bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EMBODIED HERMENEUTICS: GADAMER MEETS WOOLF IN A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN
Authors: O’Neill Linda
Published: August 2007

Abstract Hans‐Georg Gadamer has been criticized by a wide range of feminist scholars who argue that his work neglects feminine aspects of understanding, many of which are essential to sound theorizing about educational contexts. In this essay, Linda O’Neill employs Virginia Woolf’s classic gender analysis both as a foil for Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics and as an exemplar of feminist reasoning. Through her striking descriptions of embodied tradition, language, and transcendence, Woolf challenges and enriches Gadamer’s work. Bringing Gadamer into conversation with Woolf offers expanded horizons for philosophers of education who choose to ground their studies of teachers and learners in a feminist epistemology resonant with the rich ambiguity of educational experience. This comparison, O’Neill concludes, suggests that the pluralistic reasoning of feminist inquiry offers engendered, embodied insights absent from Gadamer’s hermeneutics and crucial to what Patti Lather calls “fieldwork in philosophy,” an investigative alternative capable of informing sustainable educational policy, practice, and reform.
SEXUALIZED SPACES IN PUBLIC PLACES: IRIGARAY, LEVINAS, AND AN ETHICS OF THE EROTIC
Authors: Rasheed Shaireen
Published: August 2007

Abstract Discourse pertaining to the erotic is absent in our current educational culture. In this essay Shaireen Rasheed elucidates how Luce Irigaray, through her discussion of the erotic, has challenged the conception of language and otherness that underpins modern education. In undertaking a comparative analysis of Irigaray’s work on the erotic and Emmanuel Levinas’s account of Eros, Rasheed emphasizes that the implications of Irigaray’s critique suggest not only a reevaluation of Levinas’s “Phenomenology of Eros,” but a revaluation of the role of the sexualized body in philosophy. Rasheed concludes by urging educators to think ethically about what discourses of difference mean in the classroom. A pedagogy contextualized within an ethics of the erotic attempts to develop pedagogies to link ideas, practices, and values in order to create discursive spaces where the unutterable could be articulated, where so‐called marginalized images could be represented, and where efforts could be made to rethink forms of subjectivity and relations within the oppressive confines of the always heterosexualized classroom.
ECOFEMINISM AS A PEDAGOGICAL PROJECT: WOMEN, NATURE, AND EDUCATION
Authors: Li Huey‐li
Published: August 2007

Abstract In this essay, Huey‐li Li inquires into how ecofeminist analyses of the woman‐nature affinity call for the rectification of polarized conceptions of “nature.” By attending to the interconnections between various forms of oppression, Li argues, ecofeminism sheds light on how gender ideology influences our worldview and the construction of educational institutions. Above all, she contends, ecofeminism as a pedagogical project emphasizes ethical activism within oppressive contexts. The recent development of ecofeminism, in particular, represents a collaborative feminist coalition aimed at redressing interrelated oppressive systems in patriarchal societies. The transformative potential of the praxis of ecofeminism, Li concludes, lies in its mobilization of both dominant groups and subordinate groups to undertake collective educational efforts to critically examine existing social norms and to explore the possibilities of establishing new ethical norms in the global community.
TERMS OF INCLUSION: UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
Authors: Kantor Harvey , Lowe Robert
Published: August 2007

Abstract In this review essay, Harvey Kantor and Robert Lowe explore the history of the culture wars in public education in the United States. Drawing on three books — David Tyack’s Seeking Common Ground, Jonathan Zimmerman’s Whose America? and Amy Binder’s Contentious Curricula— Kantor and Lowe review the history of struggles over the content of history texts and over the place of religion and religious values in the classroom. They suggest that while these struggles have been partially successful in freeing public education from the racial and ethno‐religious particularisms that informed its origins, the more inclusive curriculum that resulted from these efforts has been rendered largely symbolic by the persistence of segregation and the inequality of resources that accompanies it.
Expression and characterization of α‐glucosidase III in the dwarf honeybee, Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae)
Authors: CHANCHAO CHANPEN , PADOONGSUPALAI RUMPALAI , SANGVANICH POLKIT
Published: August 2007

Alpha‐glucosidase is synthesized in the hypopharyngeal glands located in the head of worker bees including Apis florea. To analyze the developmental stage‐specific expression of the α‐glucosidase gene in A. florea, total RNA was isolated from eggs, and the heads of nurse and forager bees. By reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), it was shown that the highest expression levels of the α‐glucosidase III gene, in the three examined developmental stadia, were found in forager bees, with much lower expression levels in nurse bees and no detectable expression in eggs. A complete α‐glucosidase III cDNA was obtained by RT‐PCR and sequenced. The 1 701 bp cDNA nucleotide sequence and the predicted 567 amino acids it encodes were assayed by BLASTn, BLASTp and BLASTx programs and revealed a 95% and 94% similarity to the A. melliferaα‐glucosidase III gene at the DNA and amino acid sequence levels, respectively. For purification of the active encoded enzyme, forager bee heads were homogenized in sodium phosphate buffer solution and the crude extract (0.30 U/mg) sequentially precipitated with 95% saturated ammonium sulfate (0.18 U/mg), and purified by DEAE cellulose ion exchange chromatography (0.17 U/mg), and gel filtration on Superdex 200 (0.52 U/mg). After resolution through sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, a single enzymically active band (73 kDa) was identified from renatured substrate gels. Excision of this band, elution of the protein and tryptic peptide digestives identified by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) revealed six matching masses to the A. mellifera (Q17958) and predicted A. floreaα‐glucosidase III protein with 12% coverage, supporting the probable purification of the same α‐glucosidase III protein as that encoded by the cloned cDNA.
Influence of physical and chemical factors during foraging and culture of the symbiont fungus in Atta sexdens rubropilosa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: VERZA SANDRA S. , FORTI LUIZ C. , LOPES JULIANE F. S. , CAMARGO ROBERTO S. , MATOS CARLOS A. O.
Published: August 2007

