bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Jet‐Cooked High Amylose Corn Starch and Shortening Composites for Use in Cake Icings
Authors: Singh Mukti , Byars Jeffrey A.
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  Butter cream is an all‐purpose icing that is used to both ice and decorate cakes. Cream icings contain up to 40% shortening. As consumers become aware of the need to reduce fat in their diet, the demand for healthy, flavorful, and low‐fat food increases. High‐amylose corn starch was cooked in an excess‐steam jet cooker in the presence of oleic acid. Amylose formed helical inclusion complexes with the fatty acid. Shortening was added at different levels to jet‐cooked starch. The resulting starch‐lipid composites (SLC) had 0%, 8%, 16%, and 24% fat. The composites were used to substitute shortening in the preparation of cake icings with 1% to 13% fat. SLC icings were formulated by either keeping the total solids constant, or the starch and sugar to water ratio constant as the fat level was reduced. The effect of fat and formulation of shortening and SLC icings on the physical and rheological characteristics were studied. It was found that low‐fat SLC icings can be prepared by optimizing the formulation.

Practical Application:  This study indicates potential new applications for SLC that benefit the confectionary industry by generating new products offering healthy alternatives to the consumers.
The Olive Compound 4‐Hydroxytyrosol Inactivates Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A (SEA)
Authors: Friedman Mendel , Rasooly Reuven , Do Paula M. , Henika Philip R.
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  The foodborne pathogen Staphylococcus aureus produces the virulent staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), a single chain protein which consists of 233 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 27078 Da. SEA is a superantigen that is reported to contribute to animal (mastitis) and human (emesis, diarrhea, atopic dermatitis, arthritis, and toxic shock) syndromes. Changes in the native structural integrity may inactivate the toxin by preventing molecular interaction with cell membrane receptor sites of their host cells. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of the pure olive compound 4‐hydroxytyrosol and a commercial olive powder called Hidrox‐12, prepared by freeze‐drying olive juice, to inhibit S. aureus bacteria and SEA's biological activity. Dilutions of both test substances inactivated the pathogens. Two independent cell assays (BrdU incorporation into newly synthesized DNA and glycyl‐phenylalanyl‐aminofluorocoumarin proteolysis) demonstrated that the olive compound 4‐hydroxytyrosol also inactivated the biological activity of SEA at concentrations that were not toxic to the spleen cells. However, efforts to determine inhibition of the toxin by Hidrox‐12 were not successful because the olive powder was cytotoxic to the spleen cells at concentrations found to be effective against the bacteria. The results suggest that food‐compatible and safe antitoxin olive compounds can be used to inactivate both pathogens and toxins produced by the pathogens.

Practical Application:  The results of this study suggest that food‐compatible and safe antitoxin olive compounds can be used to reduce both pathogens and toxins produced by the pathogens in foods.
Quantification of Salmonella in Food Samples from India Using the MINI‐MSRV MPN and Modified MINI‐MSRV MPN Methods
Authors: Shashidhar Ravindranth , Srivastava Ishaa , Bandekar Jayant R.
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  Salmonella is one of the most important food‐borne pathogens. The MINI‐MSRV MPN method was modified by replacing the isolation and confirmation of Salmonella on selective chromogenic agar with PCR/RT‐PCR. This modification reduced the time for quantification by the MINI‐MSRV MPN method by 24 h. Ninety‐seven different food samples, comprising chicken, mutton, fish, and sprouts from different markets in Mumbai, India, were analyzed for quantification of Salmonella species by the MINI‐MSRV MPN and modified MINI‐MSRV MPN methods. Seventy‐four percent of the chicken samples were found positive for Salmonella. However, Salmonella was found to be absent in fish, mutton, and sprouts samples. Salmonella load in the chicken sample was in the range of 1.30 to 120 MPN/g. This genotypic confirmation has advantage over variable phenotypic confirmation of pathogens.
Characterization of ACE‐Inhibitory Peptide Associated with Antioxidant and Anticoagulation Properties
Authors: Yu Zhipeng , Yin Yongguang , Zhao Wenzhu , Wang Fei , Yu Yiding , Liu Boqun , Liu Jingbo , Chen Feng
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  A bioactive peptide Arg–Val–Pro–Ser–Leu (RVPSL) obtained from egg white protein was characterized by LC‐MS and further chemically synthesized by the Fmoc solid phase method and investigated in terms of its angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)‐inhibitory activity, antioxidant property, and anticoagulation activity, as well as its stability in a simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The peptide exhibited an ACE‐inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 20 μM. Also, the peptide could efficiently quench the (1,1)‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl free radicals and exhibit high anticoagulation activity with a complete inhibition at 100 mM. Moreover, the peptide has a good stability against protease digestion. These results suggest that the peptide RVPSL may have potential to be used in nutraceuticals and functional food.

