bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on blueberry growth and rhizosphere soil microenvironment
Authors: Wang Mengjiao , Yang Xinlong 
Published: February 2024

Background
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have a specific symbiotic relationship with plants and rhizosphere soil. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of PGPR on blueberry plant growth, rhizospheric soil nutrients and the microbial community.

Methods
In this study, nine PGPR strains, belonging to the genera Pseudomonas and Buttiauxella, were selected and added into the soil in which the blueberry cuttings were planted. All the physiological indexes of the cuttings and all rhizospheric soil element contents were determined on day 6 after the quartic root irrigation experiments were completed. The microbial diversity in the soil was determined using high-throughput amplicon sequencing technology. The correlations between phosphorus solubilization, the auxin production of PGPR strains, and the physiological indexes of blueberry plants, and the correlation between rhizospheric microbial diversity and soil element contents were determined using the Pearson’s correlation, Kendall’s tau correlation and Spearman’s rank correlation analysis methods.

Results
The branch number, leaf number, chlorophyllcontentand plant height of the treated blueberry group were significantly higher than those of the control group. The rhizospheric soil element contents also increased after PGPR root irrigation. The rhizospheric microbial community structure changed significantly under the PGPR of root irrigation. The dominant phyla, except Actinomycetota, in the soil samples had the greatest correlation with phosphorus solubilization and the auxin production of PGPR strains. The branch number, leaf number, and chlorophyllcontent had a positive correlation with the phosphorus solubilization and auxin production of PGPR strains and soil element contents. In conclusion, plant growth could be promoted by the root irrigation of PGPR to improve rhizospheric soil nutrients and the microenvironment, with modification of the rhizospheric soil microbial community.

Discussion
Plant growth could be promoted by the root irrigation of PGPR to improve rhizospheric soil nutrients and the microenvironment, with the modification of the rhizospheric soil microbial community. These data may help us to better understand the positive effects of PGPR on blueberry growth and the rhizosphere soil microenvironment, as well as provide a research basis for the subsequent development of a rhizosphere-promoting microbial fertilizer.
Smoke Signals: Unraveling the Link between Cigarette Smoking and Serum Liver Markers
Authors: Barapatre Amit , Yadav Swapnil Hindurao , Vengurlekar Shubhada Girish , Shah Meeta Piyush , Kinage Kalpana Ganesh , Shardhul Jyoti Prashant , Pathare Santosh Shivpal 
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is a major cause of global mortality and morbidity. It exposes the body to many harmful substances, such as cytotoxic, carcinogenic and free radicals, that can damage various organs. This study aims to investigate the effects of different levels of tobacco exposure on liver tissue, by measuring some serum biochemical markers of liver function.
Materials and Methods: The project conducted at T.N.M.C Mumbai from January to December 2021 involved 60 male participants (18–35 years old), divided into smokers (30) and non-smokers (30). Smokers had varying smoking durations (1-5 years). Excluded participants with diseases affecting liver enzymes. Groups were age-matched for analysis. Smokers defined as those smoking >20 cigarettes daily for >1 month. Collected 5.0 ml venous blood, processed in heparinized tubes, and centrifuged for plasma separation. Enzymes SGOT, SGPT, ALP, Total Bilirubin, Direct Bilirubin were measured, and statistical analysis revealed significant differences.
Results: In the study, age comparison between smokers and non-smokers showed no significant difference (p = 0.71). However, smokers exhibited significantly higher mean serum concentrations of SGOT and SGPT compared to non-smokers (p = 0.002 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Smokers also had elevated levels of ALP and total bilirubin with mean differences of 16.3 IU/L and 0.392 mg/dl, supported by 95% confidence intervals (6.72, 26.18) and (0.28, 0.504) and p values of 0.003 and 0.0004, respectively. No significant difference was observed in direct bilirubin levels (mean difference: 0.084 mg/dl, 95% CI: 0.065, 0.103, p = 0.191)
Conclusion: In summary, the study suggests a correlation between smoking and elevated serum levels of liver enzymes and damage markers, indicating a potential adverse impact on liver function and increased susceptibility to liver diseases.
Correlates of body mass evolution in primates
Authors: Soligo Christophe 
Published: January 2006

