bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immunological functions of hyaluronan and its receptors in the lymphatics
Authors: Jackson David G.
Published: June 2009

Summary:  The lymphatic system is best known for draining interstitial fluid from the tissues and returning it to the blood circulation. However, the lymphatic system also provides the means for immune surveillance in the immune system, acting as conduits that convey soluble antigens and antigen‐presenting cells from the tissues to the lymph nodes, where primary lymphocyte responses are generated. One macromolecule that potentially unites these two functions is the large extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA), a chemically simple copolymer of GlcNAc and GlcUA that fulfills a diversity of functions from danger signal to adhesive substratum, depending upon chain length and particular interaction with its many different binding proteins and a small but important group of receptors. The two most abundant of these receptors are CD44, which is expressed on leukocytes that traffic through the lymphatics, and LYVE‐1, which is expressed almost exclusively on lymphatic endothelium. Curiously, much of the HA within the tissues is turned over and degraded in lymph nodes, by a poorly understood process that occurs in the medullary sinuses. Indeed there are several mysterious aspects to HA in the lymphatics. Here we cover some of these by reviewing recent findings in the biology of lymphatic endothelial cells and their possible roles in HA homeostasis together with fresh insights into the complex and enigmatic nature of LYVE‐1, its regulation of HA binding by sialylation and self‐association, and its potential function in leukocyte trafficking.
Retracted : Melatonin plus porcine bone on discrete calcium deposit implant surface stimulates osteointegration in dental implants
Authors: Calvo‐Guirado José Luis , Gómez‐Moreno Gerardo , Barone Antonio , Cutando Antonio , Alcaraz‐Baños Miguel , Chiva Fernando , López‐Marí Laura , Guardia Javier
Published: June 2009

Abstract:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the topical application of melatonin mixed with collagenized porcine bone to accelerate the osteointegration on the rough discrete calcium deposit (DCD) surface implants in Beagle dogs 3 months after their insertion. In preparation for subsequent insertion of dental implants, lower premolars and molars were extracted from 12 Beagle dogs. Each mandible received three parallel wall implants with discrete calcium deposit (DCD) surface of 4 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length. The implants were randomly assigned to the distal sites on each side of the mandible in three groups: group I implants alone, group II implants with melatonin and group III implants with melatonin and porcine bone. Prior to implanting, 5 mg lyophylized powdered melatonin was applied to one bone hole at each side of the mandible. None was applied at the control sites. Ten histological sections per implant were obtained for histomorphometric studies. After a 4‐wk treatment period, melatonin significantly increased the perimeter of bone that was in direct contact with the treated implants (P < 0.0001), bone density (P < 0.0001), new bone formation (P < 0.0001) in comparison with control implants. Topical application of melatonin on DCD surface may act as a biomimetic agent in the placement of endo‐osseous dental implants and enhance the osteointegration. Melatonin combined with porcine bone on DCD implants reveals more bone to implant contact at 12 wk (84.5 ± 1.5%) compared with melatonin treated (75.1 ± 1.4%) and nonmelatonin treated surface implants (64 ± 1.4%).
Potential roles of melatonin and chronotherapy among the new trends in hypertension treatment
Authors: Simko Fedor , Pechanova Olga
Published: June 2009

Abstract:  The number of well‐controlled hypertensives is unacceptably low worldwide. Respecting the circadian variation of blood pressure, nontraditional antihypertensives, and treatment in early stages of hypertension are potential ways to improve hypertension therapy. First, prominent variations in circadian rhythm are characteristic for blood pressure. The revolutionary MAPEC (Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring and Cardiovascular Events) study, in 3000 adult hypertensives investigates, whether chronotherapy influences the cardiovascular prognosis beyond blood pressure reduction per se. Second, melatonin, statins and aliskiren are hopeful drugs for hypertension treatment. Melatonin, through its scavenging and antioxidant effects, preservation of NO availability, sympatholytic effect or specific melatonin receptor activation exerts antihypertensive and anti‐remodeling effects and may be useful especially in patients with nondipping nighttime blood pressure pattern or with nocturnal hypertension and in hypertensives with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Owing to its multifunctional physiological actions, this indolamine may offer cardiovascular protection far beyond its hemodynamic benefit. Statins exert several pleiotropic effects through inhibition of small guanosine triphosphate‐binding proteins such as Ras and Rho. Remarkably, statins reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients and more importantly they attenuate LVH. Addition of statins should be considered for high‐risk hypertensives, for hypertensives with LVH, and possibly for high‐risk prehypertensive patients. The direct renin inhibitor, aliskiren, inhibits catalytic activity of renin molecules in circulation and in the kidney, thus lowering angiotensin II levels. Furthermore, aliskiren by modifying the prorenin conformation may prevent prorenin activation. At present, aliskiren should be considered in hypertensive patients not sufficiently controlled or intolerant to other inhibitors of renin–angiotensin system. Third, TROPHY (Trial of Preventing Hypertension) is the first pharmacological intervention for prehypertensive patients revealing that treatment with angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker attenuates hypertension development and thus decreases the risk of cardiovascular events.
Serum soluble CD44v6 levels in patients with oral and maxillofacial malignancy
Authors: Chang SM , Xing RD , Zhang FM , Duan YQ
Published: June 2009

Objective:  To determine the levels of serum sCD44v6 in patients with oral cancer and evaluate the value of serum sCD44v6 in adjuvant diagnosis, staging and monitoring treatment response in these patients.

