bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Expression of a harpin‐encoding gene in rice confers durable nonspecific resistance to Magnaporthe grisea
Authors: Shao Min , Wang Jinsheng , Dean Ralph A. , Lin Yongjun , Gao Xuewen , Hu Shuijin 
Published: November 2007

SummaryEngineering durable nonspecific resistance to phytopathogens is one of the ultimate goals of plant breeding. However, most attempts to reach this goal fail as a result of rapid changes in pathogen populations and the sheer diversity of pathogen infection mechanisms. In this study, we show that the expression of a harpin‐encoding gene (hrf1), derived from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, confers nonspecific resistance in rice to the blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea. Transgenic plants and their T1–T7 progenies were highly resistant to all major M. grisea races in rice‐growing areas along the Yangtze River, China. The expression of defence‐related genes was activated in resistant transgenic plants, and the formation of melanized appressoria, which is essential for foliar infection, was inhibited on plant leaves. These results suggest that harpins may offer new opportunities for generating broad‐spectrum disease resistance in other crops.
Alopecia areata: topical immunotherapy treatment with diphencyprone
Authors: Avgerinou G , Gregoriou S , Rigopoulos D , Stratigos A , Kalogeromitros D , Katsambas A 
Published: November 2007

AbstractBackground  Topical immunotherapy with diphencyprone (DPCP) is considered the most effective treatment of alopecia areata (AA).Objective  To assess the efficacy of DPCP in the treatment of extensive or long‐lasting AA in Greek patients.Methods  Sixty‐four patients with extensive and/or long‐lasting AA were sensitized with 2% diphencyprone. During each weekly subsequent visit, patients were treated with gradually denser concentrations adjusted in order to maintain erythema and itch on the patient's scalp for 48 h. Patients’ hair re‐growth was evaluated every 3 months for 2 years.Results  Forty‐five patients responded among the 54 completing therapy (83.3%). Initial response was observed 3.48 ± 1.05 months after the initial treatment. Twenty patients among the responders achieved a grade 4 response, 15 patients achieved grade 3, 9 patients achieved grade 2, and 1 patient achieved a grade 1 response. The mean duration of treatment until maximum response was 6.14 ± 1.48 months. Thirty‐one patients (68.9%) had a relapse during follow‐up and were treated again. The only adverse event among patients completing therapy was contact dermatitis of the face or neck (9 of 54) that resolved after topical corticosteroid application within 7 days. Statistical analysis did not establish any association among duration of AA, age, gender, atopic diathesis, nail involvement and presence of thyroid antibodies with response to treatment.Conclusion  Treatment of Greek patients with AA with diphencyprone presents high response rates similar to those reported by previous studies. The treatment is adequately tolerated by most of the patients, and they are willing to repeat it in cases of relapse.
Keratin and filaggrin expression in keratoacanthoma
Authors: Ito Yoshiyuki , Kurokawa Ichiro , Nishimura Keisuke , Hakamada Arata , Isoda Ken‐ichi , Yamanaka Kei‐ichi , Tsubura Airo , Mizutani Hitoshi 
Published: November 2007

