bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PREVALENCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE OF LISTERIA SPECIES IN FOOD PRODUCTS IN BANGKOK, THAILAND
Authors: STONSAOVAPAK SIRIPORN , BOONYARATANAKORNKIT MALAI 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT A total of 380 meat and meat products, dairy and dairy products, fresh vegetables, fresh seafood, and ready‐to‐eat food samples from supermarkets in Bangkok, Thailand were collected and analyzed for the occurrence of Listeria spp. and of Listeria monocytogenes. The overall incidence of Listeria spp. was 16.8%, most of them were isolated from raw meat and vegetables. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 18 (4.7%) out of 380 studied samples. Other species isolated were L. innocua (6.6%), L. ivanovii (0.8%), L. seeligeri (0.5%), L. grayi (1.6%) and L. welshimeri (2.6%). The antimicrobial susceptibilities of the 64 isolate of Listeria spp. were also examined by the standard disk diffusion method. Listeria spp. were resistant to penicillin (6.3%), chloramphenicol (3.1%) and tetracycline (1.6%), but sensitive to amoxicillin, vancomycin, ampicillin, rifampicin and sulfamethoxazole.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Listeria monocytogenes prevalence in food products in Bangkok has been documented. More studies on the occurrence of L. monocytogenes are needed to establish microbiological criteria of foods in the country. The findings of our study, increases in antibiotic resistance among Listeria spp. will provide useful information for the development of public health policy in the use of antimicrobials in food animal production.
METHODS TO ROUTINELY PREDICT THE TEXTURE QUALITY OF POTATOES BY TUBER SPECIFIC GRAVITY
Authors: OCHSENBEIN CHRISTIAN , HOFFMANN THOMAS , ESCHER FELIX , KNEUBÜHLER HELENA , KEISER ANDREAS 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT Information on texture of steam‐cooked potato is of increased importance for consumers of fresh potatoes. As potato texture not only depends on genetic disposition but also on growth conditions, simple and reliable methods are needed to improve characterization of single potato lots. In the present study 65 potato lots were fractionized to 192 tuber samples according to their specific gravity and used for sensory evaluations. The aim was: (1) to further clarify the role of tuber specific gravity, variety and growth condition for texture attributes; and (2) to develop statistical models to predict potato texture objectively and reliably. Texture attributes varied considerably within varieties. The attributes mealiness, dryness, graininess were closely interrelated. Within the varieties, the three attributes as well as sloughing correlated with specific gravity (r = 0.78–0.96). Thus, they were predicted by specific gravity using variety‐dependent models. Alternatively, using variety‐independent models mealiness was predicted by the two parameters specific gravity and sloughing. Softness was related to the variety, but not to specific gravity. The statistical models may be helpful in optimizing the allocation of individual potato lots to specific cooking types for the retail market and for processing.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSInformation on texture of steam‐cooked potato is of increased importance for consumers of fresh potatoes. We were approached by the potato industry to develop simple and reliable methods for characterization of single potato lots in trade. The objective measurement of texture by instrumental methods is rarely performed for routine testing, probably because of the laborious procedures. The measurement of tuber specific gravity is very simple. However, the relationship between specific gravity and various texture attributes is still not clear. We elaborate the relationship in an extensive evaluation using a broad range of potato lots. The models presented here may be applied directly for routine testing. We also suggest adaptations for routine calibration of new varieties and for routine testing of single lots. Further, the study encourages the scale‐up of technologies which allow the grading of potatoes according to their specific gravity and thereby increase significantly texture homogeneity.