Materials and Methods:  A total of 112 hospitalized patients with oral and maxillofacial malignancy and 28 healthy individuals were examined for serum sCD44v6 levels. Venous blood was collected from these patients and the healthy individuals. One week after treatment, venous blood was collected once again in 60 patients with oral and maxillofacial squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Results:  The sCD44v6 concentration was not significantly different between patients with oral and maxillofacial malignancy and control group (P > 0.05). The levels of serum sCD44v6 in patients with OSCC and salivary carcinoma showed no difference with those in control group (P > 0.05). The sCD44v6 level in patients with stage III and IV disease was higher than that of patients with stage I and II and that of the control group, but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05).  Serum sCD44v6 levels in patients with OSCC after treatment became lower than that prevailed during pretreatment (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:  The possible roles of CD44v6 in the diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial malignancy deserve further elucidation and evaluation. Serum sCD44v6 may be a valuable marker in monitoring treatment response in patients with OSCC.
Humoral immunity to cow’s milk proteins and gliadin within the etiology of recurrent aphthous ulcers?
Authors: Besu I , Jankovic L , Magdu IU , Konic‐Ristic A , Raskovic S , Juranic Z
Published: June 2009

Objectives:  The goal of this study was to determine the incidence of serum antibodies to gliadin and to cow’s milk proteins (CMP) using ELISA test, within patients who have recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU).

Subjects and Methods:  Fifty patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers and fifty healthy people were included in this research. Levels of serum IgA and IgG antibodies to gliadin and IgA, IgG and IgE to CMP were determined using ELISA.

Results:  The levels of serum antigliadin IgA and IgG antibodies were not significantly higher in patients with RAU in comparison with the controls (P = 0.937 and P = 0.1854 respectively). The levels of serum anti‐CMP IgA, IgG and IgE antibodies were significantly higher in patients with RAU in comparison with the controls (P < 0.005, P < 0.002 and P < 0.001 respectively). In general, the increased humoral (IgA or IgG) immunoreactivity to CMP was found in 32 of 50 patients, while 17 of them showed the increased levels of both IgA and IgG immunoreactivity to CMP. At the same time, 16 out of 50 patients had IgA, IgG and IgE immunoreactivity to CMP.

Conclusion:  These results indicate the strong association between high levels of serum anti‐CMP IgA, IgG and IgE antibodies and clinical manifestations of recurrent aphthous ulcers.
Insulin resistance among Brazilian schoolchildren: association with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Strufaldi MWL , Da Silva EMK , Puccini RF
Published: June 2009

Aim:  Our purpose was to evaluate Insulin Resistance (IR) and its association with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among 161 (6‐ to 10‐year‐old) schoolchildren.

Methods:  This two‐stage cross‐sectional study evaluated: BMI, blood pressure, personal history (birth weight) and family history of CVDs. Children with at least one of the following criteria participated in the second stage: obesity, personal or family history. Insulin resistance was determined using Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA).

Results:  The HOMA distribution in terciles showed mean values for the first, second and third tercile of 0.41, 0.79 and 2.11 respectively. The HOMA distribution in the third tercile demonstrated statistically significant associations with overweight/obesity (p = 0.007), hypertension (p = 0.008) and low HDL (p = 0.02). Analysis of mean birth weight in each tercile and between terciles did not present any positive correlation (p = 0.213).

Conclusion:  Higher levels of HOMA (IR) were positively associated with risk factors for CVD among schoolchildren.
Love in a Cold Climate: The Future of Feminism and Gender Studies in Middle English Scholarship
Authors: Sidhu Nicole Nolan
Published: June 2009

This article has two purposes: the first is to survey new approaches to gender studies in scholarship on Middle English literature; the second is to outline the continuing marginalization of gender studies in the field of Middle English scholarship and the consequences of this, both for the future of the discipline and for gender studies.
Mina Loy’s Modern Long Poem: New York and the Compensations of Poverty
Authors: Egan Deirdre
Published: June 2009

