, but hybridize when living together. The same polymorphism also occurs in an American species (E. prionophorus), and therefore two hypotheses regarding its origin are advanced: either forms A and B evolved during the glacial episode (Pleistocene origin), separately on both sides of the Atlantic, or the polymorphism was already present in the ancestor of the serrulatus‐group, and was later lost in some but not in all species (Pliocene origin.)
WEIGHTED SUMS OF NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED RANDOM VARIABLES
Authors: Liang Han‐Ying , Baek Jong‐Il 
Published: March 2006

SummaryIn this paper, we establish strong laws for weighted sums of negatively associated (NA) random variables which have a higher‐order moment condition. Some results of Bai Z.D. & Cheng P.E. (2000)[Marcinkiewicz strong laws for linear statistics. Statist. and Probab. Lett.43, 105–112,] and Sung S.K. (2001)[Strong laws for weighted sums of i.i.d. random variables, Statist. and Probab. Lett.52, 413–419] are sharpened and extended from the independent identically distributed case to the NA setting. Also, one of the results of Li D.L. et al. (1995)[Complete convergence and almost sure convergence of weighted sums of random variables. J. Theoret. Probab.8, 49–76,] is complemented and extended.
A NEW CALIBRATION METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING EMPIRICAL LIKELIHOOD‐BASED CONFIDENCE INTERVALS FOR THE TAIL INDEX
Authors: Peng Liang , Qi Yongcheng 
Published: March 2006

SummaryEmpirical likelihood has attracted much attention in the literature as a nonparametric method. A recent paper byLu & Peng (2002)[Likelihood based confidence intervals for the tail index.Extremes5,337–352] applied this method to construct a confidence interval for the tail index of a heavy‐tailed distribution. It turns out that the empirical likelihood method, as well as other likelihood‐based methods, performs better than the normal approximation method in terms of coverage probability. However, when the sample size is small, the confidence interval computed using theχ2approximation has a serious undercoverage problem. Motivated byTsao (2004)[A new method of calibration for the empirical loglikelihood ratio.Statist. Probab. Lett.68,305–314], this paper proposes a new method of calibration, which corrects the undercoverage problem.
Bodily Awareness, Imagination and the Self
Authors: Smith Joel 
Published: March 2006

Common wisdom tells us that we have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. These senses provide us with a means of gaining information concerning objects in the world around us, including our own bodies. But in addition to these five senses, each of us is aware of our own body in ways in which we are aware of no other thing. These ways include our awareness of the position, orientation, movement, and size of our limbs (proprioception and kinaesthesia), our sense of balance, and our awareness of bodily sensations such as pains, tickles, and sensations of pressure or temperature. We can group these together under the title ‘bodily awareness’. The legitimacy of grouping together these ways of gaining information is shown by the fact that they are unified phenomenologically; they provide the subject with an awareness of his or her body ‘from the inside’. Bodily awareness is an awareness of our own bodies from within. This perspective on our own bodies does not, cannot, vary. As Merleau‐Ponty writes, ‘my own body…is always presented to me from the same angle’ (1962: 90).It has recently been claimed by a number of philosophers that, in bodily awareness, one is not simply aware of one's bodyasone's body, but one is aware of one's bodyas oneself. That is, when I attend to the object of bodily awareness I am presented not just with my body, but with my ‘bodily self’. The contention of the present paper is that such a view is misguided. In the first section I clarify just what is at issue here. In the remainder of the paper I present an argument, based on two claims about the nature of the imagination, against the view that the bodily self is presented in bodily awareness. Section two defends the dependency thesis; a claim about the relation between perception and sensory imagination. Section three defends a certain view about our capacity to imagine being other people. Section four presents the main argument against the bodily self awareness view and section five addresses some objections.
When an Empire is not an Empire: The US Case
Authors: King Desmond 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis paper critically assesses the description ‘empire’ as applied to the United States in the twentieth century, proposing that US policy makers lack the territorial and occupation motives pre-requisite to being an imperial power. It is proposed that the USA is better described as an empire by accident than by design. Americans’ domestic experience of nation-building within the USA, since the early twentieth century, helps account for their unwillingness to permit the USA to be an imperial nation.
‘One Man Alone’? A Longue Durée Approach to Italy's Foreign Policy under Berlusconi
Authors: Brighi Elisabetta 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBy adopting a longue durée approach this paper aims to move the debate on Italy's foreign policy under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi beyond the presentism and personalization currently dominating it. It argues firstly that the equation of Italian foreign policy with Berlusconi – irresistible as it may be – does not ultimately hold, and secondly that Berlusconi's ‘new course’ in foreign policy has to be put in a broader context. A more historically informed reading of the subject can on the one hand confer meaning and substance to what otherwise could appear to be a supremely ephemeral foreign policy, and on the other help illuminate its current trajectory and future implications. Far from being the product of ‘one man alone’ and his surreal quirks, the recent change in Italy's foreign policy results from a particular dialectic interplay between structural and contingent developments, which have come to intersect at this particular time.
Democracy, Human Rights and Market Development in Turkey: Are They Related?
Authors: Mousseau Demet Yalcin 
Published: March 2006

