bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Anticaking Agents and Relative Humidity on the Physical and Chemical Stability of Powdered Vitamin C
Authors: Lipasek Rebecca A. , Taylor Lynne S. , Mauer Lisa J. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that is widely used by the food industry in the powder form for both its nutritional and functional properties. However, vitamin C is deliquescent, and deliquescence has been linked to physical and chemical instabilities. Anticaking agents are often added to powder systems to delay or prevent caking, but little is known about their effect on the chemical stability of powders. In this study, various anticaking agents (calcium phosphate, calcium silicate, calcium stearate, corn starch, and silicon dioxide) were combined with sodium ascorbate at 2% and 50% w/w ratios and stored at various relative humidities (23%, 43%, 64%, 75%, 85%, and 98% RHs). Chemical and physical stability and moisture sorption were monitored over time. Additionally, saturated solution samples were stored at various pHs to determine the effect of surface pH and dissolution on the vitamin degradation rate. Storage RH, time, and anticaking agent type and ratio all significantly affected (P < 0.05) moisture sorption and vitamin C stability. Silicon dioxide and calcium silicate (50% w/w) and calcium stearate (at both ratios) were the only anticaking agents to improve the physical stability of powdered sodium ascorbate while none of the anticaking agents improved its chemical stability. However, corn starch and calcium stearate had the least adverse effect on chemical stability. Dissolution rate and pH were also important factors affecting the chemical and physical stability of the powders. Therefore, monitoring storage environmental conditions and anticaking agent usage are important for understanding the stability of vitamin C.Practical Application:  Anticaking agent type and ratio significantly affected the physical and chemical stability of vitamin C over time and over a range of RHs. No anticaking agent improved the chemical stability of the vitamin, and most caused an increase in chemical degradation even if physical stability was improved. It is possible that anticaking agents would greatly affect other chemically labile deliquescent ingredients, and therefore, anticaking agent usage and storage conditions should be monitored in blended powder systems.
Quantifying forage specialisation in polyphagic insects: the polylectic and rare solitary bee, Colletes floralis (Hymenoptera: Colletidae)
Authors: DAVIS EMILY S. , REID NEIL , PAXTON ROBERT J. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract.  1. Many insect species vary in their degree of foraging specialisation, with many bee species considered polyphagic (polylectic). Wild, non‐managed bee species vary in their conservation status, and species‐specific biological traits such as foraging specialisation may play an important role in determining variance in population declines. Current agri‐environment schemes (AESs) prescribe the introduction of flower seed mixes for agricultural systems to aid the conservation of wild bees. However, the extent to which flower combinations adequately meet bee foraging requirements is poorly known.2. We quantitatively assessed pollen use and selectivity using two statistical approaches: Bailey’s Intervals and Compositional Analysis, in an examplar species, a purportedly polylectic and rare bee, Colletes floralis, across 7 sites through detailed analysis of bee scopal pollen loads and flower abundance.3. Both approaches provided good congruence, but Compositional Analysis was more robust to small sample sizes. We advocate its use for the quantitative determination of foraging behaviour and dietary preference.4. Although C. floralis is polylectic, it showed a clear dietary preference for plants within the family Apiaceae. Where Apiaceae was uncommon, the species exploited alternative resources. Other plant families, such as the Apiaceae, could be included, or have their proportion increased in AES seed mixes, to aid the management of C. floralis and potentially other wild solitary bees of conservation concern.
Provision of oral health care to adult patients by dental therapists without the prescription of a dentist
Authors: Calache Hanny , Hopcraft Matthew S. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractObjectives: Dental therapists are increasingly been seen as part of the solution to assist in improving access to dental care for underserved populations. The aim of this article is to report the outcomes of an educational bridging program designed to provide university‐educated dental therapists with the appropriate knowledge and skills required to enable them to translate their current clinical scope of practice to adult patients aged 26+ years.Methods: Ten dental therapists completed an educational program approved by the Dental Practice Board of Victoria as a pilot. Feedback from patients and supervising and supporting dentists was provided during the project.Results: Supervising and supporting dentists rated the knowledge and clinical skills of participants as good to high at the completion of the education program and considered them safe to treat adults patients. Patients were very satisfied with the dental treatment provided. Eight participants successfully completed the assessment and were permitted by the Dental Practice Board of Victoria to extend their clinical scope of practice to adult patients.Conclusions: Feedback from patients and dentists indicated that, following the completion of an educational bridging program, dental therapists with a university education were able to develop the knowledge and skills required to treat adult patients aged 26+ years without the prescription or supervision of a dentist. Enabling dental therapists to treat adult patients may have a role to play in improving access to dental care for underserved populations.
Impact of organ culturing on metabolic profile of human corneas: preliminary results
Authors: Kryczka Tomasz , Ehlers Niels , Nielsen Kim , Midelfart Anna 
Published: September 2011