Modernist poet Mina Loy composed a series of poems in and about lower Manhattan during the late 1930s and into the 1940s, which she listed together in her notes under the title Compensations of Poverty. The poems, however, have never been collected or analyzed together as a group for their relationship to each other. The archival drafts of the poems, along with the published versions of poems, suggest that they be understood as a conscious grouping much like the long poems Loy’s modernist contemporaries were producing at the same moment in literary history. Taken together as one long poem comprised of various lyrics, this text focuses on figures and spaces typically marginalized by the workings of urban modernity: the homeless, children, and even insects who reside in the Lower East Side of New York. Loy’s Compensations of Poverty links seemingly different female figures to interrogate economic and spiritual value in the cityscape, suggesting finally that the poet figure serves as the force of transformation from an impoverished landscape to a divine one.
A Genome‐wide Functional Characterization of Arabidopsis Regulatory Calcium Sensors in Pollen Tubes
Authors: Zhou Liming , Fu Ying , Yang Zhenbiao
Published: June 2009

Calcium, an ubiquitous second messenger, plays an essential and versatile role in cellular signaling. The diverse function of calcium signals is achieved by an excess of calcium sensors. Plants possess large numbers of calcium sensors, most of which have not been functionally characterized. To identify physiologically relevant calcium sensors in a specific cell type, we conducted a genome‐wide functional survey in pollen tubes, for which spatiotemporal calcium signals are well‐characterized and required for polarized tip growth. Pollen‐specific members of calmodulin (CaM), CaM‐like (CML), calcium‐dependent protein kinase (CDPK) and calcineurin B‐like protein (CBL) families were tagged with green fluorescence protein (GFP) and their localization patterns and overexpression phenotypes were characterized in tobacco pollen tubes. We found that several fusion proteins showed distinct overexpression phenotypes and subcellular localization patterns. CDPK24‐GFP was localized to the vegetative nucleus and the generative cell/sperms. CDPK32‐GFP caused severe growth depolarization. CBL2‐GFP and CBL3‐GFP exhibited dynamic patterns of subcellular localization, including several endomembrane compartments, the apical plasma membrane (PM), and cytoskeleton‐like structures in pollen tubes. Their overexpression also inhibited pollen tube elongation and induced growth depolarization. These putative calcium sensors are excellent candidates for the calcium sensors responsible for the regulation of calcium homeostasis and calcium‐dependent tip growth and growth oscillation in pollen tubes.
Regulation of Actin Dynamics in Pollen Tubes: Control of Actin Polymer Level
Authors: Chen Naizhi , Qu Xiaolu , Wu Youjun , Huang Shanjin
Published: June 2009

Actin cytoskeleton undergoes rapid reorganization in response to internal and external cues. How the dynamics of actin cytoskeleton are regulated, and how its dynamics relate to its function are fundamental questions in plant cell biology. The pollen tube is a well characterized actin‐based cell morphogenesis in plants. One of the striking features of actin cytoskeleton characterized in the pollen tube is its surprisingly low level of actin polymer. This special phenomenon might relate to the function of actin cytoskeleton in pollen tubes. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying this special phenomenon requires careful analysis of actin‐binding proteins that modulate actin dynamics directly. Recent biochemical and biophysical analyses of several highly conserved plant actin‐binding proteins reveal unusual and unexpected properties, which emphasizes the importance of carefully analyzing their action mechanism and cellular activity. In this review, we highlight an actin monomer sequestering protein, a barbed end capping protein and an F‐actin severing and dynamizing protein in plant. We propose that these proteins function in harmony to regulate actin dynamics and maintain the low level of actin polymer in pollen tubes.
Life Sciences Roundtable: Strategy and Financing
Authors: Lewent Judy , Fuller Joe , Scharfstein David , Passov Rick , Petty Cathrin , Simmons Charles , Greene Jeff , Crnkovich Pete , Luce Carolyn Buck
Published: June 2009

In light of the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry, a distinguished group of pharma executives and strategic and financial advisers discusses the following corporate decisions:

Strategy: What business model is most likely to maximize long‐term shareholder value? For example, is diversification by big pharma into areas like consumer healthcare and generics a reliable way to create sustainable value?

Capital allocation: What are the best methods for evaluating investments in pharma R&D, and for deciding which programs should be terminated and which assets divested? If conventional DCF isn't much help in a world where R&D outcomes are so uncertain, what about proposed models like real options?

Corporate governance and incentive systems: Should big pharma continue to outsource ever more of its R&D functions to biotech and venture capital? Or can it overcome the problems associated with size by creating more decentralized business units and trying to replicate the accountability and incentives of smaller biotech firms?

Capital structure and payout policy: Are the large cash and equity positions and minimal payouts of big pharma, typically justified as cushioning the uncertainties associated with pharma R&D, likely to be the value‐maximizing capital structure in the future? With many biotechs struggling and venture capital scarce, where are the new sources of capital for the industry? And can future deals be structured in ways that help bring about higher returns for big pharma as well as the R&D providers?

Disclosure: What should management tell investors to help ensure that their companies' policies and promising investments are reflected in their stock prices?
Specific Knowledge and Divisional Performance Measurement
Authors: Jensen Michael C. , Meckling William H.
Published: June 2009

This classic by the formulators of agency cost theory discusses five common divisional performance measurement methods—cost centers, revenue centers, profit centers, investment centers, and expense centers—while providing a theory that attempts to explain when each of these methods is likely to be the most efficient. The central insight of the theory is that each method offers a different way of aligning decision‐making authority with valuable “specific knowledge” inside the organization.

