bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Virulence of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae to sweet potato weevil Cylas puncticollis and effects on fecundity and egg viability
Authors: Ondiaka S. , Maniania N.K. , Nyamasyo G.H.N. , Nderitu J.H. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThe virulence of eight isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae and four isolates of Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) to adult Cylas puncticollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was tested in the laboratory. Insects were sprayed with a standard concentration of 1.0 × 107 conidia mL−1 using Burgerjon’s spray tower. All the isolates tested were pathogenic to C. puncticollis. Mortality varied between 77.5% and 84.2% with isolates of B. bassiana and between 62.5% and 89.2% with isolates of M. anisopliae, 26 days post‐treatment. The lethal time to 50% mortality for the 12 isolates varied between 9.7 and 18.5 days. Four isolates, M. anisopliae International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) 18 and ICIPE 62 and B. bassiana ICIPE 275 and ICIPE 114 were selected for dose–response mortality [lethal concentration to 50% mortality (LC50)] bioassays. Five concentrations (1.0 × 106, 3.0 × 106, 1.0 × 107, 3.0 × 107 and 1.0 × 108 conidia mL−1) of both fungal species were used. B. bassiana ICIPE 275 was the most active isolate with LC50 value of 0.7 × 106 conidia mL−1. The effect of fungal infection on feeding, fecundity and egg viability of C. puncticollis adult females was also investigated under laboratory conditions. M. anisopliae isolate ICIPE 18 and B. bassiana isolate ICIPE 114 were tested for feeding experiment using six concentrations (0, 1.0 × 106, 3.0 × 106, 1.0 × 107, 3.0 × 107 and 1.0 × 108 conidia mL−1). For reproduction potential (fecundity and egg viability) bioassays, five concentrations (0, 1.0 × 106, 3.0 × 106, 1.0 × 107 and 3.0 × 107 conidia mL−1) of M. anisopliae isolate ICIPE 18 were used. Adult sweet potato weevils (SPWs) treated with M. anisopliae at the concentrations of 3.0 × 107 and 1.0 × 108 conidia mL−1 consumed significantly less food than weevils in the control and B. bassiana treatments at all the concentrations, except at the higher concentration of 1.0 × 108 conidia mL−1, 14 days post‐treatment. Female weevils in the control treatments laid more eggs than fungus‐treated females. Percentage egg viability differences between controls and fungus treatments were significant at all the concentrations tested, 10 days post‐treatment. These results show that B. bassiana and M. anisopliae are pathogenic to SPWs and infection can reduce feeding, fecundity and egg viability.
Discovery of X-ray pulsations from the HMXB source AXJ1749.1-2733
Authors: Karasev D. I. , Tsygankov S. S. , Lutovinov A. A. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
We are reporting the discovery of X-ray pulsations from the source AXJ1749.1-2733 with the period of ∼132 s based on the XMM–Newton data obtained in 2007 March. The observed pulse profile has a double-peaked structure with the pulse fraction of about 25–30 per cent in the 3–10 keV energy band. We have also found that a periodicity with practically the same period has been detected from the source by the IBIS telescope onboard the INTEGRAL observatory during an outburst on 2003 September 9 in the 20–50 keV energy band. Due to the double-peaked pulse profile, there is an additional peak on both periodograms of ∼66 s; therefore we have also investigated the possibility that the last value is the true pulse period. The source spectrum obtained by the XMM–Newton observatory in the soft energy band is being heavily absorbed (NH≃ 2 × 1023 cm−2) due to a strong intrinsic absorption in the binary system that leads to the conclusion that AXJ1749.1-2733 is a new transient X-ray pulsar in the high-mass X-ray binary system.
The dark energy equation of state
Authors: Usmani A. A. , Ghosh P. P. , Mukhopadhyay Utpal , Ray P. C. , Ray Saibal 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
We perform a study of cosmic evolution with an equation of state parameter by selecting a phenomenological Λ model of the form, . This simple proposition explains both linearly expanding and inflationary universes with a single set of equation. We note that the inflation leads to a scaling in the equation of state parameter, ω(t), and hence in equation of state. In this approach, one of its two parameters has been pin pointed and the other has been delineated. It has been possible to show a connection between dark energy and Higgs–Boson.
