bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Value of Social Capital to Mid‐Sized Northern Plains Farms
Authors: Gustafson Cole R. , Nganje William E.
Published: August 2006

As farms increase in size, operators face the decision of remaining loyal to local retail merchants or obtaining volume discounts from distant wholesale input suppliers. When farmers bypass local merchants and buy inputs in volume, they often realize price discounts but forego many services including credit forbearance. When farmers buy locally, they pay higher prices, which decreases profits and increases financial risk, but generates social capital which can be drawn upon during periods of economic adversity. A theoretical model of farm financial risk evaluates borrower behavior in light of cash flow constraints, volume discounts, and social capital. Results delineate financial risks involved and value of social capital. When inputs are purchased locally and social capital is generated, the distribution of year‐end funds had a slightly lower mean and longer left tail. The longer left tail results from additional borrowing arising from credit forbearance. If this forbearance were not available, the firm would be bankrupt.

À mesure que la taille des exploitations agricoles augmente, les producteurs doivent décider s'ils demeurent loyaux envers les détaillants locaux ou s'ils tentent d'obtenir des remises sur quantité auprès de fournisseurs d'intrants éloignés. Lorsque les producteurs contournent les marchands locaux et achètent des intrants en grande quantité, ils obtiennent souvent des rabais sur le prix, mais se privent de nombreux services y compris l'indulgence des créanciers. Lorsque les producteurs achètent localement, ils paient des prix plus élevés, ce qui diminue les profits et augmente le risque financier, mais crée du capital social qui peut être mis à contribution en périodes d'adversitééconomique. Un modèle théorique de risque financier agricole évalue le comportement de l'emprunteur en tenant compte des contraintes de liquidités, des remises sur quantité et du capital social. Les résultats présentent en détail les risques financiers en jeu et la valeur du capital social. Lorsque les intrants sont achetés localement et qu'il y a création de capital social, la queue gauche de la distribution des fonds de fin d'année est plus longue et la moyenne est légèrement plus faible. Cette queue gauche plus longue découle des emprunts supplémentaires résultant de l'indulgence des créanciers. Sans cette indulgence, l'entreprise serait en faillite.
Approaches to Selective Peptidic Inhibitors of Factor Xa
Authors: Bromfield Karen M. , Quinsey Noelene S. , Duggan Peter J. , Pike Robert N.
Published: August 2006

Inhibitors of procoagulant enzymes, such as factor Xa (fXa) and thrombin, are important for treating thrombosis. Thrombin has complex pro‐ and anti‐coagulant roles and thus fXa is thought to represent an ideal target. Discrete kcat and Km values for cleavage of a library of fluorescence‐quenched substrates by fXa were determined. The results highlighted the low selectivity of fXa at its prime sites, and its poor efficiency compared with thrombin, creating a challenge for the design of fXa‐specific peptidic inhibitors. We hypothesized that Km rather than kcat/Km values may be better indicators of inhibitor potential for a peptidic sequence, leading us to design peptide sequences for both fXa and thrombin in three forms: fluorescence‐quenched substrates, standard α‐peptides and peptides containing a β‐homoarginine at the cleavage site. Kinetic and competitive inhibition assays with both fXa and thrombin showed the fluorescence‐quenched substrates to be the best inhibitors, while the inhibitory effect of the β‐homoarginine peptides varied for the two proteases. Importantly, fXa was inhibited to a much greater extent by the β‐peptides than the corresponding α‐peptides, resulting in an increased selectivity for fXa inhibition over thrombin for those peptides containing a β‐amino acid at the cleavage site.
Determination of Optimum Concentrations of a Food Ingredient Using Survival Analysis Statistics
Authors: Garitta Lorena V. , Serrat Carles , Hough Guillermo E. , Curia Ana V.
Published: August 2006

ABSTRACT:  For desirable attributes in food products such as red color in a strawberry yogurt, the color can be too light, okay, or too dark, leading to 2 events of interest: the transition of too light to ok, and the transition of ok to too dark. The objective of the present work was to develop a model using survival analysis statistics to allow modeling these 2 events and thus allow prediction of the optimum color based on acceptance or rejection data obtained from consumers. Concepts and calculations were applied to a data set obtained from 60 consumers who each looked at 7 yogurt samples with different red color intensities, answering whether they found the samples too light, okay, or too dark. From this censored data set parametric models were obtained which allowed optimum color estimation and segmentation of consumers in groups according to whether they liked lighter or darker colored yogurts. Applications of the model to other food ingredients and to the ripening and spoilage of fruit are discussed.
Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 During Production of Snack Sticks Made from Beef or a Venison/Beef Fat Blend and Directly Acidified with Citric or Lactic Acid
Authors: Stoltenberg Stacey K. , Getty Kelly J. K. , Thippareddi Harshavardan , Phebus Randall K. , Loughin Thomas M.
Published: August 2006

