bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Successful Pulmonary Vein Isolation Using Transvenous Catheter Cryoablation Improves Quality‐of‐Life in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: TSE HUNG‐FAT , SIN PUI‐YEE , SIU CHUNG‐WAH , TSANG VELLA , LAM CINDY L.K. , LAU CHU‐PAK 
Published: May 2005

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that transvenous catheter cryoablation is a safe and effective technique for creating pulmonary veins (PVs) electrical isolation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the impacts of this procedure on quality‐of‐life (QoL) have not been evaluated.
Methods and Results: We studied the effects of PV isolation using transvenous catheter cryoablation on QoL in 46 patients (34 men, mean age: 50 ± 12 years) with drug‐refractory AF. QoL was assessed by Medical Outcomes Study Short Form‐36 (SF‐36) and Symptom Checklist at baseline and 3‐month after cryoablation, and compared with those in a sex‐age matched normal control. At 3‐month follow‐up, 24 of 46 patients (52%) had no recurrence of AF, including 11 patients who were not taking antiarrhythmic drugs. At baseline, patients with AF had significantly lower QoL scores in overall and in 5/8 subscales of SF‐36 than the sex‐age matched control group (P < 0.05). In patients with successful outcome after cryoablation showed a significant improvement in overall and in 5/8 subscales of SF‐36 QoL scores have significantly increased as compared with the baseline (P < 0.05). Furthermore, their QoL scores in overall and in 6/8 subscales of SF‐36 were similar to the sex‐age matched control group (P > 0.05). The Symptom Checklist also showed significant reduction in both the symptoms frequency scores and symptoms severity scores at 3‐month follow‐up as compared with baseline (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Successful PV isolation using transvenous catheter cryoablation is associated with significant reduction in the frequency and severity of AF symptoms and improvement in the general QoL, reaching the levels of normal controls.
Mating frequency in dispersing potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella, and its influence on the design of refugia to manage resistance in Bt transgenic crops
Authors: Cameron P.J. , Wallace A.R. , Madhusudhan V.V. , Wigley P.J. , Qureshi M.S. , Walker G.P. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractMating of potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), was investigated in relation to the dispersal of males in laboratory and field trials. The effect of stimulating the flight of males to light sources in a large cage on their mating ability was estimated for three age groups, and compared with similar estimates for confined moths. Although the mating of males declined with ages of up to 15 days, simulated dispersal had no effect on subsequent mating when the males were paired with virgin females. The dispersal of male moths was also categorised by the initial flight activity of untethered moths to a light source. Scores for poor, moderate, and good flight provided a repeatable measure of initial male flight activity, but the degree of activity was not related to their subsequent mating ability. In the field, virgin female potato tuber moths were tethered at various distances from the edge of isolated potato crops and then dissected to determine their mating status. Female mating frequency averaged 75% at the crop margin, remained above 50% up to 200 m, and then declined to 19% at 360 m from the margin. Derivation of the mating probability for an individual male potato tuber moth confirmed earlier work by other researchers that has indicated a tendency for dispersal prior to mating, and that males retain their ability to mate as they disperse from a crop. The influence of dispersal and mating on gene flow between crops, and its potential effects on refuge size required to minimise the development of resistance to Bt transgenic potato crops was examined.
Effects of elevated CO2 and transgenic Bt cotton on plant chemistry, performance, and feeding of an insect herbivore, the cotton bollworm
Authors: Chen Fajun , Wu Gang , Ge Feng , Parajulee Megha N. , Shrestha Ram B. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractEffects of elevated atmospheric CO2 (double‐ambient CO2) on the growth and metabolism of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), fed on transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) cotton [Cry1A(c)], grown in open‐top chambers, were studied. Two levels of CO2 (ambient and double‐ambient) and two cotton cultivars (non‐transgenic Simian‐3 and transgenic GK‐12) were deployed in a completely randomized design with four treatment combinations, and the cotton bollworm was reared on each treatment simultaneously. Plants of both cotton cultivars had lower nitrogen and higher total non‐structural carbohydrates (TNC), TNC:Nitrogen ratio, condensed tannin, and gossypol under elevated CO2. Elevated CO2 further resulted in a significant decrease in Bt toxin level in GK‐12. The changes in chemical components in the host plants due to increased CO2 significantly affected the growth parameters of H. armigera. Both transgenic Bt cotton and elevated CO2 resulted in a reduced body mass, lower fecundity, decreased relative growth rate (RGR), and decreased mean relative growth rate in the bollworms. Larval life‐span was significantly longer for H. armigera fed transgenic Bt cotton. Significantly reduced larval, pupal, and adult moth weights were observed in the bollworms fed elevated CO2‐grown transgenic Bt cotton compared with those of bollworms reared on non‐transgenic cotton, regardless of the CO2 level. The efficiency of conversion of ingested food and of digested food of the bollworm were significantly reduced when fed transgenic Bt cotton, but there was no significant CO2 or CO2× cotton cultivar interaction. Approximate digestibility of larvae reared on transgenic cotton grown in elevated CO2 was higher compared to that of larvae fed non‐transgenic cotton grown at ambient CO2. The damage inflicted by cotton bollworm on cotton, regardless of the presence or absence of insecticidal genes, is predicted to be more serious under elevated CO2 conditions because of individual compensatory feeding on host plants caused by nitrogen deficiency.
Oviposition vs. offspring fitness in Aphidius colemani parasitizing different aphid species
Authors: Ode Paul J. , Hopper Keith R. , Coll Moshe 
Published: May 2005