AbstractTo clarify the histogenesis of keratoacanthoma, we studied keratin (K) expression in keratoacanthoma (KA) using 10 different anti‐keratin antibodies against K1, K7, K8, K10, K14, K15, K16, K17, K18 and K19 and anti‐filaggrin (filament aggregating protein) antibody. In the centre of KA, K1 and K10 expressions were declined, and K14 and K16 were detected in the tumour cells, suggesting differentiation towards the outer root sheath beneath the orifice of the sebaceous duct. These results suggest that KA differentiates towards the outer root sheath beneath the opening of the sebaceous duct.
United We Stand? The European Union's International Actorness in the Cases of the International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Protocol*
Authors: GROENLEER MARTIJN L.P. , VAN SCHAIK LOUISE G. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn this article we examine the relationship between the institutional set‐up of the EU foreign policy‐making process and the international actorness of the EU in two particular cases: the International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Protocol. Whereas in both cases policy‐making is organized along intergovernmental lines, the EU has shown a relatively high degree of international actorness. We argue that this is the combined result of the considerable congruence of EU Member States' initial preferences and the social interactions between EU Member States, third countries and non‐state actors, through which preferences converged even further over time.
How to Cut the Seigniorage Cake into Fair Shares in an Enlarged EMU
Authors: HANSEN JØRGEN DRUD , KING ROSWITHA M. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe European Central Bank redistributes each year seigniorage from issuing euro notes to the National Central Banks of the euro countries. The key for this redistribution is, from 2008, based on the respective GDP and population proportions of the euro countries. Applying the distribution formula to the new EU countries from central and eastern Europe seems to give these countries a large net benefit compared with the seigniorage they bring in, i.e. their share of currency in circulation. However, as argued in this article, currency demand in the new EU member countries is expected to increase relative to the present group of euro countries – especially after gaining membership in the EMU because of integration of the financial markets and, in the longer term, catching‐up growth. Hence, it is doubtful whether a large unintended redistribution of seigniorage to the benefit of acceding EMU countries will materialize in the future.
The Construction of EU Normative Power*
Authors: PACE MICHELLE 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThis article focuses on the constructed nature of the EU's so‐called ‘normative power’ (NPEU). It proposes that, while a successful construction of NPEU would secure a role for the EU globally, challenges to NPEU constructions would disempower any EU attempts at its global reach based on such projections. The Middle East conflict is taken as a case in point.
Accommodating Normative Divergence in European Foreign Policy Co‐ordination: The Example of the Iraq Crisis
Authors: PUETTER UWE , WIENER ANTJE 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn situations of international crises normative divergence regarding policy responses is a recurrent phenomenon. It is a problem which remains to be addressed despite assumptions about internationally established communities such as the liberal community of Western states. The case of the European Union's failure to co‐ordinate a common policy response in connection with the war on Iraq demonstrates that conflict between Member States about appropriate common policy responses is enhanced by external crises. Common commitment to shared community norms is hence considered as an insufficient basis for policy consensus or, for that matter, sustainable compromise. The article discusses how and why these divergences emerge and suggests institutionalizing collective processes of norm contestation at the European level.
Behind the Veil of Budgetary Discipline: The Political Logic of the Budgetary Rules in EMU and the SGP*
Authors: SEGERS MATHIEU , VAN ESCH FEMKE 
Published: November 2007

AbstractThe outcome of the 2003 compliance crisis showed once and for all that the nature of the stability and growth pact (SGP) is highly political. While the existing literature often presents the content of EMU and SGP as an unqualified triumph for the German financial elite, the available primary sources point in quite another direction.
Differential interaction of NMDA receptor subtypes with the post‐synaptic density‐95 family of membrane associated guanylate kinase proteins
Authors: Cousins Sarah L. , Papadakis Michalis , Rutter A. Richard , Stephenson F. Anne 
Published: November 2007

AbstractNMDA receptors are a subclass of ionotropic glutamate receptors. They are trafficked and/or clustered at synapses by the post‐synaptic density (PSD)‐95 membrane associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family of scaffolding proteins that associate with NMDA receptor NR2 subunits via their C‐terminal glutamate serine (aspartate/glutamate) valine motifs. We have carried out a systematic study investigating in a heterologous expression system, the association of the four major NMDA receptor subtypes with the PSD‐95 family of MAGUK proteins, chapsyn‐110, PSD‐95, synapse associated protein (SAP) 97 and SAP102. We report that although each PSD‐95 MAGUK was shown to co‐immunoprecipitate with NR1/NR2A, NR1/NR2B, NR1/NR2C and NR1/NR2D receptor subtypes, they elicited differential effects with regard to the enhancement of total NR2 subunit expression which then results in an increased cell surface expression of NMDA receptor subtypes. PSD‐95 and chapsyn‐110 enhanced NR2A and NR2B total expression which resulted in increased NR1/NR2A and NR1/NR2B receptor cell surface expression whereas SAP97 and SAP102 had no effect on total or cell surface expression of these subtypes. PSD‐95, chapsyn‐110, SAP97 and SAP102 had no effect on either total NR2C and NR2D subunit expression or cell surface NR1/NR2C and NR1/NR2D expression. A comparison of PSD‐95α, PSD‐95β and PSD‐95αC3S,C5S showed that PSD‐95‐enhanced cell surface expression of NR1/NR2A receptors was dependent upon the PSD‐95 N‐terminal C3,C5 cysteines. These observations support differential interaction of NMDA receptor subtypes with different PSD‐95 MAGUK scaffolding proteins. This has implications for the stabilisation, turnover and compartmentalisation of NMDA receptor subtypes in neurones during development and in the mature brain.
Chronic repeated restraint stress increases prolactin‐releasing peptide/tyrosine‐hydroxylase ratio with gender‐related differences in the rat brain
Authors: Tóth Zsuzsanna E. , Zelena Dóra , Mergl Zsuzsa , Kirilly Eszter , Várnai Péter , Mezey Éva , Makara Gábor B. , Palkovits Miklós 
Published: November 2007

