bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Infection of Anastrepha ludens following soil applications of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora in a mango orchard
Authors: Toledo Jorge , Rasgado Milton A. , Ibarra Jorge E. , Gómez Anaximandro , Liedo Pablo , Williams Trevor 
Published: April 2006

AbstractTo determine the efficacy of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae) for control of Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), field experiments were performed in a mango orchard with soil temperatures of 24–29 °C. The density of third‐instar A. ludens (50–500 larvae per plot) released into 0.25 m2 wood‐framed experimental plots containing soil (16% wt/wt moisture) previously treated with 125 infective juveniles per square centimetre soil surface did not significantly influence the prevalence of infection by H. bacteriophora. In subsequent experiments, the percentages of infection of fly pupae were positively correlated with the concentration of infective stages applied to soil plots. The highest average percentage of infection (74% at 250 infective juveniles per square centimetre) was observed when fly larvae were released simultaneously onto soil, compared to larvae that emerged from laboratory‐infested mangoes over a period of 8 days (52% infection at 500 infective juveniles per square centimetre). Double applications of infective juveniles at an interval of 4 days did not greatly improve the prevalence of infection (∼10% higher) compared to single applications. Between 9 and 15% of larvae that remained within infested mangoes became infected by nematodes, irrespective of the concentration of nematodes applied to each experimental plot. We conclude that effective control of A. ludens requires very high densities of H. bacteriophora. The successful use of this nematode for biocontrol of A. ludens will depend on identifying ways of overcoming the fly's ability to avoid infection.
German dental faculty attitudes towards computer‐assisted simulation systems correlated with personal and professional profiles
Authors: Welk A. , Splieth Ch. , Seyer D. , Rosin M. , Siemer M. , Meyer G. 
Published: April 2006

Background: Computer technology is increasingly used in practical training at universities. However, in spite of their potential, computer‐assisted simulation (CAS) systems still appear to be underutilised.Objectives: To investigate the practical usage of CAS/computer‐assisted learning (CAL) systems, the familiarity and level of use of CAS systems, as well as the acceptance of approved learning content and English as the language of instruction in CAS/CAL systems.Methods: A survey was conducted in the Departments of Conservative Dentistry and Prosthetic Dentistry of all 32 dental schools in Germany. Besides investigating the usefulness of, familiarity with and level of current usage of CAS systems, the questionnaire also contained questions regarding each respondent's gender, age, academic rank, experience in academia and computer skills, all of which correlated with the responses.Results: The response rate was 90% (112 out of 125). The use of CAS/CAL systems was considered ‘partly’ to ‘very’ useful for evaluating the acquisition of knowledge (83.9%), qualitative issues (73.2%) and processes (72.3%) of dental preparation exercises and complex treatment strategies. However, only about half the respondents reported that they knew of, and even fewer used, the following systems in preclinical or clinical training: EDUnet (KaVo, Germany) (46.3%/0.9 %), PREPassistant (KaVo, Germany) (50%/0.9%), or the DentSim system (DenX, Israel) (52.8%/1.9%). The virtual simulation system VRDTS‐CP (Novint, USA), used by none of the respondents, was known to only 16.5%. Responders agreed at least partly to accept approved learning content (74.9%) and English as the language of instruction (82.1%) as the standards for CAS systems.Conclusion: The survey indicates a distinct discrepancy between a generally positive attitude towards the usefulness of computer technology for dental education, the level of familiarity with current computer systems and their actual use. However, two prerequisites for ultimately decreasing the cost and increasing the usage of CAS systems – the acceptance of approved learning content and English as the language of instruction in CAS systems – seem to be generally accepted by respondents.
The Poetics of “Divine Chit‐Chat”: Rethinking the Conversation Poems
Authors: Koelzer Robert 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThis article focuses on the Romantic genre, pioneered by Coleridge in the 1790s, of the “conversation poem.” It provides a survey of influential twentieth‐century critics and criticism of the form; more to the point, however, it seeks to problematize our inherited ideas about the conversation poem by examining some of the assumptions (and mischaracterizations) that have informed the critical construction of this genre. In short, this article argues that the conversation poem's generic relationship to conversation has not been explained in sufficient depth. It attempts, in a preliminary way, to redress this insufficiency by outlining what its author calls a poetics of conversation – that is, the compositional techniques whereby a poet works out a fully‐realized conversational form – through a reading of the “original” conversation poem: Coleridge's “The Nightingale: A Conversational Poem” of 1798.
Retirement expectations: gender differences and partner effects in an Australian employer‐funded sample
Authors: Onyx Jenny , Baker Ellen 
Published: April 2006

