bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of different methods for detecting methicillin resistance in MRSA isolates belonging to international lineages commonly isolated in the American continent
Authors: Silva‐Carvalho Maria Cícera , Teixeira Lenise Arneiro , Ferreira Fabienne Antunes , Ribeiro Apoena , Ferreira‐Carvalho Bernadete Teixeira , Figueiredo Agnes Marie Sá 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThe aim of the present paper was to compare different methods for detecting methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Among the isolates analyzed, 52 belonged to MRSA international lineages commonly detected in the American continent and 14 to sporadic MRSA clones. Both 30 μg‐cefoxitin disk and PBP2a had 100% sensibility/specificity when the low‐level heterogeneous isolates were tested and, thus, are highly recommended.
Neutralizing antibody against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)‐coronavirus spike is highly effective for the protection of mice in the murine SARS model
Authors: Ishii Koji , Hasegawa Hideki , Nagata Noriyo , Ami Yasushi , Fukushi Shuetsu , Taguchi Fumihiro , Tsunetsugu‐Yokota Yasuko 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTWe evaluated the efficacy of three SARS vaccine candidates in a murine SARS model utilizing low‐virulence Pp and SARS‐CoV coinfection. Vaccinated mice were protected from severe respiratory disease in parallel with a low virus titer in the lungs and a high neutralizing antibody titer in the plasma. Importantly, the administration of spike protein‐specific neutralizing monoclonal antibody protected mice from the disease, indicating that the neutralization is sufficient for protection. Moreover, a high level of IL‐6 and MCP‐1 production, but not other 18 cytokines tested, on days 2 and 3 after SARS‐CoV infection was closely linked to the virus replication and disease severity, suggesting the importance of these cytokines in the lung pathogenicity of SARS‐CoV infection.
Impaired body balance, fine motor function and hearing in women with Turner syndrome
Authors: El‐Mansoury Mostafa , Barrenäs Marie‐Louise , Bryman Inger , Hanson Charles , Landin‐Wilhelmsen Kerstin 
Published: November 2008

SummaryObjective  Fractures are related to falling. Turner syndrome (TS) is associated with hypogonadism, osteoporosis and fractures and has been considered as a syndrome of early ageing. The aim was to study whether fine motor function (FM) and body balance (BB) were impaired and related to genotype, fractures, metabolic variables and hearing.Design  Cross‐sectional study.Patients  TS women, n = 75, mean age 30 years (range 16–59) and treated with oestrogen hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at the out‐patient clinic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden, and 31 healthy controls, mean age 37 years (range 24–63).Measurements  Six FM and eight BB tests with open and closed eyes, respectively, were done. Bone mineral density was estimated with Dual energy X‐ray Absorptiometry. Presence/absence of fractures was noted, blood samples were taken and audiometry was done in the TS women.Results  TS women had poorer FM (27·4 ± 6·0 vs. 32·8 ± 2·2; P < 0·0001) and BB (28·0 ± 8·1 vs. 34·7 ± 2·4; P < 0·0001) than controls. FM was poorer in TS women with hearing aids compared to those without (P < 0·05). FM and BB were negatively correlated with age, waist : hip ratio and positively correlated with hearing, and bone mineral density, and BB was negatively correlated with physical activity in TS women. BB correlated negatively with age in controls. FM, BB and hearing function were poorer in 45,X, nonmosaics, than in 45,X/46,XX, mosaics.Conclusions  FM and BB were poorer in adult TS women on HRT than in controls. Higher age, hearing impairment, osteoporosis, abdominal obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and the TS per se were strong determinants, and mosaicism mitigated both fine motor function and BB in TS.