The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of physical and chemical factors on transport and use of substrate for Atta sexdens rubropilosa workers. Three types of rectangular fragments were used to study the physical influence factors: filter paper with paraffin, filter paper without paraffin and polyester film. To study the chemical factors, some fragments were impregnated with organic extract of orange albedo, others were soaked with soybean oil and for the remaining ones nothing was applied. The following parameters were evaluated: (i) attractiveness of substrate for transport and number of loading workers per treatment; (ii) foraged material incorporation; (iii) rejection by numbers of fragments deposited in the garbage or beside the fungus garden. All the polyester film fragments carried out to the fungus garden were subsequently rejected. We verified that chemical factors of the substrate were more quickly detected by the workers, whereas physical factors were used as a criterion in the decision‐making to reject or accept the substrate collected.
Temperature‐dependent development of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) on two brassicaceous host plants
Authors: GOLIZADEH ALI , KAMALI KARIM , FATHIPOUR YAGHOUB , ABBASIPOUR HABIB
Published: August 2007

The effect of temperature on the development of the Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), was evaluated at eight constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 28, 30, 32.5 and 35°C), with relative humidity of 65% and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) hours on two host plants, cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis and cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata. The low temperature threshold was estimated to be 7.06°C and 7.84°C and the thermal constant was 263.74 and 261.58 degree‐days for P. xylostella on cauliflower and cabbage, respectively, using the linear model. Data were fitted to various nonlinear temperature‐dependent models, and the low and high temperature thresholds, as well as the optimum temperature for development, has been estimated. Criteria of choice from the literature were used to evaluate models and to select the most suitable equation for P. xylostella development on each host plant. Conclusively, linear and Briere‐2 models are recommended for the description of temperature‐dependent development of P. xylostella on two host plants.
Effects of the susceptibility of rice varieties to Sogatella furcifera on nymphal development and reproduction of Microvelia horvathi through a food chain
Authors: XIAO TIE‐GUANG , TANG JIANG‐XIA
Published: August 2007

The effects of four rice varieties highly susceptible (‘Xiang‐Zao‐Xian31’ and ‘Jia‐Yu164’), moderately susceptible (‘Wei‐You402’), and resistant (‘Zhu‐Liang‐You02’) to the whitebacked planthopper Sogatella furcifera on the nymphal development, reproduction and survival of Microvelia horoathi were investigated through a food chain using Sogatella furcifera as herbivore prey. Significant longer nymphal developmental time were observed in the 1st, 4th, 5th instar and whole nymphal stage of M. horvathi raised on S. furcifera fed ‘ZLY02’ and ‘WY402’ than those of the other two varieties. M. horvathi raised on S. furcifera fed resistant ‘ZLY02’ showed a significant lower survival of whole nymphal stage than those fed other three susceptible varieties. Moreover, M. horvathi raised on S. furcifera fed resistant ‘ZLY02’ had shorter female longevity and lower lifetime fecundity than those of on susceptible ‘XZX31’. Our results suggest that the S. furcifera‐resistant rice variety ‘ZLY02’ had a negative effect on the growth and development of the predator M. horvathi through a food chain.
Analysis of forestry impacts and biodiversity in two Pyrenean forests through a comparison of moth communities (Lepidoptera, Heterocera)
Authors: LUQUE CARINE , GERS CHARLES , LAUGA JACQUES , MARIANO NESTOR , WINK MICHAEL , LEGAL LUC
Published: August 2007

We have compared the biodiversity variations in moth communities between unmanaged forests and commercial forests in a mountainous environment (Pyrenees France). The aim was to evaluate the impact of forestry activities on moth diversity. The data collected from the insects were analysed with a Bayesian specific similarity index (noted SSP index) and by statistical biodiversity indexes comparison. It was seen that diversity and richness were decreased in the plantation compared to the unmanaged forest. Interestingly, the composition of the communities of moths was shown to be not only related to the presence/absence of host plants, but also to be in relation with changes in the differences in forest architecture (i.e. the relative coverage by the different vegetation levels). However, the moth community in the commercial forest still has a high capacity to converge with the moth community present in more natural forests. We report here a list of 177 species of moths, providing information on the distribution of some uncommon species, poorly studied as yet in the Pyrenees.
Development of setal patterns in embryonic and adult aphids of the Hormaphidinae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Authors: JIANG LI‐YUN , QIAO GE‐XIA , ZHANG GUANG‐XUE
Published: August 2007