Practical Application:  The present research revealed a novel multifunctional peptide hydrolyzed from egg white protein. The peptide RVPSL was not only able to block the amplification of the coagulation cascade, but also able to inhibit ACE activity.
Minimization of Thermal Impact by Application of Electrode Cooling in a Co‐linear PEF Treatment Chamber
Authors: Meneses Nicolas , Jaeger Henry , Knorr Dietrich
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  A co‐linear pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment chamber was analyzed and optimized considering electrical process conditions, temperature, and retention of heat‐sensitive compounds during a continuous PEF treatment of peach juice. The applicability of a jacket heat‐exchanger device surrounding the ground electrode was studied in order to provide active cooling and to avoid temperature peaks within the treatment chamber thus reducing the total thermal load to which the product is exposed. Simulation of the PEF process was performed using a finite element method prior to experimental verification. Inactivation of polyphenoloxydase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) as well as the degradation of ascorbic acid (AA) in peach juice was quantified and used as indirect indicators for the temperature distribution. Peaks of product temperature within the treatment chamber were reduced, that is, from 98 to 75 °C and retention of the indicators PPO, POD, and AA increased by more than 10% after application of the active electrode cooling device.

Practical Application:  The co‐linear PEF treatment chamber is widely used for continuous PEF treatment of liquid products and also suitable for industrial scale application; however, Joule heating in combination with nonuniform electric field distribution may lead to unwanted thermal effects. The proposed design showed potential to reduce the thermal load, to which the food is exposed, allowing the retention of heat‐sensitive components. The design is applicable at laboratory or industrial scale to perform PEF trials avoiding temperature peaks, which is also the basis for obtaining inactivation kinetic models with minimized thermal impact on the kinetic variables.
A Profile of Bioactive Compounds of Rumex vesicarius L.
Authors: El‐Hawary Seham A. , Sokkar Nadia M. , Ali Zeinab Y. , Yehia Marwa M.
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  The present study was designed to investigate the bioactive compounds in extracts of Rumex vesicarius L. (Polygonaceae), a wild edible herb growing in Egypt. Ethyl acetate and n‐butanol fractions of leaves of R. vesicarius were conducted by HPLC‐PDA‐MS/MS‐ESI in the negative mode to analyze phenolics content. Results revealed the identification of 13 phenolic compounds: 8‐C‐glucosyl‐apigenin, 8‐C‐glucosyl‐luteolin, 6‐C‐hexosyl‐quercetin, 3‐O‐rutinosyl‐quercetin, 7‐O‐rhamno‐hexosyl‐diosmetin, 7‐O‐rhamno‐acetylhexosyl‐diosmetin, catechin, epicatechin, ferulohexoside, 6‐C‐glucosyl‐naringenin, epicatechin gallate, 6‐C‐glucosyl‐catechin, and epigallocatechin gallate. Quantification of the identified compounds revealed that 6‐C‐glucosyl‐naringenin was the major compound. Also, qualitative and quantitative analysis of the hydro‐ethanolic extract of leaves was carried out for ascorbic acid, α‐tocopherol, β‐carotene. The essential oil as well as lipids analysis of saponifiable and unsaponifiable matters. The biochemical studies were conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and hepatoprotective potential of roots (REE), leaves (LEE), and fruits (FEE) ethanolic extracts of R. vesicarius (100 mg/kg b.wt., p.o., each) against hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 (0.5 mL/kg b.wt., p.o., 3 times a week) compared with silymarin (50 mg/kg b.wt., p.o.) as standard drug. The results confirmed that coadministration of the tested extracts or silymarin with CCl4 for 4 wk exhibited a marked hepatoprotective activity, attributed to their antioxidant potential, membrane stabilizing effect, and antifibrogenic activities.

Practical Application:  Investigation of the effect of hommad as a safe hepatoprotective diet that prospectively directs the attention to a valuable therapeutic natural herb rich in bioactive constituents.
Effect of Temperature on Microbial Growth Rate–Mathematical Analysis: The Arrhenius and Eyring–Polanyi Connections
Authors: Huang Lihan , Hwang Andy , Phillips John
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  The objective of this work is to develop a mathematical model for evaluating the effect of temperature on the rate of microbial growth. The new mathematical model is derived by combination and modification of the Arrhenius equation and the Eyring–Polanyi transition theory. The new model, suitable for both suboptimal and the entire growth temperature ranges, was validated using a collection of 23 selected temperature–growth rate curves belonging to 5 groups of microorganisms, including Pseudomonas spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli, from the published literature. The curve fitting is accomplished by nonlinear regression using the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. The resulting estimated growth rate (μ) values are highly correlated to the data collected from the literature (R2= 0.985, slope = 1.0, intercept = 0.0). The bias factor (Bf) of the new model is very close to 1.0, while the accuracy factor (Af) ranges from 1.0 to 1.22 for most data sets. The new model is compared favorably with the Ratkowsky square root model and the Eyring equation. Even with more parameters, the Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, and mean square errors of the new model are not statistically different from the square root model and the Eyring equation, suggesting that the model can be used to describe the inherent relationship between temperature and microbial growth rates. The results of this work show that the new growth rate model is suitable for describing the effect of temperature on microbial growth rate.