AbstractBody mass is undoubtedly central to the overall adaptive profile of any organism. Despite this, very little is known of what forces drive evolutionary changes in body mass and, consequently, shape patterns of body mass distribution exhibited by animal radiations. The search for factors that may influence evolutionary processes in general frequently focuses on environmental parameters such as climate change or interspecific competition. With respect to body mass, there is also the suggestion that evolutionary lineages may follow an inherent trend toward increased body mass, known as Cope's rule. The present paper investigates whether overall directional trends of body mass change, or correlations between patterns of body mass evolution and environmental factors have influenced the evolution of body mass in plesiadapiforms and primates. Analyses of the global fossil record of plesiadapiforms and primates suggest that the former did indeed follow an overall trend toward increased body mass compatible with the predictions of Cope's rule. In contrast, neither primates as a whole, nor a number of individual primate radiations (Adapiformes, Omomyiformes, and Anthropoidea), show any indication of overall directional patterns of body mass change. No correlations of primate body mass change with either the latitudinal distribution of fossil species, or with estimates of global temperature trends, were found. There is evidence, however, that direct competition between omomyiforms and adapiforms (the two main primate radiations known from the Paleogene) influenced processes of body mass evolution in omomyiforms. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Connexin43 levels are increased in mouse neural crest cells exposed to homocysteine
Authors: Boot Marit J. , Gittenberger‐de Groot Adriana C. , Poelmann Robert E. , Gourdie Robert G. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractBACKGROUNDElevated homocysteine levels during embryonic development can result in neural tube and cardiovascular defects. The mechanisms that underlie the toxic effect of homocysteine are largely unknown.METHODSWe cultured mouse neural tube explants to study the effects of homocysteine on the migratory behavior of neural crest cells and on the levels of the gap junction protein Connexin43 (Cx43) and the actin‐ and Cx43‐interacting protein ZO‐1.RESULTSHomocysteine exposure resulted in a significantly augmented maximal migration distance (MMD). The level of Cx43 immunolabeling was 2 times higher in the cytoplasm and cell protrusions of neural crest cells in homocysteine‐treated cultures than in control cultures. Furthermore, colocalization of Cx43 and ZO‐1 was increased in neural crest cell protrusions by this treatment.CONCLUSIONIncreased Cx43 levels were previously shown to result in abnormal embryonic development. Our data raises the hypothesis that the embryotoxic effects of homocysteine may be mediated in part by its effects on Cx43 expression level and gap junction function in neural crest cells. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis and Testing of Mechanism‐Based Protein‐Profiling Probes for Retaining Endo‐glycosidases
Authors: Williams Spencer J. , Hekmat Omid , Withers Stephen G. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractNew functional proteomics methods are required for targeting and identification of subsets of a proteome in an activity‐based fashion. Glycosidases play critical roles in biology, yet a robust method for functional analysis of their activities and identities in biological proteomes is still lacking. An aryl 2‐deoxy‐2‐fluoro xylobioside inactivator was conjugated through cleavable and noncleavable linker arms to a biotin tag, thereby yielding two new active‐site‐directed reagents for activity‐based profiling of retaining β‐glycanases in complex proteomes. Crucially, these tagged reagents possess high specificity for their target enzymes with kinetic parameters similar to those of the untagged reagent. Western blotting showed that these reagents bind and covalently label active retaining β‐glycanases both in pure enzyme samples and in the secreted proteome of the soil bacterium Cellulomonas fimi. Such reagents therefore show great promise for future activity‐based targeting of glycanases.
Reverse Prenyltransferase in the Biosynthesis of Fumigaclavine C in Aspergillus fumigatus: Gene Expression, Purification, and Characterization of Fumigaclavine C Synthase FGAPT1
Authors: Unsöld Inge A. , Li Shu‐Ming 
Published: January 2006