PREDICTION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CUMIN SEED USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: SAIEDIRAD M.H. , MIRSALEHI M. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT In this paper, two artificial neural networks (ANNs) are applied to acquire the relationship between the mechanical properties and moisture content of cumin seed, using the data of quasi‐static loading test. In establishing these relationship, the moisture content, seed size, loading rate and seed orientation were taken as the inputs of both models. The force and energy required for fracturing of cumin seed, under quasi‐static loading were taken as the outputs of two models. The activation function in the output layer of models obeyed a linear output, whereas the activation function in the hidden layers were in the form of a sigmoid function. Adjusting ANN parameters such as learning rate and number of neurons and hidden layers affected the accuracy of force and energy prediction. Comparison of the predicted and experimented data showed that the ANN models used to predict the relationships of mechanical properties of cumin seed have a good learning precision and good generalization, because the root mean square errors of the predicated data by ANNs were rather low (4.6 and 7.7% for the force and energy, respectively). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSCumin seed is generally used as a food additive in the form of powder for imparting flavor to different food preparations and for a variety of medicinal properties. Physical properties of cumin seeds are essential for the design of equipment for handling, harvesting, aeration, drying, storing, grinding and processing. For powder preparation especially the fracture behavior of the seeds are essential. These properties are affected by numerous factors such as size, form and moisture content of the grain and deformation speed. A neural network model was developed that can be used to predict the relationships of mechanical properties. Artificial neural network models are powerful empirical models approach, which can be compared with mathematical models.
A MODEL FOR VISCOSITY REDUCTION IN POLYSACCHARIDES SUBJECTED TO HIGH‐PRESSURE HOMOGENIZATION
Authors: HARTE FEDERICO , VENEGAS ROCÍO 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT Three polysaccharides (alginate, K‐carrageenan, xanthan) dispersed in water and exhibiting Newtonian or pseudoplastic (Power Law) flow properties were subjected to high‐pressure homogenization (0 to 300 MPa) and one to five homogenization cycles. An exponential decay in viscosity was observed in the three processed polysaccharides due to both homogenization pressure and number of homogenization cycles. A 75–85% viscosity reduction and a viscosity plateau was reached after the polysaccharide dispersions were subjected to a sufficient homogenization pressure and/or number of homogenization cycles. A modified exponential decay model was proposed to describe a sudden reduction in viscosity and the observed constant minimum viscosity values after sufficient homogenization. The model was adjusted by minimizing the sum of squared differences between observed and modeled viscosity values. The model exhibited good correlation coefficient with experimental observations for the three polysaccharides tested (r > 0.98) and error analysis showed negligible fixed errors (bias) and normally distributed random differences between experimental and modeled viscosity values.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSPolysaccharides are extensively used to modify textural properties of fluid and semi‐solid foods. For a given polysaccharide, texture will be greatly affected by molecular weight. This manuscript shows the effect of high pressure homogenization on viscosity reduction for the polysaccharides alginate, K‐carrageenan and xanthan gum. High‐pressure homogenization offers the potential to be used for the manufacture of polysaccharides with targeted viscosity properties.
CRISPNESS AND CRUNCHINESS JUDGMENT OF APPLES BASED ON CONTACT ACOUSTIC EMISSION
Authors: ZDUNEK ARTUR , KONOPACKA DOROTA , JESIONKOWSKA KATARZYNA 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT Contact acoustic emission (AE) measurement, together with a puncture test, were used to evaluate the crispness and crunchiness of three apple cultivars. A storage program was used to induce changes in apple crispness and crunchiness. The instrumental measurements were compared with the results of sensory evaluation. It was found that crispness and crunchiness could be evaluated instrumentally by measuring firmness, AE events, mean AE amplitude or the product of AE events and mean AE amplitude. For one cultivar, however, firmness was not correlated with any sensory attribute. Generally, the best correlation with sensory attributes was found for the exponential value of AE events. Contact AE allows the measurement of sensory crispness or crunchiness for a given apple cultivar or independently for any apple cultivar. Contact AE can be considered as a useful method for the evaluation of sound properties of wet‐crisp foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSContact acoustic emission method can be used for instrumental evaluation of crispness and crunchiness of apples. The method allows more accurate evaluation of these attributes than firmness measurement. There is a chance to extend the application to other wet‐crisp foods and to use the method together with other destructive tests, like texture profile analysis or single edge notched bend.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND VISCOELASTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF TWO VARIETIES OF YAM TUBERS (DIOSCOREA ALATA)
Authors: ALVIS ARMANDO , VILLAMIEL MAR , RADA‐MENDOZA MAITE 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT The main mechanical properties and viscoelastic characteristics of two different cultivars of yam have been measured in this work. Using an Instron machine, some different tests has been applied: puncture, uniaxial compression and bending in order to calculate the parameters: maximum stress of penetration, stress and strain at fracture, deformability modulus and the constants “a” and “b” from the Peleg model. It is concluded that the Pico de Botella cultivar has a fracture stress higher (0.57 MPa) than the Diamante 22 cultivar (0.31 MPa). Also, the degree of deformation at fracture is higher (32 versus 21%). In relation with the constants from the Peleg viscoelasticity model, there are no differences between cultivars, both having the same value of the asintotic stress (a = 0.43) and very similar for the relaxation stress rates (Pico de Botella, b = 0.03 and Diamante 22, b = 0.02).PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSInformation on mechanical properties of yam that has not been reported in the literature.