Practical Application:  Temperature is one of the most significant factors affecting the growth of microorganisms in foods. This study attempts to develop and validate a mathematical model to describe the temperature dependence of microbial growth rate. The findings show that the new model is accurate and can be used to describe the effect of temperature on microbial growth rate in foods.
Medicaid and privately financed orthodontic patients have similar occlusal and psychosocial outcomes
Authors: King Gregory J. , Kiyak H. Asuman , Greenlee Geoffrey M. , Huang Greg J. , Spiekerman Charles F.
Published: October 2011

Objective: This study compares occlusal and psychosocial outcomes from comprehensive orthodontic treatment in Medicaid (MC) and privately financed (private pay, PP) patients.

Methods: Two cohorts received comprehensive orthodontics: MC (n = 66); PP (n = 60). A calibrated, blinded examiner scored dental casts at baseline (pretreatment, T1) and after completing 2 years of treatment (posttreatment, T2) using the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) and the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need (ICON). The prevalence of patients in the validated ICON categories for treatment need, complexity, and improvement were calculated. Questionnaires to assess body image (BI) and expectations/experiences were administered. Occlusal measures at T2 were compared after adjustment for baseline characteristics. Psychosocial measures were compared between and within groups. Occlusal and psychosocial associations were evaluated.

Results: MC was 1.3 years younger (P < 0.001) and had worse malocclusions at baseline (PAR 32 versus 25; P < 0.001); (ICON 64 versus 56; P = 0.06). After adjustment for age and initial severity, estimated average differences between groups at T2 (MC‐PP) were slight: 1.5 [95 percent confidence interval (CI) −2.9, 5.9] and 2.4 (95 percent CI −4.4, 8.9) for PAR and ICON, respectively. More PP completed treatment under 2 years (85 percent versus 62 percent; P = 0.03). At baseline, both groups needed treatment, but MC malocclusions were more complex (P = 0.05). At T2, both groups were acceptable and there were no differences in ICON improvement categories. Group differences in psychosocial measures and associations between psychosocial and occlusal measures were evident in the “teeth” domain but weak or lacking elsewhere.

Conclusions: Occlusal and psychosocial outcomes from orthodontics in MC and PP were comparable, despite worse MC malocclusions at baseline.
Development and current status of proton therapy for lung cancer in Korea
Authors: Yoon Myonggeun
Published: October 2011

The aim of this study was to examine the current status of proton therapy in Korea and to review the dosimetric benefits of proton beam therapy (PBT) over intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for lung cancer treatment. Data from patients treated between March 2007 and February 2011 in Korea using proton therapy were analyzed retrospectively. For comparison, IMRT and PBT in the scattering mode were planned for lung cancer patients. Dosimetric benefits and organ‐specific radiation‐induced cancer risks were based on comparisons of dose volume histograms (DVH) and secondary radiation doses, respectively. On average, the doses delivered by PBT to the lung, esophagus and spinal cord were 17.4%, 2.5% and 43.6% of the prescription dose, respectively, which were lower than the doses delivered by IMRT (31.5%, 11.8% and 45.3%, respectively). Although the average doses delivered by PBT to the lung and spinal cord were significantly lower than those by IMRT, these differences were reduced in the esophagus. While the average secondary dose from PBT (measured at 20–50 cm from the isocenter) was 1.33–0.86 mSv/Gy, the average secondary dose from IMRT was 3.3–1.0 mSv/Gy. Compared with IMRT techniques, PBT showed improvements in most dosimetric parameters for lung cancer patients, with lower secondary radiation doses.
The Liquidus Temperature of Nuclear Waste Glasses: An International Round‐Robin Study
Authors: Riley Brian J. , Hrma Pavel R. , Vienna John D. , Schweiger Michael J. , Rodriguez Carmen P. , Crum Jarrod V. , Lang Jesse B. , Marra James C. , Johnson Fabienne C. , Peeler David K. , Leonelli Cristina , Ferrari Anna Maria , Lancellotti Isabella , Dussossoy Jean‐Luc , Hand Russell J. , Schofield James M. , Connelly Andrew J. , Short Rick , Harrison Mike T.
Published: October 2011

Eight institutions from four countries participated in a round‐robin study to determine the precision and bias of a liquidus temperature (TL) procedure for waste glasses being adopted by ASTM International as ASTM C 1720‐11. The participants of the round‐robin study were asked to measure three different glasses with one or a combination of the following TL measurement methods: a gradient temperature (GT) method, a uniform temperature (UT) method, and/or a crystal fraction extrapolation (CF) method. The TL values reported by different institutions are generally consistent. The precision of TL measurements with each method was evaluated and is presented herein. The round‐robin glasses were all previously studied at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and included ARG‐1 (Glass A), Zr‐9 (Glass B), and AmCm2‐19 (Glass C), with measured TL values spanning the temperature range of 960–1240°C. A precision (i.e., standard deviation) for TL has been obtained from the data, even though the data were not acquired for all three glasses using all three methods from each participating organization. Also, the article provides a brief overview and the importance of the TL measurement.
Public views of community pharmacists in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Yu-Chie , Tarn Yen-Hue , Kreling David H
Published: October 2011

Objective

A large-scale national survey was conducted to assess the general public's attitudes about, need for and satisfaction with community pharmacists and the services they provide in Taiwan.

