bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Citizen Involvement Efforts and Bureaucratic Responsiveness: Participatory Values, Stakeholder Pressures, and Administrative Practicality
Authors: Yang Kaifeng , Callahan Kathe
Published: April 2007

This article addresses the efforts of local governments to involve citizens in administrative processes. In particular, we explore the following questions: What social and political groups in the community promote citizen involvement? Which groups awre likely to succeed? What barriers obstruct citizen involvement efforts? Do administrative attitudes make a difference in undertaking citizen involvement? Using survey data, this study tests a framework that assumes the decision to involve citizens in administrative processes reflects administrative responsiveness to salient community stakeholders, normative values associated with citizen involvement, and administrative practicality. The statistical results confirm the bureaucratic responsiveness framework and point to future directions for citizen involvement research and practice.
The Wisdom of Crowds: Learning from Administrators’ Predictions of Citizen Perceptions
Authors: Poister Theodore H. , Thomas John Clayton
Published: April 2007

Public agencies use surveys to solicit feedback from citizens and targeted customer groups, but many experts question whether the results of these surveys are valuable. This paper explores how a recent innovation in citizen surveys—asking public administrators to predict how citizens will respond to survey questions—may be used to increase that value and, at the same time, provide additional data of interest on its own account. The innovation is explored through two surveys: (1) a public opinion poll of Georgia residents conducted by the authors for the Georgia Department of Transportation in January 2004, and (2) a brief survey of that agency’s administrators asking for their predictions of public opinion. The prediction process appeared to increase the agency’s interest in the resident survey. The findings document the frequent superiority of groups—what Surowiecki terms “the wisdom of crowds”—over individuals in predicting public opinion.
Governance: The Collision of Politics and Cooperation
Authors: Callahan Richard
Published: April 2007

Three newly established public agencies built regional rail projects in Los Angeles County from 1978 to 2002. The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority were experiments in regional governance. Conventional understanding of these agencies only partially explains their successes and failures. One path to improved understanding is to combine research on the politics of designing new public agencies with research on cooperation in collective action problems. What emerges is an untold story of American politics: the evolution of mechanisms that promote cooperation. Four findings emerge: (1) conflict is inevitable; (2) public agencies can succeed despite the problems of politics; (3) successful regional solutions are intensely local; and (4) cooperation emerges from supply‐side mechanisms that create new resources rather than reallocate existing resources. The limits of politics are neither random nor predestined—neither is the governance solution.
Affirmative Action and Its Alternatives in Public Universities: What Do We Know?
Authors: Long Mark C.
Published: April 2007

University administrators have made difficult choices in response to the changing policy context for the use of affirmative action in admissions. This paper synthesizes the empirical literature on affirmative action and evaluates the efficacy of alternative strategies, including top‐percent programs, class‐based affirmative action, and targeted recruiting. The analyses offer several findings of interest to officials who direct such programs: (1) Affirmative action preferences given by top‐tier universities have been large; (2) affirmative action leads minorities to enroll in higher‐quality institutions; and (3) affirmative action has mostly positive effects on minority students later in life. The evidence shows a decline in minorities’ relative share of enrollment at flagship public universities after affirmative action was eliminated in several states, and the alternative strategies used by these universities have not offset these declines.
The Effect of Race‐Based Admissions in Public Universities: Debunking the Myths aboutHopwoodand Proposition 209
Authors: Hicklin Alisa
Published: April 2007

In the debates over the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding race‐based university admissions, speculation has focused on how affirmative action affects minority undergraduate enrollments. This paper uses a rational choice framework to test the conventional wisdom about the effect of race‐based admissions, focusing on the landmarkHopwoodjudicial decision and California’s Proposition 209. This study offers more generalizable findings by incorporating all public universities bound under Hopwood and Proposition 209 using data spanning 1990–2000. Findings indicate that the effect of race‐based admissions standards is not what might have been predicted: Shifts in minority enrollments that are attributable to affirmative action hinge on university‐specific characteristics—namely, the level of selectivity.
A Comment on Stephen Page’s “What’s New about the New Public Management”
Authors: Catlaw Thomas , Chapman Jeffrey
Published: April 2007

The authors observe that the attacks on the new public management often show a lack of familiarity with its theoretical base, ignore that it is a recognized management tool, and imagine dramaturgy when none exists.
Gurus, Theory, and Practice: A Reply to Catlaw and Chapman
Authors: Page Stephen
Published: April 2007

In this reply to Catlaw and Chapman’s commentary, Dr. Page acknowledges that attention to New Public Management theory is all well and good, but it should not come at the expense of field observation of the associated phenomena.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin against the Settlers: A Stakeholder Analysis
Authors: Drori Israel , Weizmann Chaim
Published: April 2007

