bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia associated with a heterozygous missense mutation of R1174W in the insulin receptor (IR) gene
Authors: Huang Zhimin , Li Yanbing , Tang Tianyi , Xu Wen , Liao Zhihong , Yao Bin , Hu Guoliang , Weng Jianping 
Published: January 2009

SummaryBackground  Mutations in the insulin receptor (IR) gene are known to cause severe insulin resistance. Although clinical features due to a mutation can be diverse, hypoglycaemia is found in some cases. A family with a female proband diagnosed with type A insulin resistance syndrome was studied. Clinical characteristics were compared with the Arginine1174Glutamine (R1174N) mutation reported in the literature.Methods  The proband was a 16‐year‐old girl who was presented with intermittent hypoglycaemia, hirsutism, darkened skin, acne and oligomenorrhoea. A 5‐h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), intravenous glucose tolerance test and continuous glucose monitoring system were performed for evaluation of glucose metabolism and insulin secretion. Results from a hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp on the proband were compared to nine normal glucose tolerance (NGT) controls. The IR gene of the proband, along with her parents and two dizygotic twin brothers were scanned for mutations by direct sequencing.Results  Elevated serum insulin and insulin : C‐peptide ratios were found in the proband, the father and one of the twin brothers, carried a heterozygous missense mutation of Arginine1174Tryptophan (R1174W) in exon20 of the IR gene. The clamp study showed that the nonoxidative glucose disposal rates of the proband were near zero, and that the metabolic clearance rate for insulin was markedly reduced.Conclusions  R1174 of the IR gene may be a candidate locus for hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia. Clinical heterogeneity is not uncommon within families as well as among mutation carriers with different amino acid replacements. More pedigrees and long‐term follow‐up data are needed to document the evolution of β‐cell function and clarify the role of R1174 on insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia.
The use of Vis‐NIR spectral reflectance for determining root density: evaluation of ryegrass roots in a glasshouse trial
Authors: Kusumo B. H. , Hedley M. J. , Hedley C. B. , Hueni A. , Arnold G. C. , Tuohy M. P. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryThis paper reports the use of visible/near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy (Vis‐NIRS) to predict pasture root density. A population of varying grass root densities was created by growing Moata ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) for 72 days in pots of Ramiha silt loam (Allophanic) and Manawatu fine sandy loam (Recent Fluvial) (60 pots for each soil) differentially fertilized with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in a glass house experiment. At harvest, the reflectance spectra (350–2500 nm) from flat sectioned horizontal soil slices (1.3 cm depth), taken from 57 selected pots, were recorded using a portable spectroradiometer (ASD FieldSpec Pro, Boulder, CO). Root densities within each of the soil slices were measured using a wet sieving technique. A large variation in root densities (0.46–5.02 mg dry root cm−3) was obtained from the glass house experiment as plant growth responded to the different soils and rates of N and P fertilizer treatment. Pots of the Manawatu soil contained greater ryegrass root densities (1.76–5.02 mg dry root cm−3) than pots of the Ramiha soil (0.46–3.84 mg dry root cm−3). Each soil had visually distinct reflectance spectra in the range 470–2440 nm, but different root masses produced relatively small differences in reflectance spectra. The first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) of a principal component analysis of the first derivative of the spectral reflectance accounted for 71.3% of the spectral variance and clearly separated the Ramiha and Manawatu soils. PC1, which accounted for 58.4% of the spectral variance, was also well correlated to root density. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) of the first derivative of the 10 nm spaced spectral data against measured root densities produced calibration models that allowed quantitative estimates of root densities (without removing outlier, r2 cross‐validation = 0.78, ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD) = 2.14, root mean squares error of cross‐validation (RMSECV) = 0.60 mg cm−3; with removing outliers, r2 cross‐validation = 0.85, RPD = 2.63, RMSECV = 0.47 mg cm−3). The study indicated that spectral reflectance measurement has the potential to quantify root density in soils.