Method

Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted by a contract agency using random-digit dialing procedures to achieve a nationally representative sample of adult residents. An 18-item interview survey questionnaire was developed based on previous similar surveys and a pretest-type process was employed by monitoring early responses of interviews to ensure understanding by respondents.

Key findings

A total of 9066 phone exchanges were dialed resulting in 2658 conversations with potential respondents and 1089 completed interviews. Overall, 45.6% of respondents agreed that community pharmacists always treat them sincerely and 41.2% agreed that community pharmacists have the ability to answer their questions. Fewer respondents agreed that community pharmacists were the first professional they consulted for answers about medication use (31.7%) and that they generally trusted the pharmacist (33.2%). Older respondents had more favourable perceptions and respondents with more education had less favourable perceptions. About half of the respondents reported a need for medication use instructions, help in developing personal medication records and help in filling chronic-disease prescriptions. A majority of respondents were satisfied with specific pharmacist services; however, only 8.5–22.5% of respondents previously had experienced these services. Fewer respondents reported general satisfaction with community pharmacist services.

Conclusion

Although generally consumers had less-than-positive perceptions about community pharmacists, their responses revealed some level of trust of pharmacists, awareness of the services that pharmacists may be able to provide and satisfaction with services provided by pharmacists.
Accuracy in parameter estimation for ANCOVA and ANOVA contrasts: Sample size planning via narrow confidence intervals
Authors: Lai Keke , Kelley Ken
Published: October 2011

Contrasts of means are often of interest because they describe the effect size among multiple treatments. High‐quality inference of population effect sizes can be achieved through narrow confidence intervals (CIs). Given the close relation between CI width and sample size, we propose two methods to plan the sample size for an ANCOVA or ANOVA study, so that a sufficiently narrow CI for the population (standardized or unstandardized) contrast of interest will be obtained. The standard method plans the sample size so that the expected CI width is sufficiently small. Since CI width is a random variable, the expected width being sufficiently small does not guarantee that the width obtained in a particular study will be sufficiently small. An extended procedure ensures with some specified, high degree of assurance (e.g., 90% of the time) that the CI observed in a particular study will be sufficiently narrow. We also discuss the rationale and usefulness of two different ways to standardize an ANCOVA contrast, and compare three types of standardized contrast in the ANCOVA/ANOVA context. All of the methods we propose have been implemented in the freely available MBESS package in R so that they can be easily applied by researchers.
Comparison of breast density measured on MR images acquired using fat‐suppressed versus nonfat‐suppressed sequences
Authors: Chang Daniel H.‐E. , Chen Jeon‐Hor , Lin Muqing , Bahri Shadfar , Yu Hon J. , Mehta Rita S. , Nie Ke , Hsiang David J. B. , Nalcioglu Orhan , Su Min‐Ying
Published: October 2011

Purpose:

To investigate the difference of MR percent breast density measured from fat‐suppressed versus nonfat‐suppressed imaging sequences.

Methods:

Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without fat suppression was acquired from 38 subjects. Breasts were divided into subgroups of different morphological patterns (“central” and “intermingled” types). Breast volume, fibroglandular tissue volume, and percent density were measured. The results were compared using nonparametric statistical tests and regarded as significant at p < 0.05.

Results:

Breast volume, fibroglandular volume, and percent density between fat‐suppressed and nonfat‐suppressed sequences were highly correlated. Breast volumes measured on these two sequences were almost identical. Fibroglandular tissue volume and percent density, however, had small (<5%) yet significant differences between the two sequences—they were both higher on the fat‐suppressed sequence. Intraobserver variability was within 4% for both sequences and different morphological types. The fibroglandular tissue volume measured on downsampled images showed a small (<5%) yet significant difference.

Conclusions:

The measurement of breast density made on MRI acquired using fat‐suppressed and nonfat‐suppressed T1W images was about 5% difference, only slightly higher than the intraobserver variability of 3%–4%. When the density data from multiple centers were to be combined, evaluating the degree of difference is needed to take this difference into account.
Cyclosporine A in Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy: Long-Term Results
Authors: Merlini Luciano , Sabatelli Patrizia , Armaroli Annarita , Gnudi Saverio , Angelin Alessia , Grumati Paolo , Michelini Maria Elena , Franchella Andrea , Gualandi Francesca , Bertini Enrico , Maraldi Nadir Mario , Ferlini Alessandra , Bonaldo Paolo , Bernardi Paolo
Published: October 2011

Six individuals with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD) and mutations in the genes-encoding collagen VI, aging 5–9, received 3–5 mg/kg of cyclosporine A (CsA) daily for 1 to 3.2 years. The primary outcome measure was the muscle strength evaluated with a myometer and expressed as megalimbs. The megalimbs score showed significant improvement (P=0.01) in 5 of the 6 patients. Motor function did not change. Respiratory function deteriorated in all. CsA treatment corrected mitochondrial dysfunction, increased muscle regeneration, and decreased the number of apoptotic nuclei. Results from this study demonstrate that long-term treatment with CsA ameliorates performance in the limbs, but not in the respiratory muscles of UCMD patients, and that it is well tolerated. These results suggest considering a trial of CsA or nonimmunosuppressive cyclosporins, that retains the PTP-desensitizing properties of CsA, as early as possible in UCMD patients when diaphragm is less compromised.
The Cost of Cochlear Implantation: A Review of Methodological Considerations
Authors: Nadège Costa , Valérie Garnault , Laura Ferlicoq , Hélène Derumeaux-Burel , Vanina Bongard , Olivier Deguine , Bernard Fraysse , Laurent Molinier
Published: October 2011

