bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Developing a Code of Conduct for whale shark interactions in Mozambique
Authors: Pierce Simon J. , Méndez‐Jiménez Adriana , Collins Kym , Rosero‐Caicedo Marcela , monadjem Ara 
Published: October 2010

Abstract
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a popular focal species within the global marine tourism industry. Although this has contributed to increased protection being granted to the species in several countries, tourism itself can be detrimental to the sharks in the absence of appropriate management. Potential impacts can be mitigated, at least in the short term, by adherence to well‐designed interaction guidelines.
A burgeoning marine tourism industry based on swimming with whale sharks has developed at Tofo Beach in Mozambique. However, no formal management is currently in place at this site.
The behaviour of whale sharks during interactions with boats and swimmers were recorded during 137 commercial snorkelling trips run from Tofo Beach over a 20 month period. Whale sharks were encountered on 87% of trips, which operated year‐round.
Boat proximity and shark size were significant predictors of avoidance behaviour. No avoidance responses were recorded at >20 m boat distance.
The mean in‐water interaction time between sharks and swimmers was 8 min 48 s overall. There was a significant decrease in interaction times during encounters where sharks expressed avoidance behaviours, and also in cases where sharks had expressed boat avoidance behaviour before swimmers entered the water.
It is suggested that mean encounter times can be extended through adherence to a basic Code of Conduct for operators and swimmers that enforces minimum distances between the sharks, boats and swimmers. Using encounter time as a measure of the ‘success’ of interactions holds promise, as longer encounters appear to be indicative of lower impacts on sharks while also providing higher customer satisfaction for swimmers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparative analyses of proteolytic activities in seven species of synanthropic acaridid mites
Authors: Erban Tomas , Hubert Jan 
Published: October 2010

AbstractMicroplate assays with 96 wells were optimized to screen proteolytic activities in mite homogenates. Whole‐mite extracts of Acarus siro, Aleuroglyphus ovatus, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Tyroborus lini, Carpoglyphus lactis, Lepidoglyphus destructor, and Dermatophagoides farinae exhibited non‐specific proteolytic activity in buffers from pH 2 to 12, and three peaks of highest activity at pH 3, 5–6, and 10 were distinguished. The reducing agent Tris(2‐carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride decreased general proteolytic activity on azocasein at pH 5 and 6. The results obtained on two non‐specific substrates, azocasein and azoalbumin, showed highly different ranks of the species at pH 5 and 6. Proteolytic activities toward Nα‐Benzoyl‐D,L‐arginine 4‐nitroanilide hydrochloride, N‐Succinyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐prolyl‐L‐phenylalanine 4‐nitroanilide, N‐Succinyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐alanine 4‐nitroanilide, Benzyloxycarbonyl‐L‐arginine‐L‐arginyl 4‐nitroanilide, and N‐Methoxysuccinyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐prolyl‐L‐methionine 4‐nitroanilide (MAAPMpNA) were highest at alkaline pH, but the activity toward MAAPMpNA was also high at pH 5 and 6. In contrast, N‐Succinyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐alanyl‐L‐phenylalanine 4‐nitroanilide (AAPpNA) and L‐arginyl 4‐nitroanilide (ArgpNA) had the highest activity recorded at pH 6. The high activities observed on AAPpNA, ArgpNA, and MAAPMpNA at digestive pH suggest that enzymes present in these extracts could have the majority of proteolysis in the mite gut. Evidence of the presence of proteolytic activities on all tested substrates and in all the tested mite homogenates suggests that the proteolytic activities may contribute to allergenicity. Poor or undetected hydrolytic activities of mite extracts toward substrates for keratin and collagen at digestive pH underline the importance of ecological interactions between mites and microorganisms in the utilization of such substrates. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Investigation of the Toxic Functional Group of Cephalosporins by Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity Test
Authors: Zhang Jingpu , Meng Jie , Li Yaping , Hu Changqin 
Published: October 2010