ABSTRACT:  The effectiveness of a typical production process for eliminating Escherichia coli O157:H7 in directly acidified snack sticks made with beef or a venison/beef fat blend was evaluated for formulations of different fat content (10% and 25%) and type of direct acidulant (encapsulated citric or lactic acid). Raw batter inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 to an initial level of approximately 7.1 log CFU/g was stuffed into 21‐mm casings and processed according to a thermal‐processing schedule typical of those used commercially for directly acidified sausage products (maximum internal product temperature of 68.3 °C, followed by drying and cooling). For both beef and venison/beef fat blend snack sticks, log reductions ranged from 6.2 to > 6.6 CFU/g at the end of processing. Although moderate reductions (1.5 to 2.0 log CFU/g) were achieved as a result of processing to internal product temperatures of 68.3 °C, latter stages of the process (during which products were dried and cooled) factored prominently in the overall lethality of the process, and were essential in achieving the 5‐log reduction required by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. The efficacy of the process was not affected (P≤ 0.05) by fat content (10% or 25%) or by the type of direct acidulant used (encapsulated citric or lactic acid). Phenol red sorbitol agar was more effective for recovering heat‐ and acid‐injured E. coli O157 than MacConkey sorbitol agar was and, therefore, provided a more conservative estimate of process lethality.
Antimicrobial Effect of Cetylpyridinium Chloride on Listeria monocytogenes V7 Growth on the Surface of Raw and Cooked Retail Shrimp
Authors: Dupard Tracie , Janes Marlene E. , Beverly Richelle L. , Bell Jon W.
Published: August 2006

ABSTRACT:  This study examined the concentration of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) required to control Listeria monocytogenes on the surfaces of raw and cooked, peeled and shell‐on shrimp. Shrimp (5 g) were inoculated by immersion into a 24 h culture of L. monocytogenes (decimally diluted in PBS) for 1 min, followed by air drying for 1 h, to yield between 6.2 log and 7.0 log CFU/g. The raw and cooked shell‐on samples had higher L. monocytogenes counts than the peeled shrimp groups after this inoculation process. The shrimp samples were treated by soaking in different concentrations of CPC (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, or 1.0%) solutions for 1 min, with or without a water rinse for 1 min. The samples were bagged, stored at 4 °C for 24 h, and then plated onto Oxford selective media for determination of log CFU/g. All CPC treatments (0.05% to 1.0%) that were followed by a water rinse reduced L. monocytogenes counts on cooked shrimp by about 2.5 log CFU/g. Conversely, treatments not followed by a water rinse reduced L. monocytogenes counts on cooked shrimp by 3 log CFU/g with 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4% CPC, 5 log CFU/g with 0.6% CPC, 6 log CFU/g with 0.8% CPC, and 7.0 log CFU/g with 1.0% CPC. These results indicate that a soaking treatment of CPC has a strong potential to eliminate or reduce L. monocytogenes on the surfaces of shrimp.
A Mutation in the
luxS
Gene Influences
Listeria monocytogenes
Biofilm Formation
Authors: Sela Shlomo , Frank Shmulik , Belausov Eddy , Pinto Riky
Published: August 2006

Using a
Vibrio harveyi
reporter strain, we demonstrated that
Listeria monocytogenes
secretes a functional autoinducer 2 (AI-2)-like signal. A
luxS
-deficient mutant produced a denser biofilm and attached to a glass surface 19-fold better than the parent strain. Exogenous AI-2 failed to restore the wild-type phenotype to the mutant. It seems that an intact
luxS
gene is associated with repression of components required for attachment and biofilm formation.
Intraspecific Genotypic Characterization of
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
Strains Intended for Probiotic Use and Isolates of Human Origin
Authors: Vancanneyt M. , Huys G. , Lefebvre K. , Vankerckhoven V. , Goossens H. , Swings J.
Published: August 2006

A set of 118 strains of the species
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
was collected, including probiotic strains, research strains with potential probiotic properties, food starter cultures, and human isolates. The majority of the strains were collected from companies, hospitals, or culture collections or were obtained after contacting authors who reported clinical case studies in the literature. The present work aimed to reveal the genotypic relationships between strains of these diverse sources. All strains were initially investigated using fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP) with three different primer combinations. Numerical analysis of FAFLP data allowed (i) confirmation of the identification of all strains as members of
L. rhamnosus
and (ii) delineation of seven stable intraspecific FAFLP clusters. Most of these clusters contained both (potentially) probiotic strains and isolates of human origin. For each of the clusters, strains of different sources were selected for pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of macrorestriction fragments obtained with the enzymes NotI and AscI. Analysis of PFGE data indicated that (i) some (potentially) probiotic strains were indistinguishable from other probiotic strains, suggesting that several companies may use duplicate cultures of the same probiotic strain, and (ii) in a number of cases human isolates from sterile body sites were indistinguishable from a particular probiotic strain, suggesting that some of these isolates may be reisolations of commercial strains.
Impact of Protists on the Activity and Structure of the Bacterial Community in a Rice Field Soil
Authors: Murase Jun , Noll Matthias , Frenzel Peter
Published: August 2006