Objectives. Cost studies can provide useful guidance, so long as they adhere to accepted methodology. Cochlear implants (CIs) are electronic devices introduced surgically into the inner ear. It is a relevant example to review cost study analyses because of its costliness. The aim of this study was to review relevant published cost studies of CI to analyze the method used.Methods. First, we described the key points of cost study methodology. Cost studies relating to CI were systematically reviewed, focussing on an analysis of the different methods used.Results. The methods, data sources, and estimated cost categories in each study varied widely. The paper showed that cost studies adopted significantly different approaches to estimate costs of CI, reflecting a lack of consensus on the methodology of cost studies.Conclusion. To increase its credibility, closer agreement among researchers on the methodological principles of cost studies would be desirable.
Plant and Fungal Food Components with Potential Activity on the Development of Microbial Oral Diseases
Authors: Daglia Maria , Papetti Adele , Mascherpa Dora , Grisoli Pietro , Giusto Giovanni , Lingström Peter , Pratten Jonathan , Signoretto Caterina , Spratt David A. , Wilson Michael , Zaura Egija , Gazzani Gabriella
Published: October 2011

This paper reports the content in macronutrients, free sugars, polyphenols, and inorganic ions, known to exert any positive or negative action on microbial oral disease such as caries and gingivitis, of seven food/beverages (red chicory, mushroom, raspberry, green and black tea, cranberry juice, dark beer). Tea leaves resulted the richest material in all the detected ions, anyway tea beverages resulted the richest just in fluoride. The highest content in zinc was in chicory, raspberry and mushroom. Raspberry is the richest food in strontium and boron, beer in selenium, raspberry and mushroom in copper. Beer, cranberry juice and, especially green and black tea are very rich in polyphenols, confirming these beverages as important sources of such healthy substances. The fractionation, carried out on the basis of the molecular mass (MM), of the water soluble components occurring in raspberry, chicory, and mushroom extracts (which in microbiological assays revealed the highest potential action against oral pathogens), showed that both the high and low MM fractions are active, with the low MM fractions displaying the highest potential action for all the fractionated extracts. Our findings show that more compounds that can play a different active role occur in these foods.
Correlated Energy Exchange in Drifting Sea Ice
Authors: Chmel A. , Smirnov V.
Published: October 2011

The ice floe speed variations were monitored at the research camp North Pole 35 established on the Arctic ice pack in 2008. A three-month time series of measured speed values was used for determining changes in the kinetic energy of the drifting ice floe. The constructed energy distributions were analyzed by methods of nonextensive statistical mechanics based on the Tsallis statistics for open nonequilibrium systems, such as tectonic formations and drifting sea ice. The nonextensivity means the nonadditivity of externally induced energy changes in multicomponent systems due to dynamic interrelation of components having no structural links. The Tsallis formalism gives one an opportunity to assess the correlation between ice floe motions through a specific parameter, the so-called parameter of nonextensivity. This formalistic assessment of the actual state of drifting pack allows one to forecast some important trends in sea ice behavior, because the level of correlated dynamics determines conditions for extended mechanical perturbations in ice pack. In this work, we revealed temporal fluctuations of the parameter of nonextensivity and observed its maximum value before a large-scale sea ice fragmentation (faulting) of consolidated sea ice. The correlation was not detected in fragmented sea ice where long-range interactions are weakened.
Mitochondrial DNA Content Varies with Pathological Characteristics of Breast Cancer
Authors: Bai Ren-Kui , Chang Julia , Yeh Kun-Tu , Lou Mary Ann , Lu Jyh-Feng , Tan Duan-Jun , Liu Hao , Wong Lee-Jun C.
Published: October 2011

Changes in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content in cancers have been reported with controversial results, probably due to small sample size and variable pathological conditions. In this study, mtDNA content in 302 breast tumor/surrounding normal tissue pairs were evaluated and correlated with the clinico-pathological characteristics of tumors. Overall, mtDNA content in tumor tissues is significantly lower than that in the surrounding normal tissues,P<0.00001. MtDNA content in tumor tissues decreased with increasing tumor size. However, when the tumor is very large (>50 cm3), mtDNA content started to increase. Similarly, mtDNA content decreased from grades 0 and I to grade II tumors, but increased from grade II to grade III tumors. Tumors with somatic mtDNA alterations in coding region have significantly higher mtDNA content than tumors without somatic mtDNA alterations (P<0.001). Tumors with somatic mtDNA alterations in the D-Loop region have significantly lower mtDNA content (P<0.001). Patients with both low and high mtDNA content in tumor tissue have significantly higher hazard of death than patients with median levels of mtDNA content. mtDNA content in tumor tissues change with tumor size, grade, and ER/PR status; significant deviation from the median level of mtDNA content is associated with poor survival.
Study of Temperature Effect on the Corrosion Inhibition of C38 Carbon Steel Using Amino-tris(Methylenephosphonic) Acid in Hydrochloric Acid Solution
Authors: Labjar Najoua , Bentiss Fouad , Lebrini Mounim , Jama Charafeddine , El hajjaji Souad
Published: October 2011