Abstract2‐mercapto‐5‐methyl‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole (MMTD) is the 3'‐side chain of cephalosporin including cefazolin sodium (CFZL) and cefazedone (CFZD). It is not only present in finished products as the residual precursor, but also produced through drug degradation. Performing the zebrafish embryo toxicity test, we evaluated the toxicity effects of cefazolin sodium, cefazedone, their synthetic precursors and intermediates. Our results suggest that the teratogenic effect of cefazedone and cefazolin sodium on zebrafish embryonic development is associated with the structure of MMTD. They mainly interfere with the development of tissues and organs derived from embryonic ectoderm and mesoderm. We further consider the rationality of the quality control limit of MMTD (1.0%) in the specification. As the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) of cefazolin is 10 µg/kg per day 16 and the minimum teratogenic concentration of MMTD is tenfold lower than that of cefazolin sodium, we recommend that the acceptable daily intakes of MMTD should be 1 µg/(kg day). In general, the therapeutic dose of cefazolin sodium is 2–4 g/day. Based upon the calculation of MMTD quality control limits (1.0%), MMTD intake can be 20–40 mg/day, which will be much more than the acceptable daily intake value of 1 µg/(kg day). Thus, MMTD should be recommended as a specified impurity and qualified as serious again.
Antinuclear antibody–positive patients should be grouped as a separate category in the classification of juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: Ravelli Angelo , Varnier Giulia C. , Oliveira Sheila , Castell Esteban , Arguedas Olga , Magnani Alessandra , Pistorio Angela , Ruperto Nicolino , Magni‐Manzoni Silvia , Galasso Roberta , Lattanzi Bianca , Dalprà Sara , Battagliese Antonella , Verazza Sara , Allegra Maddalena , Martini Alberto 
Published: October 2010

AbstractObjectiveWe undertook this study to test the hypothesis that in the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), patients with similar characteristics can be classified into different categories. We sought to investigate whether antinuclear antibody (ANA)–positive patients having disease in the ILAR categories of oligoarthritis, rheumatoid factor–negative polyarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and undifferentiated arthritis share homogeneous features and to compare these features with those of ANA‐negative patients having the same categories of disease.MethodsWe identified JIA patients who had been followed up during a 22‐year period. ANA positivity was defined as ≥2 positive results at a titer of ≥1:160. Demographic and clinical features were recorded retrospectively and compared between ANA‐positive and ANA‐negative patients.ResultsOf a total of 971 patients, 711 were ANA positive, 149 were ANA negative, and 111 had an indeterminate ANA status. Patients with indeterminate ANA status were excluded. ANA‐positive patients in the different ILAR categories were similar in terms of age at disease presentation, female‐to‐male ratio, and frequency of asymmetric arthritis and iridocyclitis. Compared with ANA‐positive patients, the ANA‐negative group was older at disease presentation and had a lower prevalence of females, a lower frequency of iridocyclitis and asymmetric arthritis, a greater number of affected joints over time, and a different pattern of arthritis. The close relationship between the presence of ANAs and younger age at disease presentation, female predominance, asymmetric arthritis, development of iridocyclitis, lower number of affected joints over time, and lack of hip involvement was also confirmed by multivariate and multiple correspondence analysis.ConclusionOur findings substantiate the hypothesis that ANA‐positive patients classified into different JIA categories by current ILAR criteria constitute a homogeneous patient population.
A novel three‐dimensional tool for teaching human neuroanatomy
Authors: Estevez Maureen E. , Lindgren Kristen A. , Bergethon Peter R. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThree‐dimensional (3D) visualization of neuroanatomy can be challenging for medical students. This knowledge is essential in order for students to correlate cross‐sectional neuroanatomy and whole brain specimens within neuroscience curricula and to interpret clinical and radiological information as clinicians or researchers. This study implemented and evaluated a new tool for teaching 3D neuroanatomy to first‐year medical students at Boston University School of Medicine. Students were randomized into experimental and control classrooms. All students were taught neuroanatomy according to traditional 2D methods. Then, during laboratory review, the experimental group constructed 3D color‐coded physical models of the periventricular structures, while the control group re‐examined 2D brain cross‐sections. At the end of the course, 2D and 3D spatial relationships of the brain and preferred learning styles were assessed in both groups. The overall quiz scores for the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group (t(85) = 2.02, P < 0.05). However, when the questions were divided into those requiring either 2D or 3D visualization, only the scores for the 3D questions were significantly higher in the experimental group (F1,85= 5.48, P = 0.02). When surveyed, 84% of students recommended repeating the 3D activity for future laboratories, and this preference was equally distributed across preferred learning styles (χ2 = 0.14, n.s.). Our results suggest that our 3D physical modeling activity is an effective method for teaching spatial relationships of brain anatomy and will better prepare students for visualization of 3D neuroanatomy, a skill essential for higher education in neuroscience, neurology, and neurosurgery. Anat Sci Educ. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.
Proteins conjugated to poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles as potential neuroprotective agents
Authors: Reukov Vladimir , Maximov Victor , Vertegel Alexey 
Published: October 2010