Flooded rice fields have become a model system for the study of soil microbial ecology. In Italian rice fields, in particular, aspects from biogeochemistry to molecular ecology have been studied, but the impact of protistan grazing on the structure and function of the prokaryotic community has not been examined yet. We compared an untreated control soil with a γ-radiation-sterilized soil that had been reinoculated with a natural bacterial assemblage. In order to verify that the observed effects were due to protistan grazing and did not result from sterilization, we set up a third set of microcosms containing sterilized soil that had been reinoculated with natural assemblage bacteria plus protists. The spatial and temporal changes in the protistan and prokaryotic communities were examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, respectively, both based on the small-subunit gene. Sequences retrieved from DGGE bands were preferentially affiliated with Cercozoa and other bacteriovorous flagellates. Without protists, the level of total DNA increased with incubation time, indicating that the level of the microbial biomass was elevated.Betaproteobacteriawere preferentially preyed upon, while low-G+C-content gram-positive bacteria became more dominant under grazing pressure. The bacterial diversity detectable by T-RFLP analysis was greater in the presence of protists. The level of extractable NH4+was lower and the level of extractable SO42−was higher without protists, indicating that nitrogen mineralization and SO42−reduction were stimulated by protists. Most of these effects were more obvious in the partially oxic surface layer (0 to 3 mm), but they could also be detected in the anoxic subsurface layer (10 to 13 mm). Our observations fit well into the overall framework developed for protistan grazing, but with some modifications pertinent to the wetland situation: O2was a major control, and O2availability may have limited directly and indirectly the development of protists. Although detectable in the lower anoxic layer, grazing effects were much more obvious in the partially oxic surface layer.
Analyses of Cry1Ab Binding in Resistant and Susceptible Strains of the European Corn Borer,
Ostrinia nubilalis
(Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)
Authors: Siqueira Herbert A. A. , González-Cabrera Joel , Ferré Juan , Flannagan Ronald , Siegfried Blair D.
Published: August 2006

Cry1Ab toxin binding analysis was performed to determine whether resistance in laboratory-selected
Ostrinia nubilalis
strains is associated with target site alteration. Brush border membrane vesicles were prepared using dissected midguts from late instars of susceptible and resistant strains (Europe-R and RSTT) of
O. nubilalis
. Immunoblot analysis indicated that three different proteins bound to Cry1Ab toxin and were recognized by an anticadherin serum. In a comparison of resistant and susceptible strains, reduced Cry1Ab binding was apparent for all three bands corresponding to cadherin-like proteins in the Europe-R strain, while reduced binding was apparent in only one band for the RSTT strain. Real-time analysis of Cry1Ab binding to gut receptors using surface plasmon resonance suggested slight differences in affinity in both resistant strains. Additional binding analysis was conducted using
125
I-labeled Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, and Cry1Aa. Slight differences were again observed between the resistant and susceptible strains for Cry1Ab binding. However, when binding of
125
I-labeled Cry1Aa was tested, a 10-fold reduction in the concentration of binding sites was observed in the Europe-R strain. Expression of the
O. nubilalis
cadherin gene was similar in both the resistant and susceptible strains and did not account for differences in binding. In combination, the results of the present work suggest that differences in susceptibility to Cry1A toxins in the Europe-R strain of
O. nubilalis
are associated with altered receptor binding, although the precise nature of this mechanism is still uncertain.
Metal Accumulation without Enhanced Oxalate Secretion in Wood Degraded by Brown Rot Fungi
Authors: Schilling Jonathan S. , Jellison Jody
Published: August 2006

Brown rot fungi were incubated in agar and agar-wood microcosms containing metallic or hydroxide forms of Al, Cu, and Fe. Metal dissolution was associated with elevated oxalate concentrations in agar, but metals translocated into wood did not affect oxalate accumulation, crystal production, or decay rate, demonstrating a substrate-dependent oxalate dynamic.
Temporal Transcriptomic Analysis as
Desulfovibrio vulgaris
Hildenborough Transitions into Stationary Phase during Electron Donor Depletion
Authors: Clark M. E. , He Q. , He Z. , Huang K. H. , Alm E. J. , Wan X.-F. , Hazen T. C. , Arkin A. P. , Wall J. D. , Zhou J.-Z. , Fields M. W.
Published: August 2006

Desulfovibrio vulgaris
was cultivated in a defined medium, and biomass was sampled for approximately 70 h to characterize the shifts in gene expression as cells transitioned from the exponential to the stationary phase during electron donor depletion. In addition to temporal transcriptomics, total protein, carbohydrate, lactate, acetate, and sulfate levels were measured. The microarray data were examined for statistically significant expression changes, hierarchical cluster analysis, and promoter element prediction and were validated by quantitative PCR. As the cells transitioned from the exponential phase to the stationary phase, a majority of the down-expressed genes were involved in translation and transcription, and this trend continued at the remaining times. There were general increases in relative expression for intracellular trafficking and secretion, ion transport, and coenzyme metabolism as the cells entered the stationary phase. As expected, the DNA replication machinery was down-expressed, and the expression of genes involved in DNA repair increased during the stationary phase. Genes involved in amino acid acquisition, carbohydrate metabolism, energy production, and cell envelope biogenesis did not exhibit uniform transcriptional responses. Interestingly, most phage-related genes were up-expressed at the onset of the stationary phase. This result suggested that nutrient depletion may affect community dynamics and DNA transfer mechanisms of sulfate-reducing bacteria via the phage cycle. The putative
feoAB
system (in addition to other presumptive iron metabolism genes) was significantly up-expressed, and this suggested the possible importance of Fe
2+
acquisition under metal-reducing conditions. The expression of a large subset of carbohydrate-related genes was altered, and the total cellular carbohydrate levels declined during the growth phase transition. Interestingly, the
D. vulgaris
genome does not contain a putative
rpoS
gene, a common attribute of the δ-
Proteobacteria
genomes sequenced to date, and the transcription profiles of other putative
rpo
genes were not significantly altered. Our results indicated that in addition to expected changes (e.g., energy conversion, protein turnover, translation, transcription, and DNA replication and repair), genes related to phage, stress response, carbohydrate flux, the outer envelope, and iron homeostasis played important roles as
D. vulgaris
cells experienced electron donor depletion.
Identification of Bacterial Micropredators Distinctively Active in a Soil Microbial Food Web
Authors: Lueders Tillmann , Kindler Reimo , Miltner Anja , Friedrich Michael W. , Kaestner Matthias
Published: August 2006