Leadership Structure and Corporate Governance in Switzerland*
Authors: Schmid Markus M. , Zimmermann Heinz 
Published: March 2008

The question of whether the CEO should also serve as chairman of the board continues to be a controversial issue in corporate governance. While “agency cost” arguments would lead one to advocate separation of the top decision‐making and control functions, there are efficiency and coordination arguments for vesting the powers of the CEO and chair in the same person. And helping to keep the controversy alive, the empirical evidence on U.S. companies is inconclusive, with no clear loss of value associated with having combined CEO/chairmen.The authors use their recent research on Swiss companies, for which separation of the CEO and chair has long been the rule, to shed light on whether one leadership structure clearly dominates. But like most previous studies of U.S. companies, the authors report no evidence of a systematic difference in valuation between companies with combined and those with dual leadership. The authors also investigated whether companies with CEO‐chairmen use other governance mechanisms to counteract potential agency problems associated with giving the CEO effective control. Consistent with this hypothesis, the authors report that CEO/chairmen tend to have larger percentage ownership than CEOs who are not chairmen, but at the same time they find that the value of the firm appears to rise with increases in CEO equity holdings up to a certain point—around 40–50%— and then declines with further increases above that point. The suggestion here is that the potential for agency costs associated with combining the two leadership functions appears to be managed by providing larger—though not too large—equity incentives for CEO/chairmen.Finally, the authors investigated whether firm value is significantly related to firm‐level corporate governance as measured by a broad survey‐based index for a representative sample of Swiss firms. The results show a positive and significant relationship between the governance index and firm value—one that proves robust after controlling for a series of other governance mechanisms related to ownership structure and board characteristics as well as the possible “endogeneity” of these mechanisms.
Na–Picotransporter type I activity causes a transient intracellular alkalinization during ATP depletion in rabbit medullary thick ascending limb cells
Authors: Jans F. , Ameloot M. , Wouters P. , Steels P. 
Published: March 2008

The cellular pathophysiology of renal ischemia–reperfusion injury was investigated in primary cell cultures from rabbit medullary thick ascending limb (MTAL). Metabolic inhibition (MI) was achieved with cyanide and 2-deoxyglucose. Sixty minutes of MI caused a profound but reversible decrease in intracellular concentration of ATP ([ATP]i). Intracellular pH (pHi) first decreased after initiation of MI, followed by a transient alkalinization. When [ATP]ireached its lowest value (<1% of control), the cells slowly acidified to reach a stable pHiof 6.92 after 50 min of MI. In the presence of EIPA (10 µmol/L), the pattern of changes in pHiwas unchanged and acidification was not increased, indicating that the Na+/H+exchangers were inactive during ATP depletion. When inorganic phosphate (Pi) or Na+was omitted from the apical solutions during MI, the transient alkalinization was no longer observed and the cytosol slowly acidified. Experiments on Na+-dependent alkalinizations revealed the presence of a Na–Picotransporter in the apical cell membrane. With indirect immunofluorescence, the Na–Picotransporter expressed in these primary cell cultures could be identified as Na–Pitype I. Although the exact physiological role of Na–Pitype I still is unresolved, these experiments demonstrate that apical Na–Pitype I activity is increased at the onset of ATP depletion in MTAL cells.
Evidence that the etiology of the syndrome containing type 2 diabetes mellitus results from abnormal magnesium metabolism
Authors: Wells Ibert C. 