AbstractPoly(butyl cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) nanoparticles (NPs) can penetrate blood–brain barrier providing the means for drug delivery to the central nervous system. Here, we study attachment of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and anti‐glutamate N‐methyl D‐aspartate receptor 1 (NR1) antibody to PBCA NPs with the ultimate goal to design neuroprotective therapeutics for treatment of secondary spinal cord injury. Synthesis of monodispersed, ∼200 nm‐diameter PBCA NPs was performed using polymerization at pH 2.0 with Dextran 70,000 as the stabilizer. Sulfo‐HSAB spacers were used to covalently attach SOD and NR1 antibodies to the dextran‐coated NPs. The prepared protein–NP conjugates possessed SOD activity and were capable of binding to rat cerebellar neurons. Thus, SOD and NR1 antibodies may be simultaneously attached to PBCA NPs while retaining at least a fraction of enzymatic activity and receptor‐binding ability. The conjugates showed neuroprotective efficacy in vitro with rat cerebellar cell cultures challenged by superoxide. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108: 243–252. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pancreatic cell immobilization in alginate beads produced by emulsion and internal gelation
Authors: Hoesli Corinne A. , Raghuram Kamini , Kiang Roger L.J. , Mocinecová Dušana , Hu Xiaoke , Johnson James D. , Lacík Igor , Kieffer Timothy J. , Piret James M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractAlginate has been used to protect transplanted pancreatic islets from immune rejection and as a matrix to increase the insulin content of islet progenitor cells. The throughput of alginate bead generation by the standard extrusion and external gelation method is limited by the rate of droplet formation from nozzles. Alginate bead generation by emulsion and internal gelation is a scaleable alternative that has been used with biological molecules and microbial cells, but not mammalian cells. We describe the novel adaptation of this process to mammalian cell immobilization. After optimization, the emulsion process yielded 90 ± 2% mouse insulinoma 6 (MIN6) cell survival, similar to the extrusion process. The MIN6 cells expanded at the same rate in both bead types to form pseudo‐islets with increased glucose stimulation index compared to cells in suspension. The emulsion process was suitable for primary pancreatic exocrine cell immobilization, leading to 67 ± 32 fold increased insulin expression after 10 days of immobilized culture. Due to the scaleability and broad availability of stirred mixers, the emulsion process represents an attractive option for laboratories that are not equipped with extrusion‐based cell encapsulators, as well as for the production of immobilized or encapsulated cellular therapeutics on a clinical scale. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108: 424–434. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Countercurrent tangential chromatography for large‐scale protein purification
Authors: Shinkazh Oleg , Kanani Dharmesh , Barth Morgan , Long Matthew , Hussain Daniar , Zydney Andrew L. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractRecent advances in cell culture technology have created significant pressure on the downstream purification process, leading to a “downstream bottleneck” in the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins for the treatment of cancer, genetic disorders, and cardiovascular disease. Countercurrent tangential chromatography overcomes many of the limitations of conventional column chromatography by having the resin (in the form of a slurry) flow through a series of static mixers and hollow fiber membrane modules. The buffers used in the binding, washing, and elution steps flow countercurrent to the resin, enabling high‐resolution separations while reducing the amount of buffer needed for protein purification. The results obtained in this study provide the first experimental demonstration of the feasibility of using countercurrent tangential chromatography for the separation of a model protein mixture containing bovine serum albumin and myoglobin using a commercially available anion exchange resin. Batch uptake/desorption experiments were used in combination with critical flux data for the hollow fiber filters to design the countercurrent tangential chromatography system. A two‐stage batch separation yielded the purified target protein at >99% purity with 94% recovery. The results clearly demonstrate the potential of using countercurrent tangential chromatography for the large‐scale purification of therapeutic proteins. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:582–591. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of vibration on differentiation of cultured PC12 cells
Authors: Ito Yukiko , Kimura Tsuyoshi , Nam Kwangwoo , Katoh Ayako , Masuzawa Toru , Kishida Akio 
Published: October 2010