This case study considers how a minority stakeholder group of Israeli settlers blocked Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s peace initiatives. Drawing on interviews with those who served in Rabin’s administration and with the settlers’ leaders, this article contends that the prime minister’s use of adversarial public rhetoric against the settlers denied the legitimacy of an influential stakeholder group, triggering a backlash of intense militancy from the right‐wing minority. This, coupled with Rabin’s failure to deal with opposing coalitions, diminished his capacity to implement “land for peace” initiatives. The case illustrates a leader’s failure to maintain adequate forms of engagement with key stakeholders. The accompanying analysis demonstrates that stakeholder theories, though incomplete in their existing forms, can still illuminate the high risk and ineffectiveness of denying the legitimacy of stakeholder groups and the strategic importance of maintaining channels of flexible negotiation and cooperation with seemingly marginal groups when high‐stakes rivalries are likely to ensue.
Melatonin protects SK‐N‐SH neuroblastoma cells from amphetamine‐induced neurotoxicity
Authors: Klongpanichapak Sirirat , Phansuwan‐Pujito Pansiri , Ebadi Manuchair , Govitrapong Piyarat
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  Several hypotheses regarding the mechanism underlying amphetamine‐induced neurotoxicity have been proposed. One of them is based on the observation of free radical formation and oxidative stress produced by auto‐oxidation of dopamine (DA). The formation of DA‐related reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide and hydroxyl radicals appears to play an important role in amphetamine‐induced neurotoxicity. Melatonin, the main secretory product of pineal gland, is well known for its protective effects that are currently attributed mainly to its radical scavenging and antioxidant properties. The present study was conducted to investigate the protective effects of melatonin on d‐amphetamine (AMPH)‐induced neurotoxicity in cultured human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SK‐N‐SH cells. Our data indicate that AMPH significantly reduces cell viability, induces oxidative stress (enhances ROS production and malondialdehyde levels), up‐regulates α‐synuclein expression and decreases intracellular ATP levels. However, pretreatment of SK‐N‐SH cells with melatonin prevents AMPH‐induced loss of cell viability and induction of oxidative stress, while reducing α‐synuclein expression and increasing ATP production. These results suggest that the antioxidant properties of melatonin may provide a protective mechanism against AMPH‐induced neuronal degeneration.
Maternally administered melatonin differentially regulates lipopolysaccharide‐induced proinflammatory and anti‐inflammatory cytokines in maternal serum, amniotic fluid, fetal liver, and fetal brain
Authors: Xu De‐Xiang , Wang Hua , Ning Huan , Zhao Lei , Chen Yuan‐Hua
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been associated with adverse developmental outcome, including intra‐uterine fetal death and intra‐uterine growth retardation. In the LPS model, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) is the major mediator leading to intra‐uterine fetal death and intra‐uterine growth retardation. Interleukin (IL)‐10 protects rodents against LPS‐induced intra‐uterine fetal death and intra‐uterine growth retardation. Melatonin is an immunomodulator. In the present study, we investigated the effect of maternally administered melatonin on LPS‐induced proinflammatory and anti‐inflammatory cytokines in maternal serum, amniotic fluid, fetal liver and fetal brain. The time pregnant mice were injected with melatonin [5.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)] 30 min before LPS (500 μg/kg, i.p.) on gestational day 17. As expected, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6 and IL‐10 were obviously increased in maternal serum and amniotic fluid in response to LPS. In addition, maternal LPS exposure significantly increased the levels of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6 and IL‐10 in fetal liver, and TNF‐α and IL‐10 in fetal brain. Melatonin pretreatment significantly attenuated LPS‐evoked elevation of TNF‐α in maternal serum. On the contrary, melatonin aggravated LPS‐induced increase in IL‐10 in maternal serum. Melatonin had no effect on LPS‐evoked IL‐1β and IL‐6 in maternal serum and amniotic fluid. Interestingly, maternally administered melatonin also significantly attenuated LPS‐evoked elevation of TNF‐α in fetal brain, whereas the indole aggravated LPS‐induced increase in IL‐10 in fetal liver. Taken together, these results indicate that maternally administered melatonin differentially regulates LPS‐induced proinflammatory and anti‐inflammatory cytokines in maternal serum, amniotic fluid, fetal liver, and fetal brain.
Melatonin reduces uranium‐induced nephrotoxicity in rats
Authors: Bellés Montserrat , Linares Victoria , Luisa Albina M. , Sirvent Joan , Sánchez Domènec J. , Domingo José L.
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  The protective role of exogenous melatonin on U‐induced nephrotoxicity was investigated in rats. Animals were given single doses of uranyl acetate dihydrate (UAD) at 5 mg/kg (subcutaneous), melatonin at 10 or 20 mg/kg (intraperitoneal), and UAD (5 mg/kg) plus melatonin (10 or 20 mg/kg), or vehicle (control group). In comparison with the UAD‐treated group only, significant beneficial changes were noted in some urinary and serum parameters of rats concurrently exposed to UAD and melatonin. The increase of U excretion after UAD administration was accompanied by a significant reduction in the renal content of U when melatonin was given at a dose of 20 mg/kg. Melatonin also reduced the severity of the U‐induced histological alterations in kidney. In renal tissue, the activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels increased significantly as a result of UAD exposure. Following UAD administration, oxidative stress markers in erythrocytes showed a reduction in SOD activity and an increase in TBARS levels, which were significantly restored by melatonin administration. In plasma, reduced glutathione (GSH) and its oxidized form (GSSG) were also altered in UAD‐exposed rats. However, only the GSSG/GSH ratio was restored to control levels after melatonin treatment. Oxidative damage was observed in kidneys. Melatonin administration partially restored these adverse effects. It is concluded that melatonin offers some benefit as a potential agent to treat acute U‐induced nephrotoxicity.
Electromyographic Study of the Anterolateral Abdominal Wall Muscles During Ejaculation
Authors: Shafik Ahmed , Shafik Ismail A. , El Sibai Olfat , Shafik Ali A.
Published: April 2007

Introduction

The anterolateral abdominal wall muscles (AAWMs) are composed of the external and internal oblique, transversus abdominis, and the rectus abdominis muscles.