AbstractWe measured the acceptance and suitability of four aphid species [Aphis gossypii Glover, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Rhopalosiphum padi (L.), and Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)] (Homoptera: Aphididae) for the parasitoid Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Female parasitoids parasitized fewer R. padi than the other three aphid species, and fewer offspring successfully completed development in R. padi than in the other three host species. Sex ratios of emerging adults were more male‐biased from R. padi than from the other three aphid species, suggesting that R. padi is a poor quality host for this population of A. colemani. Ovipositing A. colemani encountered R. padi at a slower rate, spent more time handling R. padi, and parasitoid offspring died at a higher rate in R. padi compared to A. gossypii. Our results show that oviposition behavior and offspring performance are correlated. In each experiment, we tested the effect of the host species in which the parasitoids developed (parental host) on the number of hosts attacked, the proportion of each host species accepted for oviposition and the survival of progeny. Parental host affected maternal body size and, through its effect on body size, the rate of encounter with hosts. Other than this, parental host species did not affect parasitism.
EMPLOYING MEDIATION TO APPROACH TRUANTS
Authors: Lindstadt Michael A. 
Published: May 2005

Truants have been dealt with by state and school officials with heedlessness, suspension, expulsion, and placement under the power of the courts. One problem faced in decreasing truancy is its lack of a common definition. Statistics show high rates of truancy with kids who subsequently drop out of school and there is a strong correlation between drop‐out and unemployment, welfare, low salary, and imprisonment. The juvenile justice system does not reach the root of the truant's individual problems or adequately attempt to solve or assist the child and family in its goal to develop constructive and autonomous individuals.Mediation is an alternative to a punishment‐oriented approach to truancy. Mediation is a process in which a neutral third party helps participants reach their own agreement for resolving a dispute. Mediation is adaptable to the many different causes of truancy and can provide multiple benefits to truants and their families. The Ohio Commission On Dispute Resolution & Conflict Management has the most accomplished and consistently progressing truancy mediation program in the nation.Critics of mediation have scrutinized the process for not placing enough emphasis on mediation's major elements, such as premediation instruction, exploitation of the informality of the process, and a lack of funding, which may render mediation weak and inefficient. Maintaining and emphasizing particular elements will benefit jurisdictions in their utilization of the process.
Construction of a ColD
cda
Promoter-Based SOS-Green Fluorescent Protein Whole-Cell Biosensor with Higher Sensitivity toward Genotoxic Compounds than Constructs Based on
recA
,
umuDC
, or
sulA
Promoters
Authors: Norman Anders , Hestbjerg Hansen Lars , Sørensen Søren J. 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACT