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the effect of chronic repeated restraint (RR) on prolactin‐releasing peptide (PrRP) expression. In the brainstem, where PrRP colocalize with norepinephrine in neurons of the A1 and A2 catecholaminergic cell groups, the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) has also been examined. In the brainstem, but not in the hypothalamus, the basal PrRP expression in female rats was higher than that in the males that was abolished by ovariectomy. RR evoked an elevation of PrRP expression in all areas investigated, with smaller reaction in the brainstems of females. There was no gender‐related difference in the RR‐evoked TH expression. Elevation of PrRP was relatively higher than elevation of TH, causing a shift in PrRP/TH ratio in the brainstem after RR. Estrogen α receptors were found in the PrRP neurons of the A1 and A2 cell groups, but not in the hypothalamus. Bilateral lesions of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus did not prevent RR‐evoked changes. Elevated PrRP production parallel with increased PrRP/TH ratio in A1/A2 neurons indicate that: (i) there is a clear difference in the regulation of TH and PrRP expression after RR, and (ii) among other factors this may also contribute to the changed sensitivity of the hypothalamo‐pituitary–adrenal axis during chronic stress.
Fibroblast growth factor‐derived peptides: functional agonists of the fibroblast growth factor receptor
Authors: Li Shizhong , Christensen Claus , Kiselyov Vladislav V. , Køhler Lene B. , Bock Elisabeth , Berezin Vladimir 
Published: November 2007

AbstractA series of peptides, termed dekafins, were derived from the β10–β11 loop regions of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 17. The dekafins share a homologous amino acid sequence similar to a sequence in the first fibronectin type III module of the neural cell adhesion molecule. All dekafins were shown by surface plasmon resonance analysis to bind fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)1‐IIIc‐Ig2–3 and FGFR2‐IIIb‐Ig2–3, respectively, with Kd values of approximately 10−7 to 10−8 mol/L. Binding of dekafin1 to FGFR1‐IIIc‐Ig2–3 was inhibited by a heparin analog, sucrose octasulfate, indicating that heparin sulfate moiety can modulate dekafin binding to FGFRs. Treatment of transcription and mRNA export (TREX) cells permanently expressing Strep‐tag‐labeled FGFR1‐IIIc with dekafins resulted in receptor phosphorylation. FGF1‐induced FGFR1‐IIIc phosphorylation was inhibited by dekafin1 and 10 in high concentrations, indicating that dekafins are FGFR partial agonists. The dekafins induced neuronal differentiation as reflected by neurite outgrowth from cerebellar granule neurons, an effect that was abolished by SU5402, a specific inhibitor of the FGFR tyrosine kinase, and by inositolhexaphosphate, an extracellularly acting FGFR antagonist. Some, but not all, dekafins were capable of promoting survival of cerebellar granule neurons induced to undergo apoptosis. Thus, the dekafins are functional FGFR agonists with apparent therapeutic potential.
Isolation of 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms from coastal steelhead, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Salmonidae)
Authors: AGUILAR ANDRES , GARZA JOHN CARLOS 
Published: November 2007