Covariation of stream community structure and biomass of algae, invertebrates and fish with forest cover at multiple spatial scales
Authors: STEPHENSON JAYNIE M. , MORIN ANTOINE 
Published: November 2008

Summary1. To evaluate the spatial extent of the effects of forest cover on stream ecosystems, we measured algae, invertebrate, and fish biomass and invertebrate and fish community structure in 38 small first‐ to third‐order streams in the National Capital Region of Canada along with forest cover at different spatial scales.2. We considered 55 spatial scales of forest cover including several buffer widths (doubling 10–320 m) and lengths (doubling 10–1280 m, entire riparian distance upstream from sampling area) and entire catchments to determine which spatial scale maximized the correlation with biomass and metrics of community structure.3. The proportion of variability in biomass and structural metrics explained by forest cover generally increased with increasing scale, suggesting that catchment‐wide disturbances are the most influential determinants of benthic and fish communities.4. Catchment forest cover explained more variation in algal (adjusted r2 = 0.54), invertebrate (adjusted r2 = 0.51) and fish (adjusted r2 = 0.33) biomass than structural metrics of invertebrates and fish (adjusted r2 = 0.08–0.27).5. Analyses of the partial effects of forest cover at three scales (reach, riparian and the entire catchment) on biomass and community structure metrics identified catchment and reach scales as being most influential and never detected a significant partial effect of forest cover at the riparian scale.6. These results suggest that maintenance or protection of reach and riparian buffers alone will not sufficiently protect stream function and structure from catchment‐wide impacts.
Development of Galanin‐Containing Nerve Fibres in Rat Tibia
Authors: Gajda M. , Litwin J. A. , Zagólski O. , Lis G. J. , Cichocki T. , Timmermans J.‐P. , Adriaensen D. 
Published: November 2008

SummaryGalanin exerts tonic inhibition of nociceptive input to the central nervous system. Recently, this peptide was demonstrated in several neuronal and non‐neuronal structures in bones and joints. In this study, the time of appearance and topographic localization of galanin‐containing nerve fibres in bone were studied in rats from gestational day 16 (GD16) to postnatal day 21 (PD21). The tibia was chosen as a model of developing long bone and indirect immunofluorescence combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to identify galanin‐immunoreactive (GAL‐IR) nerve fibres. The earliest, sparse GAL‐IR fibres were observed on GD21 in the perichondrium of both epiphyses and in the periosteum of the diaphysis. From PD1 onwards, GAL‐IR fibres were also seen in the bone marrow cavity and in the region of the inter‐condylar eminence of the knee joint. Intramedullary GAL‐IR fibres in proximal and distal metaphyses appeared around PD1. Some of them accompanied blood vessels, although free fibres were also seen. GAL‐IR fibres located in the cartilage canals of both epiphyses were observed from PD7, in the secondary ossification centres from PD10 and in the bone marrow of both epiphyses from PD14. The time course and localization of galanin‐containing nerve fibres resemble the development of substance P‐ and CGRP‐expressing nerve fibres, thus suggesting their sensory origin.
Rice Yield Gap due to Iron Toxicity in West Africa
Authors: Audebert A. , Fofana M. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractIron toxicity is a widespread nutrient disorder in lowland rice, notably in West Africa. It occurs in irrigated or rain‐fed rice crops when the soil contains excessive amounts of iron. Associated with leaf discoloration symptoms (bronzing), this excessive iron uptake causes poor growth and tillering and leads to severe yield reductions. Field experiments were carried out in West Africa from 1994 to 1998 at two sites with high iron toxicity and one non‐toxic site to assess the effects of iron toxicity on rice cropping and evaluate the tolerance of promising rice cultivars available in West Africa. To estimate yield losses caused by iron toxicity, the yield potential was simulated using the ORYZA‐S rice growth and yield model. Based on the potential yield, the yield loss in an iron‐toxic site is the combination of the yield gap caused by unknown site factors and the yield gap caused by iron toxicity. Compared to the referential yield obtained in a non‐iron‐toxic site, iron toxicity reduced rice yields by 16–78 % (mean 43 %). The extent of the yield loss depended on rice cultivar, iron toxicity intensity and crop management strategy (water control and mineral fertilisation). A strong correlation obtained between yield and the iron toxicity score, based on visual symptoms indicated an approx. 400 kg ha−1 yield loss for each visual score point increase. The high genetic variability in iron toxicity tolerance and close correlation between leaf symptom score and grain yield between rice genotypes provide a good basis for breeding varieties that can produce higher yields under iron‐toxic conditions.
Differentiation of Two Pathogens of Powdery Mildew Disease in Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) by PCR‐mediated Method Based on ITS Sequences
Authors: Shi Ainong , Kantartzi Stella K. , Mmbaga Margaret T. , Chen Pengyin 
Published: November 2008

AbstractTwo fungi, Phyllactinia guttata and Erysiphe pulchra were identified as the pathogens of powdery mildew of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). The objective of this research was to identify and distinguish the two fungi by developing species‐specific primers. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) universal primers and a series of species‐specific primers designed from the ITS regions were used to evaluate and validate the two fungi causing powdery mildew in dogwood. Four primer pairs showed specificity to P. guttata and three to E. pulchra. These species‐specific primer pairs can be used as molecular markers to provide diagnostic tools for detection and differentiation of the two powdery mildew pathogens in flowering dogwood.