Four different green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based whole-cell biosensors were created based on the DNA damage inducible SOS response of
Escherichia coli
in order to evaluate the sensitivity of individual SOS promoters toward genotoxic substances. Treatment with the known carcinogen
N
-methyl-
N′
-nitro-
N
-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) revealed that the promoter for the ColD plasmid-borne
cda
gene had responses 12, 5, and 3 times greater than the
recA
,
sulA
, and
umuDC
promoters, respectively, and also considerably higher sensitivity. Furthermore, we showed that when the SOS-GFP construct was introduced into an
E. coli
host deficient in the
tolC
gene, the minimal detection limits toward mitomycin C, MNNG, nalidixic acid, and formaldehyde were lowered to 9.1 nM, 0.16 μM, 1.1 μM, and 141 μM, respectively, which were two to six times lower than those in the wild-type strain. This study thus presents a new SOS-GFP whole-cell biosensor which is not only able to detect minute levels of genotoxins but, due to its use of the green fluorescent protein, also a reporter system which should be applicable in high-throughput screening assays as well as a wide variety of in situ detection studies.
Use of Stochastic Models To Assess the Effect of Environmental Factors on Microbial Growth
Authors: Ponciano José Miguel , Vandecasteele Frederik P. J. , Hess Thomas F. , Forney Larry J. , Crawford Ronald L. , Joyce Paul 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACTWe present a novel application of a stochastic ecological model to the study and analysis of microbial growth dynamics as influenced by environmental conditions in an extensive experimental data set. The model proved to be useful in bridging the gap between theoretical ideas in ecology and an applied problem in microbiology. The data consisted of recorded growth curves ofEscherichia coligrown in triplicate in a base medium with all 32 possible combinations of five supplements: glucose, NH4Cl, HCl, EDTA, and NaCl. The potential complexity of 25experimental treatments and their effects was reduced to 22as just the metal chelator EDTA, the presumed osmotic pressure imposed by NaCl, and the interaction between these two factors were enough to explain the variability seen in the data. The statistical analysis showed that the positive and negative effects of the five chemical supplements and their combinations were directly translated into an increase or decrease in time required to attain stationary phase and the population size at which the stationary phase started. The stochastic ecological model proved to be useful, as it effectively explained and summarized the uncertainty seen in the recorded growth curves. Our findings have broad implications for both basic and applied research and illustrate how stochastic mathematical modeling coupled with rigorous statistical methods can be of great assistance in understanding basic processes in microbial ecology.
Adaptation ofCorynebacterium glutamicumto Ammonium Limitation: a Global Analysis Using Transcriptome and Proteome Techniques
Authors: Silberbach Maike , Schäfer Mathias , Hüser Andrea T. , Kalinowski Jörn , Pühler Alfred , Krämer Reinhard , Burkovski Andreas 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACTTheresponse ofCorynebacterium glutamicumto ammonium limitation was studied by transcriptional and proteome profiling of cells grown in a chemostat. Our results show that ammonium-limited growth ofC. glutamicumresults in a rearrangement of the cellular transport capacity, changes in metabolic pathways for nitrogen assimilation, amino acid biosynthesis, and carbon metabolism, as well as a decreased cell division. Since transcription at different growth rates was studied, it was possible to distinguish specific responses to ammonium limitation and more general, growth rate-dependent alterations in gene expression. The latter include a number of genes encoding ribosomal proteins and genes for FoF1-ATP synthase subunits.
Identification and Phenotypic Characterization of
Sphingomonas wittichii
Strain RW1 by Peptide Mass Fingerprinting Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Halden Rolf U. , Colquhoun David R. , Wisniewski Eric S. 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACT

Mass spectrometry is a potentially attractive means of monitoring the survival and efficacy of bioaugmentation agents, such as the dioxin-mineralizing bacterium
Sphingomonas wittichii
strain RW1. The biotransformation activity of RW1 phenotypes is determined primarily by the presence and concentration of the dioxin dioxygenase, an enzyme initiating the degradation of both dibenzo-
p
-dioxin and dibenzofuran (DF). We explored the possibility of identifying and characterizing putative cultures of RW1 by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) targeting this characteristic phenotypic biomarker. The proteome from cells of RW1—grown on various media in the presence and absence of DF—was partially purified, tryptically digested, and analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Mascot online database queries allowed statistically significant identification of RW1 in disrupted, digested cells (
P
< 0.01 to 0.05) and in digested whole-cell extracts (
P
< 0.00001 to 0.05) containing hundreds of proteins, as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Up to 14 peptide ions of the alpha subunit of the dioxin dioxygenase (43% protein coverage) were detected in individual samples. A minimum of 10
7
DF-grown cells was required to identify dioxin degradation-enabled phenotypes. The technique hinges on the detection of multiple characteristic peptides of a biomarker that can reveal at once the identity and phenotypic properties of the microbial host expressing the protein. The results demonstrate the power of PMF of minimally processed microbial cultures as a sensitive and specific technique for the positive identification and phenotypic characterization of certain microorganisms used in biotechnology and bioremediation.
Shifts in Rhizoplane Communities of Aquatic Plants after Cadmium Exposure
Authors: Stout Lisa M. , Nüsslein Klaus 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACT

In this study we present the comparative molecular analysis of bacterial communities of the aquatic plant
Lemna minor
from a contaminated site (RCP) and from a laboratory culture (EPA), as well as each of these with the addition of cadmium. Plants were identified as
L. minor
by analysis of the
rpl
16 chloroplast region. Comparative bacterial community studies were based on the analyses of 16S rRNA clone libraries, each containing about 100 clones from the root surfaces of plants. Bacterial communities were compared at three phylogenetic levels of resolution. At the level of bacterial divisions, differences in diversity index scores between treatments, with and without cadmium within the same plant type (EPA or RCP), were small, indicating that cadmium had little effect. When we compared genera within the most dominant group, the β-proteobacteria, differences between unamended and cadmium-amended libraries were much larger. Bacterial diversity increased upon cadmium addition for both EPA and RCP libraries. Analyses of diversity at the phylotype level showed parallel shifts to more even communities upon cadmium addition; that is, percentage changes in diversity indices due to cadmium addition were the same for either plant type, indicating that contamination history might be independent of disturbance-induced diversity shifts. At finer phylogenetic levels of resolution, the effects of cadmium addition on bacterial communities were very noticeable. This study is a first step in understanding the role of aquatic plant-associated microbial communities in phytoremediation of heavy metals.
DNA Microarray Analysis of Nitrogen Fixation and Fe(III) Reduction in
Geobacter sulfurreducens
Authors: Methé Barbara A. , Webster Jennifer , Nevin Kelly , Butler Jessica , Lovley Derek R. 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACT

A DNA microarray representing the genome of
Geobacter sulfurreducens
was constructed for use in global gene expression profiling of cells under steady-state conditions with acetate as the electron donor and Fe(III) or fumarate as the electron acceptor. Reproducible differences in transcript levels were also observed in comparisons between cells grown with ammonia and those fixing atmospheric nitrogen. There was a high correlation between changes in transcript levels determined with microarray analyses and an evaluation of a subset of the genome with quantitative PCR. As expected, cells required to fix nitrogen had higher levels of transcripts of genes associated with nitrogen fixation, further demonstrating that the microarray approach could reliably detect important physiological changes. Cells grown with Fe(III) as the electron acceptor had higher levels of transcripts for
omcB
, a gene coding for an outer membrane
c
-type cytochrome that is essential for Fe(III) reduction. Several other
c
-type cytochrome genes also appeared to be up-regulated. An unexpected result was significantly higher levels of transcripts for genes which have a role in metal efflux, potentially suggesting the importance of maintaining metal homeostasis during release of soluble metals when reducing Fe(III). A substantial proportion (30%) of significantly expressed genes during Fe(III) reduction were genes of unknown function or hypothetical proteins, suggesting differences in Fe(III) reduction physiology among microorganisms which perform this metabolic process.
Production of the Potent Antibacterial Polyketide Erythromycin C in
Escherichia coli
Authors: Peirú Salvador , Menzella Hugo G. , Rodríguez Eduardo , Carney John , Gramajo Hugo 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACT

An
Escherichia coli
strain capable of producing the potent antibiotic erythromycin C (Ery C) was developed by expressing 17 new heterologous genes in a 6-deoxyerythronolide B (6dEB) producer strain. The megalomicin gene cluster was used as the source for the construction of two artificial operons that contained the genes encoding the deoxysugar biosynthetic and tailoring enzymes necessary to convert 6dEB to Ery C. The reconstructed mycarose operon contained the seven genes coding for the enzymes that convert glucose-1-phosphate (G-1-P) to TDP-
l
-mycarose, a 6dEB mycarosyl transferase, and a 6dEB 6-hydroxylase. The activity of the pathway was confirmed by demonstrating conversion of exogenous 6dEB to 3-
O
-α-mycarosylerythronolide B (MEB). The reconstructed desosamine operon contained the six genes necessary to convert TDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose, an intermediate formed in the mycarose pathway, to TDP-
d
-desosamine, a desosamine transferase, a 6dEB 12-hydroxylase, and the rRNA methyltransferase ErmE; the last was required to confer resistance to the host cell upon production of mature macrolide antibiotics. The activity of this pathway was demonstrated by conversion of MEB to Ery C. When the mycarose and desosamine operons were expressed in an
E. coli
strain engineered to synthesize 6dEB, Ery C and Ery D were produced. The successful production of Ery C in
E. coli
shows the potentiality of this model microorganism to synthesize novel 6-deoxysugars and to produce bioactive glycosylated compounds and also establishes the basis for the future use of
E. coli
both in the production of new glycosylated polyketides and for the generation of novel bioactive compounds through combinatorial biosynthesis.
Clonal Expansion May Account for High Levels of Quinolone Resistance in
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Enteritidis
Authors: Kilmartin Donna , Morris D. , O'Hare C. , Corbett-Feeney G. , Cormican M. 
Published: May 2005

ABSTRACT

We have observed a high incidence of isolated nalidixic acid resistance in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Enteritidis isolates in Ireland, particularly isolates of phage type 1 (PT1). A group of nalidixic acid-resistant (
n
= 22) and nalidixic acid-susceptible (
n
= 28) isolates of serovar Enteritidis from multiple sites in Ireland were selected. Isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with XbaI, and the MICs for nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin were determined. Mutations associated with nalidixic acid resistance in clinical isolates and laboratory mutants of serovar Enteritidis and 32 nalidixic acid-resistant isolates of 15 other salmonella serovars were identified. PFGE had limited discriminatory power. A specific point mutation (G246T) associated with amino acid substitution Asp87Tyr in the quinolone resistance determining region of the
gyrA
gene accounted for 95% of all mutations in serovar Enteritidis and for all mutations in PT1 isolates. Greater diversity of mutations was observed among all non-Enteritidis salmonella serovars studied. Rates of nalidixic acid resistance in serovar Enteritidis may predominantly reflect clonal expansion after infrequent mutation or selection events.