AbstractWe describe 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) isolated in coastal California populations of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). SNP loci were developed using a ‘gene‐targeted’ approach, which involved the development of primers from functional genes in O. mykiss that were deposited in GenBank or in the published literature. These markers show a wide range of variability in three coastal steelhead populations, and will be useful in population genetic studies and in pedigree reconstruction. Potential applications include evaluation of population structure, introgression between native and hatchery trout, and evaluating reproductive success.
Plant‐Feeding Hemiptera and Orthoptera Communities in Native and Restored Mesic Tallgrass Prairies
Authors: Nemec Kristine T , Bragg Thomas B 
Published: November 2007

Abstract Aboveground Hemiptera and Orthoptera communities were compared among three native and three restored mesic tallgrass prairies along the Platte River in central Nebraska to assess both the relative success of restored sites and the relationship between insect and plant communities. Hemiptera and Orthoptera were sampled using sweep nets in early June, mid‐July, and mid‐August 2000. Plant species composition was assessed in early June and mid‐August. A total of 89 Auchenorrhyncha (71 Cicadellidae, 15 Fulgoroidea, and 3 Membracidae) and 23 orthopterans (15 Acrididae and 8 Tettigoniidae) were collected. Eighty‐five plant species were observed in combined study sites. Shannon diversity was significantly higher at restored prairie for Cicadellidae (H′= 1.38), Fulgoroidea (H′= 0.796), and Membracidae (H′= 0.290), which comprised the majority of individual insects collected, but significantly higher at native prairie for Acrididae (H′= 0.560) and Tettigoniidae (H′= 0.480) (p≤ 0.05). Species richness was comparable except for Acrididae which were significantly higher in restored prairie. Density of insects generally followed species diversity but was only significantly higher in restored areas for Membracidae. The number of remnant‐dependent species collected was comparable for both native prairie (n= 15) and restored prairie (n= 15). These results suggest that, at least for Hemiptera, differences in insect communities between native and restored prairie may best be explained by the presence of insect host plants rather than by whether a site is native or restored.
Vegetation Dynamics and Forest Landscape Restoration in the Upper Min River Watershed, Sichuan, China
Authors: Zhou Ping , Luukkanen Olavi , Tokola Timo , Nieminen Juhana 
Published: November 2007

Abstract The Upper Min River (UMR) watershed, with an area of 23,000 km2 in the Upper Yangtze basin in Sichuan province, is ecologically and environmentally fragile. This situation is due to natural catastrophes and increasing anthropogenic disturbance. Forest cover has decreased dramatically, especially along the main Min River. Restoration of the vegetation in a watershed needs to consider the natural vegetation distribution and dynamics. In the UMR watershed, 625 sample plots were randomly placed to study the soil types, current vegetation distribution, vegetation dynamics, afforestation, and potential tree species for restoration. We investigated the relationship between vegetation types and soil orders, predicted the percentages of potential tree species for forest landscape restoration using logistic regression, identified priority areas for rapid restoration, and pinpointed areas for forest restoration where low precipitation is a constraint. The results showed that the vegetation types were well correlated with soil orders, and the latter could be used to deduce the potential vegetation for areas of degraded secondary forest. Priority areas for rapid restoration were demonstrated, and the difficult areas with precipitation as a limiting factor for vegetation restoration were specified. Suitable tree species were suggested for restoration on different soil orders at different elevations.
Evaluation of Seagrass Planting and Monitoring Techniques: Implications for Assessing Restoration Success and Habitat Equivalency
Authors: Bell Susan S. , Tewfik Alexander , Hall Margaret O. , Fonseca Mark S. 
Published: November 2007