Abstract.Purpose:  It is suggested that the quality of corneal graft may depend on modifications that appear in the tissue during culturing. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the metabolic profile between cultured and noncultured human corneas.Methods:  Corneas from 12 donors were obtained post‐mortem and cultured for 6–20 days. Control corneas were obtained from four patients with malignant melanoma of the chorioidea and were kept frozen at −80 °C until analysed. The metabolic profiles of the samples were investigated using high‐resolution, magic angle spinning 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and special software for: (i) analysis of complex mixtures, (ii) principal component analysis and (iii) specialized statistical analysis.Results:  Twenty metabolites were detected and assigned in the corneas. Significant differences in metabolic profiles between cultured and noncultured corneas were revealed. It was also shown in samples kept in culture for 9–14 days that the levels of (i) alanine, formate, lactate and (ii) acetate, alanine, arginine, lactate were elevated in comparison with the samples kept for <9 and more than 14 days, respectively.Conclusions:  Corneal culturing affects the metabolic profile of the tissue. The increases in the levels of some metabolites within the second week of culturing likely result from variations in tissue metabolic or enzymatic activity caused by changed (organ culture) environment. As the mechanisms responsible for these changes are not clear, further research is indicated.
Quinolone Induction of
qnrVS1
in Vibrio splendidus and Plasmid-Carried
qnrS1
in Escherichia coli, a Mechanism Independent of the SOS System
Authors: Okumura Ryo , Liao Chun-Hsing , Gavin Mariah , Jacoby George A. , Hooper David C. 
Published: September 2011

ABSTRACT

Plasmid-carried
qnrS1
is derived from
Vibrio splendidus
chromosomal
qnrVS1. qnrVS1
transcripts increased 21- to 34-fold with subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin but much less with mitomycin. No LexA binding sites were upstream of
qnrS1
or
qnrVS1
, and similar induction levels were observed in
lexA
-positive and
lexA
-negative
Escherichia coli
strains with native
qnrS1
plasmid pMG306 but not with pUC18-cloned
qnrS1
or
qnrVS1
. Thus,
qnrS1
induction by quinolones is independent of the SOS system and requires sequence besides that of the structural gene.
Failure to Unmask Pseudonormal Diastolic Function by a Valsalva Maneuver
Authors: Hu Kai , Liu Dan , Niemann Markus , Hatle Liv , Herrmann Sebastian , Voelker Wolfram , Ertl Georg , Bijnens Bart , Weidemann Frank 
Published: September 2011

Background—
For the clinical assessment of patients with dyspnea, the inversion of the early (E) and late (A) transmitral flow during Valsalva maneuver (VM) frequently helps to distinguish pseudonormal from normal filling pattern. However, in an important number of patients, VM fails to reveal the change from dominant early mitral flow velocity toward larger late velocity.

Methods and Results—
From December 2009 to October 2010, we selected consecutive patients with abnormal filling with (n=25) and without E/A inversion (n=25) during VM. Transmitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary Doppler traces were recorded and the degree of insufficiency was estimated. After evaluating all standard echocardiographic morphological, functional, and flow-related parameters, it became evident that the failure to unmask the pseudonormal filling pattern by VM was related to the degree of the tricuspid insufficiency (TI). TI was graded as mild in 24 of 25 patients in the group with E/A inversion during VM, whereas TI was graded as moderate to severe in 24 of the 25 patients with pseudonormal diastolic function without E/A inversion during VM.