The elementary traits and diversity of embryonic setal patterns of 31 species of 22 genera, in three tribes of Hormaphidinae are studied. The embryonic setal patterns to every species are provided. Based on the parsimony principle and the developmental principle, these patterns are analyzed in each tribe following the terminology of Richards (1965). It is suggested that the setal patterns of abdominal tergites are the most important characters in embryonic and adult setal patterns. In conclusion, neoteny is a phylogenetic trend in the Hormaphidinae. Nipponaphidini and Hormaphidini have more typical neoteny in each genus and more diversity in different types of adult viviparous females than Cerataphidini, by showing more frequent and various protopatterns or mesopatterns.
Detection of broad 21-cm absorption at zabs = 0.656 in the complex sight-line towards 3C 336
Authors: Curran S. J. , Tzanavaris P. , Murphy M. T. , Webb J. K. , Pihlström Y. M.
Published: August 2007

We report the detection of 21-cm absorption at zabs= 0.656 towards 1622 + 238 (3C336). The line is very broad with a full width to half-maximum of 235 km s−1, giving a velocity-integrated optical depth of . The centroid of the line is offset from that of the known damped Lyman α absorption system (DLA) by 50 km s−1, and if the Lyman α and 21-cm absorption are due to the same gas, we derive a spin temperature of Ts≤ 60 K, which would be the lowest yet in a DLA. The wide profile, which is over four times wider than that of any other DLA, supports the hypothesis that the hydrogen absorption is occurring either in the disc of a large underluminous spiral or in a group of dim unidentified galaxies, associated with the single object which has been optically identified at this redshift.
The Magellanic squall: gas replenishment from the Small to the Large Magellanic Cloud
Authors: Bekki Kenji , Chiba Masashi
Published: August 2007

We first show that a large amount of metal-poor gas is stripped from the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and falls into the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) during the tidal interaction between the SMC, the LMC and the Galaxy over the last 2 Gyr. We propose that this metal-poor gas can closely be associated with the origin of the LMC's young and intermediate-age stars and star clusters with distinctively low metallicities with [Fe/H]< −0.6. We numerically investigate whether gas initially in the outer part of the SMC's gas disc can be stripped during the LMC–SMC–Galaxy interaction and consequently can pass through the central region (R < 7.5 kpc) of the LMC. We find that about 0.7 and 18 per cent of the SMC's gas could have passed through the central region of the LMC about 1.3 Gyr ago and 0.2 Gyr ago, respectively. The possible mean metallicity of the replenished gas from the SMC to LMC is about [Fe/H]=−0.9 to −1.0 for the two interacting phases, if a steep metallicity gradient of the SMC's gas disc is assumed. These results imply that the LMC can temporarily replenish gas supplies through the sporadic accretion and infall of metal-poor gas from the SMC. They furthermore imply that if this gas from the SMC can collide with gas in the LMC to form new stars in the LMC, the metallicities of the stars can be significantly lower than those of stars formed from gas initially within the LMC.
XMM-Newton unveils the type 2 nature of the BLRG 3C 445
Authors: Grandi Paola , Guainazzi Matteo , Cappi Massimo , Ponti Gabriele
Published: August 2007

We present an observation of XMM–Newton that unambiguously reveals the ‘Seyfert 2’ nature of the broad line radio galaxy 3C 445. For the first time the soft excess of this source has been resolved. It consists of unobscured scattered continuum flux and emission lines, likely produced in a warm photoionized gas near the pole of an obscuring torus. The presence of circumnuclear (likely stratified) matter is supported by the complex obscuration of the nuclear region. 70 per cent of the nuclear radiation (first component) is indeed obscured by a column density ∼4 × 1023cm−2, and 30 per cent (second component) is filtered by ∼7 × 1022cm−2. The first component is nuclear radiation directly observed by transmission through the thicker regions. The second one is of more uncertain nature. If the observer has a deep view into the nucleus but near the edge of the torus, it could be light scattered by the inner wall of the torus and/or by photoionized gas within the broad line region observed through the thinner rim of the circumnuclear matter.
MEASURING OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF STRUCTURED LIPIDS BY PROTON NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
Authors: NAMAL SENANAYAKE S.P.J. , SHAHIDI FEREIDOON
Published: August 2007

The oxidative stability of enzymatically modified oils (structured lipids) and their unmodified counterparts were assessed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. This methodology was used to monitor relative changes in the proton absorption pattern of the fatty acids of oils during storage at 60C. Relative changes of aliphatic to olefinic (Rao) and aliphatic to diallylmethylene (Rad) proton ratios during oil oxidation were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy. An increase in Rao and Rad values was obtained over the entire storage period. The oxidative stability of oils was also evaluated using conjugated dienes (CD) determination, 2‐thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and headspace volatile analysis. A highly significant correlation (r = 0.930–0.992; P ≤ 0.005) existed between the CD values and changes in Rao and Rad during oxidation of all oils. The correlation coefficient between TBARS and changes in Rao and Rad values was in the range of 0.779–0.983 (P ≤ 0.05). A high correlation (r = 0.948–0.996; P ≤ 0.005) was found between hexanal content and Rao and Rad of oils. Propanal content was also highly correlated (r = 0.950–0.990; P ≤ 0.005) with Rao and Rad.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Assessment of the extent of lipid oxidation in food is of much interest to producers and scientists alike. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides a valuable tool for quantitation of oxidation of food lipids. This procedure was used for evaluating the oxidative state of structured lipids. The procedure is rapid and nondestructive, requires a small amount of material, and may be considered as “green” because it uses a very minimum amount of solvent and is readily applicable to edible oils and oils extracted from food and biological samples.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND FATTY ACID CONTENT OF BUFFALO CHEESE FROM NORTHWEST ARGENTINA: EFFECT ON LIPID COMPOSITION OF MICE TISSUES
Authors: VAN NIEUWENHOVE CARINA , CANO PAOLA GAUFFIN , CHAIA ADRIANA PÉREZ , GONZÁLEZ SILVIA
Published: August 2007