Aim

We investigated the hypothesis that the AAWMs contract reflexly during ejaculation.

Methods

Effect of coitus on AAWMs was tested in 16 healthy men (mean age 37.2 ± 9.7 years). The intra-abdominal pressure was measured by a manometric catheter introduced into the rectum. The response of the AAWMs to erection and ejaculation was recorded before and after penile and AAWMs' anesthetization by a needle electrode inserted into each of the muscles.

Main Outcome Measures

Electromyographic (EMG) activity of AAWMs and rectal pressure increased at ejaculation.

Results

A few seconds before and during ejaculation, the rectal pressure and motor unit action potentials (EMG activity) of each of the AAWMs increased; this effect was abolished by anesthetization of the penis and AAWMs.

Conclusions

Increased AAWMs' EMG denotes contraction of the said muscles. AAWMs' contraction at ejaculation, the resulting increase of the intra-abdominal pressure, and the presumably increased pelvic venous congestion seem to augment the penile venous congestion and rigidity. This effect is suggested to be mediated through a reflex which we call “ejaculation-abdominal wall reflex.”
Structured Management and Counseling for Patients with a Complaint of a Small Penis
Authors: Ghanem Hussein , Shamloul Rany , Khodeir Fathy , ElShafie Hany , Kaddah Amr , Ismail Ihab
Published: April 2007

Introduction

Penile augmentation surgery has become increasingly common though there is no consensus about the management strategy for men with a complaint of small penis.

Aim

To introduce and evaluate the outcome of a structured management and counseling protocol for patients with a complaint of a small-sized penis.

Methods

A structured protocol for consultation and management of (physically normal) patients with a complaint of a small penis through a descriptive study comprised of a series of 250 patients.

Main Outcome Measures

Percentage of patients who elect to undergo penile augmentation surgery.

Results

Only nine patients (3.6%) chose to seek further surgical intervention. Two had a buried penis, two had true micropenis and five had normal penile size.

Conclusions

Using a structured management and counseling protocol, most men chose not to undergo penile augmentation surgery, even when offered for free.
Interrelationships Among Measures of Premature Ejaculation: The Central Role of Perceived Control
Authors: Patrick Donald L. , Rowland David , Rothman Margaret
Published: April 2007

Introduction

Domains of premature ejaculation (PE) include short intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), poor perceived control over ejaculation, decreased satisfaction with sexual intercourse, and personal distress and interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation. How these measures interrelate is unknown.

Aim

Here, we evaluated the interrelationships between these PE-specific variables, applying cross-sectional data from a large U.S. observational study of men with PE.

Methods

We analyzed data from men with PE identified in a previously reported observational study. PE was diagnosed by experienced clinicians using the criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision.

Main Outcome Measures

Subjects reported their stopwatch-measured IELT, perceived control over ejaculation, satisfaction with sexual intercourse, personal distress related to ejaculation, and interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation. Relationships between variables were assessed using bivariate correlations, and the strength and significance of direct or indirect effects between variables were evaluated using a form of regression analysis known as path analysis.

Results

Bivariate Pearson correlation coefficients for all relationships were significant at the P ≤ 0.05 level, with the exception of IELT and interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation. When all variables were included in the model, IELT showed a significant direct effect on perceived control over ejaculation but did not show a significant direct effect on ejaculation-related personal distress or satisfaction with sexual intercourse. Perceived control over ejaculation showed a significant direct effect on both ejaculation-related personal distress and satisfaction with sexual intercourse, which each showed direct effects on interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation.

Conclusion

The patient's perception of control over ejaculation is central to understanding how PE is associated with satisfaction with sexual intercourse and ejaculation-related distress. In contrast, the association of IELT with satisfaction with sexual intercourse and distress related to ejaculation is mediated by perceived control over ejaculation.
Penile Prosthesis Implantation in Cases of Fibrosis: Ultrasound-Guided Cavernotomy and Sheathed Trochar Excavation
Authors: Shaeer Osama
Published: April 2007

Introduction

Implantation of a penile prosthesis into fibrosed corpora cavernosa is a difficult and risky procedure. Specialized instruments that assist safer and more efficient excavation include Otis Urethrotome and various cavernotomes, all of which operate underneath the tunica albuginea, out of sight. The blind use of such instruments can result in perforation of the tunica albuginea or injury to the urethra.