Conclusions—
Our data suggest that TI is a major factor to prevent E/A inversion during a VM in patients with pseudonormal diastolic function. This probably is due to a decrease in TI resulting in an increase in forward flow rather than the expected decrease during the VM. Thus, whenever a pseudonormal diastolic filling pattern is suspected, the use of a VM is not an informative discriminator in the presence of moderate or severe TI.
A Multicentury Reconstruction of May Precipitation for the Mid-Atlantic Region Using Juniperus virginiana Tree Rings*
Authors: Stockton Maxwell R. , Hessl Amy E. , Cook Edward R. , Buckley Brendan M. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
This paper presents a multicentury reconstruction of May precipitation (1200–1997) for the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The reconstruction is based on the first principal component (PC1) of two millennial-length Juniperus virginiana L. (eastern red cedar) tree-ring chronologies collected from rocky, limestone sites in the Ridge and Valley province of West Virginia. A split-calibration linear regression model accounted for 27% of the adjusted variance in the instrumental record and was stable through time. The model was verified by the reduction of error (RE = 0.21) and coefficient of efficiency (CE = 0.20) statistics. Multidecadal changes in precipitation were common throughout the reconstruction, and wetter than median conditions and drier than median conditions occurred during the medieval climate anomaly (1200–1300) and the Little Ice Age (1550–1650), respectively. The full reconstruction contained evidence of interannual and decadal variability; however, the twentieth century recorded the greatest number of decadal extreme wet and dry periods. A comparison of the May precipitation reconstruction to other regional reconstructions [Potomac River, Maryland, streamflow (Cook and Jacoby); Virginia/North Carolina July Palmer hydrologic drought index (PHDI; Stahle et al.); Missouri July PHDI (Cleaveland and Stahle); and White River, Arkansas, streamflow (Cleaveland)] showed that the eastern U.S. decadal drought and pluvial events extended into the mid-Atlantic region. A positive correlation between PC1 and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and comparisons of smoothed May precipitation and the NAO (Luterbacher et al.) indicated that J. virginiana’s response to May precipitation was mediated by winter temperature.
Internal Variability of the Dynamically Downscaled Tropical Cyclone Activity over the Western North Pacific by the IPRC Regional Atmospheric Model
Authors: Wu Chun-Chieh , Zhan Ruifen , Lu Yi , Wang Yuqing 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
As synoptic storms, tropical cyclones (TCs) are highly nonlinear systems resulting from multiscale interactions. In particular, the genesis of TCs involves complex nonlinear processes, exhibiting strong internal variability in climate model simulations. This study attempts to examine such internal variability of dynamically downscaled TCs over the western North Pacific Ocean based on four simulations of 20 typhoon seasons (1982−2001) initialized on 4 successive days using the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) Regional Atmospheric Model (iRAM). The results show that on both seasonal and interannual time scales, the initial conditions significantly affect the downscaled TC activity, with the largest internal variability occurring in August on the seasonal time scale. The spreads between any of the individual simulations and the ensemble mean are comparable to and in some circumstances greater than the interannual variation of the observed TC frequency. The internal variability of the downscaled TC activity is found to be insensitive to the amplitude and the pattern of the initial perturbations. However, day-to-day model solutions are strongly affected by the internal variability. As a result, the development of nonlinear atmospheric instabilities significantly modulates the genesis and development of the TC-like vortices, leading to the large internal variability of the downscaled TC activity. In addition to the traditional initial value problem, criteria (in particular, threshold values) used in the TC detection contribute equally to the internal variability of the downscaled TCs in the simulations. Consistent with earlier studies, the results from this study also show that the ensemble mean provides the better downscaled information on seasonal and interannual frequencies of TC genesis and occurrence.
Overactivation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells inhibits antiviral T-cell responses: a model for HIV immunopathogenesis
Authors: Boasso Adriano , Royle Caroline M. , Doumazos Spyridon , Aquino Veronica N. , Biasin Mara , Piacentini Luca , Tavano Barbara , Fuchs Dietmar , Mazzotta Francesco , Lo Caputo Sergio , Shearer Gene M. , Clerici Mario , Graham David R. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractA delicate balance between immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive signals mediated by dendritic cells (DCs) and other antigen-presenting cells (APCs) regulates the strength and efficacy of antiviral T-cell responses. HIV is a potent activator of plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), and chronic pDC activation by HIV promotes the pathogenesis of AIDS. Cholesterol is pivotal in maintaining HIV envelope integrity and allowing HIV-cell interaction. By depleting envelope-associated cholesterol to different degrees, we generated virions with reduced ability to activate pDCs. We found that APC activation was dissociated from the induction of type I IFN-α/β and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)–mediated immunosuppression in vitro. Extensive cholesterol withdrawal, resulting in partial protein and RNA loss from the virions, rendered HIV a more powerful recall immunogen for stimulating memory CD8 T-cell responses in HIV-exposed, uninfected individuals. These enhanced responses were dependent on the inability of cholesterol-depleted HIV to induce IFN-α/β.
A small basic protein from the brz-brb operon is involved in regulation of bop transcription in Halobacterium salinarum
Authors: Tarasov Valery , Schwaiger Rita , Furtwängler Katarina , Dyall-Smith Mike , Oesterhelt Dieter 
Published: September 2011