Topographic modelling of soil moisture conditions: a comparison and verification of two models
Authors: Murphy P. N. C. , Ogilvie J. , Arp P. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryTopography, as captured by a digital elevation model (DEM), can be used to model soil moisture conditions because water tends to flow and accumulate in response to gradients in gravitational potential energy. A widely used topographic index, the soil wetness index (SWI), was compared with a new algorithm that produces a cartographic depth‐to‐water (DTW) index based on distance to surface water and slope. Both models reflect the tendency for soil to be saturated. A 1 m resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) DEM and a 10 m conventional photogrammetric DEM were used and results were compared with field‐mapped wet soil areas for a 193 ha watershed in Alberta, Canada, for verification. The DTW model was closer to field‐mapped conditions. Values of Kmatch90 (areal correspondence, smaller values indicating better performance) were 7.8% and 12.3% for the LiDAR and conventional DEM DTW models, respectively, and 88.5% and 86.7% for the SWI models. The two indices were poorly correlated spatially. Both DEMs were found to be useful for modelling soil moisture conditions using the DTW model, but the LiDAR DEM produced the better results. All major wet areas and flow connectivity were reproduced and a threshold value of 1.5 m DTW accounted for 71% of the observed wet areas. The poor performance of the SWI model is probably because of its over‐dependence on flow accumulation. Incorporation of a flow accumulation algorithm that replicates the effects of dispersed flow showed some improvement in the SWI model for the conventional DEM but it still failed to replicate the full areal extent of wet areas. Local downslope topography and hydrologic conditions seemed to be more important in determining soil moisture conditions than is taken account of by the SWI. The DTW model has potential for application in distributed hydrologic modelling, precision forestry and agriculture and implementation of environmental soil management practices.
Heat pipe phenomenon in soil under reduced air pressure
Authors: Sakaguchi I. , Momose T. , Mochizuki H. , Kasubuchi T. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryWe measured the heat flux, temperature distribution and water content of an unsaturated Ando soil under a constant temperature gradient and reduced air pressure to investigate the mechanism of latent heat transfer in the soil and its relationship to the distribution and circulation of soil water. As the air pressure decreased, the heat flux increased for the soil samples with an initial volumetric water content (θini) greater than 0.30 m3 m−3, but did not change for θini less than 0.20. While the temperature gradient of the sample did not change for θini greater than 0.30 m3 m−3, it did increase on the hotter side of the sample and decreased on the colder side for θini less than 0.20. The water content did not change, and a homogeneous distribution of water content was observed for θini greater than 0.30 m3 m−3. For θini less than 0.20, the water content decreased on the hotter side and increased on the colder side, forming a large water content gradient. The large transfer of latent heat was caused by the circulation of water vapour and liquid water, which resulted in the homogeneous water distribution. We concluded that the soil functions as a heat pipe through a series of micro‐heat pipes centred on the soil pores. Our experimental results will help to explain the transfer mechanism of latent heat in soil as a heat pipe phenomenon.
Quantifying carbon and sulphate loss in drained acid sulphate soils
Authors: Smiles D. E. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryApproximately 25 years before they were sampled, one of a pair of adjacent and initially similar acid sulphate soils was drained. During the ensuing 25 years, the surface of the drained soil declined approximately 1.2 m relative to its undrained neighbour. The losses of carbon (C) and sulphur (S) from the drained soil were estimated as the difference between the amounts remaining in the drained soil and its undrained neighbour. I made these comparisons in two ways. Firstly, I determined the amounts of C and S by summing their volumetric concentrations to a common depth (relative to the Australian Height Datum) where these concentrations became equal. Secondly, I made comparisons using mass‐based concentrations and a material coordinate defined by integrating the bulk density profile down from the soil surface. In this latter convention, the distance is the cumulative mass of soil solids per unit area of cross‐section, measured to any depth from the soil surface. The former approach yields estimates of C loss almost 30% greater than the latter. The S loss based on volumetric calculations was approximately 25% greater than that based on mass‐based coordinates. These overestimates of loss of C and S arise because the depth‐based method fails to take account of the vertical movement of the soil solid accompanying drainage in these soils. As a result, chemical reactions and their products, which are uniquely identified with parcels of soil solids, have no unique depth in swelling soils over time. The material calculations are therefore correct, but I identify conditions where a conventional volume‐based estimate might be used.