Objectives:  The concept of retirement has been undergoing change, and opportunities for a variety of retirement lifestyle options are increasing. Retirement plans for one cohort are examined in this context. Method:  Responses to a questionnaire of some 200 public‐sector employees attending a retirement seminar were analysed by gender. Results:  Findings suggest that both men and women viewed retirement as a positive experience, focusing on opportunities for further personal development. This approach was more evident among women. However, both men and women would prefer to maintain a form of reduced employment after retiring. There were no gender differences in reasons for retiring at that time, but those with partners were more likely to retire because of family responsibilities. Conclusions:  Implications for theories of ageing and public policy are discussed. A more flexible approach to retirement policy is urged. Retirement may provide more opportunities for personal growth than decline.
Older Australian home‐care clients who screen positive for depression
Authors: Lewin Gill , Chain Silver , Calver Janine 
Published: April 2006

Study objectives:  The objectives of this study were threefold. It estimated the prevalence of screening for depression among older individuals, as assessed at the commencement of home‐care services or as part of a routine review, identified factors associated with a positive response to the depression screen; and, then examined the use of home‐care services over a period of 12 months. Method:  A prospective cohort of older home‐care clients assessed once during October 2000 to June 2001 and followed for a maximum of 12 months to measure service use. Results:  Almost 62% of the sample screened positive for depression. Contrary to previous studies, screening positive for depression was associated with lower service use. Conclusions:  The prevalence of a positive depression screen was higher than has been previously reported. Further research is required to validate the screening tool with Australian elders.
A comparison of the MMSE and the TICS‐m in hearing‐impaired older adults
Authors: Pachana Nancy A , Alpass Fiona M , Blakey Judy A , Long Nigel R 
Published: April 2006

Objective:  The efficacy of telephone‐administered cognitive screening instruments used with hearing‐impaired populations is as yet unknown. Method:  In a pilot study, performance of hearing‐impaired veterans (N = 46) was compared on telephone‐administered (Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status – modified; TICS‐m) and face‐to‐face administered (Mini‐Mental State Examination; MMSE) instruments. Results:  Correlations between the MMSE and the TICS‐m (r = 0.39) are lower than previously reported in the literature. Participants had difficulty perceiving words from the TICS‐m on registration and thus also on later recall, regardless of whether hearing aids were worn. Further analyses revealed that when these items were removed from the TICS‐m scores, correlations with the MMSE improved significantly. Conclusions:  Hearing‐impaired participants may have difficulties with telephone‐administered instruments requiring accurate hearing of words in the absence of any context. Participants’ hearing should be taken into account when administering and interpreting cognitive screens over the telephone.
Knowledge and interest in ageing: a study of final‐year social work students
Authors: Hughes Mark , Heycox Karen 
Published: April 2006

Objective:  To evaluate social work students’ knowledge of older people's issues and their interest in working with older people in the future. Method:  Fifty‐five final‐year students completed a questionnaire, including a knowledge/myths instrument and an interest scale. Independent variables included students’ prior contact with older people and exposure to a course on ageing. Results:  Students achieved an average 70.4% success rate on the knowledge/myths instrument; no student got all answers correct. Interest levels were moderate with an average score of 5.13 on a 10‐point scale. Prior participation in ageing courses was positively correlated with knowledge of older people's issues and interest in working with older people. Conclusions:  Correlations between course attendance and students’ knowledge and interest are in line with international findings. Such courses should challenge common myths associated with ageing and should promote social work with older people as skilled practice within complex health, welfare and family systems.
Reasons for changing alcohol use among older people in New Zealand
Authors: Khan Nadim , Wilkinson Tim J , Keeling Sally 
Published: April 2006

Objective:  To determine self‐reported reasons for drinking alcohol and for changing alcohol use in older people. Methods:  Descriptive cross‐sectional study using semistructured questionnaire interviews of 141 randomly selected community‐dwelling older people. Results:  The 100 current drinkers said they consumed alcohol for social reasons, before and with meals and because alcohol helped them to relax: 45 had not changed their alcohol consumption over the past 12 months, nine had increased, 43 decreased and three did not know. Reasons for increasing were encouragement from friends, loneliness, as an alternative to smoking and enjoyment of drinking alcohol. Reasons for decreasing were mostly for health concerns or because of pressure from family or friends. Conclusions:  Suggested strategies for influencing alcohol consumption in older people might include health promotion and education about potential negative health outcomes, in the context of ensuring appropriate social engagement in later life.
The reclassification of elderly people following admission to residential aged care
Authors: Robinson Andrew , Rumble Roger , Francis Bronwyn 
Published: April 2006