Abstract

Background
The halophilic archaeon Halobacterium salinarum expresses bacteriorhodopsin, a retinal-protein that allows photosynthetic growth. Transcription of the bop (b acterioop sin) gene is controlled by two transcription factors, Bat and Brz that induce bop when cells are grown anaerobically and under light.

Results
A new gene was identified that is transcribed together with the brz gene that encodes a small basic protein designated as Brb (b acteriorhodopsin-r egulating b asic protein). The translation activity of the start codon of the brb gene was confirmed by BgaH reporter assays. In vivo site-directed mutagenesis of the brb gene showed that the Brb protein cooperates with Brz in the regulation of bop expression. Using a GFP reporter assay, it was demonstrated that Brb cooperates with both Brz and Bat proteins to activate bop transcription under phototrophic growth conditions.

Conclusions
The activation of the bop promoter was shown to be dependent not only on two major factors, Bat and Brz, but is also tuned by the small basic protein, Brb.
Label-free quantitative proteomics reveals regulation of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3) and 5'-3'-exoribonuclease 2 (XRN2) during respiratory syncytial virus infection
Authors: Ternette Nicola , Wright Cynthia , Kramer Holger B , Altun Mikael , Kessler Benedikt M 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
A large quantitative study was carried out to compare the proteome of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infected versus uninfected cells in order to determine novel pathways regulated during viral infection. RSV infected and mock-infected HEp2 cells were lysed and proteins separated by preparative isoelectric focussing using offgel fractionation. Following tryptic digestion, purified peptides were characterized using label-free quantitative expression profiling by nano-ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry with collision energy ramping for all-ion fragmentation (UPLC-MSE). A total of 1352 unique cellular proteins were identified and their abundance compared between infected and non-infected cells. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed regulation of several central cellular metabolic and signalling pathways during infection. Selected proteins that were found regulated in RSV infected cells were screened by quantitative real-time PCR for their regulation on the transcriptional level. Synthesis of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (IFIT3) and 5'-3'-exoribonuclease 2 (XRN2) mRNAs were found to be highly induced upon RSV infection in a time dependent manner. Accordingly, IFIT3 protein levels accumulated during the time course of infection. In contrast, little variation was observed in XRN2 protein levels, but different forms were present in infected versus non-infected cells. This suggests a role of these proteins in viral infection, and analysis of their function will shed further light on mechanisms of RNA virus replication and the host cell defence machinery.
Long-Term Results of Tumor Necrosis Factor α– and Melphalan-Based Isolated Limb Perfusion in Locally Advanced Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas
Authors: Deroose Jan P. , Eggermont Alexander M.M. , van Geel Albertus N. , Burger Jacobus W.A. , den Bakker Michael A. , de Wilt Johannes H.W. , Verhoef Cornelis 
Published: September 2011