Hydroxy‐Al polymers block the frayed edge sites of illitic minerals in acid soils: studies in southwestern Japan at various weathering stages
Authors: Nakao A. , Funakawa S. , Kosaki T. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryThe transformation of hydroxy‐interlayered vermiculite (HIV) to vermiculite in humid temperate soils may involve the gradual alteration of illitic minerals. However, it is difficult to detect such minor and progressive changes using conventional methods. We measured the amount of the frayed edge site (i.e. the weathering front of illitic minerals) in soil clays using Radiocaesium Interception Potential (RIP) methodology, and elucidated the effect of hydroxy‐Al polymers on the frayed edge site that may be occluded within HIV structures in the acidic soils of southwestern Japan. X‐ray diffraction patterns showed the progressive transformation of HIV to vermiculite, or further, to smectite in soil clays located in upper horizons and therefore subjected to more intensive podzolization. In this process, the amount of hydroxy‐Al polymers (represented by hot‐citrate Al) gradually decreased, while the vermiculitic charges increased (represented by Cs‐fixing capacity). However, the amount of the frayed edge site (represented by the RIP) firstly increased but then reversed and decreased in the upper layers of podzolic soils. After hot‐citrate extraction to remove the hydroxy‐Al polymers from HIV, the amount of the frayed edge site increased in HIV‐dominated clays, whereas there was a negligible increase in vermiculitic‐ or smectitic‐clays, thus indicating the blockage effect of hydroxy‐Al polymers on the frayed edge site. The sequential increase followed by the decrease that we documented in the amount of the frayed edge site along with the HIV‐vermiculite‐smectite transformation, suggested that the weathering front of illitic minerals was exposed as the HIV layers lose hydroxy‐Al polymers. Thereafter, the charges in the exposed frayed edge site might decline under the very acidic conditions of the upper layers of podzolic soils.
N‐terminal tail of a viral histone H4 encoded in Cotesia plutellae bracovirus is essential to suppress gene expression of host histone H4
Authors: Gad W. , Kim Y. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAn endoparasitoid wasp, Cotesia plutellae, possesses a symbiotic bracovirus (CpBV), which facilitates parasitism of a specific host, such as larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. A viral histone H4 (CpBV‐H4) has been found in the CpBV genome and its gene product plays a role in impairing the host insect cellular immune response. Based on its high similarity to histone H4 of P. xylostella apart from its extended N‐terminal tail, it has been suspected to alter host gene expression. Histone subunits were purified from parasitized P. xylostella larvae and found to contain both host and viral H4s, confirming a previous report of a possible epigenetic mode of action. Moreover, this study showed that the host H4 levels in the parasitized larvae clearly decreased during the parasitization period, whereas CpBV‐H4 levels maintained a significant level without significant changes. To understand the decrease of host H4 levels, transcription levels of host H4 were monitored by quantitative reverse‐transcriptase PCR (RT‐PCR) and showed a significant decrease in parasitized P. xylostella larvae, whereas no significant change of the mRNA level was detected in nonparasitized larvae. This transcriptional control of host H4 expression was also observed by inducing transient expression of CpBV‐H4 in nonparasitized P. xylostella. Moreover, co‐injection of CpBV‐H4 and its specific double‐stranded RNA recovered the host H4 expression level. To identify a functional domain of CpBV‐H4 involved in the transcriptional control, the extended N‐terminal tail of CpBV‐H4 was removed by preparing a truncated viral H4 construct in an expression vector by deleting the N‐terminal tail of 38 amino acid residues and inducing its expression in nonparasitized P. xylostella larvae. The truncated CpBV‐H4 clearly lost its inhibitory effects on host H4 transcription. Moreover, the presence of CpBV‐H4 affects the spreading of host haemocytes by an epigenetic effect, which is at least partly restored in larvae expressing the truncated version of CpBV‐H4. This study suggests that the viral H4 encoded in CpBV can alter host gene expression with its extended N‐terminal tail.