Published: March 2008

Evidence is reviewed supporting the presence of an inherited structural defect in the plasma membranes of somatic cells of humans who have type 2 diabetes mellitus and sodium-sensitive essential hypertension. This magnesium-binding defect (MgBD) consists of a decreased content of tightly bound Mg2+ion in the cell membrane and limits the amount of Mg2+that enters the cell, some of which combines with ATP4–, produced by the cell, to form MgATP2–, the currency of metabolic energy. Consequently, in both prediabetes and overt diabetes, the intracellular concentration of the interdependent Mg2+and MgATP2–ions is significantly less than normal. These 2 ions are required as cofactors and (or) substrates for some 300 enzyme systems in human metabolism, many of which are involved with insulin. Thus the decreased activities of particular ones of these enzyme systems due to the decreased intracellular [Mg2+] and its dependent [MgATP2–] are responsible for (i) insulin resistance and (ii) decreased insulin secretion and (or) production, the 2 pathophysiological processes required for the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These 2 processes can account for all of the morbid symptoms associated with this disease. Thus, the decreased intracellular concentration of the interdependent Mg2+and MgATP2–ions constitutes the etiology of genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes mellitus and can be corrected by 2 identified peptide Mg2+-binding promoters that are derived from the carboxyl terminal of the tachykinin substance P and occur in normal blood plasma. Decreased intracellular [Mg2+] and [MgATP2–] can also result from a dietary deficiency of magnesium or from an abnormal accumulation of saturated fatty acids in cell membranes, which inhibits the entrance of Mg2+into the cell; thus it is also the etiology not only of diabetes caused by magnesium deficiency, but also of the “lipotoxic” type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although these pathologies cannot be corrected by the Mg2+-binding promoters, they can be corrected, respectively, by dietary magnesium supplementation or by exercise plus dietary caloric and lipid restriction. Theoretically, the disease syndrome containing type 2 diabetes mellitus may involve approximately 30% of the population.
Altered expression of epithelial junctional proteins in atopic asthma: possible role in inflammation
Authors: de Boer W.I. , Sharma H.S. , Baelemans S.M.I. , Hoogsteden H.C. , Lambrecht B.N. , Braunstahl G.J. 
Published: March 2008

Epithelial cells form a tight barrier against environmental stimuli via tight junctions (TJs) and adherence junctions (AJs). Defects in TJ and AJ proteins may cause changes in epithelial morphology and integrity and potentially lead to faster trafficking of inflammatory cells through the epithelium. Bronchial epithelial fragility has been reported in asthmatic patients, but little is known about the expression of TJ and AJ proteins in asthma. We studied epithelial expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and AJ proteins E-cadherin, α-catenin, and β-catenin in bronchial biopsies from nonatopic nonasthmatic (healthy) subjects (n = 14), and stable atopic asthmatic subjects (n = 22) at baseline conditions. Immunostaining for these proteins was semi-quantified for separate cellular compartments. E-cadherin, α-catenin and β-catenin were present in the cellular membrane and less in the cytoplasm. Only β-catenin was present in the nucleus in agreement with its potential function as transcription factor. ZO-1 was present in the apicolateral membrane of superficial cells. α-Catenin expression was significantly lower in subjects with asthma than without and correlated inversely with numbers of eosinophils within the epithelium. ZO-1 and E-cadherin expression were significantly lower in asthmatic than in nonasthmatic subjects. Expression of β-catenin was not different. Our results suggest that the lower epithelial α-catenin, E-cadherin and (or) ZO-1 expression in patients with atopic asthma contributes to a defective airway epithelial barrier and a higher influx of eosinophils in the epithelium.
Late protective effect of pharmacological preconditioning with total flavones of rhododendra against myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury
Authors: Zhang Jian-Hua , Chen Zhi-Wu , Wu Zheng 
Published: March 2008

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of total flavones of rhododendra (TFR) pharmacological preconditioning against myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury and its probable mechanisms in rats. Rat myocardial I/R injury was induced by ligating and untying the left anterior descending coronary artery. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were anesthetized and the chests were opened. All animals were subjected to 30 min of occlusion and 1 h of reperfusion. Twenty-four hours before the 30-minute occlusion, rats received 3 cycles of 5 min intravenous perfusion of TFR (10, 20, 40 mg/kg) or morphine hydrochloride (0.3 mg/kg) or normal saline interspersed with drug-free periods. Changes in the ST segment of ECG, the content of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CK), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in serum were measured. Infarct size (IS), as a percentage of the area at risk (AAR), was determined by TTC staining. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA in rat myocardium was detected by RT-PCR and the expression of iNOS protein was detected by Western blot. Pretreatment with TFR (10, 20, 40 mg/kg) markedly inhibited I/R-induced ST segment elevation of ECG. TFR (20, 40 mg/kg) pretreatment decreased I/R-induced IS/AAR, markedly inhibited the increase of MDA content and the activity of CK and LDH, and also significantly inhibited the decline of NO content and the activity of NOS and SOD in serum. TFR (40 mg/kg) preconditioning significantly inhibited the increase of serum cTnI induced by I/R injury and increased the expression of iNOS both at mRNA and protein levels in rat myocardium. Our findings indicate that TFR preconditioning has a protective effect against myocardial I/R injury in rats. The cardioprotection involves the stimulation of NO release and the inhibition of lipid peroxidation.