The understanding of microbial interactions and trophic networks is a prerequisite for the elucidation of the turnover and transformation of organic materials in soils. To elucidate the incorporation of biomass carbon into a soil microbial food web, we added
13
C-labeled
Escherichia coli
biomass to an agricultural soil and identified those indigenous microbes that were specifically active in its mineralization and carbon sequestration. rRNA stable isotope probing (SIP) revealed that uncultivated relatives of distinct groups of gliding bacterial micropredators (
Lysobacter
spp.,
Myxococcales
, and the
Bacteroidetes
) lead carbon sequestration and mineralization from the added biomass. In addition, fungal populations within the
Microascaceae
were shown to respond to the added biomass after only 1 h of incubation and were thus surprisingly reactive to degradable labile carbon. This RNA-SIP study identifies indigenous microbes specifically active in the transformation of a nondefined complex carbon source, bacterial biomass, directly in a soil ecosystem.
Evidence for Geographic Isolation and Signs of Endemism within a Protistan Morphospecies
Authors: Boenigk Jens , Pfandl Karin , Garstecki Tobias , Harms Hauke , Novarino Gianfranco , Chatzinotas Antonis
Published: August 2006

The possible existence of endemism among microorganisms resulting from and preserved by geographic isolation is one of the most controversial topics in microbial ecology. We isolated 31 strains of “
Spumella
-like” flagellates from remote sampling sites from all continents, including Antarctica. These and another 23 isolates from a former study were characterized morphologically and by small-subunit rRNA gene sequence analysis and tested for the maximum temperature tolerance. Only a minority of the
Spumella
morpho- and phylotypes from the geographically isolated Antarctic continent follow the worldwide trend of a linear correlation between ambient (air) temperature during strain isolation and heat tolerance of the isolates. A high percentage of the Antarctic isolates, but none of the isolates from locations on all other continents, were obligate psychrophilic, although some of the latter were isolated at low ambient temperatures. The drastic deviation of Antarctic representatives of
Spumella
from the global trend of temperature adaptation of this morphospecies provides strong evidence for geographic transport restriction of a microorganism; i.e., Antarctic protistan communities are less influenced by transport of protists to and from the Antarctic continent than by local adaptation, a subtle form of endemism.
Production of Resveratrol in Recombinant Microorganisms
Authors: Beekwilder Jules , Wolswinkel Rianne , Jonker Harry , Hall Robert , de Vos C. H. Ric , Bovy Arnaud
Published: August 2006

Resveratrol production in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
was compared to that in
Escherichia coli
. In both systems, 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase from tobacco and stilbene synthase from grapes were expressed. When
p
-coumaric acid was used as the precursor, resveratrol accumulations in the culture medium were observed to be comparable in
E. coli
(16 mg/liter) and yeast (6 mg/liter).
Survival ofLactobacillus caseiin the Human Digestive Tract after Consumption of Fermented Milk
Authors: Oozeer Raish , Leplingard Antony , Mater Denis D. G. , Mogenet Agnès , Michelin Rachel , Seksek Isabelle , Marteau Philippe , Doré Joël , Bresson Jean-Louis , Corthier Gérard
Published: August 2006

A human trial was carried out to assess the ileal and fecal survival ofLactobacillus caseiDN-114 001 ingested in fermented milk. Survival rates were up to 51.2% in the ileum and 28.4% in the feces. The probiotic bacterium has the capacity to survive during its transit through the human gut.
Real-Time Detection of Noroviruses in Surface Water by Use of a Broadly Reactive Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification Assay
Authors: Rutjes Saskia A. , van den Berg Harold H. J. L. , Lodder Willemijn J. , de Roda Husman Ana Maria
Published: August 2006

Noroviruses are the most common agents causing outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis. Outbreaks originating from contaminated drinking water and from recreational waters have been described. Due to a lack of cell culture systems, noroviruses are detected mostly by molecular methods. Molecular detection assays for viruses in water are often repressed by inhibitory factors present in the environment, like humic acids and heavy metals. To study the effect of environmental inhibitors on the performance of nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), we developed a real-time norovirus NASBA targeting part of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. Specificity of the assay was studied with 33 divergent clones that contained part of the targeted RdRp gene of noroviruses from 15 different genogroups. Viral RNA originated from commercial oysters, surface waters, and sewage treatment plants in The Netherlands. Ninety-seven percent of the clones derived from human noroviruses were detected by real-time NASBA. Two clones containing animal noroviruses were not detected by NASBA. We compared the norovirus detection by real-time NASBA with that by conventional reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) with large-volume river water samples and found that inhibitory factors of RT-PCR had little or no effect on the performance of the norovirus NASBA. This consequently resulted in a higher sensitivity of the NASBA assay than of the RT-PCR. We show that by combining an efficient RNA extraction method with real-time NASBA the sensitivity of norovirus detection in water samples increased at least 100 times, which consequently has implications for the outcome of the infectious risk assessment.
Phylogeny of 16S rRNA, Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase, and Adenosine 5′-Phosphosulfate Reductase Genes from Gamma- and Alphaproteobacterial Symbionts in Gutless Marine Worms (Oligochaeta) from Bermuda and the Bahamas
Authors: Blazejak Anna , Kuever Jan , Erséus Christer , Amann Rudolf , Dubilier Nicole
Published: August 2006