Purpose Because there is no survival benefit of amputation for extremity soft tissue sarcomas (STSs), limb-sparing surgery has become the gold standard. Tumor size reduction by induction therapy to render nonresectable tumors resectable or facilitate function-preserving surgery can be achieved by tumor necrosis factor α (TNF) –based and melphalan-based isolated limb perfusion (TM-ILP). This study reports the long-term results of 231 TM-ILPs for locally advanced extremity STS. Patients and Methods We analyzed 231 TM-ILPs in 208 consecutive patients (1991 to 2005), who were all candidates for functional or anatomic amputation for locally advanced extremity STS. All patients had a potential follow-up of up to 5 years. TM-ILP was performed under mild hyperthermic conditions with 1 to 4 mg of TNF and 10 to 13 mg/L of limb-volume melphalan. Almost all patients (85%) had intermediate- or high-grade tumors. Results The overall response rate (ORR) was 71% (complete response, 18%; partial response, 53%). Multifocal sarcomas had a significantly better ORR of 83% (P = .008). The local recurrence rate was 30% (n = 70); local recurrence rates were highest for multifocal tumors (54%; P = .001) and after previous radiotherapy (54%; P < .001). Five-year overall survival rate was 42%. Survival was poorest in patients with large tumors (P = .01) and with leiomyosarcomas (P < .001). Limb salvage rate was 81%. Conclusion We demonstrated that TM-ILP results in a limb salvage rate of 81% in patients with locally advanced extremity STS who would otherwise have undergone amputation. Whenever an amputation is deemed necessary to obtain local control of an extremity STS, TM-ILP should be considered.
The Social-Invisibility Narrative in Filipino-American Feature Films
Authors: Pisares Elizabeth H. 
Published: September 2011

If social invisibility is defined as the derivation of a social identity through nonvisible characteristics, Filipino-American social invisibility is the derivation of an ethnic identity given character by its chronic misrecognition and effaced representation in U.S. culture. Filipino-American social invisibility emerges from the culture of U.S. imperialism, specifically the historical legacies of colonialism and the racial ideology of orientalism that shut them out from the social processes producing institutional knowledge about race. Consequently, Filipino Americans experience the culture of U.S. imperialism as their exclusion from racial discourse.
The absence of a Filipino-American racial discourse necessitates that their stories take a shape different from those who are acknowledged in the U.S. racial imaginary. Filipino-American social invisibility sets the conditions for a new genre—the invisibility narrative. This social-invisibility narrative addresses the discursive absence itself and explores its effect on Filipino-American communities and identities. It possesses three distinct features: the triangulation of Filipino-American identity in relation to visible racial identities, an instance of misrecognition for a visible racial identity that turns and/or propels the plot, and the retrieval of Filipino culture through family members or a romantic interest. The article closes with a discussion of the invisibility narrative in three recent Filipino-American feature films: The Debut (2000), The Flip Side (2001), and Slow Jam King (2004).
Data Warehouses in Bioinformatics: Integration of Molecular Biological Data
Authors: Kormeier Benjamin , Hippe Klaus , Hofestädt Ralf 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
This paper surveys the area of biological data integration and data warehousing, which has become a major focus of the data integration research field in the last few decades. The challenges in biological data integration are caused by several factors such as the variety and amount of available data, the heterogeneity of the data in different sources, and the autonomy and different capabilities of the sources. This paper gives insight into a small selection of important biological databases and the problems in biological data integration. We would like to focus on data warehouses that have become a popular approach in bioinformatics and life sciences. We will also introduce major existing integration systems that have been developed such as SRS, DiscoveryLink, BioWarehouse and ONDEX. Finally, this paper presents an in-house data warehouse approach for biological data.