Chemical properties, long chain fatty acid composition and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content of buffalo cheese were determined. Good nutritional properties were observed in cheese, showing 11.5% of protein, 18.3% of fat and 30.5% of dry matter. Saturated fatty acid content was 65.6%, monounsaturated fatty acid was 31.8% and polyunsaturated was 2.6%. Stearic (C16:0) and oleic (C18:1) acids were the major fatty acids (FAs) present in milk and cheese. Values slightly higher of CLA were determined in cheese (4.5 and 5.2 mg/g of fat, respectively), being cis‐9,trans‐11, the predominant isomer. Mice provided with cheese showed higher CLA levels in fat tissues than animals from the control group. The cis‐9,trans‐11 isomer was incorporated into lipid tissues in great proportion than trans‐10,cis‐12. Total FA content was higher in mice fed cheese, but polyunsaturated fatty acid (linoleic + linolenic + CLA) in tissues was similar (0.6 mg/g of tissue) in all groups.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Buffalo milk products are widely consumed in Europe, especially as mozzarella cheese. In Northwest Argentina, buffalo was recently introduced for milk production, and no studies are available about chemical characteristics and fatty acid content of cheeses. The nutritional importance of many fatty acids, such as trans, has been widely stressed in recent years. Among this, conjugated linoleic adics (CLAs)] seem to have many biological effects on health, such as anticarcinogenic properties. Studies on CLA content in foods are being carried out as a way to offer to consumers the best source of this fatty acid. In the present study we demonstrated that buffalo milk and cheese represents a good source of CLA for humans, having as a major isomer the cis9, trans11. Its consumption affects the CLA incorporation into many tissues, offering cheese a higher CLA concentration than milk.
APPLICATION OF ANTIOXIDANTS DURING SHORT‐PATH DISTILLATION OF STRUCTURED LIPIDS
Authors: TIMM‐HEINRICH MAIKE , XU XUEBING , NIELSEN NINA SKALL , JACOBSEN CHARLOTTE
Published: August 2007

A specific structured lipid was produced from sunflower oil and caprylic acid. The antioxidative effect of adding α‐tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate or citric acid (each in three different concentrations) was investigated before and after the purification process (short‐path distillation), and was compared with a control without addition of antioxidant. The oxidative status and stability were characterized by peroxide and anisidine values, secondary volatile oxidation products and induction period. The antioxidants affected the oxidative status compared with the control: citric acid was prooxidative at low concentrations, but antioxidative at high concentrations. Addition of ascorbyl palmitate had an antioxidative effect at all concentrations employed. α‐Tocopherol showed less antioxidative activity compared with ascorbyl palmitate and citric acid, and its efficacy was slightly decreased with increasing concentration. Combinations of citric acid with ascorbyl palmitate were tested in a later part of the study. No additive or synergistic effect was found between citric acid and ascorbyl palmitate.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Production of structured lipids (SLs) provides unique possibilities to design fats that can meet specific nutritional requirements. The desirednutritional quality of the lipid may be negatively influenced by production parameters, e.g., due to oxidation. Addition of antioxidants before purification of the lipid, as described in the present article, can improve the oxidative status of the final product compared with a product devoid of added antioxidants. This is also known from the deodorization process. The storage stability of the SL and its nutritional quality is therefore expected to be considerably improved compared with a lipid to which no antioxidant is added.
RANCIMAT TEST FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF USED FRYING OILS QUALITY
Authors: FARHOOSH REZA , MOOSAVI SEYED MOHAMMAD REZA
Published: August 2007

The oxidative/oil stability index (OSI) of the frying oils decreased exponentially during the frying process. The slope of the linear equation obtained from the plotting of the logarithms of OSIs versus frying times, which was considered to be a measure of the rate of OSI decrease during the frying process, was significantly different for the oils. The results of the present study confirmed that the OSI determined via the Rancimat test on the original oil cannot guarantee or predict the actual frying performance of the oil, but it is considered that this method can be useful to act as a “screening” test and eliminate the possibility of introducing lower stability oils into the production area with its consequences. There was a strong correlation (r2 = 0.9949) between the OSI and the total polar compounds (TPC) of the frying oils (y = 51.01 x−0.9726). Assuming that 24% of TPC is the maximum level permitted in frying oils, the OSI of a used frying oil should be≥2.32 h. There was a power relationship (y = 120.9 x−1.0423) between the OSI and carbonyl value (CV) with a high determination coefficient (r2 = 0.9856). Assuming that 50 µmol/g of CV is the maximum level permitted in frying oils, the OSI of a used frying oil should be≥2.05 h.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