The operational sex ratio of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus populations: the case of the Mediterranean marine protected area of Ustica Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)
Authors: Gianguzza Paola , Badalamenti Fabio , Gianguzza Fabrizio , Bonaviri Chiara , Riggio Silvano 
Published: November 2008

AbstractWe investigated, with a series of field and laboratory observations, the possible effect of the starfish Marthasteria glacialis predation on the operational sex ratio (OSR), i.e. the number of sexually mature males divided by the total number of sexually mature adults of both sexes at any one time, of the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The OSR was estimated three times during the sea urchin summer spawning period (July 2004, June 2005 and July 2006) on barren substrates of Ustica Island Marine Protected Area (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Four sites were selected: two characterized by high M. glacialis density (take zone C) and two controls with low starfish density (no‐take zone A). Mature sea urchins were independently collected by SCUBA diving and sexed. The adult sex ratio was skewed towards males at high M. glacialis density sites, whereas it was balanced (1:1) at predator low‐density sites. Results of sex‐selective feeding experiments in the laboratory showed that females of P. lividus were more vulnerable to M. glacialis predation. These outcomes underline the possible importance of M. glacialis in regulating the OSR of P. lividus populations.
Uterine Insemination with a Standard AI Dose in a Sow Pool System
Authors: Peltoniemi OAT , Alm K , Andersson M 
Published: November 2008

ContentsThe effect of uterine AI with a standard dose of spermatozoa on fertility of the sow was studied in a field trial. The trial involved a sow pool system with 440 sows using AI as the primary method of breeding. Sows were twice a day checked for oestrus symptoms by back pressure test in front of a boar on days 3–6 after weaning. When in standing heat, sows were randomly allocated into either a uterine insemination group (UTER, n = 157) or standard AI group (CONT, n = 169) and bred accordingly using 3 billion spermatozoa in 80 ml of extender. In both treatment groups, insemination was repeated once if the sow was still receptive 24 h later. Using pregnancy (farrowed or not) and live‐born litter size as the outcome variables, a logistic and linear regression approach, respectively, was taken to study the effect of the following factors: treatment (UTER vs CONT), AI operator, breed, satellite herd preceding weaning, parity, weaning‐to‐oestrus interval and length of lactation. Overall, live‐born litter size was 11.3 ± 2.9, repeat breeding rate 4.2% and farrowing rate 91.2%. In the UTER group, 93.6% of inseminated sows farrowed, whereas farrowing rate for the CONT group was 88.8% (p = 0.13). Intrauterine insemination with a standard AI dose did not result in a significant improvement in the live‐born litter size (11.5 ± 2.8 for the UTER and 11.1 ± 3.0 for the CONT sows, respectively, p = 0.13). However, the preceding satellite herd had a highly significant effect on the live‐born litter size (12.4 ± 2.6; 11.1 ± 2.9; 10.8 ± 2.9 and 10.9 ± 2.9 for the four satellite herds, p < 0.01). We conclude that uterine insemination did not have a significant effect on live‐born litter size and farrowing rate and we also conclude that satellite herd appears to have a major effect on fertility in a sow pool system.