AbstractDifferent types of physiological‐mechanical stress, such as shear stress in vascular endothelial cells or hydrostatic pressure in chondrocytes are well known as regulators of cell function. In this study, the effects of vibration, a type of non‐physiological mechanical stimulation, on differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells are reported. A nano‐vibration system was designed to produce nanometer‐scale vibration. The frequency and amplitude of the nano‐vibrations were monitored by a capacitance displacement sensor connected to an oscilloscope. When PC12 cells exposed to nerve growth factor were subjected to vibration at 10 kHz, differentiation and elongation of their neurites were promoted earlier in the culture. Vibration promoted differentiation of PC12 cells. This approach could therefore also be promising for determining of the effects of the physical environment on cell differentiation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:592–599. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Transcription factors as tools to engineer enhanced drought stress tolerance in plants
Authors: Hussain Syed Sarfraz , Kayani Mahmood Akhtar , Amjad Muhammad 
Published: October 2010

AbstractPlant growth and productivity are greatly affected by abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and temperature. Drought stress is one of the major limitations to crop productivity worldwide due to its multigene nature, making the production of transgenic crops a challenging prospect. To develop crop plant with enhanced tolerance of drought stress, a basic understanding of physiological, biochemical, and gene regulatory networks is essential. In the signal transduction network that leads from the perception of stress signals to the expression of stress‐responsive genes, transcription factors (TFs) play an essential role. Because TFs, as opposed to most structural genes, tend to control multiple pathways steps, they have emerged as powerful tools for the manipulation of complex metabolic pathways in plants. One such class of TFs is DREB/CBF that binds to drought responsive cis‐acting elements. Transgenic plants have been developed with enhanced stress tolerance by manipulating the expression of DREB/CBF. Recently the functions of an increasing number of plant TFs are being elucidated and increased understanding of these factors in controlling drought stress response has lead to practical approaches for engineering stress tolerance in plants. The utility of the various TFs in plant stress research we review is illustrated by several published examples. The manipulation of native plant regularity networks therefore represents a new era for genetically modified crops. This review focuses on the recent understanding, latest advancements related to TFs and present status of their deployment in developing stress tolerant transgenic plants. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011
Acyl cystamine: Small‐molecular foldase mimics accelerating oxidative refolding of disulfide‐containing proteins
Authors: Wang Guo‐Zhen , Dong Xiao‐Yan , Sun Yan 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBased on the structural characteristic of Protein disulfide isomerases and DsbA that have hydrophobic regions around the active sites, hydrophobic alkyl tails are linked to cystamine to create new small molecular foldase mimics, acyl cystamine. Both the oxidizing power and oxidation specificity of cystamine are enhanced by n‐octanoyl or n‐hexanoyl tail. N‐octanoyl and n‐hexanoyl cystamine are very effective to facilitate oxidative protein refolding at strong reducing environments. In the presence of 0.42 mM DTT, the activity recovery of lysozyme is over 90% by 90‐min refolding with 0.1 mM n‐octanoyl cystamine and 0.1 mM cystamine as oxidant, while almost no activity is recovered with 0.2 mM GSSG by 160‐min refolding. For the refolding of 0.2 mg/mL lysozyme, with 0.6 mM n‐hexanoyl cystamine