Gutless oligochaetes are small marine worms that live in obligate associations with bacterial endosymbionts. While symbionts from several host species belonging to the genusOlaviushave been described, little is known of the symbionts from the host genusInanidrilus. In this study, the diversity of bacterial endosymbionts inInanidrilus leukodermatusfrom Bermuda andInanidrilus makropetalosfrom the Bahamas was investigated using comparative sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and fluorescence in situ hybridization. As in all other gutless oligochaetes examined to date,I. leukodermatusandI. makropetalosharbor large, oval bacteria identified as Gamma 1 symbionts. The presence of genes coding for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase form I (cbbL) and adenosine 5′-phosphosulfate reductase (aprA) supports earlier studies indicating that these symbionts are chemoautotrophic sulfur oxidizers. Alphaproteobacteria, previously identified only in the gutless oligochaeteOlavius loisaefrom the southwest Pacific Ocean, coexist with the Gamma 1 symbionts in bothI. leukodermatusandI. makropetalos, with the former harboring four and the latter two alphaproteobacterial phylotypes. The presence of these symbionts in hosts from such geographically distant oceans as the Atlantic and Pacific suggests that symbioses with alphaproteobacterial symbionts may be widespread in gutless oligochaetes. The high phylogenetic diversity of bacterial endosymbionts in two species of the genusInanidrilus, previously known only from members of the genusOlavius, shows that the stable coexistence of multiple symbionts is a common feature in gutless oligochaetes.
Vitreous Chemokines and Sho (Zheng in Chinese) of Chinese-Korean-Japanese Medicine in Patients with Diabetic Vitreoretinopathy
Authors: Hayasaka Seiji , Zhang Xue-Yun , Cui Hu-Shan , Yanagisawa Shuichiro , Chi Zai-Long , Hayasaka Yoriko , Shimada Yutaka
Published: August 2006

We examined the levels of vitreous chemokines and Sho (Zheng in Chinese) of Chinese-Korean-Japanese medicine in diabetic patients. Patients undergoing vitrectomy were classified into Group 1 (no diabetic retinopathy), Group 2 (diabetic retinopathy with no or a few new vessels), and Group 3 (diabetic retinopathy with many new vessels). The levels of IL-8, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES in the vitreous fluid were measured using cytometric bead array method. Sho was determined by the standard diagnostic method of Chinese-Korean-Japanese medicine. Vitreous levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 in Groups 2 and 3 were higher than those in Group 1. MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES levels in Groups 2 and 3 were almost the same as those in Group 1. The percentage of patients with Keishibukuryo-gan (Guizhifuling-wan in Chinese) sho in Group 3 was higher than that in Group 1. In conclusion, vitreous levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 were high in patients with diabetic vitreoretinopathy. Keishibukuryo-gan sho may be associated with diabetic vitreoretinopathy.
Different Patterns of Pulse Spectrum Between Survivors and Non-survivors During Progressive Hemorrhage in Rats
Authors: Chang Yu Hsin , Lin Jui Shan , Lin Jaung Geng , Lin Yue Der , Li Tsai Chung , Su Yi Chang
Published: August 2006

Previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that the percentage differences of 2nd (C2) and 3rd (C3) pulse harmonics related to Kidney and Spleen were both increased toward another steady state in rats after acute hemorrhage. Therefore, it is suggested that changes in pulse spectra might represent the ability of animals to survive a model of progressive hemorrhage. In this study, the difference of the pulse spectra patterns between survivors and non-survivors after progressive hemorrhage (by loss of 5%, 10% or 20% of the estimated blood volume) in anesthetized rats is determined. Seven rats, dead within 2 hours after a loss of 20% of the estimated blood volume hemorrhage, were defined as 'non-survivors'. The other eleven rats, more than 2 hours after hemorrhage, were defined as 'survivors'. Pulse waves of arterial blood pressure before and after the hemorrhage were measured in parallel to the pulse spectrum analysis. Data among different phases were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Duncan's test for pairwise comparisons. Differences between survivor and non-survivor groups at each phase were analyzed using Student's t-test. A mixed-effects linear regression model was applied to evaluate the relationship in harmonics, which significantly differed between the two groups. The study results showed that in rats, during progressive hemorrhage, the percentage differences of 2nd harmonic proportion increased significantly; however, the result failed to show any significant difference between survivors and non-survivors. After the third blood withdrawal process, the percentage differences of 3rd harmonic proportion increased more significantly in the survivors. In addition, the percentage differences of 1st harmonic proportion related to the Liver for the survivor group was significantly lower than that of the non-survivors. After analysis with the mixed linear regression model, C3 and C1 demonstrated a linear regression relationship, and there existed significant differences between survivors and non-survivors. These results suggest that C3 might play an important role in physiology regarding surviving capability after progressive hemorrhage.
RENDERING AESTHETIC IMPRESSIONS OF TEXT IN COLOR SPACE
Authors: LIU HUGO , MAES PATTIE
Published: August 2006