Reinstated ethanol‐seeking in rats is modulated by environmental context and requires the nucleus accumbens core
Authors: Chaudhri Nadia , Sahuque Lacey L. , Cone Jackson J. , Janak Patricia H. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe reinstatement of ethanol (EtOH)‐seeking induced by an EtOH‐predictive light‐tone stimulus is enhanced in an environment associated with prior EtOH self‐administration (SA) compared with a context associated with EtOH unavailability (Tsiang & Janak, 2006). Here we hypothesized that EtOH‐seeking would be elicited by the conditioned sensory stimulus properties of EtOH and that this reinstatement would be similarly modulated by context. We also determined whether pharmacologically inactivating the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key structure in relapse circuitry, would attenuate reinstated EtOH‐seeking. Rats lever‐pressed for oral EtOH (10% v/v) in operant conditioning chambers distinguished by specific visual, olfactory and tactile stimuli. Responding was then extinguished by withholding EtOH in a different context. EtOH‐seeking, expressed as elevated responding without EtOH delivery, was subsequently tested by presenting an oral EtOH prime (two aliquots of 0.1 mL EtOH) in either the extinction or the prior EtOH‐SA context. Rats received a microinfusion (0.3 μL/hemisphere) of saline or GABA agonists (muscimol/baclofen) into the NAc core or shell immediately before the reinstatement test. Robust EtOH‐seeking was observed in the prior EtOH‐SA but not the extinction context in saline‐pretreated rats. This effect was significantly attenuated by inactivating the NAc core but not shell. Conversely, NAc shell inactivation significantly elevated lever‐pressing in the extinction context. These data suggest that the sensory stimulus properties of oral EtOH can reinstate EtOH‐seeking when experienced in the appropriate context and that functional activity in the NAc core is required for this effect. In contrast, the shell may normally inhibit incorrect behavioral responses.
Epileptiform activity induces distance‐dependent alterations of the Ca2+ extrusion mechanism in the apical dendrites of subicular pyramidal neurons
Authors: Srinivas Kalyan V. , Sikdar Sujit K. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie acquired changes in Ca2+ dynamics of different neuronal compartments are important in the induction and maintenance of epileptiform activity. Simultaneous electrophysiology and Ca2+ imaging techniques were used to understand the basic properties of dendritic Ca2+ signaling in rat subicular pyramidal neurons during epileptiform activity. Distance‐dependent changes in the Ca2+ decay kinetics locked to spontaneous epileptiform discharges and back‐propagating action potentials were observed in the apical dendrites. A decrement in the mean τ value of Ca2+ decay was observed in distal parts (95–110 μm) of the apical dendrites compared with proximal segments (30–45 μm) in in‐vitro epileptic conditions but not in control. Pharmacological agents that block Ca2+ transporters, i.e. Na+/ Ca2+ exchangers (Benzamil), plasma membrane Ca2+‐ATPase pumps (Calmidazolium) and smooth endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase pumps (Thapsigargin), were applied locally to the proximal and distal part of the apical dendrites in both experimental conditions to understand the molecular aspects of the Ca2+ extrusion mechanisms. The relative contribution of Na+/Ca2+ exchangers in Ca2+ extrusion was higher in the distal apical dendrites in the in‐vitro epileptic condition and this property modulated the excitability of the neuron in simulation. The Ca2+ homeostatic mechanisms that restore normal Ca2+ levels could play a major neuroprotective role in the distal dendrites that receive synaptic inputs.
Burkholderia spp. are the most competitive symbionts of Mimosa, particularly under N‐limited conditions
Authors: Elliott Geoffrey N. , Chou Jui‐Hsing , Chen Wen‐Ming , Bloemberg Guido V. , Bontemps Cyril , Martínez‐Romero Esperanza , Velázquez Encarna , Young J. Peter W. , Sprent Janet I. , James Euan K. 
Published: November 2008

SummaryBacteria isolated from Mimosa nodules in Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Mexico and Puerto Rico were identified as belonging to either the α‐ or β‐proteobacteria. The β‐proteobacterial Burkholderia and Cupriavidus strains formed effective symbioses with the common invasive species Mimosa diplotricha, M. pigra and M. pudica, but the α‐proteobacterial Rhizobium etli and R. tropici strains produced a range of symbiotic phenotypes from no nodulation through ineffective to effective nodulation, depending on Mimosa species. Competition studies were performed between three of the α‐proteobacteria (R. etli TJ167, R. tropici NGR181 and UPRM8021) and two of the β‐rhizobial symbionts (Burkholderia mimosarum PAS44 and Cupriavidus taiwanensis LMG19424) for nodulation of these invasive Mimosa species. Under flooded conditions, B. mimosarum PAS44 out‐competed LMG19424 and all three α‐proteobacteria to the point of exclusion. This advantage was not explained by initial inoculum levels, rates of bacterial growth, rhizobia‐rhizobia growth inhibition or individual nodulation rate. However, the competitive domination of PAS44 over LMG19424 was reduced in the presence of nitrate for all three plant hosts. The largest significant effect was for M. pudica, in which LMG19424 formed 57% of the nodules in the presence of 0.5 mM potassium nitrate. In this host, ammonium also had a similar, but lesser, effect. Comparable results were also found using an N‐containing soil mixture, and environmental N levels are therefore suggested as a factor in the competitive success of the bacterial symbiont in vivo.