Identification of monoclinic calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate and hydroxyapatite in human sclera using Raman microspectroscopy
Authors: Chen Ko‐Hua , Li Mei‐Jane , Cheng Wen‐Ting , Balic‐Zunic Tonci , Lin Shan‐Yang 
Published: January 2009

SummaryRaman microspectroscopy was first used to determine the composition of a calcified plaque located at the pterygium‐excision site of a 51‐year‐old female patient’s left nasal sclera after surgery. It was unexpectedly found that the Raman spectrum of the calcified sample at 1149, 1108, 1049, 756, 517, 376 and 352/cm was similar to the Raman spectrum of monoclinic form of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal, but differed from the Raman spectrum of triclinic form of CPPD. An additional peak at 958/cm was also observed in the Raman spectrum of the calcified plaque, which was identical to the characteristic peak at 958/cm of hydroxyapatite (HA). This is the first study to report the spectral biodiagnosis of both monoclinic CPPD and HA co‐deposited in the calcified plaque of a patient with sclera dystrophic calcification using Raman microspectroscopy.
Long‐term inhibition of 5‐alpha reductase and aromatase changes the cellular and extracellular compartments in gerbil ventral prostate at different postnatal ages
Authors: Corradi Lara S. , Campos Silvana G. P. , Santos Fernanda C. A. , Vilamaior Patricia S. L. , Góes Rejane M. , Taboga Sebastião R. 
Published: January 2009

SummaryAs local steroid metabolism controls the bioavailability of active steroidal hormones in the prostate, the aim of this study, was to investigate the effects of absence of 5‐alpha reductase (5α‐r) and aromatase (Aro) enzymes on prostatic cellular and extracellular components after long‐term inhibition. Young, adult and old male Mongolian gerbils were treated orally, once a day, for 30 consecutive days, with Finasteride (10.0 mg/kg) and Letrozole (1.0 mg/kg) (5α‐r and Aro enzymes inhibitors respectively) simultaneously or separately. Animals were killed on 1, 7, 14 and 21 days post‐treatment. Data obtained after double or single enzymatic inhibition with Finasteride and Letrozole demonstrated marked remodelling of epithelial and stromal compartments. During the post‐treatment period, particularly on the first and the last analysed days, prostatic epithelial cells showed decreased cytoplasmic volume and secretory activity. In the stroma, collagen fibres had accumulated in the epithelial base and among smooth muscle cells, which showed reduced diameter and condensed cytoplasm, and some of them had a highly irregular external contour. Also in the sub‐epithelial area, some fibroblasts acquired an activated phenotype besides increased deposits of amorphous granular material. In conclusion, the inhibition of 5α‐r and Aro enzymes affected, in a persistent manner, the structural and ultrastructural morphology of the prostate, irrespective of the gerbil′s age. Hence these enzymes appear to be crucial in the maintenance of this gland during postnatal development. Also, these data bring more light to the complex issue of the mechanisms of local steroid metabolism and prostatic histology. Thus, the blockade of the steroid‐metabolizing enzymes provided an important novel tool to study the relationship between sex steroids and normal physiology and diseases of the prostate.
Experimental acute respiratory Burkholderia pseudomallei infection in BALB/c mice
Authors: Lever Mark S. , Nelson Michelle , Stagg Anthony J. , Beedham Richard J. , Simpson Andrew J. H. 