Aim

This work describes the utility of ultrasonography for adding visual monitoring to any of the above-mentioned instruments, maintaining them in the mid-corpus cavernosum position to avoid perforation, and describes the application of alternative sheathed, sharp instruments that allow fast, efficient, and visually monitored drilling into fibrous tissue.

Main Outcome Measures

Clinical outcome data were examined.

Methods

Surgery was performed on five cases with extensive fibrosis of the penis. Initial blunt dilatation by Hegar dilators faced considerable resistance. An ultrasound probe was applied to the ventral aspect of the penis. A laparoscopy sheath was advanced under ultrasound guidance up to the fibrous tissue. A sharp laparoscopy trochar was inserted through the sheath. Its tip was oriented in the mid-corpus cavernosum by longitudinal and transverse sonography sections, as it drilled into the fibrous tissue. Laparoscopy scissors were used in the same fashion to cut fibrous tissue lumps. After full excavation, penile prosthesis was implanted.

Results

All implants survived adequately. No complications occurred following implantation. Operative time ranged from 50 to 60 minutes. No difficulty was encountered at excavation.

Conclusion

Ultrasound guidance can be a handy adjunct to any of the available techniques developed for excavating the fibrosed corpora cavernosa, with a possible decrease in difficulty and complication rate of the procedure. Utility of sheathed, sharp instruments guided by sonography is an alternative to the cavernotomes, allowing fast and efficient drilling into fibrous tissue.
Exposure to an Anabolic Steroid Changes Female Mice's Sexual Responses According to Sex Partner
Authors: Barreto-Estrada Jennifer L. , Parrilla-Carrero Jeffrey , Jorge Juan Carlos
Published: April 2007

Introduction

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) affect human female sexual behaviors. Animal models have been useful in uncovering the neural mechanisms governing changes in female sexual response upon AAS exposure.

Aim

We quantify the sexual response of AAS-exposed gonadally intact female mice when paired with gonadally intact female or male pairs.

Methods

C57Bl/6 female mice were systemically exposed to the AAS 17α-methyltestosterone (7.5 mg/kg) for 17 days via a subcutaneous osmotic implant. On days 15–17, these females were allowed to mate with males or proestrus female partners in familiar and unfamiliar testing arenas for 10 minutes.

Main Outcome Measures

The following behavioral responses were registered: parameters related to mounting behavior such as the frequency of mounts, attempts to mount, and the latency to the first mount, anogenital investigation, fights and escapes, rejections, pelvic thrusts, and lordotic responses.

Results

We found that males displayed a significant decrease in the frequency of mounts to AAS-exposed females, when compared with mating encounters with control females. We found no difference in the lordosis strength when control females were mounted by either a male or AAS-exposed females. However, females under androgen exposure attempted to mount control females, but not males, and their behavior was accompanied by significant increases in the number of fights, escapes, and rejections to the male. There were no differences between AAS-exposed females and males when the frequency of mounts and pelvic thrusts toward control females were compared. The lordotic quotient of control females was similar for either partner.

Conclusions

Aside from showing a male-like pattern, AAS-exposed females displayed a higher frequency of anogenital investigations toward control females than males, and their latency to the first mount was as fast as that of males. Taken together, we conclude that the sex partner greatly influences the sexual response of AAS-exposed female mice.
Is There a Role for Proteomics in Peyronie's Disease?
Authors: Domes Trustin , De Young Ling , O’Gorman David B. , Gan Bing Siang , Bella Anthony J. , Brock Gerald
Published: April 2007

Introduction

Peyronie's disease (PD) continues to be a major source of sexual dysfunction among the 3–9% of affected men. The challenge in treating PD is determining the natural history and clinical course for the individual patient. Currently, there exists no reliable means to predict whether a penile plaque of PD will progress, regress, or remain stable. This represents a significant deficiency in contemporary management, one that may be addressed with newer technologies such as proteomic profiling.

Aim

This review assesses the potential use of protein alterations measured by various novel technologies, to predict progression, regression, or stabilization of PD in an affected individual.

Methods

A comprehensive literature review of the past decade in the field of gene profiling and protein expression of PD was performed.

Main Outcome Measures

A critical analysis of the existing worldwide literature evaluating surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS or SELDI) and other proteonomic techniques.

Results

SELDI and other technologies can provide the clinician with innovative data indicating the presence of unique individual factors that act to suppress or promote the fibrotic process in PD. Determining the clinical implications of altered protein expression in an individual is not yet defined.

Conclusions

The area of proteomics has begun to revolutionize the study of medicine in the postgenomic era, by allowing researchers to study the role that proteins play in health and disease. Applying this knowledge clinically has already led to innovative discoveries in early cancer detection in a number of malignancies, including prostate, ovarian, and bladder. Prior to the widespread use and acceptance of proteomic technology in PD, a critical assessment of its therapeutic and diagnostic value will be required.
Sensation and Sexual Arousal in Circumcised and Uncircumcised Men
Authors: Payne Kimberley , Thaler Lea , Kukkonen Tuuli , Carrier Serge , Binik Yitzchak
Published: April 2007

Introduction

Research, theory, and popular belief all suggest that penile sensation is greater in the uncircumcised as compared with the circumcised man. However, research involving direct measurement of penile sensation has been undertaken only in sexually functional and dysfunctional groups, and as a correlate of sexual behavior. There are no reports of penile sensation in sexually aroused subjects, and it is not known how arousal affects sensation. In principle, this should be more closely related to actual sexual function.