Boundary Layer, Cloud, and Drizzle Variability in the Southeast Pacific Stratocumulus Regime
Authors: Serpetzoglou Efthymios , Albrecht Bruce A. , Kollias Pavlos , Fairall Christopher W. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
The southeast Pacific stratocumulus regime is an important component of the earth’s climate system because of its substantial impact on albedo. Observational studies of this cloud regime have been limited, but during the past 5 yr, a series of cruises with research vessels equipped with in situ and remote sensing systems have provided unprecedented observations of boundary layer cloud and drizzle structures. These cruises started with the East Pacific Investigation of Climate (EPIC) 2001 field experiment, followed by cruises in a similar area in 2003 and 2004 [Pan-American Climate Studies (PACS) Stratus cruises]. The sampling from these three cruises provides a sufficient dataset to study the variability occurring over this region. This study compares observations from the 2004 cruise with those obtained during the previous two cruises. Observations from the ship provide information about boundary layer structure, fractional cloudiness, cloud depth, and drizzle characteristics. This study indicates more strongly decoupled boundary layers during the 2004 cruise than the well-mixed conditions that dominated the cloud and boundary layer structures during the EPIC cruise, and the highly variable conditions—sharp transitions from a solid stratus deck to broken-cloud and clear-sky periods—encountered during PACS Stratus 2003. Diurnal forcing and synoptic conditions are considered to be factors affecting these variations. A statistical evaluation of the macrophysical boundary layer, cloud, and drizzle properties is performed using the 5–6-day periods for which the research vessels remained stationed at the location of 20°S, 85°W during each cruise.
Comparison between Singular Vectors and Breeding Vectors as Initial Perturbations for the ECMWF Ensemble Prediction System
Authors: Magnusson Linus , Leutbecher Martin , Källén Erland 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
In this paper a study aimed at comparing the perturbation methodologies based on the singular vector ensemble prediction system (SV-EPS) and the breeding vector ensemble prediction system (BV-EPS) in the same model environment is presented. A simple breeding system (simple BV-EPS) as well as one with regional rescaling dependent on an estimate of the analysis error variance (masked BV-EPS) were used. The ECMWF Integrated Forecast System has been used and the three experiments are compared for 46 forecast cases between 1 December 2005 and 15 January 2006. By studying the distribution of the perturbation energy it was possible to see large differences between the experiments initially, but after 48 h the distributions have converged. Using probabilistic scores, these results show that SV-EPS has a somewhat better performance for the Northern Hemisphere compared to BV-EPS. For the Southern Hemisphere masked BV-EPS and SV-EPS yield almost equal results. For the tropics the masked breeding ensemble shows the best performance during the first 6 days. One reason for this is the current setup of the singular vector ensemble at ECMWF yielding in general very low initial perturbation amplitudes in the tropics.
Toward a Fully Lagrangian Atmospheric Modeling System
Authors: Alam Jahrul M. , Lin John C. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
An improved treatment of advection is essential for atmospheric transport and chemistry models. Eulerian treatments are generally plagued with instabilities, unrealistic negative constituent values, diffusion, and dispersion errors. A higher-order Eulerian model improves one error at significant cost but magnifies another error. The cost of semi-Lagrangian models is too high for many applications. Furthermore, traditional trajectory “Lagrangian” models do not solve both the dynamical and tracer equations simultaneously in the Lagrangian frame. A fully Lagrangian numerical model is, therefore, presented for calculating atmospheric flows. The model employs a Lagrangian mesh of particles to approximate the nonlinear advection processes for all dependent variables simultaneously. Verification results for simulating sea-breeze circulations in a dry atmosphere are presented. Comparison with Defant’s analytical solution for the sea-breeze system enabled quantitative assessment of the model’s convergence and stability. An average of 20 particles in each cell of an 11 × 20 staggered grid system are required to predict the two-dimensional sea-breeze circulation, which accounts for a total of about 4400 particles in the Lagrangian mesh. Comparison with Eulerian and semi-Lagrangian models shows that the proposed fully Lagrangian model is more accurate for the sea-breeze circulation problem. Furthermore, the Lagrangian model is about 20 times as fast as the semi-Lagrangian model and about 2 times as fast as the Eulerian model. These results point toward the value of constructing an atmospheric model based on the fully Lagrangian approach.