The theory suggests that cost and revenue centers work best in cases where headquarters has good information about cost and demand functions, product quality, and optimal output mix. Profit centers—defined as business units whose managers have responsibility for overall profits, but not the authority to make major capital spending decisions—tend to supplant revenue and cost centers when line managers have a significant informational advantage over headquarters and when there are few interdependencies (or “synergies”) between divisions. Investment centers—profit centers in which unit managers are allowed to make major investment decisions—tend to prevail when the activity is capital‐intensive and when it is difficult for headquarters to identify the value‐maximizing investment strategy.

In evaluating the performance of profit centers, rate‐of‐return measures like ROA are likely to be effective when unit managers do not have major influence over the level of new investment. But, in the case of investment centers, Economic Value Added, or EVA, is likely to be the most effective single‐period measure because it is designed to encourage only value‐increasing investment decisions.
Using Organizational Architecture to Lead Change*
Authors: Brickley James , Smith Clifford , Zimmerman Jerold , Willett Janice
Published: June 2009

Effective leadership involves more than developing and communicating the right strategic vision for the company. To encourage employees to carry out the corporate vision, companies must ensure consistency among the following three main components of their “organizational architecture:”

the allocation of decision‐making authority (that is, who in the organization gets to make what decisions);

performance measurement systems (for evaluating the performance of individuals as well as business units); and

reward systems (the rewards for success, both financial and otherwise, and the consequences of failure).

The authors illustrate the application of this framework with the case of Xerox's (eventually) successful attempt to create a customer‐oriented workforce in the 1980s. But a more effective demonstration of the importance of these principles, as the authors go on to suggest, might well be the same company's well‐known failure to realize the commercial promise of the many inventions by its research group in Palo Alto.

This organizational framework is especially useful for evaluating the likely effects of major corporate initiatives such as “Six Sigma” or the “Balanced Scorecard.” For example, it could be used to help top management determine whether, and under what circumstances, decentralization is likely to improve decision‐making and performance, as well as the changes in the firm's performance management and incentive systems that would be required to make decentralization work.

Finally, the authors apply the framework to another important leadership issue: corporate ethics. In response to the scandals of the past decade and the passage of Sarbanes‐Oxley, many U.S. companies have issued formal codes of conduct, appointed ethics officers, and instituted training programs in ethics. But a key question for top management is whether the incentives established by the firm's organizational architecture reinforce or undermine the code of conduct. In this sense, ensuring consistency in organizational design is an important leadership function—one that is critical to encouraging ethical behavior as well as the pursuit of shareholder value.
Why Capital Efficiency Measures Are Rarely Used in Incentive Plans, and How to Change That
Authors: O'Byrne Stephen F. , Young S. David
Published: June 2009

Despite the wide acceptance of DCF valuation and its corollary that value is created only by earning more than the cost of capital, very few companies use performance measures that focus on corporate efficiency in using capital—measures such as return on capital (ROC) or economic value added (EVA)—as the main basis for their top management incentive programs. In this article, the authors begin by documenting the surprisingly limited use of such measures in management incentive plans. Next they analyze three often cited problems—difficulty in retaining managers, discouragement of growth investment, and complexity—that could account for the limited use of such measures. Third and last, they suggest a number of adjustments to standard capital efficiency measures that are designed to address these problems and, in so doing, to give corporate directors more confidence in using measures like EVA to reward and hold managers accountable for value‐adding performance.

In illustrating the problems encountered when using such performance measures, the article uses case studies of three long‐time “EVA companies”—Briggs & Stratton, Herman Miller, and Manitowoc—to highlight the difficulty of using a “bonus bank” (or “clawback”) system to hold managers fully accountable for earning a minimum return on capital. After presenting empirical data that shows “delayed productivity” of invested capital, the authors suggest that conventional capital efficiency measures can discourage value‐increasing growth.

The article concludes by recommending that although measures like EVA used in combination with negative bonus banks provide the right incentives, EVA capital charges should be phased in gradually to reflect the delayed productivity of capital. At the same time, corporate boards should consider providing bonus bank “relief” when market and industry factors have excessively large negative effects on the performance measures and bonus awards.
The Hybrid Option: A New Approach to Equity Compensation
Authors: Hodak Marc
Published: June 2009

Equity compensation can provide part of the expected reward needed to attract and retain talent while strengthening the unity of interest between management and its shareholders. But more can be done. Until now, managers and boards have used standard equity instruments such as restricted common stock and at‐the‐money stock options. Boards typically place various restrictions on these instruments to improve retention or alignment, or mix and match them according to taste or fashion. But each of these standard instruments has well‐understood limitations. For example, employee stock options that are granted at the money are worth considerably less, on the day of the grant, to the managers that receive them than to the shareholders of the companies that give them. And the values of both options and restricted stock depend heavily on variables, like the general state of the economy, that have little or nothing to do with managerial performance.