Objectives:  To determine the incidence of, and factors associated with, the reclassification of level of care needs of older people following admission to a residential aged care facility (RACF) in Tasmania. Method:  Focus group discussions with 11 Directors of Nursing of RACFs were conducted to inform the development of a questionnaire, which was administered to all residential aged care providers in the State. Results:  More than 10% of elderly people admitted to a RACF in Tasmania are subject to a reclassification from high to low care or vice versa within 60 days of admission. The study also revealed a number of variables associated with reclassification. Conclusions:  Reclassification of residents is often considered to be a ‘significant problem’. To reduce the incidence of reclassification many RACFs conduct their own assessments. Dementia, admission of hospital inpatients and greater than 6 months since an ACAT assessment represent the key predictors of reclassification.
Morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of Morphidae
Authors: BERTHIER SERGE , CHARRON ERIC , BOULENGUEZ JULIE 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
The morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of 14 species of Morphidae have been investigated. Most of the scales of the iridescent species of Morphidae (Lepidoptera) present a very particular structure. The ground scales, responsible for the major part of the optical properties, are covered by a very regular set of longitudinal ridges. The ridges themselves are constituted by a superposition of lamellae that act locally as a multilayered structure. This very specific morphology leads to both interferences and diffraction effects. The first one is responsible of the brilliant blue coloration of the males, while the second one diffracts this colored light at a very large angle. These two phenomena give to the butterfly a very effective long‐range communication system. The morphological characteristics of the scales of the various species are presented in detail.Two types of optical measurement were performed on the iridescent wings of 14 different species of Morphidae: spectroscopic measurements under various incidences and gonioscopic measurements for a given incidence angle and wavelength. The first allows a determination of the index of refraction of the cuticular material. The second leads to the drawing of spatial diffraction maps. It shows that most of the reflected light is diffracted laterally over a very large angle (90° < θ < 120°, according to the different species) and that this repartition depends of the polarization of incident light. As predicted by previous calculations, the dissymmetric structure of the ridge is responsible for the separation of the polarization modes in the various diffraction orders.
RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CHEMICALLY MODIFIED RICE STARCH MODEL SOLUTIONS
Authors: RAINA C.S. , SINGH S. , BAWA A.S. , SAXENA D.C. 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Native rice starches have poor resistance to shear, and fair stability to retrogradation with soft texture, which can be altered through chemical modifications. Starch from broken pieces of rice of three rice cultivars (PUSA‐44, PR‐106 and PR‐114) was chemically modified by etherification and esterification reactions by different combinations of modification reagents to investigate the effect of modification on the rheological properties of rice starches. The modification resulted in shear stable gel with apparent pseudoplastic characteristics. The viscosity of starches increased upon acetylation and dual modification as a result of increase in solubility. However, cross‐linking had shown the reverse effect. The flow behavior index (n) and consistency coefficient (k) were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved upon modification in acetylated and dual‐modified starches. The effect of modification on the rheological properties was observed in similar pattern in all the three rice cultivars but varied significantly in variety PUSA‐44 may be because of its relatively higher amylose content.
EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENT: MOISTURE CONTENT AND HUMIDITY RATIO DRIVING FORCE APPROACHES DURING BAKING
Authors: DEMIRKOL EREN , ERDOGDU FERRUH , PALAZOGLU T. KORAY 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Moisture distribution in baked products at the end of baking is important because it directly affects the product's quality. In fact, nonhomogeneous moisture distribution may result in quality defects such as cracking, checking etc. Diffusion inside and convective mass transfer outside the product are important factors affecting the quality. Therefore, accurate values of mass transfer parameters should be known for optimization of the baking process to obtain a product of higher quality. For this objective, infinite mass transfer and constant diffusion coefficient simplifying approximations have been applied in the literature numerous times to develop mass transfer models. However, the infinite mass transfer coefficient approximation may not hold true, especially under natural convection conditions. To evaluate the mass transfer coefficient, baking experiments were carried out to obtain the moisture content changes of cookies during baking at 190, 200 and 210C under natural and forced convection conditions. Then, mass transfer coefficient was determined using the moisture content difference and the humidity ratio difference as the driving force for mass transfer. The results of these two approaches were compared, and the use of humidity ratio difference seemed to be a better approach in terms of reflecting actual process conditions because it is based on the surface changes.
The Phosphopantetheinyl Transferase Superfamily: Phylogenetic Analysis and Functional Implications in Cyanobacteria
Authors: Copp J. N. , Neilan B. A. 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACTPhosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTs) are a superfamily of essential enzymes required for the synthesis of a wide range of compounds including fatty acid, polyketide, and nonribosomal peptide metabolites. These enzymes activate carrier proteins in specific biosynthetic pathways by the transfer of a phosphopantetheinyl moiety to an invariant serine residue. PPTs display low levels of sequence similarity but can be classified into two major families based on several short motifs. The prototype of the first family is the broad-substrate-range PPT Sfp, which is required for biosynthesis of surfactin inBacillus subtilis. The second family is typified by theEscherichia coliacyl carrier protein synthase (AcpS). Facilitated by the growing number of genome sequences available for analyses, large-scale phylogenetic studies were utilized in this research to reveal novel subfamily groupings, including two subfamilies within the Sfp-like family. In the present study degenerate oligonucleotide primers were designed for amplification of cyanobacterial PPT gene fragments. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses suggested a unique, function-based PPT type, defined by the PPTs involved in heterocyst differentiation. Evidence supporting this hypothesis was obtained by sequencing the region surrounding the partialNodularia spumigenaPPT gene. The ability to genetically classify PPT function is critical for the engineering of novel compounds utilizing combinatorial biosynthesis techniques. Information regarding cyanobacterial PPTs has important ramifications for the ex situ production of cyanobacterial natural products.
Inhibition of Epsilon-Poly-
l
-Lysine Biosynthesis in
Streptomycetaceae
Bacteria by Short-Chain Polyols
Authors: Nishikawa Masanobu , Ogawa Ken'ichi 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