In addition to act as a “screening” test for eliminating the posibility of introducing lower stability oils into the production area with its consequences, the Rancimat test, which is considered to be a rapid, inexpensive, easy to use and reproducible method, could provide information on when to discard used frying oil. This can be interesting for fats and oils researchers, R&D groups, quality control laboratories and quality auditing organizations.
ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS OF MALLOTUS PHILIPPINENSIS FRUIT AND BARK
Authors: ARFAN MOHAMMAD , AMIN HAZRAT , KARAMAĆ MAGDALENA , KOSIŃSKA AGNIESZKA , SHAHIDI FEREIDOON , WICZKOWSKI WIESŁAW , AMAROWICZ RYSZARD
Published: August 2007

Several extracts from Mallotus philippinensis fruits and bark were prepared and evaluated for their total antioxidant activity (TAA), antiradical activity against DPPH· (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical) and reducing power. The total phenolics and tannin contents in extracts were determined. The extract of the bark showed the strongest antiradical activity and reduction power; its TAA was 5.27 mmol Trolox equivalents/g. The TAA of other extracts ranged from 0.05 to 1.79 mmol Trolox equivalents/g extract. The content of total phenolics in the bark extract was 541 mg/g. The content of tannins in MP‐4, expressed as absorbance units per mg at 500 nm, was found to be 0.412. Several phenolic constituents in the extracts were detected by reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography using a gradient solvent system with UV‐DAD detection. Acetone was a suitable solvent for extraction of natural antioxidants from M. philippinensis fruits.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

An acetonic and methanolic extraction of Mallotus philippinensis fruit and bark affords extracts that have been characterized as possessing strong antioxidant activities; this may open new avenues for the utilization of these extract as nutraceuticals. The biological activity of compounds present in the extracts has been well documented in many studies published in scientific journals. We want to emphasize that a procyanidin‐rich extract from pine (Pinus maritime) bark was patented under the trade name of Pycnogenol (PYC) and is utilized throughout the world as a nutritional supplement and as a phytochemical remedy for various diseases ranging from chronic inflammation to circulatory dysfunction (Packer et al. 1999).
PEANUT SKIN ANTIOXIDANTS
Authors: VAN HA HOANG , POKORNÝ JAN , SAKURAI HIDETOSHI
Published: August 2007

Peanut skins isolated from three peanut samples cultivated in China were extracted with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. The content of polyphenolic substances was low in hexane extracts, very high in methanolic extracts and intermediate in ethyl acetate extracts. Condensed tannins prevailed in ethyl acetate and methanol extracts, while tocopherols were concentrated in hexane extracts, but only in moderate amounts. The resveratrol content was very low. The antioxidant activity of extracts was rather low in lard and in vegetable oils under conditions of the Schaal oven test, but the free radical‐scavenging activity was very pronounced, especially in methanol extracts. The metal‐chelating activity could contribute to the antioxidant activity of peanut skin extracts.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Peanut skins are waste products from peanut processing. As they are rich in phenolic substances, peanut skin extracts could become a cheap and easily available source of antioxidants, especially their methanol and ethyl acetate extracts. Their activity in lard and other bulk fats is only moderate, but they are efficient free radical scavengers and metal chelators. Therefore, they would be efficient in the stabilization of foods containing water and transient metal ions against autoxidation.
FEEDING AWAY INFLAMMATION – CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACIDS DECREASE PANCREATIC PHOSPHOLIPASE A2 ACTIVITY*
Authors: STACHOWSKA EWA , DZIEDZIEJKO VIOLETTA , SAFRANOW KRZYSZTOF , JAKUBOWSKA KATARZYNA , OLSZEWSKA MARIA , BOBER JOANNA , CHLUBEK DARIUSZ
Published: August 2007

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid derived from food, mainly from milk and meat products. CLAs are ligands of peroxisome proliferator‐activated gamma receptors. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2) represent a diverse group of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of ester bonds at the sn‐2 position of membrane phospholipids and release fatty acids and lysophospholipids. The objective of the study was to answer the question whether the release of linoleic acid by pancreatic PLA2 may change in the CLA‐containing environment. In this study, linoleic acid released by pancreatic PLA2 was a substrate for purified lipoxygenase – an enzyme converting it into hydroxylated derivatives including 9‐ and 13‐hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (9‐,13‐HODE). In this method, the activity of PLA2 was determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. In vitro incubation of hog PLA2 with CLA contributed to a noticeable fall in the synthesis of HODEs (P = 0.003; Kruskal–Wallis test). The concentration of HODEs decreased by 40.2% (for the cis‐9, trans‐11 CLA isomer; P = 0.007, Mann–Whitney test, n = 5) and by 27% (for the trans‐10, cis‐12 CLA isomer; P = 0.007, Mann–Whitney test, n = 5) as compared with the control (enzyme incubated without CLA). The inhibition exerted by cis‐9, trans‐11 CLA isomer was significantly greater than that by trans‐10, cis‐12 CLA isomer (P = 0.032, Mann–Whitney test, n = 5).