An instrument designed specifically for executive compensation can overcome these limitations. More specifically, the author proposes the use of options that are both in‐the‐money—to limit their value‐to‐cost discount—and indexed to industry‐ and market‐wide variables—to tie rewards more directly to firm‐specific performance. Properly designed, such a hybrid instrument could meet all the equity‐based compensation objectives for a given company, greatly simplifying its compensation plans, while improving the balance among the compensation governance criteria of retention, alignment, and cost control.
Shareholder Value Maximization—Is There a Role for Corporate Social Responsibility?
Authors: Martin John , Petty William , Wallace James
Published: June 2009

Although often viewed as inconsistent with the corporate goal of value maximization, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement can add value by helping companies develop and maintain their reputations for fair dealing with each of their important non‐investor stakeholder groups, including employees, suppliers, and local communities. Such “reputational capital” in turn helps reinforce the commitment of those stakeholders through what amount to informal or implicit contracts—contracts that are often critical to a company's long‐run success.

Nevertheless, the importance and difficulty of balancing stakeholder interests against the overarching goal of efficiency and value maximization cannot be overstated. As with any corporate investment, each dollar of investment in a corporate stakeholder group should be justified by at least a dollar of expected return over a finite time horizon. By practicing this kind of “enlightened value maximization,” to borrow Michael Jensen's phrase, management is likely to end up increasing not only its returns to shareholders, but the size of the corporate pie that is divided among all its stakeholders. Viewed in this light, CSR and value maximization have the potential to be complementary undertakings that result in a virtuous circle in which “doing good” helps companies do well, and doing well provides the wherewithal to do more good.
Effects of Milk Type and Consumer Factors on the Acceptance of Milk among Korean Female Consumers
Authors: Chung Seo‐Jin
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Despite an overall increase in the consumption of milk products, the consumption of plain processed milk in South Korea is decreasing. One of the major reasons for this phenomenon is that consumers in Korea find the taste of plain milk unpalatable. The principal objective of this study was to identify the internal and external drivers of liking for milk among Korean consumers. The results of descriptive analysis (Chung and others 2008) were correlated to the results of consumer taste tests to identify the sensory characteristics that positively and negatively affect consumers' liking of milk. Consumers' health and food‐related attitudes were surveyed as well as their daily milk consumption patterns to investigate the effects of these attitudes and consumption patterns on the liking for various types of milk. Consumers' liking of milk samples was positively correlated with sweetness, sweet cream flavor, and smooth texture. Grassy odor, raw milk flavor, artificial milk flavor, and rancid flavor were the negative drivers of liking. Consumers who frequently drink plain processed milk, in particular, preferred the UHT‐processed whole milk samples, whereas infrequent drinkers preferred lactose‐free milk samples. Consumers with strong food neophobic tendency significantly rated lower than consumers with weak tendency for most of the liking categories and some of the attribute intensities. Finally, when the consumers were grouped based on their common preference for milk samples, plain processed milk consumption frequency was the major determinant affecting the preference for milk.
Growth and Survival Differences of Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus Strains during Cold Storage
Authors: Burnham V.E. , Janes M.E. , Jakus L.A. , Supan J. , DePaola A. , Bell J.
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus are the most common Vibrio species associated with seafood illness in the United States. Our study was conducted to determine if strain‐to‐strain differences exist in the growth and survival of 8 different V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus strains at low temperatures. By day 10, V. vulnificus strain 515‐4C2 had significantly higher counts (P < 0.05) (1.97 log CFU/g) compared with strains 3315, 1007, 29306 at 5 °C, which reached nondetectable levels. At 8 °C, strain 515‐4C2 had significantly higher counts (P < 0.05) (2.23 log CFU/mL) compared with 1007, 33815, 541(O) 49C, which reached nondetectable levels. At 10 °C, only V. vulnificus strain 33815 reached nondetectable levels. At 5 °C, V. parahaemolyticus strain 541(O) 57C had the highest counts (5.28 log CFU/g) by day 10 while strain 33847 had significantly lower counts (3.46 log CFU/g). After 10 d at 8 °C, V. parahaemolyticus strain M350A had the highest counts (7.97 log CFU/mL) while strain 541(O) 57C had the lowest counts (4.80 log CFU/mL). At 10 °C, V. parahaemolyticus strain NY477 had significantly higher counts (P < 0.05) with 8.31 log CFU/mL compared with strain 33847, which had the lowest counts (6.77 log CFU/mL). Our research has shown that various V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus strains vary in their ability to survive and grow at refrigeration temperatures.
Effectiveness of Cross‐Flow Microfiltration for Removal of Microorganisms Associated with Unpasteurized Liquid Egg White from Process Plant
Authors: Mukhopadhyay S. , Tomasula P.M. , Van Hekken D. , Luchansky J.B. , Call J.E. , Porto‐Fett A.
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Thermal preservation is used by the egg industry to ensure the microbiological safety of liquid egg white (LEW); however, it does not eliminate all microorganisms and impairs some of the delicate functional properties of LEW. In this study, a pilot‐scale cross‐flow microfiltration (MF) process was designed to remove the natural microflora present in commercial LEW, obtained from a local egg‐breaking plant, while maintaining the nutritional and functional properties of the LEW. LEW, containing approximately 106 ± 1.7 colony forming units (CFU) per milliliter of total aerobic bacteria, was microfiltered using a ceramic membrane with a nominal pore size of 1.4 μm, at a cross‐flow velocity of 6 m/s. To facilitate MF, LEW was screened, homogenized, and then diluted (1 : 2, w/w) with distilled water containing 0.5% sodium chloride. Homogenized LEW was found to have a threefold lower viscosity than unhomogenized LEW. Influence of MF temperature (25 and 40 °C) and pH (6 and 9) on permeate flux, transmission of egg white nutrients across the membrane, and microbial removal efficiency were evaluated. The pH had a significantly greater influence on permeate flux than temperature. Permeate flux increased by almost 148% when pH of LEW was adjusted from pH 9 to pH 6 at 40 °C. Influence of temperature on permeate flux, at a constant pH, however, was found to be inconclusive. Microbial removal efficiency was at least 5 log10 CFU/mL. Total protein and SDS‐PAGE analysis indicated that this MF process did not alter the protein composition of the permeate, compared to that of the feed LEW, and that the foaming properties of LEW were retained in the postfiltered samples.
Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant Capacity of 3 Polysaccharides from Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and Black Tea
Authors: Chen Haixia , Qu Zhishuang , Fu Lingling , Dong Peng , Zhang Xin
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT: Three polysaccharide‐rich fractions named GTPS, OTPS, and BTPS were isolated from green tea, oolong tea, and black tea, respectively. Chemical characteristics, glycosidase inhibitory effects, and antioxidant properties of the 3 fractions were compared. Monosaccharides of GTPS were composed of D‐rhamnose, L‐arabinose, D‐xylose, D‐mannose, D‐galactose, and D‐glucose. But there were no xylose and mannose detected in OTPS and BTPS. The molecular weight distributions were decreased from 9.2 to 251.5 KDa to 3.8 to 32.7 KDa with the fermentation of the tea from green tea to black tea. BTPS showed the highest α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity, antioxidant activities on hydroxyl radicals and DPPH radicals. The differences in antioxidant activities and glycosidase inhibitory properties among the 3 polysaccharide‐rich fractions appeared to be related to differences in monosaccharide composition and molecular weight distribution of the polysaccharide.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the primary threats to human health due to its increasing prevalence, chronic course, and disabling complications. Control of postprandial hyperglycemia and inhibition of oxidative stress are suggested to be important in the treatment of diabetes. Many efforts had been made to search for effective and safe α‐glucosidase inhibitors and antioxidants from natural materials to develop a physiological functional food or lead compounds for curing diabetes. Coarse tea was used to cure diabetics in people in China and Japan. The hypoglycemic activity increased with the contents of polysaccharide in coarse tea. Many studies have focused on the hypoglycemic activities of tea polysaccharides, but little is known about the glycosidase inhibitory effects of tea polysaccharide. The aim of this study was to find a tea polysaccharide with the best potential for exploitation in curing diabetes.
Salt Reduction in Foods Using Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
Authors: Kremer Stefanie , Mojet Jozina , Shimojo Ryo
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  In recent years, health concerns related to salt/sodium chloride consumption have caused an increased demand for salt‐reduced foods. Consequently, sodium chloride (NaCl) reduction in foods has become an important challenge. The more so, since a decrease in NaCl content is often reported to be associated with a decrease in consumer acceptance. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether or not it would be possible to reduce the NaCl content in standard Western European foods by replacing it with naturally brewed soy sauce. Three types of foods were investigated: salad dressing (n = 56), soup (n = 52), and stir‐fried pork (n = 57). In the 1st step, an exchange rate (ER) by which NaCl can be replaced with soy sauce without a significant change in the overall taste intensity was established per product type, by means of alternative forced choice tests. In the 2nd step, the same consumers evaluated 5 samples per product type with varying NaCl and/or soy sauce content on pleasantness and several sensory attributes. The results showed that it was possible to achieve a NaCl reduction in the tested foods of, respectively, 50%, 17%, and 29% without leading to significant losses in either overall taste intensity or product pleasantness. These results suggest that it is possible to replace NaCl in foods with naturally brewed soy sauce without lowering the overall taste intensity and to reduce the total NaCl content in these foods without decreasing their consumer acceptance.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Health concerns related to salt consumption cause an increased demand for salt‐reduced foods. Consequently, the development of foods with reduced salt content without decreasing the consumer acceptance is an important challenge for the food industry. A new possible salt reduction approach is described in the present article: The replacement of salt with naturally brewed soy sauce.
Evolution of Quality Characteristics of Minimally Processed Asparagus During Storage in Different Lighting Conditions
Authors: Sanz S. , Olarte C. , Ayala F. , Echávarri J.F.
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  The effect of different types of lighting (white, green, red, and blue light) on minimally processed asparagus during storage at 4 °C was studied. The gas concentrations in the packages, pH, mesophilic counts, and weight loss were also determined. Lighting caused an increase in physiological activity. Asparagus stored under lighting achieved atmospheres with higher CO2 and lower O2 content than samples kept in the dark. This activity increase explains the greater deterioration experienced by samples stored under lighting, which clearly affected texture and especially color, accelerating the appearance of greenish hues in the tips and reddish‐brown hues in the spears. Exposure to light had a negative effect on the quality parameters of the asparagus and it caused a significant reduction in shelf life. Hence, the 11 d shelf life of samples kept in the dark was reduced to only 3 d in samples kept under red and green light, and to 7 d in those kept under white and blue light. However, quality indicators such as the color of the tips and texture showed significantly better behavior under blue light than with white light, which allows us to state that it is better to use this type of light or blue‐tinted packaging film for the display of minimally processed asparagus to consumers.
Dry Fractionation Methods to Produce Barley Meals Varying in Protein, Beta‐Glucan, and Starch Contents
Authors: Liu KeShun , Barrows Frederic T. , Obert Don