Tafel polarization method was used to assess the corrosion inhibitive and adsorption behaviours of amino-tris(methylenephosphonic) acid (ATMP) for C38 carbon steel in 1 M HCl solution in the temperature range from 30 to . It was shown that the corrosion inhibition efficiency was found to increase with increase in ATMP concentration but decreased with temperature, which is suggestive of physical adsorption mechanism. The adsorption of the ATMP onto the C38 steel surface was found to follow Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The corrosion inhibition mechanism was further corroborated by the values of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters obtained from the experimental data.
Indications and Relative Utility of Lower Endoscopy in the Management ofClostridium difficileInfection
Authors: Burkart Nora E. , Kwaan Mary R. , Shepela Christopher , Madoff Robert D. , Wang Yan , Rothenberger David A. , Melton Genevieve B.
Published: October 2011

Background. Diagnosis and management ofClostridium difficileinfection (CDI) rely upon clinical assessments and diagnostic studies. Among diagnostic tests, lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy in the setting of CDI remains controversial.Objective. To describe the role of lower endoscopy in CDI management.Methods. Retrospective study of lower endoscopies in CDI at four metropolitan hospitals, July 2005 through December 2007.Results. Of 1760 CDI inpatients, 45 lower endoscopies were performed on 43 patients. Most common indications were ruling out other etiologies (42%), inconclusive stool studies (36%), and worsening course (11%). Most endoscopies (73%) had positive findings, including pseudomembranous colitis (49%) and nonspecific colitis (24%). Biopsies were performed in 31 cases, more with nonspecific colitis (10/11, 92%) compared to pseudomembranous colitis (14/22, 64%).Conclusion. While not recommended as a primary screening tool, lower GI endoscopy can add valuable information in CDI when other colonic pathologies may exist, studies are inconclusive, or clinical status worsens.
The Application of a Three-Step Proteome Analysis for Identification of New Biomarkers of Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Abulaizi Mayinuer , Tomonaga Takeshi , Satoh Mamoru , Sogawa Kazuyuki , Matsushita Kazuyuki , Kodera Yoshio , Obul Jurat , Takano Shigetsugu , Yoshitomi Hideyuki , Miyazaki Masaru , Nomura Fumio
Published: October 2011

We searched for novel tumor markers of pancreatic cancer by three-step serum proteome analysis. Twelve serum abundant proteins were depleted using immunoaffinity columns followed by fractionation by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Proteins in each fraction were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Then the gel was stained by Coomassie Brilliant Blue. Protein spots in which the expression levels were significantly different between cancer and normal control were identified by LC-MS/MS. One hundred and two spots were upregulated, and 84 spots were downregulated in serum samples obtained from patients with pancreatic cancers, and 58 proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. These candidate proteins were validated using western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). As a result of these validation process, we could confirm that the serum levels of apolipoprotein A-IV, vitamin D-binding protein, plasma retinol-binding protein 4, and tetranectin were significantly decreased in patients with pancreatic cancer.
Interval Oscillation Criteria for Second‐Order Dynamic Equations with Nonlinearities Given by Riemann‐Stieltjes Integrals
Authors: Sun Yuangong
Published: October 2011

By using a
generalized arithmetic‐geometric mean inequality
on time scales, we study the forced oscillation
of second‐order dynamic equations with
nonlinearities given by Riemann‐Stieltjes
integrals of the form , where t ∈ [t0, ∞) 𝕋 = [t0, ∞) ⋂ 𝕋, 𝕋 is a time scale which is unbounded from above; ϕ*(u) = |u|*sgn u; is a strictly increasing right‐dense continuous function; p, q, e : [t0, ∞) 𝕋 → ℝ, , τ : [t0, ∞) 𝕋 → [t0, ∞) 𝕋, and are right‐dense continuous functions; is strictly increasing. Some interval oscillation criteria are established in both the cases of delayed and advanced arguments. As a special case, the work in this paper unifies and improves many existing results in the literature for equations with a finite number of nonlinear terms.
Advanced Development of the rF1V and rBV A/B Vaccines: Progress and Challenges
Authors: Hart Mary Kate , Saviolakis George A. , Welkos Susan L. , House Robert V.
Published: October 2011

The development of vaccines for microorganisms and bacterial toxins with the potential to be used as biowarfare and bioterrorism agents is an important component of the US biodefense program. DVC is developing two vaccines, one against inhalational exposure to botulinum neurotoxins A1 and B1 and a second forYersinia pestis, with the ultimate goal of licensure by the FDA under the Animal Rule. Progress has been made in all technical areas, including manufacturing, nonclinical, and clinical development and testing of the vaccines, and in assay development. The current status of development of these vaccines, and remaining challenges are described in this chapter.
The Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Performance: The Northern Manhattan Study
Authors: Vieira Julio R. , Elkind Mitchell S.V. , Moon Yeseon Park , Rundek Tatjana , Boden-Albala Bernadette , Paik Myunghee C. , Sacco Ralph L. , Wright Clinton B.
Published: October 2011