Aim

This study therefore compared genital and nongenital sensation as a function of sexual arousal in circumcised and uncircumcised men.

Methods

Twenty uncircumcised men and an equal number of age-matched circumcised participants underwent genital and nongenital sensory testing at baseline and in response to erotic and control stimulus films. Touch and pain thresholds were assessed on the penile shaft, the glans penis, and the volar surface of the forearm. Sexual arousal was assessed via thermal imaging of the penis.

Results

In response to the erotic stimulus, both groups evidenced a significant increase in penile temperature, which correlated highly with subjective reports of sexual arousal. Uncircumcised men had significantly lower penile temperature than circumcised men, and evidenced a larger increase in penile temperature with sexual arousal. No differences in genital sensitivity were found between the uncircumcised and circumcised groups. Uncircumcised men were less sensitive to touch on the forearm than circumcised men. A decrease in overall touch sensitivity was observed in both groups with exposure to the erotic film as compared with either baseline or control stimulus film conditions. No significant effect was found for pain sensitivity.

Conclusion

These results do not support the hypothesized penile sensory differences associated with circumcision. However, group differences in penile temperature and sexual response were found.
COMPARATIVE CONSUMER AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF DEL MONTE HAWAI`I GOLD AND SMOOTH CAYENNE PINEAPPLE CULTIVARS
Authors: RAMSAROOP RAYMOND E.S. , SAULO AURORA A.
Published: April 2007

Del Monte Hawai`i Gold (Del Monte Fresh Produce [Hawai`i], Inc., Honolulu, HI), an experimental hybrid clone of Smooth Cayenne pineapple, was found to have significantly higher (P < 0.0001) pH, °Brix/acid ratio, yellow color, total carotenoid content and vitamin C than Smooth Cayenne, while the titratable acidity of Smooth Cayenne was significantly higher (P < 0.0001). Hawai`i consumers also significantly liked and preferred Del Monte Hawai`i Gold more than Smooth Cayenne pineapples when presented in three different forms: whole, unpeeled pineapple, pineapple spears and single‐strength juice. Results suggest that Del Monte Hawai`i Gold can surpass Smooth Cayenne as the market standard for fresh pineapples and for single‐strength pineapple juice.
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF MELANOIDINS
Authors: RUFIÁN‐HENARES JOSÉ A. , MORALES FRANCISCO J.
Published: April 2007

Melanoidins are high molecular weight compounds formed during the final stage of the Maillard reaction. Melanoidins have been studied in recent years because of their nutritional, biological and health implications, apart from their role on the stability during processing and shelf life of foods. A fast and robust microtiter plate‐based assay for a quantitative screening of the antimicrobial activity of melanoidins was applied. Oxytetracyclin was used as reference for assessing the antimicrobial activity of different melanoidins isolated from model systems. The minimum inhibitory concentration was calculated, and activity was related to the antimicrobial activity of an oxytetracyclin solution (100 µg/L). Glucose–lysine melanoidin exerted the highest antimicrobial activity, being at a concentration of 1 mg/mL, equivalent to an oxytetracyclin solution of 170 µg/L.
EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS IN LACTOBACILLUS STRAINS ISOLATED FROM DRY FERMENTED SAUSAGES
Authors: REBUCCI R. , SANGALLI L. , FAVA M. , BERSANI C. , CANTONI C. , BALDI A.
Published: April 2007

The aim of this study was to characterize lactobacilli isolated from a traditional Italian dry‐fermented sausages inoculated with Lactobacillus casei/paracasei for use as probiotics. Strains isolated were L. casei (38%), L. paracasei paracasei (32%), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (21%) and Lactobacillus sakei sakei (9%). L. paracasei paracasei and L. rhamnosus showed no significant decrease in viability compared with L. casei and L. sakei sakei in artificial gastric juice; L. casei and L. sakei sakei were not affected by artificial intestinal fluid. In human embryonic intestine cell line (INT407) in vitro model, L. rhamnosus and L. sakei sakei were more adhesive than the other strains. The production of acetic acid (40.92 ± 1.94 mmol/L) and propionic acid (0.14 ± 0.07 mmol/L) was similar in all strains tested. Considerably higher (100–250 mmol/L) levels of lactic acid were produced by L. casei, L. paracasei paracasei and L. rhamnosus, and were varied depending on microaerobic or anaerobic conditions. L. casei and L. rhamnosus had the best antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica (serovar Typhimurium). These findings suggest that L. casei and L. rhamnosus merit further investigation as novel starter cultures in meat products.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Probiotics are well established in dairy products but they are not widely used in meat products and it is expected their use in this area will expand considerably in the near future. Starter cultures of active or resting forms of microorganisms are widely employed in fermented meat products to improve sensory qualities. More recently they are being used in fermented meat products to improve the nutritional value of these products as functional foods. Probiotics in meat may exert their benefits by several methods, and more research is required to identify the strains and combinations of strains that produce the most health benefits. Our study demonstrates that the in vitro characterization of Lactobacillus strains directly isolated from dry fermented sausages can be useful to select novel starter cultures with potential probiotic characteristics among lactic acid bacteria used as commercial meat starter culture.
COLOR QUALITY OF ROSE LIQUEUR
Authors: SHEN SZU‐CHUAN , TSENG KUO‐CHAN , CHAO FENG‐TING , WU JAMES SWI‐BEA
Published: April 2007