Published: January 2009

Summary Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, which is considered a potential deliberate release agent. The objective of this study was to establish and characterise a relevant, acute respiratory Burkholderia pseudomallei infection in BALB/c mice. Mice were infected with 100 B. pseudomallei strain BRI bacteria by the aerosol route (approximately 20 median lethal doses). Bacterial counts within lung, liver, spleen, brain, kidney and blood over 5 days were determined and histopathological and immunocytochemical profiles were assessed. Bacterial numbers in the lungs reached approximately 108 cfu/ml at day 5 post‐infection. Bacterial numbers in other tissues were lower, reaching between 103 and 105 cfu/ml at day 4. Blood counts remained relatively constant at approximately 1.0 × 102 cfu/ml. Foci of acute inflammation and necrosis were seen within lungs, liver and spleen. These results suggest that the BALB/c mouse is highly susceptible to B. pseudomallei by the aerosol route and represents a relevant model system of acute human melioidosis.
Exploring issues influencing the use of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool by nurses in two Australian hospitals
Authors: Porter J. , Raja R. , Cant R. , Aroni R. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractBackground:  Nutrition screening using evidence‐based clinical practice is important for identifying patients whose nutritional status may be compromised, so that they receive appropriate treatment. Introduction of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (`MUST') in two wards in two Melbourne hospitals resulted in low screening completion rates by nursing staff. Nurses’ screening practices were explored to understand personal and workplace barriers to compliance.Methods:  Surveys of patients’ medical records and focus groups with nurses were used to gather data. Audio‐recorded group narratives were transcribed verbatim, and then coded thematically to develop understandings of response patterns.Results:  A survey of admitted patients (n = 46) showed low screening rates by ward (17% and 62%). Eighteen nurses in two wards participated in three focus groups. The five main themes that emerged were: ‘screening role’, ‘task priorities’, ‘recognition of evidence‐based practice’, ‘uncertainty of protocols’ and ‘degree of competence’. Screening completion was limited by workloads, uncertainty about screening policy and also individuals’ skill in use of the tool.Conclusions: Application of `MUST' can be facilitated by increasing nurses’ competence through training and by the provision of ongoing support. When implementing nutrition risk screening, dietitians’ roles should include continually working with nurses to identify and reduce the barriers that prevent the adoption of universal screening. Enhancement of collaboration is essential to ensure that optimal nutrition care occurs.
Variable responses of skinks to a common history of rainforest fluctuation: concordance between phylogeography and palaeo‐distribution models
Authors: MOUSSALLI ADNAN , MORITZ CRAIG , WILLIAMS STEPHEN E. , CARNAVAL ANA C. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThere is a growing appreciation of impacts of late‐Quaternary climate fluctuations on spatial patterns of species and genetic diversity. A major challenge is to understand how and why species respond individualistically to a common history of climate‐induced habitat fluctuation. Here, we combine modelling of palaeo‐distributions and mitochondrial‐DNA phylogeographies to compare spatial patterns of population persistence and isolation across three species of rainforest skinks (Saproscincus spp.) with varying climatic preferences. Using Akaike Information Criterion model‐averaged projections, all three species are predicted to have maintained one or more small populations in the northern Wet Tropics, multiple or larger populations in the central region, and few if any in the south. For the high‐elevation species, Saproscincus czechurai, the warm–wet climate of the mid Holocene was most restrictive, whereas for the generalist S. basiliscus and lower‐elevation S. tetradactyla, the cool–dry last glacial maximum was most restrictive. As expected, S. czechurai was the most genetically structured species, although relative to modelled distributions, S. basiliscus had surprisingly deep phylogeographical structure among southern rainforest isolates, implying long‐term isolation and persistence. For both S. basiliscus and S. tetradactyla, there was high genetic diversity and complex phylogeographical patterns in the central Wet Tropics, reflecting persistence of large, structured populations. A previously identified vicariant barrier separating northern and central regions is supported, and results from these species also emphasize a historical persistence of populations south of another biogeographical break, the Tully Gorge. Overall, the results support the contention that in a topographically heterogeneous landscape, species with broader climatic niches may maintain higher and more structured genetic diversity due to persistence through varying climates.