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

This study is an attempt to clarify the response to the question whether some food ingredients such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may be useful as an agent supporting the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. It was observed under in vitro conditions that CLA isomers inhibited the phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis. By using purified enzymes, CLA was shown to contribute to local reduction of availability of linoleic acid and its metabolites (9‐ and 13‐hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid) through inhibition of phospholipid hydrolysis.
Hedge funds and the new regulatory agenda
Authors: McVea Harry
Published: August 2007

Regulatory interest in ‘hedge funds’ has intensified in the wake of the collapse of the Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) hedge fund, and the growing retailisation of the sector through vehicles such as ‘fund of funds’ hedge funds. Though recognised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as playing an important role in the financial system, the hedge fund sector continues to pose formidable regulatory challenges. In particular, there is a real possibility that hedge funds and ‘prime brokers’ will increase their risk profiles, thus threatening not only their own solvency but, more importantly, the stability of the financial system more generally. Similarly, there exist problems surrounding issues such as asset valuations and side letters which raise heightened fears about conflict of interest abuse and investor protection. While any attempt by the FSA to subject the sector to closer regulatory scrutiny needs to be sufficiently robust to ensure that the above regulatory concerns are adequately addressed, any measures adopted must not be so heavy handed as to drive lucrative hedge fund business further offshore to less heavily regulated centres. In striking the right balance, a further complication is that of ‘moral hazard’– to the extent that the FSA seeks to tighten its grip on the hedge fund sector through more exacting regulation and oversight, there is the worry that such moves will encourage investors and financial market operators to take less care over their investment decisions. Although it is clear that prime brokers and other market counterparties have very real incentives to engage in private supervision of the hedge funds with which they deal, given the presence of significant market failures there is a danger that the private interests of these entities will not always be fully aligned with the public good. I argue that the FSA’s reliance on private interests and incentives to regulate an industry, the collapse of which could have serious public consequences, is an understandable yet ultimately deficient form of regulatory strategy. It is understandable because of the obvious limitations of the FSA’s scope for unilateral action. Yet it is deficient because the FSA must do more to challenge the complacency of the current international regulatory consensus – one that the FSA has helped shape, and one that its recent reform measures are part. This challenge would, at the very least, require minimum standardised disclosure requirements to be imposed on hedge funds, and for the full risks that these funds take to be fairly reflected in the cushion of capital that they are required to maintain, as well as the ‘margin requirements’ and ‘risk management’ systems they are required to adopt. These reforms would, if instituted at the international level, represent an important first step in helping to ‘bring to heel’ an industry which has assumed for far too long that it is a law unto itself.
Resolution of student complaints in higher education institutions
Authors: Harris Neville
Published: August 2007

This paper examines the processes whereby students may bring complaints against higher education institutions. It stresses that a right to redress of grievance is fundamental to the relationship between students and universities. It focuses on internal complaints procedures and discusses the findings from a survey of a representative sample of institutions of which nearly two thirds (25 in total) responded with statistical and other data on the grounds of complaint, the ethnicity and other characteristics of complainants, and the outcome of adjudications. It reveals areas of commonality and divergence in practice and raises concerns about the fairness and accessibility of the procedures. The paper also includes discussion of the process for the external adjudication of student complaints established under the Higher Education Act 2004 and the way that complaints progress to it. The paper discusses the case for reform of higher education institutions’ student complaints procedures, which are surprisingly unregulated, including the introduction of a more independent element such as ‘campus ombudsmen’.
Consumer Liking of Refined and Whole Wheat Breads
Authors: Bakke A. , Vickers Z.
Published: August 2007

ABSTRACT:  Preference for refined bread is often cited as a reason for the relatively low consumption of whole wheat bread; only a few studies, however, have examined consumer preferences between refined and whole wheat breads, and the results of these studies are inconclusive. Our objective was to determine if refined wheat bread is preferred to whole wheat bread. We hypothesized that people would prefer refined wheat bread. We conducted a taste test with 89 people. They rated their liking of 9 different breads chosen to represent several comparisons between equivalent refined and whole wheat breads. The participants also rated the intensity of 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP) and completed a questionnaire about their bread preferences and purchasing habits. We classified the participants by their bread preference and their PROP taster status, and then examined the liking patterns of these subgroups. People preferred refined bread to whole wheat bread when both were made using equivalent ingredients and procedures. They liked the commercial samples of refined and whole wheat breads equally well. When people were classified by their bread preference, those who preferred refined bread liked the refined bread better in all comparisons. PROP nontasters liked all refined and whole wheat breads equally. Sensory preferences are a barrier to whole wheat bread consumption, but ingredient or processing modifications can improve liking of whole wheat bread to the level of refined bread.
Effect of Biofilm Formation by
Pseudoalteromonas spongiae
on Induction of Larval Settlement of the Polychaete
Hydroides elegans
Authors: Huang Yi-Li , Dobretsov Sergey , Xiong Hairong , Qian Pei-Yuan
Published: August 2007