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Barley contains several valuable nutrients including beta‐glucan (BG), protein, and starch. Each has additional value when concentrated. Dehulled and hulless barleys were sequentially pearled for 1 to 6 cycles, each with 8% removal. The 6 pearled kernels and the initial kernel were subjected to impact or abrasive milling, followed by sieving with a series of U.S. standard sieves. Results of pearling fines show that protein was most concentrated in the outer area, and decreased all the way toward the core area (near 100% surface removal). Starch showed an opposite trend. BG followed the starch trend, but reached a peak at about 60% surface removal. Upon milling and sieving of kernel samples, genotype and particle size had significant effects on nutrient contents in sieved fractions. The pearling cycle had significant effects on protein and starch contents but little effect on BG content, while the milling method had significant effects on protein and BG contents but little on starch content. Abrasive milling produced sieved fractions with much higher variation in protein content than impact milling, but the opposite effect was observed for shifting BG content. Mass frequency influenced more on recovery rates of nutrients than their concentrations in individual fractions. When the recovery rate was also taken into consideration, pearling alone was found to be the most effective way to enrich protein in barley kernels. However, a combination of pearling with the method of milling and sieving was needed for maximally shifting BG and starch contents.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Although dry fractionation is the method of choice for separating barley into fractions with varying levels of protein, BG, and/or starch, selection of a specific single or combined method is needed for achieving maximum shifts of a particular nutrient. Such information is significant to those who use dry fractionation methods to enrich protein, BG, and/or starch.
Effects of Phosphatidylcholine and Phosphatidylethanolamine on the Photooxidation of Canola Oil
Authors: Lee Jiyeun , Choe Eunok
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Effects of chlorophyll b, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) on the oxidation of canola oil under 1700 lux light at 10 °C were studied by determining the headspace oxygen depletion and peroxide value. Chlorophyll b increased the oil oxidation under light via production of singlet oxygen. PC and PE did not affect the headspace oxygen depletion and peroxide formation in the oil in the absence of chlorophyll b at 10 °C; however, they increased in the presence of chlorophyll, with higher effect of PC than PE. Chlorophyll was degraded during the oil photooxidation and PC and PE decreased its photodecomposition with higher protection by PC than PE. There was no effect of light or singlet oxygen on PC and PE during the oil photooxidation. The results clearly showed that PC and PE were prooxidants in the photooxidation of canola oil containing chlorophyll b by protecting it from photodecomposition, and thus PC and PE should be removed from the oil containing chlorophyll to improve the photooxidative stability.
Characterization of Shortday Onion Cultivars of 3 Pungency Levels with Flavor Precursor, Free Amino Acid, Sulfur, and Sugar Contents
Authors: Lee Eun Jin , Yoo Kil Sun , Jifon John , Patil Bhimanagouda S.
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  This study was conducted to characterize shortday onions of 3 pungency levels with regard to the composition of flavor related compounds. A total of 9 onion breeding lines/cultivars were selected, per each of low, medium, and high pungency level, with pyruvic acid contents of 1.9 to 2.8, 4.8 to 5.4, and 7.2 to 8.3 μmoles/mL, respectively. The contents of flavor precursors (S‐1‐propenyl‐L‐cysteine sulfoxide [1‐PeCSO] and S‐methyl‐L‐cysteine‐sulfoxide [MCSO]), free amino acids, free sugars, soluble solids (SSC), and total sulfur (S) in onion bulbs were measured. The flavor precursor contents ranged from 0.03 to 0.16 mg/g fresh weight (FW) for MCSO, 0.07 to 0.65 mg for 1‐PeCSO, and 0.12 to 0.77 mg in total, and precursor contents increased with the pungency levels. Onions of different pungency levels did not differ in the contents of individual or total free amino acids, and the most abundant amino acids were glutamine and arginine. The total sugar contents ranged from 50 to 75 mg/g FW, and total S contents (3.5 to 5.1 mg/g dry weight) were not correlated with the pungency levels. However, pungency levels were correlated inversely with bulb weight and positively with SSC, presumably by the effect of dilution. This study indicates that onion pungency is primarily determined by the content of flavor precursor compounds and not by total S, total sugars, or individual/total free amino acids in shortday bulbs.
Characterization of Gum Ghatti (Anogeissus latifolia): A Structural and Rheological Approach
Authors: Kaur Lovedeep , Singh Jaspreet , Singh Harjinder
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Gatifolia, a commercial gum ghatti (Anogeissus latifolia) product was studied for its structural, thermal, and rheological characteristics. This study may prove helpful for the use of gum ghatti in a diverse range of food applications. The molecular weight (MW) and Rg (radius of gyration) for gum ghatti were calculated to be approximately 8.94 × 107 g/mol and 140 nm, respectively, using high‐performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) system combined with multi‐angle laser light scattering (MALLS). Gum ghatti solutions exhibited pseudoplastic behavior (as determined by flow experiments), which became more prevalent with increasing concentrations. Gum ghatti also displayed time‐dependent shear‐thickening behavior and showed negative hysteresis during up–down flow measurements. Under the measurement conditions at the range of frequencies and temperatures studied, the gum did not behave as a typical viscoelastic gel.
Workshop Report: Modeling the Molecular Mechanism of Bacterial Spore Germination and Elucidating Reasons for Germination Heterogeneity
Authors: Indest Karl J. , Buchholz Wallace G. , Faeder Jim R. , Setlow Peter
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT:  Over the course of 2 days, top researchers in the fields of bacterial spore biology and computational biology discussed approaches to determine the cause of spore germination heterogeneity. Biological and mathematical data gaps were identified, and experimental approaches and computational strategies for modeling spore germination were presented and evaluated. As a result of these interactions, future research directions were defined, the outcome of which should result in a robust model to help define the molecular mechanism(s) of spore germination. Mechanistic understanding of germination will be instrumental for developing novel sterilization, treatment, and decontamination strategies to mitigate threats posed by spores.
Progress in diabetes research in China
Authors: NING Guang , HONG Jie , BI Yufang , GU Weiqiong , ZHANG Yifei , ZHANG Zhiguo , HUANG Yun , WANG Weiqing , LI Xiaoying
Published: June 2009