The effect of pretreatments and soaking conditions on the color quality of rose liqueur was investigated. Results show that (1) most of the anthocyanin in rose petals was dissolved within 48 h of soaking; (2) a longer soaking time led to a lower color quality due to browning ; (3) a base spirit at lower ethanol content extracted more anthocyanin and also resulted in more browning; (4) 50C air‐drying to 20% water content retained 90% of anthocyanins in rose petals; and (5) the soaking of dried petals in the base spirit yielded a product with less browning as compared with that of fresh petals. The process for making rose liqueur with the best color quality was found to be by soaking dried rose petals at a 1:10 ratio (rose petal : ethanol, w/w) in a base spirit containing 30–35% ethanol added with 0.6–0.8% citric acid for 24 h, then diluting the extract to 16% ethanol content.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study provides an adequate process for the making of rose liqueur. Pre‐dehydration treatment can be applied on the raw material in the making of various anthocyanin‐containing beverages to improve the color quality. Findings in regard to the effect of ethanol concentration on anthocyanin extraction and the color stability of the product can also be valuable references to wine industry.
AROMATIC COMPOUNDS IN THREE VARIETIES OF TURNIP GREENS HARVESTED AT THREE MATURITY LEVELS*
Authors: JONES GEORGIA , SANDERS OLA GOODE , GRIMM CASEY
Published: April 2007

Turnip greens (Brassica rapa) are commonly consumed in the southern U.S.A. Typically, they have a bitter taste, which increases with maturity, probably because of increased levels of glucosinolates. While glucosinolate degradation products have been isolated from various members of the Brassica family, the effect of variety and maturity on these products has not been determined. This study focused on the glucosinolate degradation products of three varieties of turnip greens: Purple Top, Seven Top and Tokyo Cross, harvested 45, 60 and 75 days after planting. Four volatile components (benzene acetonitrile, benzene propane nitrile, 1H‐indole‐3‐acetonitrile and benzene ethyl isothiocyanate) were isolated, identified and quantified. All increased significantly (P < 0.05) as the greens matured; however, onlybenzene propane nitrile and 1H‐indole‐3‐acetonitrile were significantly affected (P < 0.05) by variety.
SOME MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HERBED CHEESES
Authors: ERKAN EMIN M. , CIFTCIOGLU GURHAN , VURAL AYDIN , AKSU HARUN
Published: April 2007

Fifty herbed cheese samples, in which herbs (Allium spp.) were used at production, were analyzed for some microbiological quality characteristics. Cheese samples were collected from different retailers in four counties of Eastern Turkey. Presumptive coliform bacteria, generic Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, lactic acid bacteria, yeast, mold and sulfite‐reducing anaerobic bacteria counts were examined as general microbiologic quality parameters, and the average bacteria counts were 2.1 × 105, 3.1 × 104, 1.1 × 105, 2.2 × 107, 6.8 × 102, 7.0 × 106 and 3.2 × 101 cfu/g, respectively. The number of samples, in which the above selected bacteria have been detected, were 32 (64%), 29 (58%), 23 (46%), 50 (100%), 5 (10%), 46 (92%) and 9 (18%), respectively. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 were targeted as foodborne pathogens, and the presence of those pathogens in samples were 10% (in five samples), 8% (in four samples) and 4% (in two samples), respectively. It was found that herbed cheeses containing foodborne pathogens raise an important risk for consumers’ health. Standardization and modernization of herbed cheese production, in which hygienic conditions and quality controls would be applicable, seems a necessity in order to prevent possible public health risks from herbed cheeses.
APPLICATION OF A DNA‐BASED TEST TO DETECT ADULTERATION OF BREAD WHEAT IN PASTA
Authors: KELLY FIONA , BHAVE MRINAL
Published: April 2007

The quality of pasta products is considered the highest if it is made from 100% durum wheat, as the texture of this product is firmer. This characteristic is determined by the hardness (texture) of the wheat grain. Durum wheat is considered genetically “very hard” as a result of having a deletion of two important genes which impart a degree of softness to common wheat; use of the latter can thus compromise the quality characteristics of pasta to some degree. An application of a qualitative test utilizing the polymerase chain reaction based on these genes was applied to DNA extracted from 20 commercially available pasta samples. The results indicate that common wheat is used in a number of pasta products, some of which do not show this as a listed ingredient.
ORGANIC ACIDS PROFILE IN TOMATO JUICE BY HPLC WITH UV DETECTION
Authors: MARCONI OMBRETTA , FLORIDI SIMONA , MONTANARI LUIGI
Published: April 2007