AbstractA putative prenyltransferase gene—fgaPT1—has been identified in the biosynthetic gene cluster of fumigaclavines in Aspergillus fumigatus AF293. The gene was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the His6‐fusion FgaPT1 was purified to near homogeneity and characterized biochemically. The enzyme was found to convert fumigaclavine A into fumigaclavine C by attaching a dimethylallyl moiety to C‐2 of the indole nucleus in a “reverse” manner, that is, by connection of C‐3 of the dimethylallyl moiety to an aromatic nucleus. FgaPT1 is a soluble, dimeric protein with a subunit size of 50 kDa. Km(app) values for fumigaclavine A and dimethylallyl diphosphate were determined to be 6 and 13 μM, respectively, while the turnover number was 0.8 s−1. Metal ions such as Mg2+ and Ca2+ are not essential for the enzymatic activity. FgaPT1 showed relatively strict substrate specificity towards fumigaclavine A, with only dimethylallyl diphosphate being accepted as a donor under our conditions. FgaPT1 is the first reverse prenyltransferase from fungi to have been purified and characterized in homogenous form after heterologous overproduction. Surprisingly, it shows very low sequence similarity to the recently identified prenyltransferase LtxC from cyanobacteria, which also catalyzes the reverse prenylation of an indole nucleus.
Predictive Dynamic Model of Air Separation by Pressure Swing Adsorption
Authors: Sadeghzadeh Ahari J. , Pakseresht S. , Mahdyarfar M. , Shokri S. , Zamani Y. , Nakhaei pour A. , Naderi F. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractA general dynamic model is developed for separation of air over a carbon molecular sieve and a zeolite adsorbent for production of nitrogen and oxygen. The proposed model is validated using experimental data from working laboratory scale N2–PSA and laboratory scale O2–PSA systems. Simulations studies are performed to investigate the effect of changing various process variables, such as the duration of PSA steps, bed length and feed inlet velocity.
Separation of tert‐Butyl Alcohol‐Water Mixtures by a Heterogeneous Azeotropic Batch Distillation Process
Authors: Huiyuan W. , Songlin X. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractTert‐butyl alcohol and water form an azeotrope at normal pressure. Simple distillation cannot be used to separate these two components. In this article, a systematic study of the separation of tert‐butyl alcohol–water mixtures with an entrainer by heterogeneous azeotropic batch distillation was performed. Based upon the thermodynamic behavior of the ternary mixtures, cyclohexane was chosen as the entrainer. It formed ternary and binary heterogeneous azeotropes with the original components. The process feasibility analysis was validated by using rigorous simulation with chemical process simulation software – HYSYS Plant 2.2 and DISTIL 4.1. Simulation results were then corroborated in a batch experimental column for the selected entrainer.
Micromixing in Reactive, Deformable Bubble and Droplet Swarms
Authors: Koynov A. A. , Khinast J. G. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractDetailed, high‐resolution numerical simulations have been performed of the buoyancy‐driven motion of deformable, chemically reacting bubble and droplet swarms. Mass transfer rates and chemical reaction selectivities were determined and a comparison is presented between the results for bubble/droplet swarms and single bubbles. The mixing in the wake of bubbles was characterized as well. It was shown that for mixing‐sensitive reaction networks, the hydrodynamics of the bubble swarm may significantly impact the reaction selectivity. Four special cases are highlighted, i.e., highly exothermic reactions, heterogeneously catalyzed reactions, animal cell cultures and experiments. The most important outcome of this work is that bubble swarms and the impact of the swarm hydrodynamics on reacting systems can be studied in detail. This is the first study of this kind reported in the literature. Its importance is paramount as knowledge of the unique flow dynamics inside bubble swarms is crucial to understanding the mechanisms controlling mass transport and chemical reactions and is a prerequisite for effective process intensification.
Factors influencing inclusion of patients with malignancies in clinical trials
Authors: Tournoux Caroline , Katsahian Sandrine , Chevret Sylvie , Levy Vincent 
Published: January 2006