The prevalence of diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is increasing markedly throughout the world, including in China. Because T2DM and its complications are associated with considerable socioeconomic burden and mortality, there is increasing interest in developing strategies to prevent or delay progression of the disease. In recent decades, many researchers have focused on the mechanism of onset of diabetes, as well as examining the benefits of various interventions in subjects with different glucose tolerance status to prevent or delay development of the disease. In the present article, we focus on five areas (epidemiology, early intervention, insulin sensitivity and β‐cell function, adipocytokines, and traditional Chinese medicine) to review the progress of research into diabetes in China today. The prevalence of diabetes in China is one of the highest in the world. However, with lifestyle interventions and appropriate pharmacological therapies (including traditional Chinese medicine), T2DM may be prevented, well controlled, or even put into remission. Accurate estimation of insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity, as well as better characterization of the physiological function of adipocytokines, could give us a better understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying the onset of diabetes and could lead to better interventions in people with impaired glucose tolerance and T2DM.
Three nuclear genes for phylogenetic, SNP and population genetic studies of molluscs and other invertebrates
Authors: AUDZIJONYTE A. , VRIJENHOEK R. C.
Published: June 2009

The study reports new primers capable of amplifying fragments from three nuclear protein‐coding genes in a variety of deep‐sea molluscs and annelids – adenine nucleotide translocase (Ant), calmodulin (Cal) and cyclophilin A (CycA). The Ant primers appear to be restricted to bivalve molluscs, whereas the Cal and CycA primers also amplified appropriate gene fragments from Lepetodrilus gastropod molluscs and Osedax polychaete worms. The amplified fragment of Cal contains an intron in the molluscs, but no intron was detected in the Ant and CycA fragments from any of the tested animals. DNA sequences generated by the three primer sets exhibited one to 15 single nucleotide polymorphism sites in deep‐sea vesicomyid clams and Osedax boneworms. The observed levels of polymorphism indicate that the genes are likely to be useful in both population genetic and phylogenetic analyses of different invertebrate taxa.