A simple method was developed to determine 10 organic acids simultaneously in tomato products using reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography column with the diode array detector set at 210 nm. After centrifugation and filtration, the samples were passed through an anion exchange resin and the organic acids were released using 0.1‐N HCl. The chromatographic separation was achieved with isocratic analysis in a 20‐min run. The method was reliable and sensitive, the coefficient of determination of the standard calibration curve is 0.9925 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.9999 and the limit of detection ranged from 0.08 to 6.00 mg/kg for trans‐aconitic acid and acetic acid, respectively. The limit of quantification ranged from 0.19 to 15.18 mg/kg for trans‐aconitic and acetic acid, respectively. To establish the efficiency of the anion resin, the procedure was applied to a standard solution of a mixture of organic acids. The organic acids recovery ranged from 87.0% ± 1.9 for citramalic acid to 109.9% ± 5.2 for fumaric acid.
COATED LUPIN BEAN SNACKS*
Authors: JORAY M.L. , RAYAS‐DUARTE P. , MOHAMED A. , VAN SANTEN E.
Published: April 2007

The potential of lupin in human nutrition is generally underestimated worldwide and the development of lupin‐based convenient food products needs to be expanded. The objective of this study was to develop savory‐ and sweet‐coated snacks from Lupinus albus grains. Lupin beans were prepared using the traditional Middle Eastern process by cooking, soaking in saltwater, peeling, and either roasting or deep‐frying. Sensory analysis was performed using a 5‐point hedonic scale of four lupin snacks, two savory (Caribbean jerk and fajita) and two sweet (cinnamon and lemon). Overall, sensory attribute scores for the fried savory snacks were better than the roasted, and as expected, the residue on the fingers of panelists after handling the lupin snacks was higher in the fried samples. Higher scores were given to the Caribbean jerk than to the fajita‐flavored lupin snacks for aroma, spiciness and salt level. The panelists gave high (much too strong) crispiness scores to the fried lemon and the roasted cinnamon lupin snacks. Sweet‐coated lupin snacks (combining roasted and fried) received higher than 50% of just about right scores for color, aroma, sugar, spiciness and flavor. Three different samples of L. albus evaluated by consumer panelists were also processed (fried and roasted) to determine color changes using the CIE 1976 L*, a*, b* Color Space color space. The color was recorded in samples of single beans and groups of beans. The darkness (−L*) of the fried and roasted samples increased 28 and 13%, respectively, compared to the raw lupin beans, with a more homogeneous darkness and color in the roasted sample. ΔE suggests that the general change in color was higher in the roasted samples, especially when measured as a group.
Uncovering Genetic Relationships using Small Molecules that Selectively Target Yeast Cell Cycle Mutants
Authors: Nehil Michael T. , Tamble Craig M. , Combs David J. , Kellogg Douglas R. , Scott Lokey R.
Published: April 2007

Genetic analysis in budding yeast has shown that multiple G1 cyclins and cyclin‐dependent kinases control cell cycle entry, polarized growth, and spindle pole duplication. The G1 cyclins Cln1 and Cln2 associate with the cyclin‐dependent kinase Cdc28 to facilitate cell cycle progression and development of the cleavage apparatus. We have developed a chemical genetic approach toward the discovery of compounds that target G1 control pathways by screening for compounds that selectively kill a yeast strain lacking the G1 cyclins Cln1 and Cln2. A class of small molecules was identified that is highly toxic toward the cln1Δcln2Δ double mutant and has relatively little effect on wild‐type yeast. We call these compounds ‘clinostatins’ for their selectivity toward the cln1/2 deletion strain. Clinostatins were used in a genome‐wide chemical synthetic lethality screen to identify other genes required for growth in the presence of the drug. Other deletions that were sensitive to the drug include members of the protein kinase C(PKC)‐dependent MAP kinase pathway. These results suggest an approach for combining chemical synthetic lethality and chemical genomic screens to uncover novel genetic interactions that can be applied to other eukaryotic pathways of interest.
Quantitative Analysis of RNA‐mediated Protein–Protein Interactions in Living Cells by FRET
Authors: Chiu Ya‐Lin , Cao Hong , Rana Tariq M.
Published: April 2007

Specific assembly of ribonucleoprotein complexes is essential in controlling various cellular functions including gene regulation. Diverse scaffolds containing proteins or nucleic acids could play key roles in stabilizing specific ribonucleoprotein complexes by enhancing protein–protein or RNA–protein interactions. One such example is the assembly of active RNA polymerase II transcription elongation complex originating from HIV‐1 long terminal repeat promoter that involves HIV‐1‐encoded Tat protein and viral mRNA structure, trans‐activation responsive RNA, and human CyclinT1 which is a subunit of the positive transcription elongation factor complex b. By using genetically encoded fluorescent proteins fused with Tat and human CyclinT1, here we demonstrate that human CyclinT1 was diffused throughout the nucleus and specific interactions between Tat and human CyclinT1 altered the localization of human CyclinT1 to specific nuclear foci. We also found that trans‐activation responsive RNA enhanced protein–protein interactions between human CyclinT1 and Tat in living cells. Our results highlights the importance of trans‐activation responsive RNA as a scaffold for stable and high affinity assembly of two protein partners to form a regulatory switch essential in HIV‐1 gene regulation. RNA‐mediated assembly of ribonucleoprotein complexes could be a general mechanism for stable ribonucleoprotein complex formation and a key step in regulating other cellular processes and viral replication. Furthermore, our results suggest that Tat interactions with human CyclinT1 change the nuclear location of positive transcription elongation factor complex b to modulate positive transcription elongation factor complex b function and transcription of cellular genes.
Confining the Poor to Ignorance? Eighteenth-Century American Experiments with Charity Education
Authors: Sundue Sharon Braslaw
Published: April 2007