What is an artwork and how could a machine become artist? This paper addresses the provocative question by theorizing a computational model of aesthetics and implementing the Aesthetiscope—a computer program that portrays aesthetic impressions of text and renders an abstract color grid artwork reminiscent of early twentieth century abstract expressionism. Following Dewey's psychological interpretation of "aesthetic" and Jung's ontology of fundamental psychological functions, we theorize that a viewer finds an artwork moving and satisfying because it seduces her into rich evocations of thoughts, sensations, intuitions, and feelings. The Aesthetiscope embodies this theory and aims to generate color grids paired with inspiration texts (a word, a poem, or song lyrics), which can be received as aesthetic and artistic by a viewer. The paper describes five Jungian aesthetic readers which are together capable of creative narrative understanding, and three color-logics that employ psycho-semantic principles to render the aesthetic readings in color space. Evaluations of the Aesthetiscope revealed that the program is best at portraying intuition and feeling, and that overall, the Aesthetiscope is capable of creating the aesthetic of art based on an inspiration text in a non-arbitrary way.
A TOOL FOR GENERATING AND EXPLAINING EXPRESSIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES OF MONOPHONIC JAZZ MELODIES
Authors: RAMIREZ RAFAEL , HAZAN AMAURY
Published: August 2006

In this paper we present a machine learning approach to modeling the knowledge applied by a musician when performing a score in order to produce an expressive performance of a piece. We describe a tool for both generating and explaining expressive music performances of monophonic Jazz melodies. The tool consists of three components: (a) a melodic transcription component which extracts a set of acoustic features from monophonic recordings, (b) a machine learning component which induce both an expressive transformation model and a set of expressive performance rules from the extracted acoustic features, and (c) a melody synthesis component which generates expressive monophonic output (MIDI or audio) from inexpressive melody descriptions using the induced expressive transformation model. We compare several machine learning techniques we have explored for inducing the expressive transformation model.
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF FIBER OPTICAL PARAMETER AMPLIFIER BASED ON TRIANGULAR PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FIBER
Authors: SHANG TAO , CHEN JIANPING , LI XINWAN , ZHOU JUNHE
Published: August 2006

Fiber optic parametric amplifiers (FOPA) based on triangular photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is analyzed theoretically. Equations about parametric unsaturated gain and gain bandwidth in normal or abnormal dispersion regimes are derived. Numerical simulations are performed for single-pump and two-pump FOPAs, respectively. Comparisons with FOPAs based on dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) and highly nonlinear fibers (HNLF) are carried out. The results show that, due to the excellent dispersion profile and nonlinearity of PCF, single-pump FOPA has higher peak gain and two-pump FOPA presents higher flat gain over wider bandwidth.
StAR expression and the long-term aldosterone response to high-potassium diet in Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Peters Barbara , Teubner Philipp , Clausmeyer Susanne , Puschner Tanja , Maser-Gluth Christiane , Wrede Hans-Josef , Kränzlin Bettina , Peters Jörg
Published: August 2006

ANG II and potassium are known to increase steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) levels. However, a corresponding increase in StAR mRNA levels has so far been observed only in response to ANG II. We therefore studied the regulation of adrenal StAR mRNA expression in the context of dietary potassium-stimulated aldosterone production. Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were fed a diet containing either 1 or 4% KCl for 5 days. The high-potassium diet increased StAR mRNA levels within the zona glomerulosa in both strains, as demonstrated by in situ hybridization. However, aldosterone production increased in WKY but not in SHR (WKY: from 22.8 ± 4.8 to 137 ± 25 ng/100 ml, P < 0.001, vs. SHR: from 29 ± 3.8 to 51 ± 10.2 ng/100 ml, not significant). This increase was associated with an increase in Cyp11b2 mRNA levels in WKY (3-fold; P < 0.001) but not in SHR. In both strains, the 4% KCl diet was associated with increased plasma renin-independent aldosterone production, as indicated by the marked increase of the aldosterone-to-renin ratios (from 1.4 ± 0.3 to 9 ± 3 in WKY and from 3 ± 1 to 14 ± 5 in SHR; P < 0.002). We conclude that an increase of StAR mRNA levels within the outer cortex is involved in the long-term adrenal response to potassium. This increase alone is not sufficient to increase aldosterone production in the presence of normal Cyp11b2 mRNA levels.
Microarray analysis of gene expression during early stages of mild and severe cardiac hypertrophy
Authors: Rajan Sudarsan , Williams Sarah S. , Jagatheesan Ganapathy , Ahmed Rafeeq P. H. , Fuller-Bicer Geraldine , Schwartz Arnold , Aronow Bruce J. , Wieczorek David F.
Published: August 2006

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is a disease characterized by ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis, and aberrant systolic and/or diastolic function. We previously developed two transgenic mouse models that carry FHC-associated mutations in α-tropomyosin (TM): FHC α-TM175 mice show patchy areas of mild ventricular disorganization and limited hypertrophy, whereas FHC α-TM180 mice exhibit severe hypertrophy and fibrosis and die within 6 mo. To obtain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with the early onset of cardiac hypertrophy, we conducted a detailed comparative analysis of gene expression in 2.5-mo-old control, FHC α-TM175, and α-TM180 ventricular tissue. Results show that 754 genes (from a total of 22,600) were differentially expressed between the nontransgenic (NTG) and the FHC hearts. There are 178 differentially regulated genes between NTG and the FHC α-TM175 hearts, 388 genes are differentially expressed between NTG and FHC α-TM180 hearts, and 266 genes are differentially expressed between FHC α-TM175 and FHC α-TM180 hearts. Genes that exhibit the largest increase in expression belong to the “secreted/extracellular matrix” category, and those with the most significant decrease in expression are associated with “metabolic enzymes.” Confirmation of the microarray analysis was conducted by quantitative real-time PCR on gene transcripts commonly associated with cardiac hypertrophy.
Hopf bifurcation in a delayed model for tumor‐immune system competition with negative immune response
Authors: Yafia Radouane
Published: August 2006