Abstract Restoration has become an integral part of coastal management as a result of seagrass habitat loss. We studied restoration of the seagrass (Halodule wrightii) near Tampa Bay, Florida. Experimental plots were established in June 2002 using four planting methods: three manually planted and one mechanically transplanted by boat. Seagrass cover was recorded at high resolution (meter scale) annually through July 2005. Natural seagrass beds were concurrently examined as reference sites. We also evaluated the suitability of a commonly used protocol (Braun‐Blanquet scores, BB) for comparing the development of seagrass cover using the planting methods and quantifying spatial patterns of cover over time. Results show that BB scores mirrored conventional measures of seagrass characteristics (i.e., shoot counts and above‐ and belowground biomass) well when BB scores were either low or very high. However, more caution may be required at intermediate cover scores as judged by comparison of BB scores with direct measurement of seagrass abundance. Significant differences in seagrass cover were detected among planting methods and over time (2002–2005), with manual planting of rubber band units resulting in the highest cover. In contrast, the peat pot and mechanical planting methods developed very low cover. Recovery rates calculated from development of seagrass spatial cover were less than those reported for natural expansion. Importantly, time to baseline recovery may be substantially greater than 3 years and beyond standard monitoring timelines. Prolonged recovery suggests that the rate of service returns, critical for estimating compensatory restoration goals under habitat equivalency analysis, may be severely underestimated.
Facilitative Effects of Aloe Shrubs on Grass Establishment, Growth, and Reproduction in Degraded Kenyan Rangelands: Implications for Restoration
Authors: King Elizabeth G. , Stanton Maureen L. 
Published: November 2007

Abstract Under the harsh environmental conditions present in severely overgrazed, semiarid rangelands, facilitator plants offer a promising tool for ecological restoration. This study investigated facilitative effects of Aloe secundiflora—a native drought‐tolerant, unpalatable, thorny shrub—on grass establishment in degraded rangelands in Kenya. We planted native perennial grass seeds adjacent to three neighbor treatments: transplanted mature aloe shrubs, piles of thorn branches that provided similar physical protection to aloes, and control treatments with no facilitator. We monitored grass performance for three growing seasons. During the first growing season, association with aloe shrubs significantly improved seedling survival and plant size of individual grasses, whereas grass survival in thorn treatments was intermediate between aloe and control treatments. At the population level, aloe neighbor treatments were associated with the greatest grass abundance and cover in all three seasons and reproductive output in the second season. Control treatments were associated with the poorest grass performance for all three variables. The findings indicate that planting aloes can improve the effectiveness of grass reseeding for rangeland restoration, exceeding the benefits gained from the more common strategy of using thorn branch piles. The utility of aloes in particular is further enhanced by the economic value of these plants; medicinal sap can be sustainably harvested from aloes planted for restoration.
Assessing Ecosystem Restoration Alternatives in Eastern Deciduous Forests: The View from Belowground
Authors: Boerner Ralph E. J. , Coates Adam T. , Yaussy Daniel A. , Waldrop Thomas A. 
Published: November 2007

AbstractBoth structural and functional approaches to restoration of eastern deciduous forests are becoming more common as recognition of the altered state of these ecosystems grows. In our study, structural restoration involves mechanically modifying the woody plant assemblage to a species composition, density, and community structure specified by the restoration goals. Functional restoration involves reintroducing dormant‐season, low‐severity fire at intervals consistent with the historical condition. Our approach was to quantify the effects of such restoration treatments on soil organic carbon and soil microbial activity, as these are both conservative ecosystem attributes and not ones explicitly targeted by the restoration treatments, themselves. Fire, mechanical thinning, and their combination all initially resulted in reduced soil organic C content, C:N ratio, and overall microbial activity (measured as acid phosphatase activity) in a study site in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, but only the effect on microbial activity persisted into the fourth post‐treatment growing season. In contrast, in a similar forest in the central Appalachian Plateau of Ohio, mechanical thinning resulted in increased soil organic C, decreased C:N ratio, and decreased microbial activity, whereas fire and the combination of fire and thinning did not have such effects. In addition, the effects in Ohio had dissipated prior to the fourth post‐treatment growing season. Mechanical treatments are attractive in that they require only single entries; however, we see no indication that mechanical–structural restoration actually produced desired belowground changes. A single fire‐based/functional treatment also offered little restoration progress, but comparisons with long‐term experimental fire studies suggest that repeated entries with prescribed fire at intervals of 3–8 years offer potential for sustainable restoration.