Harmonising Higher Education and Innovation Policies: Canada from an International Perspective
Authors: Lavoie Marie 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThis paper focuses on the relevance of harmonising higher education and innovation strategies in the context of fostering economic growth, illustrated by the particular weak point in the case of Canada. The present‐day market for highly‐skilled labour is global and therefore increasingly porous. A government that wishes to avoid losing its highly‐skilled workers to countries that can provide more attractive conditions must aim at investing simultaneously in tertiary education and science and engineering infrastructure. Ideally, supply (higher education) and demand side (innovation) policies would interact in a balanced way. Canada is located at the two extreme ends of investment in higher education and innovation and will be compared to other OECD countries. The paper concludes that seeking policy convergence in innovation and higher education with leading countries is not sufficient to reach growth and can produce disappointing results for talented people whose career expectations may remain unfulfilled. It is therefore crucial for a country to develop higher education and innovation ‘in harmony’ with the global context and also to achieve harmony between other policies and institutions in its own national context.
Examining the Impact of Opportunity Bursaries on the Financial Circumstances and Attitudes of Undergraduate Students in England
Authors: West Anne , Emmerson Carl , Frayne Christine , Hind Audrey 
Published: November 2008

AbstractNotwithstanding the expansion of higher education across the OECD, there continues to be concern about the levels of participation amongst those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In response to this, a new form of financial support for students from low‐income families, the ‘opportunity bursary’, was introduced for a limited period in England from 2001/02. Surveys of two cohorts of opportunity‐bursary applicants were carried out and these suggested possible psychological, behavioural and economic impacts. Fewer opportunity‐bursary recipients than non‐recipients reported that part‐time work had interfered with their studies and more reported that the bursary had made them less worried about meeting the costs of going to university. There was some evidence that the scheme led to increased retention in the first year of university study; it also appeared to lead to lower levels of debt, in particular bank overdrafts or credit card debt.
Muscarinic receptor regulation of osmosensitive taurine transport in human SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells
Authors: Foster Daniel J. , Vitvitsky Victor M. , Banerjee Ruma , Heacock Anne M. , Fisher Stephen K. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe ability of G protein‐coupled receptors to regulate osmosensitive uptake of the organic osmolyte, taurine, into human SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells has been examined. When monitored under isotonic conditions and in the presence of physiologically relevant taurine concentrations (1–100 μM), taurine influx was mediated exclusively by a Na+‐dependent, high‐affinity (Km = 2.5 μM) saturable transport mechanism (Vmax = 0.087 nmol/mg protein/min). Reductions in osmolarity of > 20% (attained under conditions of a constant NaCl concentration) resulted in an inhibition of taurine influx (> 30%) that could be attributed to a reduction inVmax, whereas theKmfor uptake remained unchanged. Inclusion of the muscarinic cholinergic agonist, oxotremorine‐M (Oxo‐M), also resulted in an attenuation of taurine influx (EC50∼0.7 μM). Although Oxo‐M‐mediated inhibition of taurine uptake could be observed under isotonic conditions (∼25–30%), the magnitude of inhibition was significantly enhanced by hypotonicity (∼55–60%), a result that also reflected a reduction in theVmax, but not theKm, for taurine transport. Oxo‐M‐mediated inhibition of taurine uptake was dependent upon the availability of extracellular Ca2+but was independent of protein kinase C activity. In addition to Oxo‐M, inclusion of either thrombin or sphingosine 1‐phosphate also attenuated volume‐dependent taurine uptake. The ability of Oxo‐M to inhibit the influx of taurine was attenuated by 4‐[(2‐butyl‐6,7‐dichloro‐2‐cyclopentyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1‐oxo‐1H‐inden‐5‐yl)oxy]butanoic acid, an inhibitor of the volume‐sensitive organic osmolyte and anion channel. 4‐[(2‐Butyl‐6,7‐dichloro‐2‐cyclopentyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1‐oxo‐1H‐inden‐5‐yl)oxy]butanoic acid also prevented receptor‐mediated changes in the efflux and influx of K+under hypoosmotic conditions. The results suggest that muscarinic receptor activation can regulate both the volume‐dependent efflux and uptake of taurine and that these events may be functionally coupled.