and 1.12 mM residual DTT as redox agents, the activity recovery reaches as high as 93% after refolding for only 20 min. For ribonuclease A (RNase A) refolding, with 0.4 mM n‐hexanoyl cystamine and 1.30 mM DTT, the recovery of activity reaches as high as 90% within 3 h. Thus, with n‐octanoyl or n‐hexanoyl cystamine as the oxidants, the necessity to remove excess DTT in the reduced and denatured protein solutions can be greatly alleviated. With a moderate hydrophobicity, n‐hexanoyl cystamine is promising for application in oxidative protein refolding at an extensive concentration range. It is observed that in the oxidative refolding of 0.2 mg/mL lysozyme and RNase A, only about half of n‐hexanoyl cystamine is needed when compared to cystamine to achieve the same kinetic effect. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011
Protease digestion from wheat stillage within a dry grind ethanol facility
Authors: Bals Bryan , Brehmer Ben , Dale Bruce , Sanders Johan 
Published: October 2010

AbstractAs the current starch based ethanol market increases at its rapid pace, finding new markets for the primary coproduct, distiller's grains, has gained considerable interest. One possibility is to isolate the protein‐rich fraction for use as precursors to biochemicals and bioplastics, further decreasing fossil fuel consumption. This research focuses on enzymatic extraction of protein peptides from wheat heavy stillage using commercially available proteases. The energy saved due to this process ranged from ∼1.5 to 3.0 GJ/ton wheat stillage compared to fossil fuel‐based chemicals. Using Protex 6L (Genencor), ∼57% of the protein in the stillage was soluble 24 h after protease addition at 0.1% w/w loading. Of these proteins, ∼32% were already soluble, indicating the importance of using wet heavy stillage as the feedstock rather than dried distiller's grains. Peptide size was less than 6 kDa. Further improvements in protein removal may be obtained through a fed batch addition of protease and improved protease cocktails. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011
A web‐based training approach for the structural steel design
Authors: Serrano‐Lopez Miguel , López‐Colina Carlos , López‐Gayarre Fernando , Armstrong Sue 
Published: October 2010

AbstractFortunately the design processes of steel buildings across Europe is eventually covered by a unified code: The Eurocode 3: “Design of steel structures.” Nevertheless, although Eurocodes will soon become mandatory documents, designs will not be standardized because each country has a set of National Annexes which must be taken into account when designing in that particular country. Furthermore, every country also has its own body of non‐conflicting complementary information. A problem then arises when engineers need to produce designs in other European countries, either for a company based in one state or as individuals. Also, allowing engineers time out of the office for attendance at the intensive training courses which are required for earning experience on the new codes of design, frequently represents an obstacle for their employers. In an attempt to solve these problems, a strong trans‐national partnership has been working to develop an ICT‐supported, flexible training approach to allow designers to apply Eurocodes in accordance with the national regulations and practices of different member states. The resulting material in seven languages shows how to design a typical building according to the different national contexts. The developed portal incorporates facilities for course presentation, forums, blogs and on‐line translation. The students thought that the portal was an effective tool that helped them to improve the quality and efficiency of their studies. In their opinion the web‐course is well structured and they found the forum for discussion and the web‐based tutoring system very helpful. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 21: 448–458, 2013