Synthesis and Comparative Study of Nano‐TiO2 Over Degussa P‐25 in Disinfection of Water
Authors: Swetha S. , Santhosh S. M. , Geetha Balakrishna R. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractNanostructured TiO2 crystals were synthesized by gel to crystalline conversion. The crystals obtained were anatase form of titania averaging in 30 nm particles with an intrinsic band gap of 3.1 eV. The photocatalytic behavior was evaluated for the bactericidal effect in water, contaminated with the indicator organism Escherichia coli. The 100% photoinactivation of E. coli was achieved within 60 min with suspended nano‐TiO2. The catalytic activity of synthesized nanosample was observed to be 2.6 times more than that of commercial TiO2 sample referred to as Degussa P‐25. The photoinactivation of E. coli was tested with irradiation source of different wavelengths to substantiate the influence of particle size and nano crystallinity on electronic band structure. The photoactivity of nano titania enhanced to 1.625 times when the source of irradiation shifted from 360 to 400 nm while Degussa P‐25 showed no change.
Photoreaction Cycle of Phoborhodopsin (Sensory Rhodopsin II) from Halobacterium salinarum Expressed in Escherichia coli
Authors: Dai Gang , Ohno Yoshikazu , Ikeda Yoichi , Tamogami Jun , Kikukawa Takashi , Kamo Naoki , Iwasa Tatsuo 
Published: January 2010

AbstractPhoborhodopsin (pR; also called sensory rhodopsin II, SRII) is a photoreceptor of negative phototaxis of halobacteria. The studies of photochemical properties of this pigment are not many because the amount of the pigment is small and the stability is low. Recently an expression system of phoborhodopsin from Halobacterium salinarum (called salinarum phoborhodopsin, spR; also HsSRII) in Escherichia coli and purification method has been developed (Mironova et al. [2005] FEBS Lett., 579, 3147–3151), which enables detailed studies on the photochemical properties of spR. In the present work, the photoreaction cycle of E. coli‐expressed spR was studied by low‐temperature spectroscopy and flash photolysis. Formations of K‐, M‐, O‐like intermediates and P480 were reconfirmed as reported previously. New findings are as follows. (1) The K‐like intermediate (P500) was a mixture of two photoproducts. (2) Formation of L‐like intermediate (P482) was observed by low‐temperature spectroscopy and flash photolysis at room temperature. (3) On long irradiation of spR at 20°C, formation of a new photoproduct P370 was observed and it decayed to the original spR in the dark with a decay half time of 190 min. Based on these results the similarities and dissimilarities between spR and ppR are discussed.
Probing the Binding Interaction of a Phenazinium Dye with Serum Transport Proteins: A Combined Fluorometric and Circular Dichroism Study
Authors: Bose Debosreeta , Sarkar Deboleena , Chattopadhyay Nitin 
Published: January 2010

AbstractIn the present investigation, an attempt has been made to study the interaction of phenosafranin (PSF), a cationic phenazinium dye with the transport proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA), employing steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorometric and circular dichroism (CD) techniques. The photophysical properties of the dye are altered on binding with the serum proteins. An explicit study with respect to the modification of the fluorescence and fluorescence anisotropy upon binding, effect of denaturant, fluorescence lifetime and CD measurements reveal that the dye binds to both BSA and HSA with almost the same affinity. Far‐UV CD spectra indicate a decrease in the percentage of α‐helicity only for BSA upon binding with the probe. Near‐UV CD responses indicate an alteration in the tertiary structure of both the transport proteins because of binding.