AbstractParticipation in clinical trials remains low and is a central issue in oncology. The authors identified, through a systematic review, 75 papers published up to August 2004 that report barriers to recruitment of patients in clinical trials. These barriers range from patient preference and concern about information/consent to clinical problems with protocols. Strategies to overcome barriers on the part of patients and clinicians are needed and should be carefully evaluated. Thirty‐three (44%) papers reported factors related to patients as influencing the inclusion of patients, 28 (37%) reported clinician's related factors, and 37 (49%) other factors from either specific groups of patients (30 papers, 40%) and/or other scopes (13 papers, 17%). No differences in prevalence were found between papers dedicated to hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Factors related to clinicians as influential were more frequently reported before 1995 (70%) than thereafter (25%; P = 0.0009). Reporting specific groups of patients as influential was more frequent in North American articles (50%) than in others (14%, P = 0.008).Patients' barriers included mostly patient preference (12 papers), concern about information and/or consent (11 papers), worry about uncertainty (7 papers), and/or relationship with medical team (7 papers). Concerning clinicians, incompatibility of protocol with normal practice (nine papers), problems in complying with the protocol (eight papers), and/or consent procedure (eight papers) were the most reported factors. The remaining factors mostly relied on specific groups of patients (30 papers), notably age of patients (18 papers) and/or minority population (11 papers, all from the USA).Strategies to overcome these barriers are needed and should be carefully evaluated. Cancer 2006. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Numerical boundary corrector for elliptic equations with rapidly oscillating periodic coefficients
Authors: Versieux H. M. , Sarkis M. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractWe develop a numerical method to solve

where the matrix a(y)=(aij(y)) is symmetric positive definite, whose entries are periodic functions of y with periodic cell Y. More specifically we assume $ a_{ij} \in C^{1, \beta} (\Re^{2}), \quad \beta > 0 $. It is also assumed that there exists positive constants γa and βa such that $ \gamma_{a} ||\xi ||^{2} \le a_{ij} (y) \xi_{i} \xi_{j} \le \beta_{a} ||\xi||^{2} $ for all $ \xi \in \Re^{2} $ and $ y \in {\bar Y} $. The major goal in this paper is to develop a numerical approximation scheme on a mesh size h > ε (or h≫ε) with quasi‐optimal approximation on L2 and broken H1 norms. The new method is based on asymptotic analysis and a careful treatment of the boundary corrector term. This kind of equation has applications in areas such as the study of flow through porous media and composite materials. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Propargylation of Aromatic Compounds with Propargylic Alcohols
Authors: Inada Youichi , Yoshikawa Masato , Milton Marilyn Daisy , Nishibayashi Yoshiaki , Uemura Sakae 
Published: January 2006