A Technique to Determine the Radius of Maximum Wind of a Tropical Cyclone
Authors: Lajoie France , Walsh Kevin 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
A simple technique is developed that enables the radius of maximum wind of a tropical cyclone to be estimated from satellite cloud data. It is based on the characteristic cloud and wind structure of the eyewall of a tropical cyclone, after the method developed by Jorgensen more than two decades ago. The radius of maximum wind is shown to be partly dependent on the radius of the eye and partly on the distance from the center to the top of the most developed cumulonimbus nearest to the cyclone center. The technique proposed here involves the analysis of high-resolution IR and microwave satellite imagery to determine these two parameters. To test the technique, the derived radius of maximum wind was compared with high-resolution wind analyses compiled by the U.S. National Hurricane Center and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. The mean difference between the calculated radius of maximum wind and that determined from observations is 2.8 km. Of the 45 cases considered, the difference in 50% of the cases was ≤2 km, for 33% it was between 3 and 4 km, and for 17% it was ≥5 km, with only two large differences of 8.7 and 10 km.
Jenner
Authors: Macrae James 
Published: March 2008

The Jenner Trust This nonprofit Trust, organized by phy sicians in Bristol, England, has set up a small museum and is restoring the buildings associated with Edward Jenner. The so-called "Temple of Vaccinia" is the summerhouse in his garden which he built as a form of surgery to vaccinate the poor. Representatives of various scholarly bodies are members of the trust, including Professor John Enders of Harvard University. The Chairman is Professor C. Bruce Perry, of Bristol, and Dr. J. Macrae, author of this biographical note, is the Honorary Trea surer. According to Dr. Macrae "The museum has now been visited by perhaps 5,000 peo ple ; Jenner's vinery has been repaired, and Phipps' cottage and the Temple of Vaccinia have been tidied up and put in good order. The activities of the Trust are very much associated with the Norman castle of Berke ley. The present occupant, Major John Berkeley, has given the Trust a great deal of help, and he is now an active member. A small charge is made to visitors to the mu seum. We are glad to receive any donations.
Psychologic Implications of Scrotal Sac and Testes for the Male Child
Authors: Bell Anita I. 
Published: March 2008

The uncontrollable retractability of the testes during cold, fear, anger, sexual arousal, and defecation is the basis for castration anxiety and fear of object loss including body parts. The scrotum is associated with the anal area, which is considered "dirty," leading to the concept that sex is "dirty." Because of the fear that a testicle can fall off, boys tend to achieve bowel training later and with more difficulty than girls. Hor monal changes in prepuberty and puberty, which cause increased size and sensitivity, also increase the masturbatory urge. Feeling guilty about masturbation, a boy may think that he has damaged his sac and testes when he perceives that the left testicle hangs lower than the right, a normal state. In cases of cryptorchidism, both sterility and homosexual problems play an im portant role: physically, if bilateral, sterility and feminizing of the male ensue; psychologically, he develops a depression about his procreative inability and fears homosexual attack. Such attacks are more likely to happen to the cryptor chid boy. The pediatrician is urged to regularly examine the boy in various positions, particu larly before age six. We must caution the pediatrician that his tendency to make a cursory examination may be caused by fears of being accused of making homosexual overtures.
The Moisture Regain of Acetylated Silk Fibroin
Authors: Carr Edward 
Published: March 2008

Moisture regain measurements have been made at 25° C. and 79.3% relative humidity on non-acetylated and acetylated fibroin. The equilibrium moisture content of acetylated fibroin is slightly lower than that of non-acetylated fibroin and varies with the degree of acetylation. In the case of fibres acetylated by the action of acetic anhydride it is shown that the decrease in moisture content is not attributable to the action of liberated acetic acid.