Multiplex PCR and RFLP approaches for identification of rabbitfish (Siganus) species using mitochondrial gene regions
Authors: RAVAGO‐GOTANCO R. G. , MANGLICMOT M. T. , PANTE M. J. R. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractMolecular assays are described for the identification of six rabbitfish (Siganus) species. A multiplex PCR assay using primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b region simultaneously identifies four species: Siganus canaliculatus, S. fuscescens, S. javus, and S. spinus. Subsequent RFLP assays of multiplex amplicons differentiate between S. virgatus and S. corallinus based on diagnostic fragments from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I region. Assays were validated with known specimens demonstrating accuracy of the molecular identification. Applied to morphologically indistinguishable early developmental stages, these assays can facilitate studies on species‐specific spatio‐temporal patterns of larval dispersal and population connectivity to aid fishery management.
Evolution of light scattering and redox balance in the rat lens after in vivo exposure to close‐to‐threshold dose ultraviolet radiation
Authors: Wang Jing , Löfgren Stefan , Dong Xiuqin , Galichanin Konstantin , Söderberg Per G. 
Published: January 2010

Acta Ophthalmol. 2010: 88: 779–785Abstract.Purpose:  To investigate the evolution of cataract development and glutathione redox balance in the rat lens after in vivo close‐to‐threshold dose exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) around 300 nm.Methods:  Three groups of 10 Sprague–Dawley rats were unilaterally exposed to 8 kJ/m2 UVR‐300 nm for 15 min, and a fourth group of 10 rats was kept without UVR exposure as nonexposed control animals. The exposed animals were killed at 1, 3 and 7 days after exposure. Both lenses from all animals were extracted and photographed and the intensity of forward light scattering was measured quantitatively. Thereafter, the lenses were homogenized. The concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), respectively, were determined spectrophotometrically. The mean paired differences between exposed and nonexposed lenses were used as primary data in the statistical analyses.Results:  All exposed lenses developed cataract. Lens light scattering increased throughout the 7 days after UVR exposure. GSH concentration and GPx rate transiently increased at 1 day after exposure and then decreased throughout follow‐up, with GSH concentration having a negative balance at the end. GSSG concentration and GR activity did not change after UVR exposure.Conclusion:  In vivo close‐to‐threshold UVR exposure induces a gradual increase in rat lens opacification/cataract development and time dependently alters the redox balance in the lens.
Characteristic varieties and logarithmic differential 1-forms
Authors: Dimca Alexandru 
Published: January 2010

AbstractWe introduce in this paper a hypercohomology version of the resonance varieties and obtain some relations to the characteristic varieties of rank one local systems on a smooth quasi-projective complex variety M. A logarithmic resonance variety is also considered and, as an application, we determine the first characteristic variety of the configuration space of n distinct labeled points on an elliptic curve. Finally, for a logarithmic 1-form α on M we investigate the relation between the resonance degree of α and the codimension of the zero set of α on a good compactification of M. This question was inspired by the recent work by Cohen, Denham, Falk and Varchenko.
Spectral decomposition of compactly supported Poincaré series and existence of cusp forms
Authors: Muić Goran 
Published: January 2010

AbstractIn this paper we address the issue of existence of cusp forms by using an extension and refinement of a classic method involving (adelic) compactly supported Poincaré series. As a consequence of our adelic approach, we also deal with cusp forms for congruence subgroups.
Zeros of systems of 𝔭-adic quadratic forms
Authors: Heath-Brown D. R. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractWe show that a system of r quadratic forms over a 𝔭-adic field in at least 4r+1 variables will have a non-trivial zero as soon as the cardinality of the residue field is large enough. In contrast, the Ax–Kochen theorem [J. Ax and S. Kochen, Diophantine problems over local fields. I, Amer. J. Math. 87 (1965), 605–630] requires the characteristic to be large in terms of the degree of the field over ℚp. The proofs use a 𝔭-adic minimization technique, together with counting arguments over the residue class field, based on considerations from algebraic geometry.