The dynamics of the model for tumor‐immune system competition with negative immune response and with one delay investigated. We show that the asymptotic behavior depends crucially on the time delay parameter. We are particularly interested in the study of the Hopf bifurcation problem to predict the occurrence of a limit cycle bifurcating from the nontrivial steady state, by using the delay as a parameter of bifurcation.
The obtained results provide the oscillations given by the numerical study in M. Gałach (2003), which are observed in reality by Kirschner and Panetta (1998).
Influence of temperature‐dependent viscosity on the MHD Couette flow of dusty fluid with heat transfer
Authors: Attia Hazem A.
Published: August 2006

This paper studies the effect of variable viscosity on the
transient Couette flow of dusty fluid with heat transfer between
parallel plates. The fluid is acted upon by a constant pressure
gradient and an external uniform magnetic field is applied
perpendicular to the plates. The parallel plates are assumed to be
porous and subjected to a uniform suction from above and injection
from below. The upper plate is moving with a uniform velocity
while the lower is kept stationary. The governing nonlinear
partial differential equations are solved numerically and some
important effects for the variable viscosity and the uniform
magnetic field on the transient flow and heat transfer of both the
fluid and dust particles are indicated.
Parametric general variational-like inequality problem in uniformly smooth Banach space
Authors: Kazmi KR , Khan FA
Published: August 2006

Using the concept of "Equation missing"- "Equation missing"-proximal mapping, we study the existence and sensitivity analysis of solution of a parametric general variational-like inequality problem in uniformly smooth Banach space. The approach used may be treated as an extension and unification of approaches for studying sensitivity analysis for various important classes of variational inequalities given by many authors in this direction.
Approximation common fixed point of asymptotically quasi-nonexpansive-type mappings by the finite steps iterative sequences
Authors: Quan Jing , Chang Shih-Sen , Long Xian Jun
Published: August 2006

The purpose of this paper is to study sufficient and necessary conditions for finite-step iterative sequences with mean errors for a finite family of asymptotically quasi-nonexpansive and type mappings in Banach spaces to converge to a common fixed point. The results presented in this paper improve and extend the recent ones announced by Ghost-Debnath, Liu, Xu and Noor, Chang, Shahzad et al., Shahzad and Udomene, Chidume et al., and all the others.
Probabilistic Model‐Based Cell Tracking
Authors: Kachouie Nezamoddin N. , Fieguth Paul , Ramunas John , Jervis Eric
Published: August 2006

The study of cell behavior is of crucial importance in drug and disease research. The fields of bioinformatics and biotechnology rely on the collection, processing, and analysis of huge numbers of biocellular images, including cell features such as cell size, shape, and motility. However manual methods of inferring these values are so onerous that automated methods of cell tracking and segmentation are in high demand. In this paper, a novel model‐based cell tracker is designed to locate and track individual cells. The proposed cell tracker has been successfully applied to track hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) based on identified cell locations and probabilistic data association.
Approximation of bounded variation functions by aBézier variant of the Bleimann, Butzer, and Hahnoperators
Authors: Gupta Vijay , Doğru Ogün
Published: August 2006

We give a sharp estimate on the rate of convergence for the
Bézier variant of Bleimann, Butzer, and Hahn operators for
functions of bounded variation. We consider the case when α ≥ 1
and our result improves the recently established results of
Srivastava and Gupta (2005) and de la Cal and Gupta
(2005).
Convergence of p‐series revisited with applications
Authors: Abalo Elom K. , Abalo Kokou Y.
Published: August 2006

We construct two adjacent sequences that converge to the sum of a given convergent p‐series. In case of a divergent p‐series, lower and upper bounds of the (kn)th partial sum are constructed. In either case, we extend the results obtained by Hansheng and Lu (2005) to any integer k ≥ 2. Some numerical examples are given.
Minimal Bratteli diagrams and the dimension groups of AF C*‐algebras
Authors: Zerr Ryan J.
Published: August 2006

A method is described which identifies a wide variety of AF algebra dimension groups with groups of continuous functions. The results here generalize the well‐known fact that commutative AF algebras have dimension groups which can be identified with groups of integer‐valued continuous functions.
Building some symmetric Laguerre‐Hahn functionals ofclass two at most through the sum of symmetric functionals aspseudofunctions with a Dirac measure at origin
Authors: Sghaier M. , Alaya J.
Published: August 2006

We show that if v
is a symmetric regular Laguerre‐Hahn linear
form (functional), then the linear form u
defined by u = −λx−2v + δ0
is also regular and symmetric Laguerre‐Hahn
linear form for every complex λ
except for a discrete set
of numbers depending on v. We explicitly give the coefficients
of the second‐order recurrence relation, the structure relation of
the orthogonal sequence associated with u, and the class of the
linear form u knowing that of v. Finally, we apply the above
results to the symmetric associated form of the first order for
the classical polynomials.
Minimal conditions on Clifford semigroupcongruences
Authors: Abdallah M. El-Ghali M. , Gab-Alla L. N. , Elagan Sayed K. M.
Published: August 2006