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a risk factor for diabetes, stroke, myocardial infarction, and increased mortality, and has been associated with cognition in some populations. We hypothesized that MetS would be associated with lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores in a multi-ethnic population, and that MetS is a better predictor of cognition than its individual components or diabetes. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 3,150 stroke-free participants. MetS was defined by the modified National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria. Linear regression and polytomous logistic regression estimated the association between MMSE score and MetS, its individual components, diabetes, and inflammatory biomarkers. Results: MetS was inversely associated with MMSE score (unadjusted β = –0.67; 95% CI –0.92, –0.41). Adjusting for potential confounders, MetS was associated with lower MMSE score (adjusted β = –0.24; 95% CI –0.47, –0.01), but its individual components and diabetes were not. Those with MetS were more likely to have an MMSE score of <18 than a score of ≧24 (adjusted OR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.26, 3.01). There was an interaction between MetS and race-ethnicity, such that MetS was associated with lower MMSE score among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics but not non-Hispanic blacks. Conclusions: MetS was associated with lower cognition in a multi-ethnic population. Further studies of the effect of MetS on cognition are warranted, and should account for demographic differences.
Assessing the Impact of Non-Differential Genotyping Errors on Rare Variant Tests of Association
Authors: Powers Scott , Gopalakrishnan Shyam , Tintle Nathan
Published: October 2011

Background/Aims: We aim to quantify the effect of non-differential genotyping errors on the power of rare variant tests and identify those situations when genotyping errors are most harmful. Methods: We simulated genotype and phenotype data for a range of sample sizes, minor allele frequencies, disease relative risks and numbers of rare variants. Genotype errors were then simulated using five different error models covering a wide range of error rates. Results: Even at very low error rates, misclassifying a common homozygote as a heterozygote translates into a substantial loss of power, a result that is exacerbated even further as the minor allele frequency decreases. While the power loss from heterozygote to common homozygote errors tends to be smaller for a given error rate, in practice heterozygote to homozygote errors are more frequent and, thus, will have measurable impact on power. Conclusion: Error rates from genotype-calling technology for next-generation sequencing data suggest that substantial power loss may be seen when applying current rare variant tests of association to called genotypes.
The Global Fund: A Reply to Casal
Authors: Steiner Hillel
Published: October 2011

The Global Fund is a mechanism for the global application of the Left Libertarian conception of distributive justice. As a form of luck egalitarianism, this conception confers upon each person an entitlement to an equal share of all natural resource values, since natural resources – broadly, geographical sites – are objects for the production of which no person is responsible. Owners of these sites, i.e. states, are liable to a 100% Global Fund tax on their unimproved value: that is, their gross market value minus the value of the improvements added to them by human effort. It is argued that the revenue yielded by this tax would be correspondingly reduced by a further tax on the use of natural resources.
Autonomy, History, and the Origins of Our Desires
Authors: Valdman Mikhail
Published: October 2011

A popular view among autonomy theorists is that facts about the history of a person's desires, and specifically facts about how they were formed or acquired, matter crucially to her autonomy. I argue that while there is an important relationship between a person's autonomy and the history of her desires, a person's autonomy does not depend on how her desires were formed or acquired. I argue that a desire's autonomy lies not in its origins but in whether its bearer has a history of having engaged with it in the right sort of way. I argue that this view has important advantages, and no obvious disadvantages, over its historical and its non-historical rivals.
Nigerian Missionaries in Europe: History Repeating Itself or a Meeting of Modernities?
Authors: Knibbe Kim
Published: October 2011

This article discusses the question how to construct a vantage point from which to study the phenomenon of Nigerian missionaries in Europe. When theoretical frameworks extrapolating from the history of religion in western Europe are used to understand a religious network that originated in Nigeria, Nigerian missionaries and missionaries from the Global South inevitably appear as a case of history repeating itself and even as 'premodern.' In contrast, Africanist literature provides an understanding of the ways in which oppositions between tradition and modernity are constructed and used in Nigerian Pentecostalism that is very different. This literature however, does not provide ways to engage with the European contexts in which Nigerian missionaries operate. Therefore the article suggests that the encounter between Nigerian missionaries and European contexts might be most fruitfully conceptualized as a 'meeting of modernities' (inspired by Eisenstadt's notion of 'multiple modernities'), each implying a 'denial of coevalness.'
Recent Developments of EU Environmental Policy and Law
Authors: Mertens Kathleen
Published: October 2011

This section briefly describes the significant political initiatives and acts of legislation adopted in the environmental field from mid December 2010 until 1 July 2011.
The Making of a Revolution in Tunisia
Authors: Chomiak Laryssa
Published: October 2011