Modulation of Angiotensin II–Mediated Cardiac Remodeling by the MEF2A Target Gene Xirp2
Authors: McCalmon Sarah A. , Desjardins Danielle M. , Ahmad Saad , Davidoff Katharine S. , Snyder Christine M. , Sato Kaori , Ohashi Koji , Kielbasa Ondra M. , Mathew Matthen , Ewen Elizabeth P. , Walsh Kenneth , Gavras Haralambos , Naya Francisco J. 
Published: January 2010

Rationale:The vasoactive peptide angiotensin II (Ang II) is a potent cardiotoxic hormone whose actions have been well studied, yet questions remain pertaining to the downstream factors that mediate its effects in cardiomyocytes.Objective:The in vivo role of the myocyte enhancer factor (MEF)2A target geneXirp2in Ang II–mediated cardiac remodeling was investigated.Methods and Results:Here we demonstrate that the MEF2A target geneXirp2(also known as cardiomyopathy associated gene 3 [CMYA3]) is an important effector of the Ang II signaling pathway in the heart.Xirp2belongs to the evolutionarily conserved, muscle-specific, actin-bindingXingene family and is significantly induced in the heart in response to systemic administration of Ang II. Initially, we characterized theXirp2promoter and demonstrate that Ang II activatesXirp2expression by stimulating MEF2A transcriptional activity. To further characterize the role of Xirp2 downstream of Ang II signaling we generated mice harboring a hypomorphic allele of theXirp2gene that resulted in a marked reduction in its expression in the heart. In the absence of Ang II, adultXirp2hypomorphic mice displayed cardiac hypertrophy and increased β myosin heavy chain expression. Strikingly,Xirp2hypomorphic mice chronically infused with Ang II exhibited altered pathological cardiac remodeling including an attenuated hypertrophic response, as well as diminished fibrosis and apoptosis.Conclusions:These findings reveal a novel MEF2A-Xirp2 pathway that functions downstream of Ang II signaling to modulate its pathological effects in the heart.
Some Correlates of Cognitive Ability and Achievement in Indonesia
Authors: Mani A. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractIn both industrial and developing societies, the school has become an important link between an individual's family of origin and occupational attainment. More often, cognitive achievement as determined by examination results is used to allocate starting points in the occupational hierarchy. Perhaps the most significant attempt to explain how schooling functions as an intervening mechanism is the research tradition of William H. Sewell, A.O. Haller and G. Olendorf at the University of Wisconsin.' The purpose of this paper is to establish the extent to which the socio-economic background and other intervening factors continue to influence cognitive ability and achievement in Indonesia. The first part of the paper provides some brief comments on comparative research in non-western countries. The second part elaborates on the data and measures used in the case of Indonesia. The final section reports the finding for cognitive ability and achievement among 9,751 ninth grade students in Indonesia.
Thai Monks in Rural Development
Authors: Gosling David L. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractDuring the period April to September 1980, an investigation was carried out into the role of Thai Buddhist monks in rural development in the north of Thailand. The investigation, which was supported by the Nuffield Foundation, was conducted by means of interviews and questionnaires, and by a process of participant observation similar to that used in previous studies of Thai scientists at secular universities and scholar monks at the two Buddhist universities in Bangkok (Gosling 1980 and 1976). Among the development activities centred on Chiang Mai it was hoped to study the government-sponsored Dhammajarik and Dhammatuta Programmes and the work of wats such as the Wat Phra Singh, which is well known for its progressive outlook and high standards of education. It was hoped to survey the range of development activities being undertaken by monks and novices at these centres, and to interview them in order to ascertain their role as they understood it in the light of the Buddhist tradition. In particular the appropriateness or otherwise attributed to certain actions in the light of the Pdtimokkha was expected to be a significant indicator of the extent to which the role of the Thai Sangha is changing. In the course of preliminary informal discussion with abbots at several Chiang Mai wats and academics at Chiengmai University, it quickly became apparent that a great deal of development work is being undertaken by individual abbots and wats independently of the government-sponsored programmes. In particular the Wat Chedi Luang and the Wat Bupparam were felt to be important centres for development, and it was therefore decided to spend some time at each. These two wats are fairly similar in that both are roughly in the centre of Chiang Mai city and approximately the same size. The Wat Chedi Luang is Dhammayut, and the Wat Bupparam is Maha Nikai. Interviews were conducted and questionnaires distributed at both these wats.