A known result in groups concerning the inheritance of minimal
conditions on normal subgroups by subgroups with finite indexes is
extended to semilattices of groups [E(S), Se, ϕe,f] with identities in which all ϕe,f
are
epimorphisms (called q partial groups). Formulation of this
result in terms of q congruences is also obtained.
C‐compactness modulo an ideal
Authors: Gupta M. K. , Noiri T.
Published: August 2006

We investigate the concepts of quasi‐H‐closed modulo an ideal which generalizes quasi‐H‐closedness and C‐compactness modulo
an ideal which simultaneously generalizes C‐compactness and
compactness modulo an ideal. We obtain a characterization of
maximal C‐compactness modulo an ideal. Preservation of
C‐compactness modulo an ideal by functions is also investigated.
Schrödinger equations in noncylindrical domains: exact controllability
Authors: Antunes G. O. , da Silva M. D. G. , Apolaya R. F.
Published: August 2006

We consider an open bounded set Ω ⊂ ℝn and a family {K(t)} t≥0 of orthogonal matrices of ℝn. Set Ωt = {x ∈ ℝn; x = K(t)y, for all y ∈ Ω}, whose boundary is Γt. We denote by the noncylindrical domain given by , with the regular lateral boundary . In this paper we investigate the boundary exact controllability for the linear Schrödinger equation
u′ − iΔu = f in , u = w on , u(x, 0) = u0(x) in Ω0, where w is the control.
Hybrid solar cells from water‐soluble polymers
Authors: McLeskey James T. , Qiao Qiquan
Published: August 2006

We report on the use of a water‐soluble, light‐absorbing polythiophene polymer to fabricate novel photovoltaic devices. The polymer is a water‐soluble thiophene known as sodium poly[2‐(3‐thienyl)‐ethoxy‐4‐butylsulfonate] or PTEBS. The intention is to take advantage of the properties of conjugated polymers (flexible, tunable, and easy to process) and incorporate the additional benefits of water solubility (easily controlled evaporation rates and environmentally friendly). The PTEBS polythiophene has shown significant photovoltaic response and has been found to be effective for making solar cells. To date, solar cells in three different configurations have been produced: titanium dioxide (TiO2) bilayer cells, TiO2 bulk heterojunction solar cells, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in bulk heterojunctions. The best performance thus far has been achieved with TiO2 bilayer devices. These devices have an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.84V, a short circuit current (Jsc) of 0.15 mA/cm2, a fill factor (ff) of 0.91, and an efficiency (η) of 0.15 %.
Temperature‐dependent loop formation kinetics in flexible peptides studied by time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy
Authors: Sahoo Harekrushna , Hennig Andreas , Nau Werner M.
Published: August 2006

Looping rates in short polypeptides can be determined by intramolecular fluorescence quenching of a 2,3‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct‐2‐ene‐labeled asparagine (Dbo) by tryptophan. By this methodology, the looping rates in glycine‐serine peptides with the structure Trp‐(Gly‐Ser) n‐Dbo‐NH2 of different lengths (n = 0–10) were determined in dependence on temperature in D2O and the activation parameters were derived. In general, the looping rate increases with decreasing peptide length, but the shortest peptide (n = 0) shows exceptional behavior because its looping rate is slower than that for the next longer ones (n = 1, 2). The activation energies increase from 17.5 kJ mol−1 for the longest peptide (n = 10) to 20.5 kJ mol−1 for the shortest one (n = 0), while the pre‐exponential factors (log⁡(A/s−1)) range from 10.20 to 11.38. The data are interpreted in terms of an interplay between internal friction (stiffness of the biopolymer backbone and steric hindrance effects) and solvent friction (viscosity‐limited diffusion). For the longest peptides, the activation energies resemble more and more the value expected for solvent viscous flow. Internal friction is most important for the shortest peptides, causing a negative curvature and a smaller than ideal slope (ca. –1.1) of the double‐logarithmic plots of the looping rates versus the number of peptide chain segments (N). Interestingly, the corresponding plot for the pre‐exponential factors (logA versus logN) shows the ideal slope (–1.5). While the looping rates can be used to assess the flexibility of peptides in a global way, it is suggested that the activation energies provide a measure of the “thermodynamic” flexibility of a peptide, while the pre‐exponential factors reflect the “dynamic” flexibility.
Mathematical modelling of information age conflict
Authors: Moffat James
Published: August 2006

Previous mathematical modelling of conflict has been based on
Lanchester's equations, which relate to the grinding attrition of
“industrial-age” warfare. Large blocks of force interact in
order to force defeat by a process of wearing away the other. This
is no longer so relevant as a way of conceptualising warfare, and
we generalise the approach so that it is more appropriate to the
“information age” into which we are now moving. It turns out
that the solution to this problem is the development of a theory
of what we call “scale-free systems.” We first develop this
theory, and then indicate how it can be applied.
Analysis of FM demodulator output noise with applications to FM telemetry
Authors: Kumar Rajendra
Published: August 2006

We present an analysis for evaluating the probability density
function (pdf) of the noise at the output of the frequency
demodulator. It is shown that the noise is non-Gaussian and that
for low to medium signal-to-noise power ratios, its pdf differs
very significantly from the Gaussian pdf commonly assumed in
simplified analysis. These results are very important for
analyzing the performance of the PCM/FM type of modulation schemes
used in telemetry systems as illustrated in the paper.