AbstractSome studies suggest that market-based economic development with state policies based on the rule of law are essential in stabilizing democracy and protecting civil and political rights. This article explores a possible association between weak civil and political rights, democratic instability and the delay in a state-regulated market development under the rule of law in Turkey. Despite its experience with democratic institutions since the 1950s, Turkey can be characterized as an ‘illiberal’ democracy because of its poor record on human rights. The lack of a relatively autonomous and competitive market economy may be explained by clientelist and inegalitarian forms of state intervention. These in turn contribute to the perpetuation of low income levels, a clientelist rent-seeking political and economic culture and unstable and illiberal democracy.
Importance of host oviposition pattern and plant size for the selection of Trichogramma strains to control the diamondback moth
Authors: Tabone Elisabeth , Bardon Céline , Pintureau Bernard , Alauzet Claude 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe aim of this work was to select a candidate strain of Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) to control the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), an important pest of cabbage in Europe. The parasitic efficiency of Trichogramma chilonis Ishii from Japan and Réunion Island, Trichogramma evanescens Westwood from Egypt, Trichogramma ostriniae Pang & Chen from Japan, and Trichogramma semblidis (Aurivillius) from France was studied with sentinel eggs in greenhouse‐grown cauliflower. The percentage of parasitized eggs was measured 1 m from the release point and 3 days after release. Two factors were studied: host‐egg density (three eggs per stem vs. 50 eggs per stem) and plant size (50–100 cm high plants vs. 100–150 cm high plants). Trichogramma evanescens from Egypt achieved the best parasitism. Parasitism efficiency of T. ostriniae from Japan and T. chilonis from Réunion Island was not influenced by egg density. In contrast, parasitism efficiencies of the three other strains were higher at the lower egg density than at the higher egg density. Parasitism efficiency was lower when the plants were bigger, with the exception of T. chilonis from Réunion Island, for which the level of parasitism was not affected by plant size. Thus, T. chilonis from Réunion Island appeared to be the most suitable Trichogramma strain for use in controlling P. xylostella, regardless of the growth stage of the crop. However, T. ostriniae from Japan may also be more suitable for use on cauliflower crops at the early stage of crop development. If potential problems related to the introduction of exotic species are taken into consideration, it is possible to consider the native T. evanescens.
Eicosanoid actions in insect cellular immune functions
Authors: Stanley David W. , Miller Jon S. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractInsects are more or less constantly challenged with a daunting array of pathogenic organisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoans as well as various metazoan parasites and parasitoids. At the first level of defense, the pathogens are rebuffed by physical barriers, including the cuticle and peritrophic membrane. Upon breaching these barriers, pathogens meet with an arsenal of robust and efficacious immune defense mechanisms. Two general categories of defenses are typically recognized, humoral defenses and hemocytic or cellular defenses. The former involves induced synthesis of various antibacterial proteins and peptides, such as cecropins and lysozyme. Cellular defense mechanisms are characterized by direct interactions between circulating hemocytes and the invaders. These include phagocytosis, microaggregation, nodulation, and encapsulation. Microaggregation is a step in the nodulation process, which is responsible for clearing the bulk of bacterial infections from circulation. Coordinated cellular actions lead to encapsulation of invaders, such as parasitoid eggs, that are very much larger than individual hemocytes. While the defense mechanisms are broadly appreciated, less is known about the biochemical signals responsible for mediating and coordinating the cellular actions. We now know eicosanoids mediate phagocytosis, microaggregation, and nodulation reactions to immune challenge, as well as cell spreading, a specific step in nodulation. We have several goals in this mini review. We provide a brief background on cellular immunity, outline eicosanoid biosynthesis, and review eicosanoid actions in cellular immunity in insects. Recent work indicates some pathogens have usurped eicosanoid‐mediated immunity; they disable insect immunity by inhibiting eicosanoid biosynthesis. We interpret these findings and their significance with respect to the biological control of insects. We also present preliminary work designed to test hypotheses on how eicosanoids exert their actions. We address shortcomings in our knowledge on eicosanoids in insect biology.