The effects of culture conditions and chloramphenicol treatment on the induction of the marine bacterium
Pseudoalteromonas spongiae
to larval settlement of
Hydroides elegans
were investigated. The results showed that
P. spongiae
cells grown in the medium containing both yeast extract and peptone (YP-grown
P. spongiae
) was highly inductive to larval settlement, whereas
P. spongiae
cells grown in the medium containing only peptone (P-grown
P. spongiae
) or YP-grown
P. spongiae
cells treated with chloramphenicol at the onset of biofilm development (YPC-grown
P. spongiae
) did not induce larval settlement. Analysis of biofilm formation, biofilm structure, and the surface protein profile indicated that only the induction-capable YP-grown
P. spongiae
formed a well-developed biofilm, while the P-grown
P. spongiae
and the YPC-grown
P. spongiae
did not. We report here for the first time that bacterial biofilm formation was associated with its induction of larval settlement.
Influence of Lactic Acid Bacteria on Longevity ofCaenorhabditis elegansand Host Defense againstSalmonella entericaSerovar Enteritidis
Authors: Ikeda Takanori , Yasui Chikako , Hoshino Kaori , Arikawa Kentaro , Nishikawa Yoshikazu
Published: August 2007

This study aimed to develop a convenient model to investigate the senescence of host defenses and the influence of food and nutrition. A small soil nematode,Caenorhabditis elegans, was grown for 3 days from hatching on a lawn ofEscherichia coliOP50 as the normal food source, and subsequently some of the nematodes were fed lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The life spans of worms fed LAB were significantly longer than the life spans of those fed OP50. To investigate the effect of age on host defenses, 3- to 7-day-old worms fed OP50 were transferred onto a lawn ofSalmonella entericaserovar Enteritidis for infection. The nematodes died over the course of several days, and the accumulation of salmonella in the intestinal lumen suggested that the worms were infected. The 7-day-old worms showed a higher death rate during the 5 days after infection than nematodes infected at the age of 3 days; no clear difference was observed when the worms were exposed to OP50. We then investigated whether the LAB could exert probiotic effects on the worms' host defenses and improve life span. Seven-day-old nematodes fed LAB from the age of 3 days were more resistant to salmonella than worms fed OP50 until they were infected with salmonella. This study clearly showed that LAB can enhance the host defense ofC. elegansand prolong life span. The nematode appears to be an appropriate model for screening useful probiotic strains or dietetic antiaging substances.
Influence of Antibiotic Selection on Genetic Composition of
Escherichia coli
Populations from Conventional and Organic Dairy Farms
Authors: Walk Seth T. , Mladonicky Janice M. , Middleton Jaclyn A. , Heidt Anthony J. , Cunningham Julie R. , Bartlett Paul , Sato Kenji , Whittam Thomas S.
Published: August 2007

The widespread agricultural use of antimicrobials has long been considered a crucial influence on the prevalence of resistant genes and bacterial strains. It has been suggested that antibiotic applications in agricultural settings are a driving force for the development of antimicrobial resistance, and epidemiologic evidence supports the view that there is a direct link between resistant human pathogens, retail produce, farm animals, and farm environments. Despite such concerns, little is understood about the population processes underlying the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance and the reversibility of resistance when antibiotic selective pressure is removed. In this study, hierarchical log-linear modeling was used to assess the association between farm type (conventional versus organic), age of cattle (calf versus cow), bacterial phenotype (resistant versus susceptible), and the genetic composition of
Escherichia coli
populations (
E. coli
Reference Collection [ECOR] phylogroup A, B1, B2, or D) among 678 susceptible and resistant strains from a previously published study of 60 matched dairy farms (30 conventional and 30 organic) in Wisconsin. The analysis provides evidence for clonal resistance (ampicillin resistance) and genetic hitchhiking (tetracycline resistance [Tet
r
]), estimated the rate of compositional change from conventional farming to organic farming (mean, 8 years; range, 3 to 15 years), and discovered a significant association between low multidrug resistance, organic farms, and strains of the numerically dominant phylogroup B1. These data suggest that organic farming practices not only change the frequency of resistant strains but also impact the overall population genetic composition of the resident
E. coli
flora. In addition, the results support the hypothesis that the current prevalence of Tet
r
loci on dairy farms has little to do with the use of this antibiotic.
The Termite Group I Phylum Is Highly Diverse and Widespread in the Environment
Authors: Herlemann Daniel P. R. , Geissinger Oliver , Brune Andreas
Published: August 2007

The bacterial candidate phylum Termite Group I (TG-1) presently consists mostly of “Endomicrobia,” which are endosymbionts of flagellate protists occurring exclusively in the hindguts of termites and wood-feeding cockroaches. Here, we show that public databases contain many, mostly undocumented 16S rRNA gene sequences from other habitats that are affiliated with the TG-1 phylum but are only distantly related to “Endomicrobia.” Phylogenetic analysis of the expanded data set revealed several diverse and deeply branching lineages comprising clones from many different habitats. In addition, we designed specific primers to explore the diversity and environmental distribution of bacteria in the TG-1 phylum.
Mutagenesis of the “Leucine Gate” To Explore the Basis of Catalytic Versatility in Soluble Methane Monooxygenase
Authors: Borodina Elena , Nichol Tim , Dumont Marc G. , Smith Thomas J. , Murrell J. Colin
Published: August 2007

Soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) from methane-oxidizing bacteria is a multicomponent nonheme oxygenase that naturally oxidizes methane to methanol and can also cooxidize a wide range of adventitious substrates, including mono- and diaromatic hydrocarbons. Leucine 110, at the mouth of the active site in the α subunit of the hydroxylase component of sMMO, has been suggested to act as a gate to control the access of substrates to the active site. Previous crystallography of the wild-type sMMO has indicated at least two conformations of the enzyme that have the “leucine gate” open to different extents, and mutagenesis of homologous enzymes has indicated a role for this residue in the control of substrate range and regioselectivity with aromatic substrates. By further refinement of the system for homologous expression of sMMO that we developed previously, we have been able to prepare a range of site-directed mutations at position 110 in the α subunit of sMMO. All the mutants (with Gly, Cys, Arg, and Tyr, respectively, at this position) showed relaxations of regioselectivity compared to the wild type with monoaromatic substrates and biphenyl, including the appearance of new products arising from hydroxylation at the 2- and 3- positions on the benzene ring. Mutants with the larger Arg and Trp residues at position 110 also showed shifts in regioselectivity during naphthalene hydroxylation from the 2- to the 1- position. No evidence that mutagenesis of Leu 110 could allow very large substrates to enter the active site was found, however, since the mutants (like the wild type) were inactive toward the triaromatic hydrocarbons anthracene and phenanthrene. Thus, our results indicate that the “leucine gate” in sMMO is more important in controlling the precision of regioselectivity than the sizes of substrates that can enter the active site.
Subtypes of the Plasmid-Encoded Serine Protease EspP in Shiga Toxin-Producing
Escherichia coli
: Distribution, Secretion, and Proteolytic Activity
Authors: Brockmeyer Jens , Bielaszewska Martina , Fruth Angelika , Bonn Marie Luise , Mellmann Alexander , Humpf Hans-Ulrich , Karch Helge
Published: August 2007

We investigated the prevalence, distribution, and structure of
espP
in Shiga toxin-producing
Escherichia coli
(STEC) and assessed the secretion and proteolytic activity of the encoded autotransporter protein EspP (extracellular serine protease, plasmid encoded).
espP
was identified in 56 of 107 different STEC serotypes. Sequencing of a 3,747-bp region of the 3,900-bp
espP
gene distinguished four alleles (
espP
α,
espP
β,
espP
γ, and
espP
δ), with 99.9%, 99.2%, 95.3%, and 95.1% homology, respectively, to
espP
of
E. coli
O157:H7 strain EDL933. The
espP
β,
espP
γ, and
espP
δ genes contained unique insertions and/or clustered point mutations that enabled allele-specific PCRs; these demonstrated the presence of
espP
α,
espP
β,
espP
γ, and
espP
δ in STEC isolates belonging to 17, 16, 15, and 8 serotypes, respectively. Among four subtypes of EspP encoded by these alleles, EspPα (produced by enterohemorrhagic
E. coli
[EHEC] O157:H7 and the major non-O157 EHEC serotypes) and EspPγ cleaved pepsin A, human coagulation factor V, and an oligopeptide alanine-alanine-proline-leucine-para-nitroaniline, whereas EspPβ and EspPδ either were not secreted or were proteolytically inactive. The lack of proteolysis correlated with point mutations near the active serine protease site. We conclude that
espP
is widely distributed among STEC strains and displays genetic heterogeneity, which can be used for subtyping and which affects EspP activity. The presence of proteolytically active EspP in EHEC serogroups O157, O26, O111, and O145, which are bona fide human pathogens, suggests that EspP might play a role as an EHEC virulence factor.
Multilocus Sequence Typing ofLactobacillus caseiReveals a Clonal Population Structure with Low Levels of Homologous Recombination
Authors: Diancourt Laure , Passet Virginie , Chervaux Christian , Garault Peggy , Smokvina Tamara , Brisse Sylvain
Published: August 2007

Robust genotyping methods forLactobacillus caseiare needed for strain tracking and collection management, as well as for population biology research. A collection of 52 strains initially labeledL. caseiorLactobacillus paracaseiwas first subjected torplBgene sequencing together with reference strains ofLactobacillus zeae,Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and other species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all 52 strains belonged to a single compactL. casei-L. paracaseisequence cluster, together with strain CIP107868 (= ATCC 334) but clearly distinct fromL. rhamnosusand from a cluster withL. zeaeand CIP103137T(= ATCC 393T). The strains were genotyped using amplified fragment length polymorphism, multilocus sequence typing based on internal portions of the seven housekeeping genesfusA,ileS,lepA,leuS,pyrG,recA, andrecG, and tandem repeat variation (multilocus variable-number tandem repeats analysis [MLVA] using nine loci). Very high concordance was found between the three methods. Although amounts of nucleotide variation were low for the seven genes (π ranging from 0.0038 to 0.0109), 3 to 12 alleles were distinguished, resulting in 31 sequence types. One sequence type (ST1) was frequent (17 strains), but most others were represented by a single strain. Attempts to subtype ST1 strains by MLVA, ribotyping, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat characterization, and single nucleotide repeat variation were unsuccessful. We found clear evidence for homologous recombination during the diversification ofL. caseiclones, including a putative intragenic import of DNA into one strain. Nucleotides were estimated to change four times more frequently by recombination than by mutation. However, statistical congruence between individual gene trees was retained, indicating that recombination is not frequent enough to disrupt the phylogenetic signal. The developed multilocus sequence typing scheme should be useful for future studies ofL. caseistrain diversity and evolution.