AbstractReactions of propargylic alcohols bearing a terminal alkyne moiety with aromatic compounds in the presence of a catalytic amount of thiolate‐bridged diruthenium complexes give the corresponding propargylated aromatic compounds in high yields with complete selectivity. Intramolecular reactions of propargylic alcohols bearing an aromatic moiety proceed smoothly to afford the cyclized products in high yields with complete selectivity. The stoichiometric reaction of the ruthenium–allenylidene complex [Cp*RuCl(μ2‐SMe)2RuCp*(=C=C=CHPh)]BF4 (Cp* = η5‐C5Me5) with 10 equiv. 2‐methylfuran results in the formation of 2‐methyl‐5‐(1‐phenyl‐2‐propynyl)furan in 34 % yield, indicating that these catalytic reactions proceed via ruthenium–allenylidene intermediates. The reaction is considered to be an electrophilic substitution of aromatic compounds by the ruthenium‐stabilized propargyl cation. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
1H chemical shifts in NMR: Part 23, the effect of dimethyl sulphoxide versus chloroform solvent on 1H chemical shifts
Authors: Abraham Raymond J. , Byrne Jonathan J. , Griffiths Lee , Perez Manuel 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe 1H chemical shifts of 124 compounds containing a variety of functional groups have been recorded in CDCl3 and DMSO‐d6 (henceforth DMSO) solvents. The 1H solvent shift Δδ = δ(DMSO) − δ(CDCl3) varies from −0.3 to +4.6 ppm. This solvent shift can be accurately predicted (rms error 0.05 ppm) using the charge model of α, β, γ and long‐range contributions. The labile protons of alcohols, acids, amines and amides give both, the largest solvent shifts and the largest errors. The contributions for the various groups are tabulated and it is shown that for H.C.C.X γ‐effects (X = OH, NH, O, NH.CO) there is a dihedral angle dependence of the γ‐effect. The group contributions are discussed in terms of the possible solvent–solute interactions. For protic hydrogens, hydrogen bonding is the dominant interaction, but for the remaining protons solvent anisotropy and electric field effects appear to be the major factors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evolutionary and structural feedback on selection of sequences for comparative analysis of proteins
Authors: Mihalek I. , Reš I. , Lichtarge O. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractIt has been noted that slowly evolving protein residues have two properties: (a) they tend to cluster in the native fold, and (b) they delineate functional surfaces—parts of the surface through which the protein interacts with other proteins or small ligands. Herein, we demonstrate that the two are coupled sufficiently strongly that one effect, when observed, statistically implies the other. Detection of both can be accomplished in multiple sequence alignment related methods by the careful selection of relevant sequences. For the demonstration, we use two sets of protein families: a small set of diverse proteins with diverse functional surfaces, and a large set of homodimerizing enzymes. A practical outcome of our considerations is a simple prescriptive rule for the selection of homologous sequences for the comparative analysis of proteins: in order to optimize the detection of (potentially unknown) functional surfaces, it is sufficient to select sequences in such a way that the residues observed at any level of evolutionary divergence, as implied by the alignment, cluster on the folded protein. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Accuracy of the activation energy calculated from a thermoluminescence glow‐peak using a method that uses three points on the peak
Authors: Ogundare F. O. , Chithambo M. L. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThis paper shows that the limitations of the general‐order and peak‐shape methods of kinetic analysis in cases where the retrapping probability greatly exceeds the recombination probability may be avoided if the analysis method proposed by Rasheedy [6–8] is applied. Analysis of computer simulated glow‐curves using the general‐order, peak‐shape, and Rasheedy's protocol showed that Rasheedy's method gave the best agreement between calculated and default values. The accuracy of the method improved for data selected well below 10% of the peak maximum in the initial‐rise region of a glow‐peak. The observed improvement has been attributed to the fact that in the initial‐rise region, the quasiequilibrium condition is better satisfied than at the higher temperature end of the glow‐peak. In general, we find that when the retrapping probability increases, the analysis for kinetic parameters is better carried out on data selected well below 10% of maximum peak intensity. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Modeling dioxygen binding to the non‐heme iron‐containing enzymes
Authors: Nemukhin A. V. , Grigorenko B. L. , Topol I. A. , Burt S. K. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe structures and properties of the complexes formed upon binding the oxygen molecule to the iron sites in non‐heme 2‐oxoglutarate‐dependent enzymes are characterized by QM(CASSCF)/MM and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Molecular models for the calculations are constructed following the crystal structure of hypoxia‐inducible factor asparaginyl hydroxylase (FIH‐1). DFT calculations for the 37‐atomic cluster have been carried out at the B3LYP(LANL2DZdp) level. The flexible effective fragment potential method is used as a combined quantum mechanical–molecular mechanical (QM/MM) technique to characterize the fragment of the enzymatic system, including 1,758 atoms in the MM part and 27 atoms in the QM part. In these calculations, the CASSCF(LANL2DZdp) approach is applied in the QM subsystem, and AMBER force field parameters are used in the MM subsystem. With both approaches, equilibrium geometry configurations have been located for different spin states of the system. In DFT calculations, the order of the states is as follows: septet, triplet (+7.7 kcal/mol), quintet (+10.7 kcal/mol). Geometry configurations correspond to the end‐on structures with no evidences of electron transfer from Fe(II) to molecular oxygen. In contrast, QM(CASSCF)/MM calculations predict the quintet state as the lowest one, while the septet structure has slightly (<2 kcal/mol) higher energy, and the triplet state is considerably more energetic. In QM/MM calculations, in both quintet and septet states, the electronic configurations show considerable electron charge transfer from iron to oxygen, and the oxidation state of iron in the metal binding site can be characterized as Fe(III). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006