In their search for explanations for the so-called Tunisian paradox under Ben Ali –a country with comparatively high levels of socio-economic development, yet plagued by the absence of a civil society that could push for political liberalization–analysts primarily investigated the gradual co-optation of political institutions and actors. As research and analytical agendas were consumed by the robustness of Ben Ali’s authoritarian state, little attention was paid to the development of informal and extra-institutional political activities that existed even under deepening political repression. In hindsight, many of these informal activities clearly contributed to the December 2010-January 2011 nation-wide campaign, which eventually led to the Arab World’s fi rst bottom-up revolution ousting an unpopular and illegitimate ruler. Th is article will engage two stories about the Tunisian Revolution that later inspired protests and contentious activities across the Middle East and North Africa. First, it will tell a back-story of contentious activities preceding the January 2011 events that surprised observers, scholars and analysts–even those familiar with the Tunisian case. Second, this article will discuss some of most pressing political dynamics that have emerged in the post-revolutionary (and pre-October 2011 election) environment. The concluding section will subsequently identify avenues for short and long-term research on the subject of contestation, resistance, and the construction of a new political order.
The Call for Dignity, or a Particular Universalism
Authors: Marzouki Nadia
Published: October 2011

Although the many difficulties of Tunisia’s democratic transition have received significant attention over the past six months, there has been relatively little commentary regarding the claims and attitudes that made the winter mobilizations so unique. The movement’s so-called lack of leadership, the proliferation of parties, the economic and financial crisis, the risk of a supposedly Islamist threat—all these themes have been discussed at length by analysts in Tunisia and abroad. Consequently, rather than engaging in yet another attempt to assess the movement’s success, or predict its failure, this paper examines an aspect of the mobilization that has attracted surprisingly little attention, namely, the Tunisian protestors’ call for dignity (karama) and respect (ihtiram).
Origins of a Preposition: Chinese Pidgin English long and its Implications for Pidgin Grammar
Authors: Li Michelle
Published: October 2011

This paper examines the origins and grammatical properties of a preposition in Chinese Pidgin English – long – which has not received much discussion. The significance of long is that it is highly multifunctional and semantically versatile. Long is used to indicate a range of semantic roles: comitative, benefactive, malefactive and source. A second function of long is to mark coordination. It will be shown that a substantial part of the syntax and semantics of long can be attributed to substrate transfer of a corresponding Cantonese morpheme tung4 'with'. The creation of long does not conform to the traditional thesis of simply taking the phonetic form from the lexifier language and deriving the grammar from the substrate language. It will be argued that the emergence of long is a case of multiple etymologies which involves the recombination of phonological, syntactic and semantic features from both English and Cantonese. Findings from new CPE sources also suggest a need for re-examining the historical connections between CPE and other Pidgin English varieties of the Pacific region.
Is It Time Yet?
Authors: Frentz Thomas
Published: October 2011

This is a story of my impending retirement brought about by three synchronistic events. As the story unfolds, I come to see retirement as a form of symbolic death. That insight teaches me three important lessons. First, that I can forestall this form of death by continuing to write and teach in retirement. Second, that I need to reach out more to others so as not to isolate myself from life. Third, that my habit-driven life style may be a futile hedge against death, symbolic and real, and linked in complex ways to the death of my spouse.
Risk and community: The impact of HIV among gays in Madrid. The case of sex clubs
Authors: Villaamil Fernando , Jociles María Isabel
Published: October 2011

AIDS has been a major challenge to the Spanish LGBT community, not only from an epidemiological, but also from a social and cultural perspective: risk of HIV transmission and seropositivity had to be incorporated into community-building practices in a context of accelerated social change. In this article we try to approach these processes by focusing on the changes that have taken place in the scene of venues where sex is practiced on premises in Madrid. The emergence of sex clubs in the last decade challenges the hegemonic representation of the community and thus decisively alters the map of possible identifications. Specifically, we stress the social diversity of its constituency, and describe the contrasting practices and representations towards HIV and risk of customers who identify with the alternative identities promoted by sex clubs and those who do not. Attitudes towards the risk of HIV transmission and safer/unsafe sex have been incorporated in ways that are deeply affected by the new forms of subjectivity in whose consolidation the clubs have played a decisive role.
The narratives of transgender rights mobilization in Spain
Authors: Platero Raquel
Published: October 2011

The social and political debates on transgender rights in Spain is the focus of this article: it seeks to place current initiatives, claims and policy developments as well as political actors in their social, political and institutional context. It also explores new developments in the cultural, social and political ‘trans’ agenda. Particular attention is then paid to mapping trans discourses, made possible through theories of frame analysis and problem representation. Also, I discuss the benefits and limits of different kinds of framing strategies and discourses that have been used in the struggle for transgender rights, in which one of the most relevant criteria that organize the representations is the so-called ‘gender dysphoria’ frame. As a result, the emphasis on a medical and legal diagnosis has led to a new mobilization: anti-psychiatrization activism, which questions the binary organization of society.
Immobilization of Giant Vesicles onto Hydrophobized Polymer Gel Particles
Authors: Okumura Yukihisa , Yabushita Satoshi , Watanabe Aya
Published: October 2011

Giant lipid membrane vesicles (GVs) were immobilized onto the surface of Sephacryl S-1000 gel particles chemically modified to possess hydrophobic moieties. The immobilization was firm but not efficient. Strong preference of the immobilization for small lipid aggregates enabled their removal from GV preparation by repeated incubation with the gel.