Antimicrobial epsilon-poly-
l
-lysine (ePL) is secreted by
Streptomycetaceae
bacteria, and the mechanism of ePL biosynthesis remains to be elucidated. We previously reported that an unknown ePL derivative accumulates in the culture medium of ePL-producing bacteria when glycerol is added to the culture medium (Nishikawa and Ogawa, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
68:
3575-3581, 2002). In this study, by using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization—time of flight mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, we identified the unknown derivative as the ester formed between the hydroxyl group of a glycerol molecule and the terminal carboxyl group of an ePL molecule. When a short-chain aliphatic polyol, such as ethylene glycol, propanediol, or butanediol, was added instead of glycerol, a corresponding ePL-polyol monoester accumulated in the culture medium of ePL-producing bacteria. ePL esterification was accompanied by ePL synthesis in intact cells and a cell-free system, but no esterification of exogenous ePL was observed. ePL-polyol esters were formed during lysine polymerization. The number of lysine residues of ePL-polyol esters decreased with increasing polyol concentration. Taken together, these results indicate that ePL synthesis is inhibited by polyols via esterification and that ePL elongation occurs via the incorporation of lysine monomers into the carboxyl terminus of ePL.
rRNA and Poly-β-Hydroxybutyrate Dynamics in Bioreactors Subjected to Feast and Famine Cycles
Authors: Frigon Dominic , Muyzer Gerard , van Loosdrecht Mark , Raskin Lutgarde 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

Feast and famine cycles are common in activated sludge wastewater treatment systems, and they select for bacteria that accumulate storage compounds, such as poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). Previous studies have shown that variations in influent substrate concentrations force bacteria to accumulate high levels of rRNA compared to the levels in bacteria grown in chemostats. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that bacteria accumulate more rRNA when they are subjected to feast and famine cycles. However, PHB-accumulating bacteria can form biomass (grow) throughout a feast and famine cycle and thus have a lower peak biomass formation rate during the cycle. Consequently, PHB-accumulating bacteria may accumulate less rRNA when they are subjected to feast and famine cycles than bacteria that are not capable of PHB accumulation. These hypotheses were tested with
Wautersia eutropha
H16 (wild type) and
W. eutropha
PHB-4 (a mutant not capable of accumulating PHB) grown in chemostat and semibatch reactors. For both strains, the cellular RNA level was higher when the organism was grown in semibatch reactors than when it was grown in chemostats, and the specific biomass formation rates during the feast phase were linearly related to the cellular RNA levels for cultures. Although the two strains exhibited maximum uptake rates when they were grown in semibatch reactors, the wild-type strain responded much more rapidly to the addition of fresh medium than the mutant responded. Furthermore, the chemostat-grown mutant culture was unable to exhibit maximum substrate uptake rates when it was subjected to pulse-wise addition of fresh medium. These data show that the ability to accumulate PHB does not prevent bacteria from accumulating high levels of rRNA when they are subjected to feast and famine cycles. Our results also demonstrate that the ability to accumulate PHB makes the bacteria more responsive to sudden increases in substrate concentrations, which explains their ecological advantage.