In 1738, the English evangelist George Whitefield traveled to the new colony of Georgia intending to establish “a house for fatherless children.” Inspired by both August Hermann Francke, the German Pietist who had great success educating and maintaining poor orphans in Halle, and by charity schools established in Great Britain, Whitefield's orphan house and charity school, named Bethesda, opened its doors early in 1740. For years, Whitefield devoted himself tirelessly to ensuring the success of the Bethesda school, preaching throughout Britain and North America on its behalf. Whitefield's preaching tour on behalf of his beloved Bethesda is well known for its role in catalyzing the religious revivals known collectively as the Great Awakening. The tour also marked an important shift in the history of education in America. News of the establishment of the orphanage at Bethesda coincided with new efforts to school the poor throughout the colonies. Drawing on both the British and German models of charity schooling that were highly influential for Whitefield, eighteenth-century Americans began or increased commitments to charity schooling for poor children. But the European models were not adopted wholesale. Instead, local administrators of the schooling experiments deviated from these models in a striking way. In America, elites offered some children the opportunity for extensive charity instruction, but not necessarily children at the bottom of the social hierarchy. This article will argue that the execution of these charity schooling programs was contingent upon local social conditions, specifically what appears to have been local elites' desire to maintain a certain social order and ensure a continued supply of cheap labor.
Job Market or Marriage Market? Life Choices for Southern Women Educated at Northern Colleges, 1875-1915
Authors: Johnson Joan Marie
Published: April 2007

Margaret Preston, a member of a prominent family from Lexington, Kentucky, attended Bryn Mawr College from 1904 to 1906, initially against her will. Letters between Margaret and her parents while she was away at school reveal a homesick young woman, at first uninterested in scholarship. She complained that the other girls were “ugly and look disagreeable” and that she had bags under her eyes because “Bryn Mawr is a warranted beauty-destroyer.” In her second year, however, as Margaret began to develop academically, she focused less on returning home, beauty, and boys and more on her classes. She ignored her mother's requests for her to leave Bryn Mawr early for Christmas vacation in order to attend a dance, because she would lose credit if she missed class. Although she had earlier told her mother that she would have preferred that her aunt fund a trip to Europe rather than her education at Bryn Mawr, she now suggested that if she stayed four years to complete her degree, she might have a chance to graduate with honors. Apparently, her aunt did not choose to extend her financial support because Margaret stayed only two years. However, she returned home to Lexington a more bold and self-confident woman.
To Change the World: The use of American Indian Education in the Philippines
Authors: Paulet Anne
Published: April 2007

In a Brule Sioux legend, Iktome, the trickster, warns the various Plains tribes of the coming of the white man: “You are the Ikche-Wichasha—the plain, wild, untamed people,” he tells the Lakota, “but this man will misname you and call you by all kinds of false names. He will try to tame you, try to remake you after himself.” Iktome, in essence, describes the conflict that occurred when American Indians encountered Euro-Americans, who judged the Indians in relation to themselves and found the Indians lacking. Having already misnamed the people “Indians,” Euro-Americans proceeded to label them, among other things, “savages.” By the latter half of the nineteenth-century, such terms carried scientific meaning and seemed to propose to Americans that Native Americans, having “failed to measure up” to the standards of white society, were doomed to extinction unless they changed their ways, unless they were “remade.” And that was, indeed, the aim of American endeavors at Native American education, to remake or, in the words of Carlisle president Richard H. Pratt, “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man.” These educational efforts at restructuring Native American lifestyles were more than the culmination of the battle over definitional control; they were precedents for future American imperial expansion as the United States discovered, at the turn of the century, that “Indians” also lived overseas and that, just like those at home, they needed to be properly educated in the American way of life. The United States' experience with American Indians thus provided both justification for overseas expansion, particularly into the Philippine Islands, and an educational precedent that would enable Americans to claim that their expansion was different from European imperialism based on the American use of education to transform the cultures of their subjects and prepare them for self-government rather than continued colonial control.
Sex Ed… and the Reds? Reconsidering the Anaheim Battle over Sex Education, 1962-1969
Authors: Mehlman Natalia
Published: April 2007

Two weeks before the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) broke for Christmas vacation in 1968, district secretary Alice Lupiano typed a phone memo for Superintendent Paul Cook: “Abusive telephone call at 1:00 p.m., 12/9/1968.” She matter-of-factly described the caller's death threats and allegations of her own promiscuity, and, before pulling the sheet from the roller, added a final line: “I didn't lose my cool.”